I was just wondering what do people consider the best food to eat before and after a workout.

I am trying to build muscle and become more defined, so whats the best food to eat before/after a workout, or should i be looking more at a protein shake or something similar??

Also any tips on how soon before and after a workout to eat, i would plan on going to the gym after work before going home for dinner, so what would be a good before and after snack??

Or when finishing in the evening should i go straight home and have dinner, without a protein shake/snack afterwards???

I was thinking some fruit about an hour before i start my workout, and then a protein shake right after, then about 30 minutes after the protein Shake have some dinner (E.G Grilled Chicken Breast and Brocoli, spinach, etc)

ONE more question is whats a good protein shake i can easily buy in the UK (England) - Assuming somebody recommends them...lol.

pre-workout: whole lean protein (like chicken breast) and complex carbs (like barely, brown rice, or steel cut/old fashion oatmeal)

post workout: fast acting liquid protein (like a whey or whey+casien protein powder) and simple carbs...dextrose, maltodextrin, or even white rice in a pinch.
as immediate after post workout as possible.

then about an hour after that, have whole protein and some complex carbs again.

For the Pre-Workout food is one hour before a good time to have it??

Also i don't really have time/resources to get a chicken breast before leaving work. What about a Chicken Breast Sandwhich on Granary/Oatmeal bread???

Also anybody in the UK suggest a well priced protein shake?? Something thats relatively easy to get hold of??

Thanks,
Dan

But isn't the canned stuff very processed and not very good for you???

If not then i'm quite suprised....

What brand do you buy?

it'll have sodium and a few preservatives, but its still almost on par with fresh cooked chicken in terms of protein quality.

I doubt any of the brands I get locally, you'll find in the UK. but look for chicken breast...as they also have canned chicken, which has dark meat, and thus more fat.

if R.Lewis doesn't pop in, PM him...he's in the UK and knows a few onlien sites to buy protein powder.

ive bought a few shakes here in england branded stuff that costs a bomb, and it didnt do alot, ive just recently found this site, Whey Protein, Bodybuilding Supplements and Sports Nutrition from myprotein.co.uk - myprotein.co.uk which is real cheap but i have not tried them yet im just about to order the [ 10lb Unflavoured Whey Protein Concentrate 80 (EURO) - Tubbed ] and some dextrose. the guys on this site give it good reviews.

Cool, i'll take a look at the site and see what they have. How much do protein shakes help with building muscle?? Is it a big help or just a small one?

Is this the one i need to help build lean muscle?

Whey protein (chocolate mint) 5lb - Whey protein - myprotein.co.uk

Also do I just use it on training days right after my gym session? Or on rest days too??

protein powder is just food. if you need more protein in your diet, training day or not, protein powder can be used if you don't get enough whole food.

nothing magical about it.

It's more so for after a training session. I hear liquid foods are good at this particular time, and then as somebody said earlier, eat a meal about an hour later.

Finish work at 5.

Workout at 5.30 until about 7.00 - Have protein Shake

8pm, Eat dinner


Maybe thats too late to eat dinner though?
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Also on weekends i am usually constantly on the move, so they would be useful to get the extra protein into my day i would imagine?. I'm usually travelling up to sheffield on a weekend, or busy around near home.