Training imposes coordinated metabolic demands that nutrient timing strategically addresses.

Optimizing the nutrient environment around training is one of the most powerful means by which coaches can directly influence both the quality of a session and the physiological adaptations that follow. While total daily nutrient intake remains the primary driver of hypertrophy and strength development, peri-workout nutrition functions as a precision tool – one that can meaningfully shift the internal conditions under which training occurs.

The following guide is provided to help the coach understand, in detail, why peri-workout nutrition is important, through what mechanisms, and when it becomes a concern of high priority.

Physiological Foundations: Why the Training Window Is Nutritionally Sensitive

Resistance training imposes a coordinated set of mechanical and metabolic challenges on the neuromuscular system. These challenges trigger cascades of molecular events that lead to muscle hypertrophy, strength gains, and improvements in work capacity. However, these same events temporarily place the athlete in a catabolic, substrate-demanding state.

Protein turnover dynamics shift dramatically based on amino acid availability during and after training.

Muscle protein turnover represents the continuous cycle of muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and muscle protein breakdown (MPB). Strength training increases MPS, but it also significantly increases MPB – particularly if amino acid availability is low. An athlete grows or remains catabolic in the hours following training depending on net protein balance.

Net Protein Balance = MPS - MPB

Without sufficient essential amino acids (EAAs) available, the post-workout period becomes a window of heightened muscle breakdown, not growth. Nutrient timing helps ensure that the training stimulus is paired with an environment that favors net positive balance, creating conditions conducive to hypertrophy.

Glycogen Utilization in Resistance Training

While endurance activities are known for high glycogen depletion, strength training also uses glycogen – just in a more localized, muscle-specific manner.

Research has shown that:

• Hypertrophy-oriented training, using moderate loads and multiple sets, reduces muscle glycogen in the trained muscles by 20-40%.
• Higher volumes, shorter rest intervals, and supersets increase glycogen oxidation.
• Low glycogen availability changes calcium release and reduces force production.

Thus, glycogen availability is not just about "running out of fuel" but also about preserving neuromuscular efficiency, bar speed, and late-set performance.

Training elevates catabolic hormones that temporarily shift metabolism away from tissue building.

Lifting raises both hormonal and metabolic stress signals. Resistance training acutely increases:

• Cortisol, which encourages substrate mobilization
• Catecholamines, which increase arousal and fat mobilization/oxidation
• AMPK, which signals energy stress
• Inflammatory cytokines, which support skeletal muscle remodelling

While this hormonal milieu is normal and beneficial in moderation, it temporarily shifts the body toward catabolic metabolism. Timely nutrient intake, particularly carbohydrate, helps blunt excessive cortisol elevation and accelerates the return to an anabolic environment.

The post-exercise period creates enhanced cellular sensitivity to nutrients through multiple transport mechanisms.

One of the most important yet under-appreciated features of the post-exercise period is enhanced nutrient sensitivity:

• Glucose uptake increases independent of insulin by enhanced GLUT-4 translocation
• Glycogen synthase activity increases, improving glycogen storage efficiency
• Amino acid transporters increase activity, thereby enhancing responsiveness to dietary protein
• mTOR pathway activation makes the muscle more responsive to amino acids, especially leucine

Taken together, these physiological changes represent a window of opportunity during which nutrients can have disproportionately positive effects on recovery and adaptation.

Pre-Workout Nutrition

The main purpose of pre-workout nutrition is to make sure athletes start their training sessions with stable blood sugar, circulating amino acids, and adequate hydration and electrolyte status. This directly impacts how hard they can train, how much volume they can tolerate, how well they execute skills, and even their mental sharpness.

Ideally, the pre-workout meal should be eaten about 1-2 hours before training. This gives the body time to digest while ensuring nutrients are still available during the workout.

Pre-Workout Carbohydrates: The Key to Sustained Training Output

Carbs play a critical role in performance for several reasons:

1. They keep blood glucose stable, which supports mental focus.
2. They enhance neuromuscular function, helping with calcium handling in muscles.
3. They reduce how hard the workout feels.
4. They improve the quality of reps in the later sets – vital for muscle growth.
5. They help maintain central nervous system (CNS) drive, especially during longer sessions.

Since strength training relies heavily on glycolysis for repeated efforts, carbs become a major factor in how long and hard an athlete can push.

Recommended Intake: 0.25-1.0 grams of carbohydrate per pound of bodyweight (0.5-2 g/kg), consumed 1-2 hours before training.

Higher needs: Athletes who train with high volume, in the morning, with short rest periods, or while in a low-carb diet or calorie deficit should aim for the upper end of that range.

