When to Eat On Training Days?
- Thread starter Hot Lunch
- Start date
Wing Woo Gar
Grandmaster
I trained through the 4-8 time slot most days for many years. I always ate a big lunch and then a snack just before training, with a big dinner after class. Now I only train 3-4 times a week for 2 hours or so in the evenings except on Sundays which is my 3.5 hour day that goes from 0830-1200. I just eat dinner after workouts now, I don’t eat big lunches or snacks before workouts anymore. I’m more efficient at my training now though, in my 20s and 30s I went for intensity. In an analogy, my car is older now, but I’m a far more skilled driver than I was. I also understand nutrition better, and know what I need to get the best performance. As far as what others do, I can’t speak to that in a meaningful way. I would say try to eat a well balanced diet with variety while avoiding sugar, alcohol, and processed foods.
I eat beforehand, but not too much. Probably like half of a normal dinner. Reasoning is that whenever I get home I'm hungry, regardless if I ate a full dinner or not, so might as well save some of my food for then, rather than eating snacks I don't need afterwards.
Simfers
Green Belt
Class runs from 6 to 7 PM (we will usually go over on days when we're the last to go on, so Mondays and Wednesdays), so I'll eat a solid lunch around noon, a very light snack if needed around 3, and then dinner when I get back and after I shower and start the load of laundry. Works well for me, anyway.
Gyakuto
Senior Master
I can’t train with a meal sloshing around in my stomach, threatening to projectile vomit during the course of a class ! So I’d have a light snack like a banana and a glass of soy milk, before and slice of bread with something afterwards.
Gyakuto
Senior Master
OP
OP
Hot Lunch
Master Black Belt
It's a 20 minute commute for me. So if I get home at around 7:30 pm, I've already busted my butt in the dojo, and now I have to prepare dinner (while being exhausted). And the time that takes depends on what I'm cooking. If I'm trying to go to bed by 9:30, I'm going to end up eating too close to bed time.
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Wing Woo Gar
Grandmaster
I’ve gotten used to this, but I feel you brother. My goal is to get home and showered by 745 and be in the bed by 9. I usually prepare meals for training days so I can just heat them up or I have a huge salad and some smoked fish to make it quick and fairly light. In the old days my 5 training brothers and I used to take turns feeding us. Each of us had one day a week to make a huge meal for 6 large hungry athletes. I could consume an entire chicken with all the sides in those days. We used to measure meals by total poundage to be sure there was enough. Sometimes that meant 12lbs of chicken, 10 pounds of potatoes, 6 pounds of salad, a 12 pack of craft beer, and 2 pies. I can still out eat every single person I know, even though I’m the 2nd smallest person of my old school training brothers at 6’1” and 210 lbs.
_Simon_
Senior Master
Booyeah! A widdle iddybiddy schnuckity carb hit prior to training!Lollies
isshinryuronin
Senior Master
Isn't "lollies" British slang for hookers?
_Simon_
Senior Master
OH
. I was certainly not aware of that! Well, I meant the little sugary treats. As in food. Trust me!
Gyakuto
Senior Master
No, that’s ‘whores’.
Fungus
Black Belt
I tried to goto class without eating first after lunch and then I get tired faster and I dont get maximum yield from training, so training hungry is a waste of time for me. So I now alwatys eat 1.5h before, but say 50-75% of normal - so quite alot, I just make sure to not overeat.
Then I eat a smaller supper efter training.
Thanks for the clarification
Fungus
Black Belt
The alternative seemed more coherent with banana first, but well....
