View Full Version : eating in the gym?
hey guys just saw somethin today in the main stream 24hr that i have to work out at that seems strange to me. theres this guy that works out in the morning when im there thats just one of those weird dudes you know? well he is always there when i get there and still there when i leave i usually work out for an 1 hr- 1hr 20 mins with cardio. he downs a protein bar in the middle of his work outs. i think this is strange cuz i have always been taught to eat before and right after since the food you eat is for recovery and feeding your body at the most optimal times for the most benifits. what you guys think? ne of you eat in the gym?
C.Coronato
10-06-09, 5:16 pm
There could have been a variety of reasons why someone was eating in the gym. Does he do it daily? or have you only seen him do it once. He may have low blood sugar, or he may be bulking and was hungry so he simply wanted to eat. I know i have gotten hungry in the gym, if i had a bar, i sure as hell would chomp down!
he is a guy that is prolly in his 40's he def is bulking it looks like he trains his whole body everyday he is just all over all the time. kinda like he has nothin better to do i guess, i just wanna know if it actually will benifit your muscle growth cuz i know what u eat won't digest that fast to aid your workout right after.
FewL4no1
10-06-09, 5:38 pm
Hey bash,
I guess it depends what you are eating, really. If it is easiliy digestible (let's say EAA Stack or a protein shake), then your stomach can handle it while training. Whole foods that take a while to break down and digest are just sitting there in your stomach, since your body is focused on sending blood, nutrients, etc towards your working skeletal muscle, instead of towards the muscle in your stomach.
Then again, if you are working out for as long as this guy is, it might be a good idea, since you can work up a need for nutrients.
I know for me personally, eating 30 min before my WO and having torrent immediately afterwards is what works for me. Does sound weird though. If I ate in my gym, people would give me even funnier looks than they already do :P.
FewL4no1
BigChrisF
10-06-09, 5:43 pm
If he is training 2+ hours than I don't see a problem with stopping to eat something in the middle.
yeah he is just a strange guy i just don't think it benifits you as much as it would to do like you said which i do also eat an hr before then down torrent after the workout and a shake or whole food like 30 mins after
yeah but if u stop in the middle your body is in a certain phase during training eating in the middle might confuse your body and send it into like a recovery phase instead of a building phase, just my opinion
Tifferzzz
10-06-09, 5:51 pm
When I wake up I have a protein shake - I'm typically at the gym about an hour later. If I wait to eat, it will be more than four hours - so I take plenty with me. Especially considering that if I feel a crash coming on, I can offset it with food.
My favorite - honey.
Put it in your mouth, let it dissolve, and suddenly your brain is high. My favorite brand is made by Honey Gardens.
http://www.honeygardens.com/honey.htm
Love it.
Reacher34
10-06-09, 6:01 pm
Eating is better than not eating.
Who's to say that he isn't having a preworkout drink and post workout shake also? Maybe he's just trying to step up his game and stave off catabolism. I personally eat before a workout and if I get hungry in the middle, then I know I've been in the gym to long. However, eating when you don't really feel like eating is a significant part of bodybuilding.
TigerAce01
10-06-09, 6:05 pm
yeah but if u stop in the middle your body is in a certain phase during training eating in the middle might confuse your body and send it into like a recovery phase instead of a building phase, just my opinion
Your body doesn't really work that way brother.
-Ace
Dr.Platypus
10-06-09, 7:12 pm
this^^^^
see: tennis players eating bananas mid match
this^^^^
see: tennis players eating bananas mid match
endurance vs hypertrophy/strength
I wouldnt eat in the middle of my workout. if you work out that long that you need a meal, you need to cut down the workout. get in workout leave and eat.
i agree with gin5002 100% if you are that hungry during your workout you already messed up, get out eat and recover.
