When to eat (and how much of what each day) relative to each lifting session?
A lot of this is really individualized and honestly, despite any scientific angle I could bring into the arguments it still doesn't change the fact that people have gotten really good results using certain "rules" pertaining to the aforementioned issues, i.e. not eating before bed.Originally Posted by kodriscoll
1) The best time to lift is when you feel your strongest, obviously. Some ex. science studies have tried to point out that a certain period of time after rising, like 6-8 hours, is optimal. I've had good results training on a metric ton of coffee and pre workout in the morning (before 6am), training at 9pm, and everything in between. My opinion, it doesn't matter much as long as you're hydrated, motivated, and warm.
2) I have to train on an empty stomach otherwise I go through too many pairs of compression shorts. You'll definitely want to eat before and after, although the exact timing of when these meal occur relative to training is individual and dependent on what the meal consists of. I generally recommend 1-2.5 hours of digestion time before training if you're taking in a substantial meal. If its a protein bar or shake, you could probably train right away. Post workout should be relatively soon, although the hype of the magic 30 minute or 1 hour window is a little overblown, in my opinion. Some people get really good results by eating while they workout! There's also a bit of research citing that you should wait 30 minutes after a workout to feed. Personally, I just setup my eating schedule so I'm eating every 3-5 hours (4-5 meals a day) and my workout usually starts about 2 hours after a meal, takes 90 minutes or so, and then I end up eating right when I get home.
3) I'm a big believer that if you're having a good bit of carbs in your daily workout then at least 50% should be split in the meals around the workout. I've had some decent results with people who thought they were "carb sensitive" by putting all their starchy carbs pre and post workout.
4) It doesn't matter if you eat before bed. I wouldn't intentionally try and not eat after any certain period of time because it doesn't matter. Similarly, I don't see an advantage to eating right before you hit the hay. Just let your meal frequency and intake determine when your last meal is. Only stipulation is I would probably avoid any low glycemic starchy carbs directly before bed.
5) Eat carbs whenever you want, provided they fit your macro intake. My one rule is eat carbs after you train (if you're not following a keto or low carb diet). If you train in the evening, eat carbs in the evening. Additionally, you may get some mileage out of eating a good whack of carbs after you train in the AM, then saving all your carbs until your last meal or two before bed so that you've got some glycogen stored up for the next day's AM training session.
