Pre And Post Workout Nutrition: Men Vs. Women. Is There A Difference?

Most people blindly assume that men should eat huge quantities or man-food like red meat and potatoes before a gym workout, accompanied by a jug of protein shake, while women need to munch on a stick of celery or half an apple on a cracker before hitting the cross trainer for three hours.

This stereotypes don't take people's actual goals at the gym — which are far more important in determining what you really should eat before you hit the gym — into account, and if you mindlessly embrace them, you could be losing out. Time to rethink what you eat before and after you work out, especially if you're determined to achieve your personal goals.

Men and Women Should Eat Differently: The Myth

While sexism in the real world may have moved on, a bit at least, there are still plenty of uneducated and preconceived ideas about how men and women should do things differently when it comes to nutrition and exercise.

The truth of the matter is that pre and post workout nutrition is far more closely related to goals than it is to gender.

Just as with training, there are very very few differences between how a man training for muscle gain should eat, and how a woman training for muscle gain should eat.

To kick things off, let’s look at nutritional supplements, as they tend to be what people are most interested in.

Creatine

Creatine is an amino acid, amino acids being one of the building blocks of protein. As protein makes up muscle tissue and helps regulate your metabolism, it’s pretty clear that protein and amino acids are an important component of workout nutrition. Creatine boosts your muscles’ energy stores to help you lift more weight and slows the build up of lactic acid, which means you can train for longer when performing endurance exercises.

While creatine is more often than not marketed to men, women can get exactly the same benefits from this important amino acid too. You needn’t fear creatine or think that it will bulk you up and make you look manly if you are a woman. Likewise guys – creatine is not the be all and end all. It can be useful, but it’s just one small piece of the workout nutrition puzzle.

Take 5 grams of creatine before, during or after your workout and don’t worry about cycling it or taking loading doses.

Caffeine

If you’ve ever had a mid-afternoon slump during a long day at the office (and let’s face it – who hasn’t!? In fact, if you’ve not had one this week you’re pretty super-human, unless of course it's just because you don't work in an office and you had your slump out on a construction site, or something) then you’ll know how great a pick-me-up caffeine can be. It’s the same for workouts too.

A small dose of caffeine just before a training session either in supplement form or from a strong coffee can be the boost you need for a fantastic training session. Caffeine will get you going, and keep you going for longer. The only difference between men and women when it comes to caffeine is that females will likely need slightly less to get the same effect. As a general guide women should shoot for 100 to 200 milligrams and men 200 to 300.

Protein Powder

While more and more protein powders are now being designed purely for women or as “diet” protein shakes, these are a con. There’s virtually no difference between these and basic whey or casein protein powder, except for the massive price difference. Stick with a basic protein powder and you can’t go wrong. Ditch that pink tax and just get the protein you need to build muscle or feel fuller for longer to lose the weight. 

Pre-Workout Drinks

Preworkout drinks contain a blend of caffeine and other goodies such as beta alanine, carbohydrates, guarana, taurine and green tea extract, all designed to get you even more pumped up. Again the only consideration is dosage. Women are generally lighter than men so will need a lower does to elicit the same effect.

Post-Workout Drinks

Usually a mix of protein, carbs and amino acids, post-workout drinks are subject to the same guidelines as pre-workouts.

Pre And Post Workout Food: Any Difference?

You’re probably not surprised to hear this by now, but there’s very little difference between the optimal food protocol around workout times for men and women. Again, it depends highly on individual goals, with small adjustments made for body weight.

Ideally you should consume a solid meal around two hours before training and another about an hour after you’ve finished. Both should contain a mixture of protein, carbohydrates and vegetables.

Due to stereotyping, it’s often assumed that most women train for cardiovascular purposes, to lose weight or to stay slim, while men train with weights to bulk up, hence the common recommendations that a man should fuel up with a bowl upon bowl of pasta with chicken before training and sit down to a huge plate piled high with steak and potatoes after finishing. His female counterpart however might not eat anything before working out in the hope that training on an empty stomach will burn more fat and then have a small snack of some rice cakes, cottage cheese or a piece of fruit afterwards. (Spoiler alert: An empty stomach won't help you get the best out of your training session, no matter your goals.)

Follow these guidelines when planning your pre and post workout meals and you won’t go wrong.

Pre-Workout Meals

For Fat Loss:

Carbs – 0.5 grams of carbs per kilogram of body-weight
Protein – 0.3 grams of protein per kilogram of body-weight
Fat – Small serving of nut butter, olive oil or mixed nuts. ½ a tablespoon of the butter/oil and ½ ounce of nuts for women, 1 tablespoon or 1 whole ounce for men.
Veggies – 1 cup of mixed green vegetables for women, 2 cups for men.

For Muscle Gain:

Carbs – 1 gram of carbs per kilogram of body-weight
Protein – 0.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body-weight
Fat – Serving of nut butter, olive oil or mixed nuts. 1 tablespoon of the butter/oil and 1 ounce of nuts for women, 1.5 tablespoons or 1.5 ounces for men.
Veggies – 1 cup of mixed green vegetables and 1 piece of fruit for women, 2 cups and 2 pieces for men.

Post-Workout Meals

For Fat Loss:

Carbs – 0.5 grams of carbs per kilogram of body-weight
Protein – 0.3 grams of protein per kilogram of body-weight
Fat – None
Veggies – 2 cups of mixed green vegetables and 1 serving of low-sugar fruit such as berries, grapefruit or apples for women, same for men.

For Muscle Gain:

Carbs – 1.25 grams of carbs per kilogram of body-weight
Protein – 0.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body-weight
Fat – Serving of nut butter, olive oil or mixed nuts. 1 tablespoon of the butter/oil and 1 ounce of nuts for women, 1.5 tablespoons or 1.5 ounces for men.
Veggies – 2 cups of mixed green vegetables and 1 piece of high-sugar fruit such as bananas, pineapple or mango for women, 3 cups and 2 pieces for men.

Don’t get sucked into thinking you need to eat differently from the opposite sex. You may well do, but these differences should be based on goals, not your gender. Diet and workout supplements represent a multi billion dollar industry, and falling for gender based stereotypes helps you fuel their profits without getting you any closer to reaching your personal fitness goals, whatever they may happen to be.