Food before workout

bozgrit10

What food or drink are we all eating before a resistance workout? And how long do you eat before a workout?
Thank you

SuzySunshine99

It really doesn't matter...it's just personal preference.
I don't like to workout on an empty stomach, so I eat a light breakfast first...yogurt and cereal.
But do what feels best for you.

sijomial

Strength training just fits in my day and my eating schedule wherever it happens to fall. Fed, fasted or recently fed makes no difference to my lifting performance.
It's not like you need to directly fuel what is a very small calorie burn.

30mins after eating is fine for training for me unless I've had pastry and then it's heartburn city.

westrich20940

I don't eat anything big before I work out. Well I guess that's not true...I do use Running Gu. 1-2 of them per run. But I typically run fasted. If I'm going to the gym to do strengthening stuff I don't really think about it...but might have a banana or something.

cwolfman13

bozgrit10 wrote: »

What food or drink are we all eating before a resistance workout? And how long do you eat before a workout?
Thank you

Nothing really...unless you count breakfast. My gym is around the corner from my office so I go on my lunch break. I typically have my breakfast at the office around 9AM. I eat lunch after my workout at my desk.

Retroguy2000

If I feel like I need the energy, because it will have been 2.5-3 hours since my previous meal, then it's usually a Dannon Fit and Light yoghurt about 15 minutes before.

https://www.lightandfit.com/light-yogurt/greek-yogurt/

80 calories incl 12g protein, which helps me get to my daily protein goals too. Then a protein shake after.

AnnPT77

Depends. If it's pure resistance (like weight training), and I don't feel hungry or fatigued going into it, I'd probably just do it (with the clarification that - for me, but not all others - fasted training is generally a non-starter).

If I feel hungry before lifting, I'd have one of my normal snacks (they're usually protein-y, not for workout reasons but for satiation reasons - string cheese, cottage cheese, crispy broad beans, pickled egg, etc.). If I feel a little fatigued before lifting, fast carbs. For a while it was those Tootsie Roll green apple caramel suckers. 😆

Overall good nutrition is the baseline context, though: Enough protein, healthy fats, veggies/fruits.

Timing wise, other than "not fasted" (for me), I wouldn't eat a heavy meal then immediately work out, usually. But I'm not one of those people prone to digestive distress if I work out after eating, so I might wait maybe half an hour after a full meal, go right into the workout after a snack.

YMMV.

kenziestabes

Don't know if this is just a fitness myth I heard from coaches as a teen, but I typically avoid dairy before a workout but have a light snack (my go to is roasted seaweed!). With dairy, its because it can sit on people's stomachs differently and sometimes throwing burpees into the mix has... unintended consequences. But if you don't have that problem, then I'd ignore it.

claireychn074

I’m possibly one of the outliers, so I have a snack an hour or so before (cereal and milk, or toast and peanut butter, or pancakes with fruit and yoghurt), then snacks during my workout (2.5-4hrs usually) which are usually sugar-heavy, so dried apricots, banana, raisins and sometimes a protein shake. I also have a sports drink ready in case I need salts. I’ll then have a meal after, which is often something like fish with loads of veggies.

I need to eat every 2.5-3hrs and I’d rather not have to, to be honest, as it would be a lot easier to work out without eating 🤷‍♂️

eregiere

Usually Greek yogurt and granola between 1 - 2 hours before my workout.