Feeling "jittery" when squatting, think it's nutrition issue...

[DannyP]

Lately, I feel a bit "jittery" in between squat sets and sometimes even into the next set (actually had to leave final rep of final set on pins today, and this was only an "M" day...) and I'm thinking nutrition is the first thing to try. This feels like "rubbery" jitters, not caffein/nerve jitters. This is pretty recent, as weights have gotten heavier. Aside from overall caloric intake, what exactly should I be eating, and when, in relation to lifting? Currently, my gym day routine looks something like:

7:30am: 8.5oz whole milk Greek yogurt with handful of almonds and big spoonful of raw honey; "green" juice mix from powder

9:30am: handful of berries, cup of whole milk

9:40am: head to gym (drink plenty of water while there)

After gym: scoop of egg white protein, another handful of berries

So, do I need to be eating more before going, eating different things, eating on a different schedule, or some combination? Also, I don't pay a ton of attention to the previous night's dinner, but again, overall caloric intake and macros aside, is this meal of particular significance?

I suppose a programming tweak might be in order, particularly in terms of volume (still doing all my lifts as 3x5, but doing on H/L/M split).

[Anna Marie Oakes-Joudy]

Your food looks pretty low carb. I would suggest upping your carbs before and after you train. How long have you been H/L/M?

[brkriete]

Really it's not just "what I ate this morning" but what you ate yesterday as well.

It would probably be more helpful if you provided a macro breakdown and total # of calories for a day (instead of a list of foods....I'm not going to go and look up 37 ingredients and figure out how many calories and how much protein is in that). What's in what you listed? 600 calories? If your other meals are similarly sized you're probably not eating enough altogether.

[DannyP]

Your food looks pretty low carb. I would suggest upping your carbs before and after you train. How long have you been H/L/M?

Had started HLM over a year ago, and some injuries along the way had me going back to more M/L for a while here and there. However, in late summer I did a massive de-load/form reset, did LP back up for a few weeks and resumed H/L/M maybe a month or so ago.

My diet is, in general, pretty low carb. Grains don't really agree with me and too much refined sugar makes me feel like crap. Therefore, the majority of readily-available sugars in my diet will come from honey or fruit. Would a better serving of the latter prior to a workout be helpful you think?

[DannyP]

Really it's not just "what I ate this morning" but what you ate yesterday as well.

It would probably be more helpful if you provided a macro breakdown and total # of calories for a day (instead of a list of foods....I'm not going to go and look up 37 ingredients and figure out how many calories and how much protein is in that). What's in what you listed? 600 calories? If your other meals are similarly sized you're probably not eating enough altogether.

My breakfasts and lunches are probably similarly sized. I'll have a calorie-dense snack in the afternoon (usually a good sized hunk of super dark chocolate and some marcona almonds coated in sunflower oil). Dinner is typically bigger and includes significantly more fat (on a workout day it'll be a 12-16oz steak, coated in butter, with a vegetable similarly dressed). Dinners are typically cooked in butter, whether it be beef, chicken or fish and dinner carbs will consist mostly of greens. Unless it's sushi night, in which case there will be a good helping of rice.

My caloric intake for the day is probably in the 2500 range, which is fine since I'm not that big a guy and not really looking to put on a meaningful amount of mass.

I will, however, be more cognizant of what is being consumed the evening prior to a workout. Could have been the problem today; Thanksgiving isn't usually a big eating holiday for me because it's so carb-heavy.

[Joe Jaloszynski]

You need nutrition help. I am not good at this part of the process. I just eat a lot of everything because I'm married with two kids. So, fuck abs.

But you're obviously not eating right, or enough, or both. Jordan Feigenbaum has done a plethora of podcasts lately talking about dietary stuff. Here's something from his site. Search out his podcasts. They have all been linked through Rip's Q&A.

To Be A Beast | Barbell Medicine

[DannyP]

Interesting article from Jordan; lots to digest there (pun totally intended).

The main takeaway is that I should be better about at least estimating my specific caloric intake. Honestly, previous stalls have all resulted from feeling as though I lacked sufficient strength, rather than running out of gas, so this is a bit new for me.

Will at the very least start upping the pre-workout fruit and perhaps milk, too.

[Luke S]

I'd add a cup of oats before your training session. Or whatever starchy carbs you like. I personally do very well on corn flakes.

[Joe Jaloszynski]

Stop Wasting Money - Nutrition Supplements that Actually Work

[melody]

You need more carbs. Why can't you eat potatoes/sweet potatoes/rice with each meal? Eating like a squirrel won't help you squat. Also Jordan doesn't find fructose to be optimal as a main carb source, so all of the honey and berries won't get the job done.