What to eat before workout

jaciejaciexoxo

I’ve see so many contradicting things about what people should eat before training in terms of macros...any advice? Do the macros even matter as long as you fuel with something?

Thanks

Chieflrg

Ideally you want something easily digestible regardless of what kind of training. More energy devoted to training and less towards digestion.

If you train in the mornings, it a good idea to have a whey shake because it should have a decent amount of protien and leucine for muscle protien synthesis to take place.

Carbs is a good source for energy so a banana, oats, o r gummy worms would be good choices.

I train in the mornings, so the night before I soak steel oats with a protien shake in refrigerator. In the morning I'll top the cocktail off with coffee and drink it on the drive in. The caffeine is a stimulant that is a very economical choice if your are not resistant because of frequency of consuming java.

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jdog022

I eat anything from nothing ( fasted) to donuts to bananas to apples to cereal or bagels. I have also tracked lifts and numbers and see no gym performance differences personally even fasted. If I eat nothing or just have straight carbs then I make sure to get protein within an hour or two post work out.

I do know some people get dizzy training fasted and that sorta thing so I think whatever helps you personally feel best in the gym is best. I think there is great individual variability here and no one answer

dan_gymrat

So an hour before I hit the gym, I have...
70g oats, scoop of whey protein, 5 egg whites and a teaspoon on peanut butter in a shake👌

yukfoo

Just for personal clarity...you're drinking the whites?

rheddmobile

Personally I need carbs before a hard workout or my blood glucose drops too low. I find half a banana or a small orange to be perfect. Eating something with protein and carbs shortly after your workout may be a good idea, although research differs on the time frame. Greek yogurt with berries is what I usually have.

sardelsa

How much it matters depends on your training intensity, experience and goals.

What I typically do is a few hours before my workout, have an easily digestible meal/snack with a significant amount of protein, keeping fat and fibre minimal (protein shake, egg whites, low fat cottage cheese etc). Then right before/during I have caffeine (double espresso) and candy . Then post workout I have lunch, usually something very high in protein.

quiksylver296

I eat when I'm hungry. I don't time my meals around my workouts.

See where meal timing falls on the pyramid of importance? Unless you are an elite athlete, trying to improve your performance by 0.18%, it doesn't matter.

lin_be

Usually a cup of coffee for some energy

SmithsonianEmpress

jdog022 wrote: »

I eat anything from nothing ( fasted) to donuts to bananas to apples to cereal or bagels. I have also tracked lifts and numbers and see no gym performance differences personally even fasted. If I eat nothing or just have straight carbs then I make sure to get protein within an hour or two post work out.

I do know some people get dizzy training fasted
^^^ME!
and that sorta thing so I think whatever helps you personally feel best in the gym is best. I think there is great individual variability here and no one answer

^^^This!

Chieflrg

quiksylver296 wrote: »

I eat when I'm hungry. I don't time my meals around my workouts.

See where meal timing falls on the pyramid of importance? Unless you are an elite athlete, trying to improve your performance by 0.18%, it doesn't matter.

I think the question was more geared towards what kind of foods/macros to eat, not if meal timing was important. Two different subjects .

cbs1974

I Try to eat a normal full meal 2 hours before I train & protien within an hour after , no Difference in lifting if I eat or not , I just run out of energy If I Don't have around 600 Cals .

quiksylver296

Chieflrg wrote: »

quiksylver296 wrote: »

I eat when I'm hungry. I don't time my meals around my workouts.

See where meal timing falls on the pyramid of importance? Unless you are an elite athlete, trying to improve your performance by 0.18%, it doesn't matter.

I think the question was more geared towards what kind of foods/macros to eat, not if meal timing was important. Two different subjects .

I guess it was more answering her second question.

jaciejaciexoxo wrote: »

I’ve see so many contradicting things about what people should eat before training in terms of macros...any advice? Do the macros even matter as long as you fuel with something?

Thanks

CSARdiver

Usually coffee and something easily digestible and filling. For me this is a power bar, oatmeal, eggs, etc.

As @quiksylver296 stated meal timing isn't as issue outside the elite athletes. There's a good deal of placebo at play here.

I sampled some of the pre workouts and opt for a cup of coffee instead.

cwolfman13

jaciejaciexoxo wrote: »

I’ve see so many contradicting things about what people should eat before training in terms of macros...any advice? Do the macros even matter as long as you fuel with something?

Thanks

What kind of workout? For the average person just trying to get a little fitness on, this doesn't really matter so long as you're adequately fueling your activity throughout the day. I namely cycle and lift for cross training and because I think having some level of strength is important to general fitness...I'm not a body builder and I'm not a power lifter and I'm not competing in anything...I eat my meals and maybe a couple snacks during the day and nothing is timed around my exercise. I just make sure I'm eating enough to fuel everything.

Chieflrg

quiksylver296 wrote: »

Chieflrg wrote: »

quiksylver296 wrote: »

I eat when I'm hungry. I don't time my meals around my workouts.

See where meal timing falls on the pyramid of importance? Unless you are an elite athlete, trying to improve your performance by 0.18%, it doesn't matter.

I think the question was more geared towards what kind of foods/macros to eat, not if meal timing was important. Two different subjects .

I guess it was more answering her second question.

jaciejaciexoxo wrote: »

I’ve see so many contradicting things about what people should eat before training in terms of macros...any advice? Do the macros even matter as long as you fuel with something?