Dr.Platypus
10-06-09, 11:01 pm
endurance vs hypertrophy/strength
I wouldnt eat in the middle of my workout. if you work out that long that you need a meal, you need to cut down the workout. get in workout leave and eat.
i know I was merely pointing out that eating doesn't confuse your body into going into recovery
I think it's perfectly reasonable to eat while training. I don't usually, but it makes sense. What about intra nutrition? Why does that have to apply solely to shakes?
GJN5002
10-07-09, 11:00 am
i know I was merely pointing out that eating doesn't confuse your body into going into recovery
got ya doc
I think it's perfectly reasonable to eat while training. I don't usually, but it makes sense. What about intra nutrition? Why does that have to apply solely to shakes?
intra nutrition takes very little in the way of energy to digest. aminos and sugar are much different that trying to digest a protein bar.
this^^^^
see: tennis players eating bananas mid match
and golfers eating sandwiches between holes (see: tiger woods)
although golf tends to be a less physically demanding sport than tennis in many ways...
Young&Hungry
10-09-09, 2:48 pm
During strongman shows, I eat a TON between events. I eat a normal breakfast around 7 (eggs, oats, etc) and during the show (usually between like 10-4 and 5 events) I typically knock back 2-3 pounds of fruit salad, 3-4 peanut butter sandwiches on Ezekiel bread, protein bars, and Gatorade. I find the more I eat during a show, the better I perform.
I for one wouldn't eat solid food on my training days, but the extra cal's sure wouldn't hurt.
During strongman shows, I eat a TON between events. I eat a normal breakfast around 7 (eggs, oats, etc) and during the show (usually between like 10-4 and 5 events) I typically knock back 2-3 pounds of fruit salad, 3-4 peanut butter sandwiches on Ezekiel bread, protein bars, and Gatorade. I find the more I eat during a show, the better I perform.
I for one wouldn't eat solid food on my training days, but the extra cal's sure wouldn't hurt.
Haha reminds me of this quote by Dave Tate in a recent interview:
I knew a strength coach at a D1 school who used to feed his kids peanut butter sandwiches during their training. He told me, "Forget about the nutritional value. Look at the calories I just put in them." Your body can take in a lot of calories in that workout window. Peanut butter sandwiches may not be the best idea, though.
ptewarie
10-10-09, 7:52 am
like ox mentioned in his thread...
eating during your workout will pool blood to your digestive system and away from your muscles.. thats def not helpful....
also i think he wwould benefit from just drinking some BCAAS and some carbs
rather than eating...
if i would eat during my workouts i would vomit.......
its not optimal to eat during workouts..
teethoflions
10-10-09, 11:03 am
i dont think its a bad idea at all. Something Light. Honestly whats the difference between drinking a gatorade and eating an apple or a banana. Espescially if the potassium could help alleviate lactic acid buildups and things like that. And more over, not everybody is comfortable taking supplements, and even more so, not everybody can afford eaa stack or electrolyte drinks or what have you...I eat a banana during my workouts decently often, usually during a back or a leg work (sessions where cramps happen more frequently). And even more so, if its healthy food, i dont think theres a bad time to eat it.
like ox mentioned in his thread...
eating during your workout will pool blood to your digestive system and away from your muscles.. thats def not helpful....
also i think he wwould benefit from just drinking some BCAAS and some carbs
rather than eating...
if i would eat during my workouts i would vomit.......
its not optimal to eat during workouts..
I AGREE 100% i train alot of ppl and help them with there diets and i would never recommend eating a protein bar in the middle of a work out.
your body digesting a electrolyte drink or a bcaa stack during a workout is way different then what it takes for your body to digest and breakdown hard food even fruit. if you are getting cramps in the gym do u really think that banana u eat is gonna cure your cramps that fast? your body goes through certain cycles and the way your body is during a workout is diff then when it is recovering and gettin the most use out of the food you are feeding it.
strivin for more
10-12-09, 4:35 pm
i seen some kid eatin PB during his workout... (he was an odd kid) i personally dont see why not. i cant eat anything though im usually too busy LIFTING.