Gains aren’t just made in the gym, the most important part of your progression is done outside the gym. Your training is very important, but your lifestyle is even more important. If you’re not doing what it takes outside the gym to push the heavy weight and train hard, you’re not going to make any gains.
What are you putting in your body? It’s not so much as when you’re eating, but what you’re eating. There are arguments to be made on both sides as to whether meal timing is crucial to making and keeping gains. Some believe that there is a 2-3 hour window where you need to get protein and carbs after working out.
Personally, I don’t think it’s that serious. There are also those who believe that training fasted is very catabolic and that you should have something to eat before training. I’ve never ate before training. My day begins at 4:30 every morning.
When I train at 5:30 AM, I’m not hungry and my workouts don’t suffer. I sleep between 8-10 hours each night. Not eating for 10 hours and training isn’t going to cause me to lose muscle. What matters is that you’re getting adequate nutrition in your diet for the day.
Sleep is also an important part of your gains. I don’t care what pre workout you’re taking, it’s not going to save you when you’re not getting enough sleep. Your muscles grow and recover when you’re sleeping. Sure, that pre workout is going to give you energy, but you won’t be 100% if your body and mind is wore out.
If you go all out in the gym for 90 minutes with intensity and high volume training, you better feed and rest your body. Gains are made in and out of the gym. Eating and what you put in your body is the biggest part of making gains. Hit your macros everyday and don’t forget the micros.
Get plenty of sleep and take naps if you need to, listen to your body. Why train to failure and go ass-to-grass if you’re not going to do what it takes outside of the gym to grow? Take care of your gains!!