The importance of peri-workout nutrition seems to be universally accepted...at least by highly regarded experts like Fred Duncan, John Meadows and Scott Stevenson. It is rare to see a serious lifter training without an amino acid-rich, Leucine-amped, electrolyte-charged, Big Gulp-sized beverage leaving a sweat stain on the bench near him. Keep in mind that not all of these nutrients need to be consumed in liquid form.
If you want to give your bladder a break, cut out about a third of your beverage and munch on a Pre-Workout Chocolate Flapjack during your warm-up. It's a nice change of pace! They provide a balance of carbs, protein and fat at a ratio of about 4:2:1 that I’ve found effective for ensuring I have enough energy to get through one of Meadow’s crazy leg workouts.
You’ll need:
1 cup Oats
1/2 cup Vanilla Whey
1/2 cup Chocolate Whey
1/2 cup Milk
2 oz Sugar-Free Dark Chocolate
4 tbsp Natural Peanut Butter
4 tsp Agave Nectar or Honey
1/3 cup Milled Flax
Directions:
Add the peanut butter, chocolate and Agave to a pan and warm over low heat. Once the mixture is runny, add the milk and heat for several minutes. Then, add everything else and stir thoroughly. It should be thick and sticky but if you can't get it to combine because it is too stiff, add a little more milk. Tip it into a 9x9 baking tray and spread it out evenly. A great tip for this is to use a sheet of baking parchment on top of the mix and use the back of a spoon on the baking parchment to smooth it all out, so that the mixture won't stick to the spoon. Remove the parchment and place the tray in a preheated oven at 350° F for about 10 minutes. Keep an eye on it as it can burn easily.
Let it cool and then cut into eight equal bars. They will keep like this for about a week, but if you can get your hands on a vacuum packer they will keep for two months or more.