Nutrient timing

Nutrient timing is a sports dieting concept that incorporates time as the missing dimension in superior muscular development. This concept represents a change over the previous school of thought that focused on protein loading without emphasizing the synchronicity between eating and exercising.

Proper nutrient timing takes into account two dimensions that directly correlate to performance: 1) the consumption of the substrates in ideal proportions and 2) the timing between exogenous fueling and exercise. When the right substrates are present at the ideal times, the result is superior performance and growth.

Nutrient timing will enhance performance of exercise, competition, and daily life expectations. Timing of when to eat your macro nutrients (carbs, fats, and protein) will enable you to use food as your fuel. The amount of each nutrient plays a role in performance & recovery. Recovery is essential to keep going in daily routines, competitions, and fitness in general. Fueling recovery & fitness will be done by using the timing of nutrients around a performance aspect of life. This timing is not essential to good performance, but it is a small detail that should not be looked over if you are looking to gain strength & become leaner.

Further reading

• Dan Benardot, Advanced Sports Nutrition. Human Kinetics (2011, 2nd ed.) ISBN 1-4504-0161-9
• John Ivy and Robert Portman, Nutrient Timing: The Future of Sports Nutrition. Basic Health Publications (2004) ISBN 1-59120-141-1