What to eat after training....

[dave80]

What are peoples thoughts on the best way to refuel after a training session? I am trainig 5 nights a week after work for 1-3 hours per night and a few hours at the weekend (Thai, BJJ and MMA training). I probably do about 3 or 4 really tough sessions included in this which last about an hour, the rest is relatively low impact drilling. I cycle to work and back which takes approx 20 minutes each way and run 3 times a week.
As you can see, I'm not left with much time to prepare decent nutritional meals and am pretty much ready for bed by the time I get home. I have looked into these 'meal shake' things but there are so many to choose from, the guy in the shop didn't seem to know what he was talking about and they are really expensive! I have been told Magnesium supplements are important and I take Glucosamine and cod liver oil supplements already.
I just wanted to ask to see if anyone could give me some decent advice. I was lucky enough to train with Erik Paulson last night (awesome guy) and he mentioned that all you need to take is Glucosamine, and a vitamin shake which was detailed on his web site but I couldn't see any mention when I looked.
Cheers Folks

[EmptyneSs]

yeah i have the same problem. between having to go to work, school, health club to lift weights, bjj, and mt i have no time to eat.

heres some quick stuff u can pick up fast anywere

power bars - they are small and are of high nutritional value. theres so many different kinds u can experiment with em for a while till u find one u rally like. some of them can be extreme, like with weight gainer in them and like 50+ grams of protein in whatnot. stay away from those, just get decent ones. if u get like a regular PowerBar and drink that with some water thats a quick boost of nutrients to your body. it has 10 grams of protein, and the PowerBar Protein Plus has 24 grams of protein.

milk - 1 cup of milk has the same ammount of protein in a PowerBar, which is 10grams, plus other nutrients.

chicken salad - u can get these very cheap and fresh almost anywere now. u got your protein as well as tons of vegetables. be carefeul with the dressings though, they contain alot of fat. safeway sells a bunch of these in its delis for 4.99, good meal. even jack in the box has salads u can get in the drive through.

peaunut butter - pretty cheap, just put some on bread and u got alot of protein,carbs. have one with milk, thats alotta nutrients going to your body.

juices - they may contain alot of sugar, however they also contain carbs, and vitams. having one here and there will help your bodys metabolism going and giving small boosts of nutrients to your body.

bottled water - water should be a very important part of eveyrones diet, especially martial artists. u can get water pretty cheap anywere.

[Penance]

When you get home: Pasta! It takes less than 10 minutes to make, costs almost nothing, and has alot of protein and good carbs and it goes well with almost anything.

Tuna fish is great too.

[RYO9]

hey,

POWERBARS! POWERBARS! POWERBARS! also jerky and cheeses are good. if you want quik energy apples, bannanas, red bull(NO!). also drink lots of water, post-workout. Many people say gatorade is good after a workout, but i know of a few studies done at certain universties with really bad football records that prove it's got too much glucose.


Mullins

[dave80]

Great response

Cheers guys, a lot of great advice. I will look into these Powerbars. I want to stay away from too many artificial foods and shakes etc. Seems like I have been doing alright up till now, pasta, tuna, chicken, veg, beans and milk make up most of my diet.
Thanks again fellas.

[zhorner]

if powerbars get too expensive you can always make your own protein bars. just type in home made protein bars in at google.com, (do not make any recipe that requires baking...they suck).

from what i hear after training you are supposed to eat high glycemic carbs to replenish your glycogen levels as fast as possible. i was told by an exercise physiologist to try to combine both high and low or medium burning carbs...
high carbs - white bread, gatorade, watermelon, pineapple, cake, ect..
low/medium carb - banana, rye bread, whole grain breads, oatmeal, ect..

people are so focused on protein when in reality you are supposed to eat about twice as many carbs as protein. damn that atkins diet!

my example post workout meal...

in a blender:
8 oz. milk
one medium banana, ( the more ripe the better )
one serving pineapple..blend until liquid
toss in 8 ice cubes..blend until liquid
one scoop chocolate whey protein, ( about 20 grams )..blend until liquid
take 1 tablespoon reduced fat peanut butter, heat up in microwave for about 8 seconds, or until semi fluid. pour in while blender is going...pop in a straw and eat it up.

as far as supplements go...if you are interested in building or at least preserving muscle, i would throw in some glutamine and a bcaa supplement before and after your workout.
glutamine - an amino acid the composes 60% of your muscle.
bcaa, ( branched-chain-amino-acids ) - the essential aminos leucine, isoleucine, and valine. these can either be used to build new proteins or be burned as fuel to produce energy.

