By Zac Clark
See the issue: November 2008

Breakfast: the second most important meal of the day?

Yes, that concept might be hard to digest, but if you’re an athlete in training, it’s all about the nutrient timing period, according to Jose Antonio, CEO of the International Society of Sports Nutrition and former vice president of the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

The nutrient timing period, or simply nutrient timing, is what you eat before, during and after a workout, which “impacts how quickly you recover, how much muscle you put on, and how much body fat you lose,” Antonio says. “Breakfast doesn’t do that.”

Antonio points to scientific research that compares consuming food before and after exercise versus consuming the same food in the morning and evening.  “The people who consume the food before and after training put on more muscle mass, get bigger muscle fibers and increase the amount of fuel they can store in their muscles,” he says.

Pre-workout, rather than eating solid food, Antonio recommends downing a shake with 20 to 30 grams of protein. He says, “As long as you’re consuming something during that time frame, you’ll take advantage of nutrient timing when it comes to promoting muscle mass and improving recovery.”

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