In general, each month will be programmed specifically so that your body continues responded to the training. One month may be more metabolic conditioning, while next month we might be working on body part splits or bringing up the
glutes or upper body. It just depends, so to answer the readers' questions, it's all!
Lastly, I want to talk about post-workout nutrition.
Been getting a lot of questions about this-what's best to eat and when? Here's my take:
There are 2 things to remember when it comes to post-workout nutrition:
1) Make sure you have the "big rocks" in place already.
Meaning, are you already eating 90% clean and training regularly? If not, spend your energy on getting these things on board first before sweating the small stuff. Post-workout nutrition will make the biggest
difference for those who are already on a regular healthy routine and are already fairly lean (<25% BF). For those just getting started, harness your energy to eat better overall and exercise regularly. Once you get that down, go to #2, which is...
2) Define your goal.
People who want to build muscle should be eating differently post-workout than those whose goal is to burn fat.
Muscle gain---> The 30-60 minute window post-workout is very important. To maximize muscle building without a lot of fat gain, choose a meal with a 1:1 ratio of protein to higher GI carbs. Once example is a whey protein shake with BCAAs along with one of the following: 2 bananas, 2 TB honey, 1 whole sweet or white potato or 1 cup rice (cooked). Dairy is a particularly good option post-workout because it raises insulin,
which is needed to activate muscle synthesis. Keep fat low immediately post-workout, as it can slow absorption of the other macros.
Fat loss---> The timing of post-workout nutrition is not as important. In fact, there's evidence to suggest that waiting a little while to eat, say 1-2 hours post workout, can give you a slight edge because it allows your fat burning machinery to do it's job post-workout, since a
post-workout meal will blunt this effect slightly (depending on its macro composition). Getting carbs immediately into the blood stream is also not as important, so skip the high GI carbs and choose carbs that are more slowly digested, like oats or starchy veggies. If you are in full-blown fat-burning mode, you might skip starch altogether and go with lean protein and veggies only. Always choose a lean protein source, either from a pea/rice blend protein powder or regular food sources like
chicken, fish, egg whites or lean beef.
What about after cardio-only workouts?
The above scenarios refer to post-WEIGHT TRAINING workouts. If you are doing cardio only like HIIT or steady-state cardio, higher GI carbs are not as important to get in post-workout unless you are a marathon runner and need to replete glycogen. But for the average person who wants fat loss, low
glycogen stores are preferably. Use branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs--I like MRM-G in watermelon powder, as they are naturally sweetened) to help with energy during workouts instead of filling up carb stores. Take 5g pre-workout mixed with water.
If your goal is fat loss, stop carbbing up! It's not necessary :) Post-cardio, do lean protein and veggies from a regular meal for best fat-loss results.
Got it? Awesome!
Remember, whether your goal is muscle gain or fat loss, it's going to take weeks and months to see the physique outcomes as a result go changing your nutrition, so I recommend doing circumference measurements every 2 weeks (chest, waist, belly button and hips). That way, you can see where you are gaining and where you are losing as a result of your efforts. Consistency is everything.
That's it! Let me know if you have any questions and remember: the 52-week JillFit Total Training Experience goes away after tomorrow! Friday August 29th is the deadline. All the details here.
Ox, Jill
