Nutrient Timing — Pre, Intra, and Post-Workout

Nutrient timing is the strategic intake of macronutrients around exercise. The ISSN's evidence-based position is that total daily protein and carbohydrate are the dominant factors; precise timing offers a smaller, situational benefit that matters most for fasted training, two-a-day sessions, and prolonged endurance.

Pre-workout (1–4 h before): A meal with carbohydrate (to top off glycogen) and protein supports performance and primes recovery. Closer to training, choose smaller, easily digested, lower-fat/fiber options to limit GI distress.

Intra-workout: Generally unnecessary for sessions under ~60 minutes. For prolonged endurance, in-exercise carbohydrate (~30–60 g/h, up to ~90 g/h with mixed glucose-fructose for very long efforts) sustains output and spares glycogen (see endurance-fueling). Caffeine timing also falls here (see caffeine).

Post-workout: Provide protein (~0.25 g/kg or 20–40 g) to stimulate muscle protein synthesis and carbohydrate to begin glycogen restoration. The urgency is low when the next meal is within a few hours, but high when recovery time is short (e.g., ~1.2 g/kg/h carbohydrate when <4 h between sessions — see recovery-nutrition).

The overarching priorities: hit daily totals, distribute protein every 3–4 h (see protein-distribution), then refine timing for the specific training context.

• Daily totals dominate; timing is a situational optimization.
• Timing matters most for fasted training, two-a-days, long endurance.
• Pre (1–4 h): carbs + protein; lighter/lower-fiber closer in.
• Intra: usually only needed >60 min — ~30–60 g carb/h (up to ~90 g/h very long).
• Post: ~20–40 g protein + carbs; rapid carb (~1.2 g/kg/h) only if <4 h to next session.

• anabolic-window — the post-workout protein window, de-hyped.
• protein-distribution / carbohydrate-timing — the macro-specific timing.
• recovery-nutrition — restoring glycogen and repairing muscle.
• endurance-fueling — intra-exercise carbohydrate.