How you eat can have a huge effect on the results you get from your workout, and this is something Britain’s top personal trainers know better than anyone.
If you’re putting in a load of hard work in the gym, why negate that by fuelling your body poorly?
Protein is, of course, crucial for repairing muscles and delivering those all important #gains. But it turns out there’s no one-size-fits all approach.
Of course, personal trainers have very different lifestyles to the rest of us, so if you’re sitting at a desk all day it’s probably not wise to copy their days exactly. But there are definitely secrets we can all mix into our lives.
So how do the top PTs fuel themselves? We asked them to reveal their secrets.
I aim for around 4,000 calories a day, 180g of protein and use carbohydrates to recover effectively from training and help with my sleep patterns. An average day looks a little like this…
5.30am – up and immediately drink two pints of water.
5.45am – make a huge shake at home: 300ml water, two scoops Optimum Nutrition strawberry whey protein, one scoop glutamine, two handfuls of mixed frozen berries, one scoop of greens powder.
6am – espresso
Then it’s all action training clients, athletes and groups until around 10am when I will have a second breakfast.
10am – four scrambled eggs with 200g of smoked salmon, cherry tomatoes and half and avocado.
Then I’m ready for meetings with my team and more sessions with clients where I will drink water and green tea throughout.
My third main meal of the day will be a Soulmate Life meal. I love what these guys do, delivering me chef-cooked high protein meals that I can trust.
My third main meal of the day will be a Soulmate Life meal. I love what these guys do, delivering me chef-cooked high protein meals that I can trust..
After training it’s time to refuel with a protein-packed shake: chocolate whey, peppermint extract, frozen banana, oats, creatine and glutamine.
Then it’s into an action evening of group sessions and clients where I will snack on 90 per cent dark chocolate squares and shelled pistachios.
I find a hot yoga session 8pm to 9pm is a great way to boost the body and mind, after which I will eat BIG! Searing two tuna steaks takes no time at all, stir-frying a mountain of broccoli and a large portion of brown rice.
Zinc and magnesium supplements before bed to help with sleep and a casein shake if I haven’t hit my protein levels for the day. Job done. And repeat!
I am up super early for work. Yes, my alarm goes at 4.40am! With a pretty lengthy commute (I live in Brighton and work in London), breakfast for me is on the go. I usually have a Neat Nutrition protein shake and a flat white on my train.
The next time I eat will usually be 11.30/12ish for lunch. This is a real mixture depending on where I am but I will always try to make sure protein is present. For example I may have a sandwich but then will buy some additional deli meats. Or I will grab a salad and then an additional chicken breast. Sometimes I’ll grab a soup and also one of those hard boiled egg combos that are now plentiful in shops.
I will sometimes have an afternoon snack, particularly if I have had a very energetic day or if I have trained. At the minute this is a Grenade bar. They are delish!
My evening meals are pretty simple – spag bol or bangers and mash. The one thing I do try to do is leave at least two hours between eating my evening meal and going to bed.
I will probably have two flat whites a day, and these will usually be in the morning. I will often also have a tea mid-afternoon. I am not currently taking any supplements, but when I did I just took a simple multivitamin from Wild Nutrition.