How many times have you rushed home from the gym to drink your protein shake? Are you always struggling to hit that anabolic window post workout? If so, you’re not alone. Most gym goers carry their meals and shakes everywhere to make sure they get the nutrients needed at the right time. Is meal timing that important? What about the notorious anabolic window? Let’s find out!
The Truth about Meal Timing
When it comes to sports nutrition, there are two camps of people: those who claim that meal timing is crucial and those who believe that what matters most is hitting your daily macros. According to the latest research, meal nutrient timing is overrated. What you eat post training is less important than meeting your overall calories and macros for the day.
Meal timing involves eating specific nutrients, such as carbs and protein, in specific amounts, at the right time. For example, most athletes eat slow digesting carbs pre-workout, protein and fast digesting carbs after exercise, and slow digesting protein at bedtime.
Those who use this approach claim that post-workout nutrition is vital to muscle growth and repair. Basically, you have 30 to 45 minutes after training to fuel your muscles. This is known as the anabolic window. However, things have changed in the last 10-15 years. Modern studies show that nutrient timing might not be as important as was once thought.
Meal Timing Myths You Need To Know
There are many other myths surrounding meal timing. First of all, post-workout nutrition is overrated. Secondly, there’s no need to eat breakfast within 30 minutes upon waking up. Another common myth says that muscle loss will occur if you don’t eat within three hours. Eating carbs before bedtime is a big no-no for most people.
Relax, these statements are not accurate. Skipping breakfast or eating carbs at night won’t affect your progress as long as you hit your macros and calorie goals. Macronutrient ratios as well as the total amount of food consumed in a day have the biggest impact on sports performance and body composition.