[Rich_aka_Wig]

Hi. I'm new to the forum so was doing a little searching. Thanks for the info provided in this thread - I'm following bits and pieces after training ^^

I know this thread's old now, but just wondering what to eat before training, if anything?

[EmptyneSs]

theres this odwalla drink called Super Protein Original. u can find it at most 7-11s . its made from fruitjuice and soy protein. it has like 18 grams of protein, and lots of vitamins. each bottle is 2 servings. i pic these up all the time when i dont have time to eat. they have a good amount of sugar in them, but the vitamins and protein it packs is worth it. take one of these after a workout. or have half a bottle before a workout, and half after.

slimfast drinks are pretty good too. they are cheap and high in protein.

[Britt]

I eat big bowls of nails and suck the marrow from the bones of my fallen enemies!

Okay, I usually grab something low fat from Taco Bell on the way home.

[zhorner]

Hi. I'm new to the forum so was doing a little searching. Thanks for the info provided in this thread - I'm following bits and pieces after training ^^

I know this thread's old now, but just wondering what to eat before training, if anything?

as opposed to post workout meals, you want slow burning carbs and proteins.

the preworkout carbs should have a low glycemic index for example...brown rice, oatmeal, yams, and rye bread.

good preworkout proteins include most meat, soy, and casein. (the only whey proteins i find suitable for preworkout would be muscle milk, or eas milk max for the reason that they are so high in fat it slows down the digestion process).

also, it is a good idea to eat a small portion of healthy fats (mono/poly unsaturated) for the reason previously stated.

sample preworkout meal 1: 3-4 slices rye bread with low sugar jelly
1-2 cups low fat cottage cheese
1 tbsp flax oil, (optional)

or

sample preworkout shake: 1 1/2 scoops cytosport (muscle milk)
2 scoops muscletech (mass tech)
or 2 1/2 scoops cytosport (cytogainer)
blend together with 12 ounces 1% milk

[zhorner]

theres this odwalla drink called Super Protein Original. u can find it at most 7-11s . its made from fruitjuice and soy protein. it has like 18 grams of protein, and lots of vitamins. each bottle is 2 servings. i pic these up all the time when i dont have time to eat. they have a good amount of sugar in them, but the vitamins and protein it packs is worth it. take one of these after a workout. or have half a bottle before a workout, and half after.

slimfast drinks are pretty good too. they are cheap and high in protein.

half before and half after? thats 9 grams per meal!

he should shoot for at LEAST 20 per meal, 30 is better, 50 is too much.

[blitz]

I eat a chicken breast or 100 grams of turkey in a slice of whole wheat bread, but I do that because I'm currently body building. If you workout too much, you'll need sugar, for energy, I would say when you get back drink milk, eat a energy bar and eat a sandwich having some kind of protien.

[Liquidsnake1500]

i eat acai when finish my bjj training

[sapatiero]

You need quick quality carbs, and quality protein. The easiest way to get this is to make a protein shake (ionic exchange whey protein), and instead of mixing it with milk, mix it with a good quality carb drink (ie. one with long chain triglycerides or some form of complex carbs along with the glucose/sucrose). It's an acquired taste, but it gets everything you need into your system in the shortest possible time (ie. minimum digestion - just check the glycemic index).

Glucosomine and related joint supplements are great for BJJ etc., but won't replenish your fuel reserves.

[treelizard]

I made these energy balls for my exboyfriend after his workouts and he loved them. I prefer zoom balls myself but this is tailored for the yang male energy system. It's from Herbal Remedies for Men’s Health by Rosemary Gladstar. You can find powdered herbs in the health food store or put them in a coffee grinder, be sure they ARE finely ground though unless you want to pick out little chunks of roots from your energy balls. She uses 1 part ginseng powder but I took that out because an acupuncturist told me most people shouldn't use it (and esp. not if you're under 40).

2 parts eleuthero (Siberian ginseng) powder
3 parts pumpkin seeds, powdered
1/2 part spirulina or Super Blue Green Algae®
1 part ginkgo or gotu kola powder
1 cup sesame butter (tahini)
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup crushed almonds
Coconut, cocoa powder, raisins, chocolate or carob chips, and granola for flavor
Carob powder or powdered milk

1. Combine powdered herbs and mix well.

2. Combine the sesame butter and honey, mixing to form a paste. If you want your Energy Balls to be sweeter, add more honey.

3. Add enough of the powdered herbs to thicken, then add the almonds and the flavouring additions. Thicken to desired consistency with carob powder or powdered milk. Roll into walnut-size balls.

Eat two Energy Balls daily.