What to eat before, during, and after your workout [Infographic]

One of the great mysteries of the world, finally solved!

Dean Carlson, Pn2

A very common question I hear regards what to eat around workout times. When, what type of food, and how much. If you know anything about me by now, it's that my answer is going to be; "It depends".

Personally I train in the morning, and the only thing I have before I train is a cup of coffee. On strength training days, I consume BCAA's, and recently have played around with adding Creatine to that mix as well. Then I eat a regular meal when I get home. The cool infographic below, produced by our friends at Precision Nutrition, outlines that strategy. I use it for two reasons:

1. It applies to my body type and goals. I have a slow metabolism, am sensitive to carbs, and am trying to keep my body fat down while getting stronger.

2. It works for me. It's not just a matter of someone telling me to do it, it's experimenting and seeing what happens. I have tried to higher carb workout shakes and post-training regimen, and I just gain body fat when I used that method. 

The take home? Do what works for you. Determining that may take a little trial and error, but I assure you it's worth it. Your results and recovery will show you the way!

You can get a fully printable version of this infographic by clicking here, and you can get a more thorough explanation of the infographic and see the latest research in the PN article: Workout Nutrition Explained: What to eat before, during, and after exercise.