Thanks

Just wanted to be clear so the OP understands that "macros" as shown on the pyramid are much higher of importance and shouldn't be ignored because of not being an elite athlete.

quiksylver296

Chieflrg wrote: »

quiksylver296 wrote: »

Chieflrg wrote: »

quiksylver296 wrote: »

I eat when I'm hungry. I don't time my meals around my workouts.

See where meal timing falls on the pyramid of importance? Unless you are an elite athlete, trying to improve your performance by 0.18%, it doesn't matter.

I think the question was more geared towards what kind of foods/macros to eat, not if meal timing was important. Two different subjects .

I guess it was more answering her second question.

jaciejaciexoxo wrote: »

I’ve see so many contradicting things about what people should eat before training in terms of macros...any advice? Do the macros even matter as long as you fuel with something?

Thanks

Just wanted to be clear so the OP understands that "macros" as shown on the pyramid are much higher of importance and shouldn't be ignored because of not being an elite athlete.

No offense, of course! I could have been clearer.

jaciejaciexoxo

cwolfman13 wrote: »

jaciejaciexoxo wrote: »

I’ve see so many contradicting things about what people should eat before training in terms of macros...any advice? Do the macros even matter as long as you fuel with something?

Thanks

What kind of workout? For the average person just trying to get a little fitness on, this doesn't really matter so long as you're adequately fueling your activity throughout the day. I namely cycle and lift for cross training and because I think having some level of strength is important to general fitness...I'm not a body builder and I'm not a power lifter and I'm not competing in anything...I eat my meals and maybe a couple snacks during the day and nothing is timed around my exercise. I just make sure I'm eating enough to fuel everything.

I’m weight training to gain weight/get stronger....but I had a period of time where I was sedentary for a year which took a toll on my heart/cardio so I also want to incorporate enough cardio on non lift days to help get back in shape. Nothing will be too intense considering I’m basically out of shape right now.

AnnPT77

jaciejaciexoxo wrote: »

cwolfman13 wrote: »

jaciejaciexoxo wrote: »

I’ve see so many contradicting things about what people should eat before training in terms of macros...any advice? Do the macros even matter as long as you fuel with something?

Thanks

What kind of workout? For the average person just trying to get a little fitness on, this doesn't really matter so long as you're adequately fueling your activity throughout the day. I namely cycle and lift for cross training and because I think having some level of strength is important to general fitness...I'm not a body builder and I'm not a power lifter and I'm not competing in anything...I eat my meals and maybe a couple snacks during the day and nothing is timed around my exercise. I just make sure I'm eating enough to fuel everything.

I’m weight training to gain weight/get stronger....but I had a period of time where I was sedentary for a year which took a toll on my heart/cardio so I also want to incorporate enough cardio on non lift days to help get back in shape. Nothing will be too intense considering I’m basically out of shape right now.

Start off going by how you personally feel. Experiment.

Some people get an upset stomach easily if they eat then do their chosen cardio workout. Sometimes it matters specifically what they eat - light, heavy, macros, fats, dairy are things I've seen as having different effects when eaten before workouts.

Some people feel they perform at their best if they work out fasted. Personally, I crash and burn if I do anything vigorous while fasted, but have a cast-iron stomach, so I usually just eat a light breakfast around half an hour before spin class or on-water rowing in the morning, and do fine. I've learned to eat slightly more carbs before rowing, because I've found I need that extra bit in order not to be ravenous after. A surprisingly small increment makes a difference.

There's lots of stuff written about fueling for exercise, but (1) for performance and how you feel, it can be individual; (2) for recovery and strength-building, it's a minor contributor at most for the recreational athlete; and (3) sound nutrition is important for everyone, but maybe even more so for athletes, recreational or otherwise.

halfadaniel

Ill have a banana and a 200 cal protein bar/cookie

sijomial

jaciejaciexoxo wrote: »

cwolfman13 wrote: »

jaciejaciexoxo wrote: »

I’ve see so many contradicting things about what people should eat before training in terms of macros...any advice? Do the macros even matter as long as you fuel with something?

Thanks

What kind of workout? For the average person just trying to get a little fitness on, this doesn't really matter so long as you're adequately fueling your activity throughout the day. I namely cycle and lift for cross training and because I think having some level of strength is important to general fitness...I'm not a body builder and I'm not a power lifter and I'm not competing in anything...I eat my meals and maybe a couple snacks during the day and nothing is timed around my exercise. I just make sure I'm eating enough to fuel everything.

I’m weight training to gain weight/get stronger....but I had a period of time where I was sedentary for a year which took a toll on my heart/cardio so I also want to incorporate enough cardio on non lift days to help get back in shape. Nothing will be too intense considering I’m basically out of shape right now.

For what you describe you don't really need to worry about it.
Eat if you want, don't if you don't want to, prioritise your overall daily nutrition and calorie level.
If eating something (probably mostly carb based and easy to digest) makes you feel like you have a better workout then go for it.
Mostly for me though any gym based workouts burning up to 1000 cals just fit in my normal eating schedule and eating/not eating makes zero performance difference to me.

PS - at the moment I'm eating peanut M&Ms purely because my darling daughter bought me 1kg for Christmas and I'm trying to use them up (5,110 cals !!).