Concept2 Forum

Good evening
60 yo guy looking for advice on what the general concensus is on pre workout vs post workout.
Right now my weekly average is 24800m.
So my question is would a pre workout supplement be more beneficial or a post? I am not looking to beat any records just a addition that may help with overal fitness.

Thanks
Chris

Unless all your weekly meters are on a single rowing session (unlikely), I don't think you'd need to do anything special before exercising. That suggests to me that you concentrate on post-workout nutrition. (and of course, getting things right overall for your normal diet daily requirements)

Caveat: I'm not an exercise dietician.

Main question is beneficial for what?
No high volume in training, I assume no high intensities (as you don't want to brake any records).
I cannot say what's general consensus is (based on many studies or based on what the average of people are doing here in the forum?), but I can tell I don't take any supplements and have no specific pre or post meals/supplements. I average 50-60k and 3 hard gym sessions per week and try to get at least 4h without food before workout, so in fact the opposite of a pre workout meal/supplement. After my sessions I eat when I get hungry. Two of my three gym sessions are late, so I often go to bed without eating anything until breakfast in the morning.

Works well for me.

I'm the same. I exercise early morning and have a coffee and a banana, but that's it, and everything else is just good quality food when I'm hungry....although crisps are a massive weakness of mine

As someone who on 50k+ a week tends to lose weight despite eating large amounts and not being in the first flush, I try and eat after a session as it suppresses my appetite. Typically eat nuts and sometimes fruit. Also when I stopped rowing, lost lean mass, as I don't do weights, try and do "strength" sessions on the erg (eg 12 x 30S r1' R24 at 25+ DF higher than usual making every stroke as hard as possible). After these I add additional protein.

I'd say don't try to eat too close before rowing as if you start to do harder (for you) sessions food has a tendency to want to come back up if it has just gone down. Even a tiny little bit in the mouth or nose is quite annoying.

After exercise I always try to eat a bit of protein and carbs if I haven't got a meal coming up. For me little tins of mackerel on toast. The extra protein is probably beneficial getting older even if it doesn't provide any training benefit, but eating within 20 minutes of exercise is often recommended.

Great stuff to digest... hum.. err... thank you for all your input I appreciate it and will try to amend what I am doing. Im just looking for good fitness going in to my later years. Thanks again
Chris

In general this seems to me to be a reasonable approach:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-life ... t-20045506

Ombrax wrote: ↑

July 19th, 2024, 6:18 pm

In general this seems to me to be a reasonable approach:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-life ... t-20045506

While a good start and some comments about finding what works, remember that this is generic. I for one was not able to eat solids even during 24 hr row. Also, depending on humidity, fans etc. you can need far more water than this suggests. Basically for a row over 2 hrs you need to drink as much as you can without it making you uncomfortable.

iain wrote: ↑

July 21st, 2024, 10:51 am

While a good start and some comments about finding what works, remember that this is generic. I for one was not able to eat solids even during 24 hr row. Also, depending on humidity, fans etc. you can need far more water than this suggests. Basically for a row over 2 hrs you need to drink as much as you can without it making you uncomfortable.

Whilst I do agree with this, it's worth noting that I always row up to 30k without any drinks or carbs, which has been extended to 20 miles on the few occasions that I've done it. IIRC, Sascha did a FM without carbs, but I'm not sure if it was also without any drinks.

We are all different, and maybe it's because I drink a lot throughout the day that means I don't have to worry about drinking when I row, but I wouldn't ever consider drinking for a two hour row whatever the humidity or heat was.

Dangerscouse wrote: ↑

July 21st, 2024, 12:33 pm

iain wrote: ↑

July 21st, 2024, 10:51 am

While a good start and some comments about finding what works, remember that this is generic. I for one was not able to eat solids even during 24 hr row. Also, depending on humidity, fans etc. you can need far more water than this suggests. Basically for a row over 2 hrs you need to drink as much as you can without it making you uncomfortable.

Whilst I do agree with this, it's worth noting that I always row up to 30k without any drinks or carbs, which has been extended to 20 miles on the few occasions that I've done it. IIRC, Sascha did a FM without carbs, but I'm not sure if it was also without any drinks.

We are all different, and maybe it's because I drink a lot throughout the day that means I don't have to worry about drinking when I row, but I wouldn't ever consider drinking for a two hour row whatever the humidity or heat was.

You are right, I do all my sport without carbs (some milk sugar and a banana is all over the day, probably 50-70g) and my marathon was without eating or drinking anything at all. But it wasn't an all out effort, so this could be different on a TT (surely not for eating, but for the drinking part).
The list given by mayoclinic is only matching in point 2 for me, all others are not. I eat two large meals a day and try to get at least 4h between a meal and a sport session, no snacks, very few carbs, often nothing after my sessions.
Drinking is important, but not during rowing for me. I get hydrated before and after.