Pre and post-workout meals: what to eat, when and how much

• 2-3 hours before: a normal meal with carbs, moderate protein and little fat and fibre.
• 30-60 minutes before: a small, light bite, such as a banana or Greek yogurt.
• After: 25-40 g of protein plus carbs in a proper meal within one to two hours.
• The order of importance: daily protein and calories first, then the meals around training, and timing details last.

The basics (how long before, what, whether you need supplements) are in our article What to eat before and after a workout. Here we go further: the timing windows, the science behind them and specific recipes with real numbers.

What to eat before a workout

Before training you want carbs, because they are the most readily usable fuel for muscle, plus moderate protein and little fat and fibre, which digest slowly and can cause bloating or heaviness. If you eat two to three hours ahead, a solid meal works; with only an hour, go smaller.

If less time is left, these lighter options are easier. Listen to your stomach: if you are sensitive, eat less and earlier.

What to eat after a workout

After training the aim is to give the muscle protein and replace what you used. For most people 25-40 g of protein in one meal is enough (the ISSN puts the effective dose at about 0.25 g per kg, or 20-40 g). There is no need to rush a shake in the changing room: if you ate before, the next one to two hours is plenty of time. If you did not eat before, or it was long ago, eat sooner.

Does the timing of pre and post-workout meals matter?

In short: less than you think. The ISSN nutrient timing position stand (Kerksick and colleagues, 2017) and the review by Aragon and Schoenfeld (2013) put the “anabolic window” much wider than the old 30 minutes, measured in hours, especially if you ate before training. A meta-analysis by Schoenfeld and colleagues (2013) found that the effect of protein timing disappeared once total daily protein was matched. In other words: timing counts last, total daily protein first.

1. Total daily protein and calories: the protein calculator and calorie calculator give you your target.
2. Protein distribution: three to five meals, 25-40 g each.
3. Meals around training: carbs before, protein after.
4. Fine detail: the exact minutes matter least.

Pre and post-workout meals by type of session

What and when you eat depends on when you train and how hard the session is. All of these examples come from our recipes, and the numbers are in the tables above.

Training fasted: is it a good idea?

For light or moderate sessions, especially in the morning, fasted training is fine if you feel good. For heavy strength work, many people are stronger when they eat a little carbohydrate first, such as a banana. Try both and see which lets you lift more. One note: after a fasted session, eat a proper protein-rich meal soon, and do not blow past your daily calories because you “earned” it.

Fluids and caffeine

Drink regularly through the day and during training as you feel thirsty. For an average hour of training, water is enough. A good sign is pale yellow urine. Caffeine before training can help performance, but there is a limit: EFSA considers single doses of up to 200 mg and up to 400 mg a day safe for healthy adults. A medium coffee contains roughly 80-100 mg. We cover this and the other supplements on the supplements page, and creatine is a few grams a day that you can take at any time.

What if you cannot eat?

• No appetite before training: liquid carbs (a small smoothie, fruit) go down more easily.
• You train late and do not want dinner afterwards: a protein shake or a bowl of cottage cheese is enough, but the daily target is what counts.
• You train at dawn: a banana before, then your normal breakfast.
• Short on time: the weekly meal plan decides what you eat in advance, so there is no thinking before training.

What to eat with it

The meals around training sit inside your daily budget. The numbers above show your daily target for maintenance and muscle gain, and the recipes add one pre and one post-workout choice each.

Daily targets for a 30-year-old training 3-5 times a week (Mifflin-St Jeor, as in The Fit Chef app)

Example	Goal	kcal	Protein (g)	Carbs (g)	Fat (g)
Woman, 65 kg, 168 cm	Maintenance	2,150	117	270	67
Man, 80 kg, 180 cm	Maintenance	2,760	144	353	86
Woman, 65 kg, 168 cm	Muscle gain	2,410	130	304	75
Man, 80 kg, 180 cm	Muscle gain	3,090	160	397	96

Your own numbers come from the calorie calculator and the protein calculator. For people who train, the ISSN suggests 1.4-2.0 g of protein per kg of body weight a day; the high-protein foods chart and the weekly meal plan make it easy to actually hit it.

Recipes for before and after training

Per serving, calculated from the recipe data

Recipe	When	kcal	Protein (g)	Carbs (g)	Fat (g)	Time
Double Chocolate Overnight Oats	before	437	35	60	9	5 min
Strawberry Cheesecake Overnight Oats	before	376	22	59	6	5 min
Chicken & Broccoli Stir-Fry	after	504	44	60	10	20 min
Tuna Sweet Potato Cakes	after	490	50	43	12	30 min

Breakfast · 5 minDouble Chocolate Overnight Oats437 kcal35 g proteinBreakfast · 5 minStrawberry Cheesecake Overnight Oats376 kcal22 g proteinDinner · 20 minChicken & Broccoli Stir-Fry504 kcal44 g proteinDinner · 30 minTuna Sweet Potato Cakes490 kcal50 g protein

These recipes are around 375-505 kcal, rich in carbs and protein, and calculated from our own data, to the gram. More on timing and more recipes on the pre and post-workout meals page; creatine and protein powder have their own guides.