Eating before working out

cicelyjackson

GM should I eat or should I not eat before working out? if so what should I eat or should I ask whats the best thing to eat before working out?

sllm1

It's what works for you, really. I need a small meal about an hour before I work out and I eat something again after.

Raptor2763

This is what works for me - tailor as you see fit. As a prefuel, I take 3-4 hard boiled eggs about an hour before workout, followed by 3-4 hard boiled eggs within an hour afterward. If you want to avoid the yolks, just eat the whites, but up the intake by another couple eggs. OH - monohydrate creatine - take that with your meal BEFORE working out. You'll notice substantial performance improvement

psuLemon

cicelyjackson wrote: »

GM should I eat or should I not eat before working out? if so what should I eat or should I ask whats the best thing to eat before working out?

Personal preference. I eat after because dinner just happens to fall right after.

peaceout_aly

It's all personal preference. I always eat a protein bar before working out. If I don't, I feel sick and unenergized. Some people feel sick if they DO eat. It's all up to you.

DancingMoosie

I don't do much more than a banana about an hour before. Too much in my stomach does not feel good while running or lifting! Most of my cardio is done first thing in the morning, fasted. I eat breakfast about 30 min later.

BrianSharpe

For me it depends on what I'm doing. Typically I'll run first thing in the morning fasted as I hate running with food in my stomach (if I'm doing a longer run or racing I'll try to eat at least 2 to 3 hrs before heading out). On gym days I head out around 6AM I'll usually have coffee and a banana.

I can ride shortly after eating without any discomfort and you want to be fueled for a long ride.

If you're eating a reasonably well balanced diet you probably have enough stored glycogen for 90 minutes of moderate exercise so it really comes down to a matter of personal preference.

aliem

I try to eat something if I work out in the morning. I have slightly low blood pressure so functioning without food is hard for me. If it's an evening work out, I usually don't because I eat throughout the day so I don't need the energy boost.

RachelElser

I don't because eating and then working out gives me an upset stomach, but if it works for you, go for it.

Michael190lbs

I would throw up if I ate something before I workout

pebble4321

I don't usually eat before I exercise - mostly because I usually run in the mornings and I'm not prepared to get up any earlier to eat before I go. And because weekday runs aren't usually any longer than 6k or so (more like 3 or 4k at the moment) so I don't feel I need anything.

On weekends if I'm running later in the morning and have time before I go I might have a coffee and piece of toast with peanut butter. If I have a long run or a race I will definitely have something before I go, it's worth it then to get up earlier. Usually I'd like around an hour (but at least half hour) after eating/drinking before I exercise. This ensures that my stomach doesn't feel upset and I don't need to try to find a bathroom along the way.

Sued0nim

Personal preference

And to this

Raptor2763 wrote: »

This is what works for me - tailor as you see fit. As a prefuel, I take 3-4 hard boiled eggs about an hour before workout, followed by 3-4 hard boiled eggs within an hour afterward. If you want to avoid the yolks, just eat the whites, but up the intake by another couple eggs. OH - monohydrate creatine - take that with your meal BEFORE working out. You'll notice substantial performance improvement

My gosh, no

Eggs would make me puke pre workout and nobody needs 8 a day for nutritional purposes (you'd get more protein for half the calories from a couple of chicken breasts)

You don't even know his training programme and goals so advising creatine sounds odd

AnvilHead

Sued0nim wrote: »

Personal preference

And to this

Raptor2763 wrote: »

This is what works for me - tailor as you see fit. As a prefuel, I take 3-4 hard boiled eggs about an hour before workout, followed by 3-4 hard boiled eggs within an hour afterward. If you want to avoid the yolks, just eat the whites, but up the intake by another couple eggs. OH - monohydrate creatine - take that with your meal BEFORE working out. You'll notice substantial performance improvement

My gosh, no

Eggs would make me puke pre workout and nobody needs 8 a day for nutritional purposes (you'd get more protein for half the calories from a couple of chicken breasts)

You don't even know his training programme and goals so advising creatine sounds odd

Not only that, but:

1) OP didn't state whether the workout was cardio or strength training. If cardio, a bunch of protein beforehand isn't going to have any benefit as a preworkout - would be better off with carbs for energy. If it's strength training, OP would be better off with a mix of protein (for MPS) and carbs (for energy).

2) Creatine doesn't have to be taken preworkout. The idea with creatine is to saturate your muscles with it over time so it's continuously available - dose timing is completely irrelevant, just take 3-5g daily. And if the OP is actually talking about cardio workouts, creatine is irrelevant in the first place since it has no benefits for cardio training.


As to the original question, it's entirely personal preference. Some like eating before a workout, others don't. Do whatever works best for you - as long as you're getting well-rounded nutrition over the course of the day it doesn't make any difference.