The reason you were drawn to elitefts is probably a desire to improve some facet of your performance. If being able to increase muscle mass, recovery time, and/or training frequency  is your goal, then you may have stumbled on the right article.

Nutrition plays an essential role in your performance and when properly manipulated can certainly help you progress. Peri-workout nutrition refers to your nutrition around training. This can be a very complex equation or a simply efficient method. The beautiful thing about the world of nutrition is that you can pick the complexity of your method without necessarily compromising progress.

I ordered the compilation in term of specificity and complexity. The farther down the list you go the more in-depth peri workout knowledge you will find and beginning of the list will give you general and objective information needed to understand the nature of peri workout nutrition.

1. Peri-Workout Recovery Supplementation by Scott Stevenson 

This three part series is the longest of all of the articles I have complied. Scott does a great job of objectively articulating the essential parts of peri-workout nutrition for you to interpret. In the world of nutrition being objective is perhaps the most important asset you can have. He also goes into how to understand and look through research. This is an incredibly invaluable tool for you to continue learning on your own. This will allow you to further create your own philosophy by interpreting research with your own spice.

Stevenson also outlines the role cortisol plays in training, the function of carbs and protein during this window, and how peri-training shakes can facilitate better recovery. It's refreshing to hear his personal insight on the topic as well. Reading these three articles will give you the foundation you need to understand and dive deeper into peri workout nutrition.

"In one weight training study where subjects were required to wait two hours after exercise to have their RS, they missed out entirely on the muscle growth enjoyed by the group that consumed just a modest RS immediately post-workout" (in reference to his section in part 1, Intra Workout IS post workout."

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2. Four Reasons You Need Pre-Workout Carbohydrates by Mike Nelson

Mike gives four easy-to-understand but important reasons you should be including some form of carbohydrates in your pre training meal. In most types of training, glucose is one of the more relied on substrates for energy. Mike continues to break down how eating carbs pre workout will effect you internally all the way to how it will give you better pumps.

"Much of the information surrounding insulin is just flat out wrong. Insulin can be best thought of as the fuel selector switch. When your insulin levels are high, it will push your body to use carbohydrates. When your insulin levels are low, it will push the body to use more fats."

3. Post-Workout Insulin Spikes by Justin Harris 

This is dating back all the way to 2008! This is a great article because Justin outlines the essentials of picking the correct carbohydrate source for you training and why. He also goes into the common misconception about insulins anabolic properties and the use for EAA's and BCAA's in training as well. This is a short but very informative article to give you some specifics on what to look for when creating your peri workout nutrition protocol.

"For a morning meal, try one cup of oats, one banana, a handful of cashews, two scoops of protein, and BCAAs (which are also very anti-catabolic). Mix in a blender for a minute or two until the oats are ground up completely. It takes about 30 seconds to drink and it shouldn’t make you bloated much at all."

4. Peri-Workout Nutrition by Fred Duncan

Fred Duncan does a great job in this two-part series. He objectively gives you plenty of options with great reasoning behind each. What especially stands out about this series is he is not afraid to break the mold of the current trends. This is important not just for the information but to give you another lens to look at peri workout nutrition through. The emphasis placed on optimal individual nutrition is also very important to understand. Don't be afraid to try different things that match with the goal your trying to accomplish.

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"The reason I give so many options is because it takes trial and error to determine what is optimal for YOU. The best diet or program is the one that is sustainable and conducive to your individual body. We are all individuals who respond to nutrition, stress, and training differently. As Coach X always preaches to me, “Think for yourself, don’t be a fucking lemming following everyone off a cliff of no return.” Stay hungry. (Part 1)"

5. The Intricacies of Peri-Workout Nutrition by Ben Hartman and Justin Harris 

This video interview with Justin Harris and Ben Hartman is a great one. The atmosphere of the interview is great; it's as if they are having a conversation and we are just flies on the wall. Included are specifics on what compounds are most effective for peri training nutrition and why. There is also an emphasis on needs of the individual using peri workout nutrition. More science and underlying concepts are introduced in the video that can further help you understand the purpose of peri-workout nutrition.

"People skip the dollars to pick up the pennies, do things consistently and do them right over the course of time"

6. Advanced Theory of Hydration and Glycogen Replenishment by David Reid 

This is the final article of the compilation and the most in-depth. This is for those of you who are really looking to lock in your peri workout nutrition. In this article, Reid talks about osmolality, why highly branched cyclic dextrin may be the premier intra-workout carb source, and how to optimize your intra-shake for the best recovery. This article is very well constructed for you to understand the more complex points in peri-workout nutrition.

"The issue with fast sugars is two-fold: with a rapid rise in blood glucose comes a rapid insulin response that almost always leads to hypoglycemia. This would be a poor choice during a workout but a great choice post-workout."

If you take the time to read through each of these articles, you will not regret it. Peri-workout nutrition is the biggest difference between eating "clean" and eating for performance.

Don't be afraid to listen to those who look at the subject with different perspectives. You may be able to learn more from them than those who agree with you. I implore you to try different protocols that are in line with your goals. Worst case scenario? You only gain experience.

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