How to Eat for More Muscle
You're putting in the work at the gym. The sets, the reps, the sweat. But if your nutrition isn't dialed in around those sessions, you're leaving serious gains on the table. Pre- and post-workout nutrition isn't just gym-bro lore — it's one of the most well-researched areas of sports science, and getting it right can meaningfully accelerate both muscle growth and body recomposition.
Here's exactly what to eat, when to eat it, and why it matters.
The Big Picture: Why Peri-Workout Nutrition Matters
Every time you train, you're doing two things simultaneously: breaking muscle tissue down and triggering the hormonal signals to build it back up stronger. What you eat in the hours surrounding that session determines how well your body can complete the second part of that equation.
Fuel performance so you can train harder and longer
Reduce muscle protein breakdown during exercise
Accelerate muscle protein synthesis (MPS) after exercise
Replenish glycogen stores to recover faster
Optimize your hormonal environment for muscle building
Now let's break it down into two windows — before and after.
What to Eat Pre…
Before you train, your nutrition has two main jobs: provide readily available energy so you can perform at your best, and prime your body to protect and build muscle tissue during the session.
Aim to eat a full pre-workout meal 2–3 hours before training. This gives your body time to digest and absorb nutrients without leaving you feeling heavy or sluggish mid-set. If you're training first thing in the morning or your schedule doesn't allow a full meal beforehand, a smaller snack 30–60 minutes out can still make a meaningful difference.
What to Eat
1. Protein before training elevates amino acid availability in the blood, which helps blunt muscle protein breakdown during exercise and kickstarts the muscle-building process earlier. Research consistently supports pre-workout protein as a key driver of muscle protein synthesis.
2. Carbohydrates are your muscles' preferred fuel source during resistance and high-intensity training. They top off muscle glycogen stores, sustaining your output through those final difficult sets — which is where a lot of growth stimulus actually comes from. Don't skip carbs in the name of fat loss; under-fueling leads to poor performance and muscle loss over time.
3. Fat slows digestion, which is useful in a meal 2–3 hours out but can cause discomfort if you eat too much too close to training. Keep fat moderate pre-workout and don't make it the centerpiece. Avoid heavy, greasy meals in the hour before you train.
What to Eat Post…
You may have heard you need to slam a protein shake within 30 minutes of training or the gains disappear. The reality is more nuanced. While there is a post-workout anabolic window, it's broader than once thought — roughly 2 hours after training — especially if you had a solid pre-workout meal. That said, eating sooner is generally better than waiting several hours, particularly for those training fasted or in a significant caloric deficit.
What to Eat
1. Protein is the most critical nutritional lever for muscle protein synthesis. Studies consistently show that 30–40g of a high-quality, fast-digesting protein after training maximizes muscle growth in most individuals. Older athletes or those with higher muscle mass may benefit from doses toward the 40–50g end.
The key quality marker here is leucine content — leucine is the amino acid that acts as the primary trigger for muscle protein synthesis. Aim for at least 2–3g of leucine in your post-workout protein source.
2. Carbohydrates do two things: they replenish muscle glycogen for your next session, and they trigger an insulin response that shuttles nutrients into muscle cells and helps suppress the cortisol spike that follows intense training. This is especially important if you train twice a day or on back-to-back days.
For body recomposition goals, post-workout is arguably the best time to eat carbs — insulin sensitivity in muscle tissue is at its peak after training, meaning those carbs are more likely to be directed toward recovery and glycogen storage than toward fat storage.
3. Fat slows gastric emptying and nutrient absorption, which works against you in the post-workout window when speed of delivery matters most. Save the avocado and olive oil for your next full meal. Post-workout, lean and fast is the goal.
Noticing a Trend?
You Should!
Carbs, protein, and fats should be a part of every meal you are making. Whether it is pre or post workout these are the building blocks for a healthy body. The foundations of nutrition come down to these three nutrients and they are extremely important when we talk about maximizing workouts and changing body composition. If you are cutting out one of these groups entirely or too heavily focused on another group, you likely won’t be giving your body all of the nutrients it needs to perform at its best and get you your intended results.
Don’t Forget to Hydrate!
No pre/post-workout nutrition plan is complete without addressing fluids. Even mild dehydration has been shown to meaningfully impair strength, endurance, and cognitive focus during training.
Pre-workout: Drink 16–20 oz of water in the 2 hours before training
During workout: Sip 6–8 oz every 15–20 minutes; add electrolytes for sessions over 60–75 minutes
Post-workout: Rehydrate with 16–24 oz for every pound of body weight lost during training
Stop Overthinking It.
Pre- and post-workout nutrition doesn't have to be complicated. The fundamentals — adequate protein, sufficient carbohydrates, moderate fat, and consistent timing — will take you the vast majority of the way there. Resist the urge to overthink it or chase trendy protocols.
Eat well before you train so you can perform. Eat well after you train so your body can rebuild. Be consistent, be patient, and let the compound interest of smart nutrition stack up over time.
Get back to the basics and focus on those fundamentals!
xoxo,
Elizabeth
P.S. If you are ready to start dominating your health goals, go here to set up your free discovery call and book a package.
