Have you ever thought about the timing of on-boarding nutrients around an exercise period as well as the composition of those nutrients?

We all know, that it is important to on-board protein and carbohydrate after the exercise period to allow the body to repair itself as well as to re-build depleted energy reserves.Even intuitively it would seem that on-boarding post exercise should be the best approach.

So can we analyse how important the timing of on-boarding is and hence be able to gain the maximum health value out of it?

Is there a sweet spot timing-wise for on-boarding?

The term “anabolic window of opportunity” has been coined by some scientists setting out that there is a limited time frame post training to optimise training related muscular recovery.

This area of research is further complicated as we should not forget that there are different types of training eg. whether it is an early morning session where you are effectively in a fasted state as compared with a later afternoon session where the training may be being done within a few hours of lunch.

So Coach’s view would be that on balance a good rule of thumb would be to have something light to eat 30-45 mins before your work out and again something similar 30-45 mins afterwards.

The scientific debate can continue as to whether there is an optimum time to onboard post exercise but our approach should be practical and cover all bases in the interim.

For more information on our specialist coaching please call us on 0207 315 4260 or email info@coachlondon.uk