How important is it to eat in a specific time frame before and after your workout? How important are the pre and post workout meals?

If you Google “pre and post workout meals” a bazillion different articles come up.

And most articles tell you when the best time to eat is and what ratio of carbs to protein you should consume.

What do I think about most of these pre and post workout meal articles?…

They aren’t worth paying attention to.

Are you a world-class athlete or a fitness model? Or are you just an average Joe/Jane trying to look your best, be healthy and reach personal fitness goals?

I would say most of us fall into the second category, which means that pre and post workout meals shouldn’t be our main concern. Having great nutrition overall and working out consistently should be our primary concerns.

Yes, eating the right things at the right times before and after your workout could help you, BUT they would only really make a significant difference if you are already near perfect. At least that is my opinion.

If you are trying to lose weight, I think it is more important to learn to eat when you are hungry than it is to try to force in extra calories around a workout because some article tells you that your muscles NEED the fuel at a specific time.

I know there are lots of people who would disagree with me – that think the proper pre and post-workout meals can make a huge impact on your progress…but they just aren’t correct…sorry.

Your muscles won’t disappear if you don’t drink that protein shake within an hour of working out. You really don’t NEED carbs or even food for that matter to be able to perform an intense workout. I’ve actually even found that when I perform fasted training, I get in my best workouts!

So then you may ask why there are so many articles about pre and post workout nutrition.

BECAUSE THERE IS A WHOLE INDUSTRY AROUND WORKOUT NUTRITION.

This isn’t a conspiracy theory. People want to make pre and post workout meals a big deal because it helps them sell products!

Also, for bodybuilders and fitness models and figure competitors, pre and post workout meals ARE important. And a lot of the products were original created for those people.

Of course, now the industry has a great marketing tool…if you want to look like those people, you must consume our products around your workout.

What do you think? Do you worry about your pre and post workout meals? Or are you like me and just make sure that you eat the proper things throughout the day without worrying about the exact timing?