Your training doesn’t start and end with the workout itself—what you eat before and after plays a massive role in how you perform, recover, and ultimately progress. Whether you’re lifting heavy, running sprints, or grinding through endurance sessions, dialing in your pre- and post-workout nutrition is key to maximizing results.
Nutrient timing is crucial for athletic performance because it aligns the intake of essential nutrients, particularly carbohydrates and proteins, with the body’s metabolic needs during different phases of exercise and recovery.
It ensures that athletes have the necessary fuel for optimal performance during exercise, reduces the risk of muscle breakdown, and accelerates post-exercise recovery- all things that ultimately lead to fast progress, improved results, and a more enjoyable training experience.
By strategically consuming nutrients at specific times, athletes can maximize their energy, enhance muscle synthesis, and minimize recovery time, leading to better performance and reduced risk of injury.
Through this article, we’re going to walk you through some nutrient-timing protocol; but keep in mind that these are general guidelines. Factors like the athlete’s training state, the sport’s specific demands, the environment (i.e. temperature & humidity), as well as individual preferences and digestion can all influence optimal intake and timing. These protocols are a good place to start, but it will take some trial and error for you to find the optimal place to land.
Before we break it down into actual pre, intra, and post-workout meal recommendations, we’ll break it down by the macronutrient so we can understand why the numbers fall the way they do:
NUTRIENT TIMING FOR CARBS
Carbohydrate timing is a strategic tool that can maximize performance, delay the onset of fatigue, and promote rapid recovery. Proper intake before, during, and after exercise ensures that the muscles have an adequate fuel supply for both immediate energy needs and recovery processes.
FAILING TO CONSUME ADEQUATE CARBS BEFORE OR DURING PROLONGED EXERCISE CAN LEAD TO EARLY FATIGUE, REDUCED ENDURANCE, IMPAIRED MENTAL FUNCTION, AND AN INCREASED RISK OF INJURY.
Here’s how it breaks down:
Hours Before:
1-4 grams of complex carbs per kg of bodyweight
This tops off our glycogen stores, which allows our muscle to be primed & ready for the activity
30 Min Before
30-60g of simple carbs
This provides a quick sources of glucose for the onset of exercise, boosting energy & performance
Intra-Workout:
30-60g per hour for exercise lasting 1-2.5 hours; up to 90g for ultra-endurance events
Maintains blood glucose stores, especially for prolonged activities lasting over an hour
After Activity:
1.2g per kg of bodyweight
Can enhance muscle repair and glycogen resynthesis
NUTRIENT TIMING FOR FATS
While carbohydrates remain the primary focus for immediate energy needs in most sports, understanding the role of fats is essential, especially for endurance athletes. Timing fat intake appropriately (mainly multiple hours prior to activity and some intra-workout fats) can optimize energy availability, prevent digestive issues, and support overall health and recovery.
FAILING TO CONSUME ADEQUATE FATS CAN HAVE AN IMPACT ON OVERALL HEALTH, BUT HAS A LARGE ADVERSE EFFECT ON ENDURANCE ATHLETES.
Here’s how it breaks down:
Hours Before:
Moderate amount of unsaturated fat in a meal
Contributes to energy for prolonged exercise, but allows times for digestion
30 Min Before
Generally avoid
Fat slows the digestion process, which can lead to GI discomfort during activity
Intra-Workout:
Easy-to-digest fats for events lasting longer than 2 hours
Can help supplement energy once carbohydrate stores are depleted
After Activity:
Moderate amount in a meal
NUTRIENT TIMING FOR PROTEIN
The timing of protein intake plays a pivotal role in how effective its role is carried out.. By strategically consuming protein before and after exercise, and maintaining consistent protein intake throughout the day, athletes can support muscle adaptation, reduce recovery time, and enhance overall performance.
FAILING TO CONSUME ADEQUATE PROTEIN PRIOR TO WORKOUTS, AFTER WORKOUTS, AND THROUGHOUT THE DAY, LIMITS THE ABILITY TO MAINTAIN MUSCLE AND/OR BUILD MUSCLE, AS WELL AS CREATE ADVERSE EFFECTS ON OUR HEALTH.
Here’s how it breaks down:
Hours Before:
15-20g
Set the stage for muscle protein syntheses and may reduce muscle protein breakdown during exercise
30 Min Before
Combine with carbs
Not the primary focus, but a small amount combined with carbs can prepare the body for exercise and recovery
Intra-Workout:
Not generally a concern during exercise unless the activity extends beyond several hours
After Activity:
15-30g, ideally combined with carbs
Enhances muscle protein synthesis to repair muscle damage, support recovery, and continue MPS
So what does this look like in practice?
HOURS BEFORE
A meal or snack, anywhere from 1-4 hours before activity, that contains 104g/kg of bodyweight of carbs (ideally lower fiber content), a moderate amount of unsaturated fat, and 15-20g of protein.
Examples: A banana and a small protein shake
Oatmeal with milk
Toast and eggs
Rice, avocado, and a lean meat
Kodiak Cakes pancake
30-60 MIN BEFORE
A pre-workout snacks that contains anywhere from 30-60g of simple carbs, minimal fat, and a small-moderate amount of protein.
Examples:
An apple and low-fat greek yogurt
A sports drink
A banana and a small protein shake
Some dried fruit and cheese stick
A small smoothie with fruit and low-fat milk
INTRA-WORKOUT
Intra-workout nutrition is likely the more person/activity-specific element of nutrient timing, considering the vast variation one can find in activity styles, demands, and personal digestion. These will be more vague than others.
Activities 1-2.5 hours in length: Anywhere from 30-60g per hour of carbs
Activities longer than 2 hours: Anywhere from 30-60g per hour of carbs per hour, small amounts of fats depending on on digestion preferences
Activities several hours long (ultra-endurance activities): 30-90g per hours of carbs per hour, small amounts of fats, and small amounts of protein throughout the activity
POST-WORKOUT
A snack of meal wishing 2 hours of training, containing 1.2g/kg of bodyweight of carbs, a small-moderate amount of fats, and 15-30g of protein.
Examples:
A fruit smoothie with protein powder or whole milk
Chocolate milk
A rice bowl with avocado and lean meat
In essence, to reach your goals and sustain a healthy lifestyle, it's imperative that we give equal emphasis to both fitness and nutrition. It’s worth mentioning, too, that This specific article is focused mainly on the foundational concept of NUTRITION TIMING. However, there are foundational aspects (like calories, macros/overall nutrition intake, and lifestyle habits) that should be considered & addressed prior to any attempt to optimize nutrient timing.
There is a hierarchy when it comes to what is most important in our nutrition, and what aspects we should begin with and build upon.
But, once you have those foundations laid, testing and tweaking nutrient timing can make a massive impact on performance, recovery, and your experience in both of those areas.
Comments