Meal timing

Total daily intake matters far more than timing. If your calories and protein are right, you have done about 90% of the work. Timing is a refinement that can help you train a little better and recover a little faster, so get the basics right first with macros explained.

Spread protein across the day

Your body builds muscle in response to each protein-rich meal, and the response tops out at a moderate dose. That is why several medium servings beat one huge one.

• Eat 3-5 protein-rich meals a day.
• Aim for about 0.3-0.4 g of protein per kg of body weight per meal, which is roughly 20-40 g for most people.
• Each serving should contain about 2.5-3 g of leucine, the amino acid that switches on muscle building. Animal proteins, soya and dairy reach this easily at 25-30 g of protein; most other plant proteins need a slightly bigger serving.
• Space meals about 3-5 hours apart.

The ISSN’s position on protein and exercise supports this pattern of evenly spaced doses.

What 25-35 g of protein looks like

The typical Indian pattern of a light breakfast and lunch with a big dinner often puts most of the day’s protein in one meal. Moving some of it to breakfast is one of the easiest wins. See the Indian diet for fitness guide for more options.

Before training

Eat a meal 1-3 hours before you train.

• Carbohydrate: about 0.5-1 g per kg of body weight to top up glycogen
• Protein: about 20-40 g so amino acids are available during and after the session
• Keep fat and fibre lower so the meal digests comfortably

Good options:

• Rice, dal and chicken or paneer, 2-3 hours before
• Oats cooked in milk with a banana and a scoop of whey
• 2 rotis with egg bhurji
• Poha or upma with a bowl of curd
• Idli with sambar

If you train early in the morning

Many people in India train at 5 or 6 am, before a proper meal is practical. A small, fast-digesting snack 30-60 minutes before works well: a banana, a few dates, a glass of milk, or a slice of bread with peanut butter. Training fully fasted is fine for some people, but strength usually suffers a little, and it makes the meal after the session more important.

Caffeine

If you use caffeine, take it 30-60 minutes before training. Avoid it within about 8 hours of bed. See supplements.

During training

For most sessions, water is all you need. In hot, humid weather or if you sweat heavily, add electrolytes: a pinch of salt and some lemon in water, nimbu pani, or an oral rehydration solution.

Carbohydrate during the session only helps if:

• The session is longer than about 60-75 minutes, or very high in volume
• You train twice a day
• You trained fasted

In those cases, take about 30-60 g of carbohydrate per hour: a sports drink, a banana or a few dates.

After training

Eat a meal with 20-40 g of protein and about 0.5-1 g of carbohydrate per kg within about 2 hours. This starts repair and refills glycogen.

It matters most when:

• Your pre-workout meal was more than 4-5 hours earlier
• You trained fasted
• You train the same muscles again within a day

If you ate a good meal 1-2 hours before training, there is no need to rush a shake into you as you leave the gym. Your next normal meal will do.

Good options:

• Whey in milk with a banana
• Eggs with rice or roti
• Chicken or soya chunk curry with roti
• Rajma or chole with rice and a bowl of curd
• Paneer or tofu wrap in a roti

Before bed

A protein-rich meal or snack 2-3 hours before bed supplies amino acids through the night. Slow-digesting proteins work well:

• A bowl of curd or hung curd
• Paneer bhurji or a few cubes of paneer
• A glass of warm milk
• Eggs
• Casein protein powder, if you already use one

This is especially useful if your last meal would otherwise be early in the evening. Keep the meal moderate in size so it does not disturb sleep.

Fasting days

On vrat, Ramzan or other fasting days, total protein is the priority. Lean on what your fast allows, such as milk, curd, paneer and nuts on many vrats, or eggs, dal and meat at sehri and iftar. Make the last pre-dawn meal protein-rich, train lightly if you train at all during the fast, and schedule harder sessions after the fast is broken. Hydrate well in the hours you can eat.

A sample training-day layout

Use the tracker to log meals and see how your protein falls across the day.

The short version

• Hit your daily calories and protein first.
• Split protein into 3-5 meals of about 20-40 g.
• Eat carbs and protein 1-3 hours before training.
• Water during most sessions; carbs only for long or double sessions.
• A protein-rich meal within about 2 hours after, and another 2-3 hours before bed.

This is general information, not medical advice; see a doctor or dietitian about meal timing if you have diabetes or take medication that affects blood sugar.