The human body is like an automobile; given the right fuel (food and nutrients) along with proper care, handling and recovery it has the ability to perform like a finely tuned race car. With abuse, disuse and improper nutrition it can very well find itself prematurely on route to the junkyard.
The components of the machine will vary greatly from individual to individual. You must experiment and fine tune to determine what works best for you.
A while back I wrote the article Train Right for your Body Type which brought a lot of much needed attention to the fact that women need to work out differently based on their body type. Well, the same can definitely be said for pre and post workout nutrition.
While food is both fuel and recovery, the ectomorph (“Cardio Queen”), endomorph (“Hearty Girl”), and mesomorph (“Natural Athlete”) will all have varying needs in addition to the type of training (exercise) they are doing.
Use the following as general guidelines not a carved in granite blueprint to develop a pre and post workout nutritional strategy that works best for you, your goals, what you are training for and your current state of health and fitness.
All three body types can be overweight or underweight; this article will focus on the general tendencies of each type. If you fall outside these generalizations or have significant health challenges modifications will need to be made.
- The Endomorph: higher fat, moderate protein, lower carbohydrates
- The Mesomorph: balanced, moderate protein, fat and carbohydrates
- The Ectomorph: higher carb, moderate protein, lower fat
Body Type Guidelines
- % of Body Fat: the higher your percentage of body fat the lower tolerance you have for carbohydrates. You need to transition to a lower body fat over time with proper exercise and nutrition. Your post workout meal should be primarily to stabilize your blood sugar. A leaner person can tolerate carbohydrates far better and should have more post workout.
- Gender: as a general rule men have more lean mass (muscle) and can generally eat more carbs. There are exceptions to this rule–highly muscled females/deconditioned poorly muscled males.
- What Are You Training For (WAYTF): What you are training for and what your training age (experience) will definitely play into the equation. Intensity is relative to the time domain. Long slow distance is not a change of intensity but a state of homeostasis.
- Type of Training: different fuel for different types of training. Are you primarily doing a CNS Stimulant workout (strength training) or Cellular Breakdown (metabolic conditioning) or a bit of both? Plan your nutrition and strategize accordingly.
- Sensitivities: we vary greatly, experiment, feel what works, you will need to learn by trial and error what works best for your genetics.
- Timing of meals: for strength training you should be able to eat up to 15 -30 min prior to your workout without any ill effects. For metabolic conditioning some can train fasted or within 2 hours allowing time for digestion.
Realizing there are many factors that play into this let’s take a look at some Pre and Post workout meal and snack ideas. . .
Pre Workout Nutrition
Fasted: if it works for you, do it. It doesn’t for me (I am a meso/endo) maintaining my weight. Some people (primarily endos and those overweight) do well in a fasted state for metabolic conditioning or long slow distance. I don’t recommend it for strength training.
30 min to 2 hours prior: up to 30 min for strength training, 60 min to 2 hours for metabolic conditioning. A meal consisting of protein, fat and carbohydrates in macronutrients (proportions) suitable to your body type/goals.
Example: 2-3 hard boiled eggs, piece of fruit; chicken/fish/fowl, veggies, sweet potato/other root or tuber
Post Workout Nutrition
Gain/maintain weight/small amount to lose: 40% protein, 60% carbs, low in fat. Why low in fat? Fat slows the absorption process; post wod is an exception–you want those nutrients sucked up rapidly.
Examples: Nature’s “protein shake” and my favorite — 1-2 cups raw milk and a sweet potato or banana. I prefer to have a liquid/easily digestible protein and a source of carbs immediately following my training, and a whole food meal a couple of hours later.
High % of body fat/insulin resistant or metabolically challenged: higher protein/mod fat/low carb; goal is to stabilize blood sugar and continue to burn stored body fat
Examples: homemade kefir is an excellent choice post workout; coconut milk smoothie with a few berries; hard boiled eggs w/ veggies.
2 hours post workout: meal of protein/carb/fat relative to the proportions appropriate for your body type/goals.
Examples:
Ectos/Mesos: Meat/fish/fowl, starch (sweet potato, white potato, yucca or other roots/tubers), vegetables and healthy fats in proportions suitable to body type/goals.
Endos: Meat/fish/fowl, vegetables and healthy fat in proportions suitable to body type/goals.
These are merely general guidelines for pre/post workout nutrition. It is imperative to experiment and find what works for you. And remember these pre/post wod meals are crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s on an already solid nutrition plan–they aren’t the focus of a solid nutrition plan.
Row Bot
Thank you! I appreciate this.
Jamie Claire Bojack finally!!!
Yeah, what about a pear shape?