Good pre-workout carb sources include: Cream of rice, oats, potatoes, white rice, rice cakes, and low-fiber fruits like bananas or berries.

Pre-Workout Protein: Building the Amino Acid Pool

Consuming protein before training raises essential amino acid (EAA) levels in the blood for several hours, which:

• Fuels muscle protein synthesis (MPS)
• Helps reduce muscle protein breakdown (MPB)
• Maintains a steady supply of amino acids throughout the session

Interestingly, some studies show that pre-workout protein may be just as effective – or even more so – than post-workout protein at stimulating MPS, thanks to elevated amino acid levels during the workout.

Recommended Intake: 0.15-0.20 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight (0.3-0.44 g/kg)

Best sources: Whey isolate, egg whites, low-fat Greek yogurt, soy or pea protein isolate (for vegetarians/vegans). Liquid options are often easier to digest before training.

Pre-Workout Fat: Use with Caution

Fat slows digestion and can cause discomfort during training if overdone. While a small amount can make meals more satisfying and help with digestive stability, too much fat can interfere with the absorption of nutrients when timing is tight.

Recommended Intake: Less than or equal to 0.1 g/lb (0.22 g/kg) of bodyweight. Keep it low, especially if training starts soon after eating.

Pre-Workout Hydration and Electrolytes: The Overlooked Performance Booster

Hydration is essential for everything from muscle contractions and nerve signaling to body temperature regulation and achieving a good "pump." Sodium plays a huge role – it helps maintain blood volume and supports nerve function.

General Recommendations:

• 500-750 mL of water before training
• 300-600 mg of sodium (¼-½ teaspoon of salt)
• Add 200-300 mg potassium if training first thing in the morning or dietary levels are low (coconut water is a great source of potassium)

Personalization tip: Sweat sodium losses vary widely – some people lose 300 mg/L, others over 1800 mg/L. Sweat sodium varies widely (~300-1800 mg/L). Cramp-prone, 'salty' sweaters or heat-block lifters should target the upper range (≈1000-1500 mg/L), whereas low sweaters in cool conditions can stay near 300-600 mg/L. In long or hot sessions, avoid over-drinking plain water; pair fluids with sodium to mitigate hyponatremia risk.

Coaching insight: When an athlete feels like they're fading halfway through a session, it's often not due to low carbs – but dehydration and/or sodium depletion.

Caffeine: A Trusted Performance Enhancer

Caffeine has been thoroughly studied and shown to enhance strength, power, and endurance by stimulating the central nervous system and blocking adenosine receptors.

Recommended Intake: 3–6 mg per kg of bodyweight, 45-60 minutes before training

Coaching insight: Consider individual tolerance. Some athletes may feel anxious, crash afterward, or experience digestive issues – so adjust timing and dosage accordingly.

Intra-Workout Nutrition

Not every athlete needs intra-workout nutrition, but in certain scenarios, it can make a big difference in performance and recovery.

It's most useful when:

• Training sessions last longer than 75 minutes
• There's metabolite-focused work or short rest periods
• Athletes are training fasted
• Training occurs in high-heat environments
• The athlete has two sessions in a single day
• The workout is part of a high-volume hypertrophy block
• The athlete is in a calorie deficit

The goal here is to keep blood glucose stable, maintain hydration status, sustain central nervous system (CNS) drive, maintain bar speed and output, and prevent a drop-off in performance late in the session.

Intra-Workout Carbohydrates: 0.3-0.7 g/kg per Hour

Fast-digesting carbs like cyclic dextrin, dextrose, or maltodextrin are ideal. They're easy on the stomach and provide steady glucose without GI distress.

Why they matter:

• They keep glycolysis going strong during repeated efforts
• They help reduce cortisol levels
• They lower perceived exertion late in a workout
• They help preserve force output and rep quality

Intra-Workout Electrolytes

During training, electrolytes, especially sodium and potassium, help muscles contract efficiently by maintaining the electrical gradients across cell membranes. Sodium supports extracellular hydration (plasma volume especially) and potassium supports intracellular hydration.

Recommended Intake per Litre of Fluid:

• Sodium: 300-600 mg
• Potassium: 200-300 mg

This helps keep blood volume stable and cells well-hydrated – both of which support performance and speed up recovery.

Intra-Workout EAAs (Use Them Strategically)

About 10 grams of essential amino acids (EAAs) can be beneficial in certain conditions, especially when:

• The athlete trains fasted
• Pre- or post-workout protein intake is low
• The athlete struggles to hit daily protein targets
• Sessions run longer than 90 minutes

Coaching tip: For well-nourished athletes who meet their daily protein needs, EAAs don't offer extra benefit. But in the right context, they can help fill in the gaps.