I’m 5’7 and for the beginning of my adult-bodied life (ages 14-25) I was always somewhat overweight, ranging from 150-196 lbs and definitely fell into the pear shaped category. At that time I would have grouped myself with the endomorphs. I reached my highest weight and knew if I didn’t change my habits soon I wouldn’t just be “husky” for long so I began a self directed plan and lost all of the extra weight over about two years. Because I’d always been kinda chunky I never became familiar with my real body and would have never guessed that I’m actually 100% meso, without a doubt. Another trait is that as heavy as I got I didn’t really appear as overweight as I actually was. I am “dense” in that I usually weigh more than people would guess (natural muscle mass), and I have broad, square shoulders and even when I had quite a lot of extra fat, my waist stayed in relative proportion to my hips. If this sounds familiar to you, you’re probably a mesomorph too.
Lozza Bear
Because women only fit into these three categories? Right!
Yep none of those for me either!
Where’s the ’round’ shape? I’m more ’round. 😉 Tee hee.
Interesting article! I am most definitely an ectomorph….I’m 5’7″…108 lbs and hit heavy weights several times a week and just can’t get much muscle definition. Question: I eat around 2k calories a day and follow a paleo diet as I have a ton of tummy issues (gluten intolerance, etc). I take a A LOT of healthy fats per day…probably around 90 to 100 grams (coconut oil, nuts, nut butter, coconut flour, etc). But I noticed ectos should stick to a lower fat diet. What are your thoughts on my daily/average fat intake??? Am I consuming too much fat, albeit good fat???
Hi. I have heard that if you are working out every day that you are not giving your muscles proper time to build and repair themselves. I was doing the same thing. Maybe hit it hard twice a week and see what happens.
Your body/muscles/mind need rest days; that is when you grow (improve). I find that at this age in my life 4 days of “hitting it hard” is all I can handle, I throw in 1-2 days of light activity and/or 1-2 days of complete rest. Listen to your body — it will guide you in the right direction
If you’re hitting heavy weights on a regular basis and have an ectomorphic build try more carbs (from primarily potatoes, roots/tubers) on training days or upping the calories. Very generally speaking 18-20 calories for pound of bodyweight if gaining is goal so you’re about there. Fat and carbs are both energy sources you adjust depending upon activity/body type — higher fat non training days/lower carbs and keep the protein intake up around 30% for muscle building. Experiment to see what %’s work best for you
Thanks, Paula! So you’re suggesting I up my carb intake, but I’m okay with 90+ grams of healthy fats in a single day??? I wouldn’t think twice about it as I’m a pretty clean eater but a gym buddy of mine recently told me I shouldn’t be consuming more than 40 grams of fats/day and I’m over DOUBLE that, based on MyFitnessPal log 😉 Just wondering if my high fat intake could be inhibiting my muscle gain/definition goals….
I’m not an RD but basing it on an ectomorphic build, wanting to gain weight with a caloric intake of roughly 2000 cal/day; hard weight training days I would aim for around 150 g protein (600 cals), 200-250 g carbs (800-1000 cal) and the balance in fat depending on where your carbs were 45-70g. On non training days when the carbs are lower (100-150 g) your fat should be higher, 90-110g. It’s all about balancing your energy sources and matching them to your activities.
These are very general guidelines based on what little I know about you and your training. Take it as a starting point and listen to your body — it will guide you in the fine tuning especially if you are tracking–that is so educational!
Thank you, Paula! I really appreciate you taking the time to share your knowledge/general guidelines on this! I’m definitely going to try your suggestions and play around with my protein/carbs/fat levels to find my ideal ratio to build more muscle! A thousand thank you’s!!!!!
PS…is there a book/good source so I can read more about this on an in-depth level? I’d like to thoroughly understand the whole “balancing my energy sources” on lifting and non-lifting days….
re: tummy issues. I had them too, did GAPS, healed, but started having some tummy issues again. Figured out thatI got out of the habit of soaking my nuts. I was eating a lot of nuts,nut butters and raw cacao. If I make something cooked with cacao I am fine but I no longer can eat it raw. Maybe soaking would help?(that is if you are not already doing it 🙂 🙂 )
Hi Nikki! I recently started soaking my nuts, and that seems to be helping. I also started following FODMAPS a few weeks ago and that’s been super helpful as well. I had no idea that “healthy” foods (i.e. onions, garlic, etc) were so tough to digest. Boy, it’s made all the difference in the world steering clear of higher FODMAP foods…
Aren’t tummy/digestive issues downright exhausting??? For the past three years I’ve been dealing with leaky gut, Candida, and know knows what other digestive ailments. Painful and exhausting 🙁
Sasha, here’s a good article on the subject geared towards weight gain. There is also a Part 1 http://johnwelbourn.powerathletehq.com/2013/10/23/bulking-protocol-part-2/
I do think there is a need for different body types to exercise and eat differently. However, showing these 3 types is frustrating because my body doesn’t fit into any of these types, and I’m sure I’m not the only one. If anything, I’d like to see the body types when they are over weight, also.
Most people are a combination of 2 of the types. To see them “overweight” just look around any public place.