Post-Workout Nutrition

The goal of post-workout nutrition is to speed up recovery and maximize adaptation. The time right after training is when the body begins shifting from a state of breakdown (catabolism) to one of rebuilding and growth (anabolism). How you time your post-workout nutrition depends heavily on what was consumed before training.

• If a solid pre-workout protein meal was eaten: You've got a broader recovery window – about 2 to 4 hours.
• If the session was fasted: You need to refuel right away to stop muscle breakdown and kickstart recovery.

Post-Workout Protein: 0.15-0.25 g/lb (0.33-0.55 g/kg)

Consuming protein after training boosts muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and helps shift your body into a positive protein balance. Quick-digesting proteins, like whey, are ideal here because they rapidly deliver amino acids to your muscles.

Post-Workout Carbohydrates: 0.25-1.0 g/lb (0.55-2.20 g/kg)

Post-workout carbs are crucial for:

• Replenishing glycogen stores
• Lowering cortisol (the stress hormone)
• Restoring fuel for upcoming sessions
• Speeding up recovery – especially important for athletes training multiple times a day

Higher-carb doses are particularly important for high-volume athletes.

Post-Workout Fat: Keep It Moderate

While fat doesn't interfere with MPS, large amounts can slow down how quickly nutrients are absorbed. A moderate amount of fat post-training is fine – just avoid heavy, high-fat meals right after your session.

Post-Workout Hydration

Rehydrate based on how much fluid was lost during training. A general guideline is:

• 500-700 mL of fluid per pound of bodyweight lost
• Add sodium to replace electrolytes and expand plasma volume lost through sweat

Staying hydrated is especially important for athletes who train hard, train long, or sweat a lot.

The "anabolic window" is real, but can be extended up to 4 hours.

Forget the old myth that you've only got 30 minutes after a workout to eat, or you'll miss your gains. The truth is, the "anabolic window" isn't a rigid time frame – it's a flexible, context-driven period influenced by what you ate before training, how long the session lasted, and your current metabolic state.

Here's how it breaks down:

• If you had protein before training: Your window stays open for about 2-4 hours.
• If you trained fasted: You'll want to eat right away to kickstart recovery.
• If you're in a large calorie deficit or doing two-a-days: The sooner you eat post-workout, the better for recovery.

Bottom line: The anabolic window is real – but its timing should be tailored to the individual athlete's situation.

Fasted training: avoiding pitfalls

Fasted training requires special attention. Training in a fasted state ramps up muscle protein breakdown (MPB), depletes glycogen stores, and leaves the body without any circulating essential amino acids (EAAs). In other words, it puts the body in a more vulnerable, catabolic state.

Coaching takeaway: Fasted sessions aren't nutritionally neutral – they need to be handled with care.

Key Recommendations:

• Always follow up with protein + carbs right after the workout.
• If the session lasts more than 60 minutes, consider adding intra-workout carbohydrates.
• EAAs can be helpful if the athlete can't stomach a full pre-workout meal but still needs amino acid support.
• For intermittent fasting athletes, earlier post-workout feeding may be necessary just to hit daily protein goals.

Coaching insight: Combining fasted training with delayed post-workout nutrition is a recipe for poor recovery. If you're going to train fasted, make sure nutrition timing afterward is on point.

Peri-workout nutrition strategies

Being a good nutrition coach comes from the ability to tailor nutrition to different training scenarios. Mastery comes from knowing when to dial in peri-workout nutrition based on the training phase, athlete profile, and specific demands of each session.

Simple guidelines for designing your own peri-workout nutrition strategies.

1. Fuel for the work required. Adjust carbohydrate intake based on the intensity and duration of the training session.
2. Protein before and after training. This ensures you get the strongest muscle protein synthesis (MPS) response.
3. Sodium and potassium are key for hydration. It's not just about water; sodium and potassium are crucial for strength, performance, and fluid balance.
4. Timing matters most when the body is under stress. That means during fasted states, calorie deficits, or long, demanding sessions.
5. Intra-workout carbs should be used with intent. They're a tool for specific situations, not a default for every session.
6. Hydration directly impacts performance. From muscle contractions to thermoregulation, being well-hydrated is non-negotiable.
7. Daily nutrition builds adaptation. Nutrient timing enhances it, but it can't replace consistency over time.
8. Personalization beats cookie-cutter plans. Always adjust based on the athlete's individual needs, preferences, and training demands.