Pre workout snacks

adyolis

What is everyone’s pre work out snacks? Particularly for lifting day? I don’t take pre workouts (thanks beta alanine) and I will indulge in a SF monster or other drinks (don’t really rely on them I just like their flavor) but I noticed I get tired midway my workout (lift til failure)

nossmf

I personally do not eat anything before lifting, but I lift first thing in the morning after waking up. Some people like to get a little something, but emphasis on little: toast and a scrambled egg, or apple/banana plus peanut butter, etc. Make it fast-digesting if it's going to contribute energy to the upcoming workout; save the slow-digesting dense foods with tons of protein and fiber for after a workout or before bed.

Pre-workouts get a lot of their hype from a large caffeine jolt. You can get a similar effect from a cup of coffee or from an over-the-counter caffeine pill, taken about 15 minutes before the workout begins.

I'm willing to bet, though, part of the reason you're getting fatigued midway through your lifting workouts is from taking every set to failure. Not only does this burn energy excessively fast, but it also greatly increases the chances of injury, whether from form breaking down or the muscles/tendons getting worked too hard and breaking down from overuse injuries.

Ideally, each set of lifting should have a target number of reps, and when you reach that number you stop. If you feel like you could have gotten 1-2 more reps, you're using a good weight; if you feel you could have gotten 3+ more, you need to increase the weight used; if you are barely reaching the number (or failing before it), you're lifting too heavy and need to back off.

Taking a set to true failure is a viable lifting technique, but it should be used sparingly. Only do so on your last set of that body part for the day, only do it for a single set, and ideally only when you either have a spotter to watch your form and keep you safe by not letting the weight fall on your head, or if lifting solo then when using a machine which will not squish you if your muscles collapse completely.

Oh, and make sure you drink enough water, not only during your workout but throughout the day. Studies show that even a 1% dehydration can reduce in a 10% drop in athletic performance. When lifting, I take a sip of water after every single set, whether I feel I need to or not.

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Retroguy2000

I agree 100% with noss about the training to failure. And to add to that, the research is backing it up. You do look impressive in that pic, so you probably do need to train to failure some times, but definitely not every set. I realize you didn't say that's what you're doing, and we're inferring that via your comment about getting tired.

Another thing is, you don't specify how many working sets you're doing. I mean if you're doing 30+ working sets in a session for 2 hours, no wonder you're tired during it. If it's about half that amount, then yeah the issue is probably too much to failure.

I like to train late afternoon. About 3 hours after lunch I'll have a snack, probably a scoop of whey, plus for some carbs a banana or oats bar, or protein pancakes. And a cup of coffee. Then lift soon after. Not long after showered etc., time for dinner.

annsummers20

I usually have banana with a bit of peanut butter about 30 minutes before my last workout and it seemed to help! I'm pretty new to the whole pre-workout nutrition thing since I usually just do walks or light cardio, but I've been wanting to try some strength training at the gym. I can't handle pre-workout supplements either - they make me way too jittery, especially after the coffee I've already had by that point in the day.

yirara

Dinner. Then I digest a bit. Then I have some additional salt because blood pooling. Then I work out.

AnnPT77

I only lift intermittently, but the last round I was doing so, a lot of times my pre-workout was Tootsie Roll caramel apple suckers.

After I ran through the bag a friend had given me, I switched to prunes. That was less optimal, because they have fiber.

What I want before a strength workout is sugar, pretty much pure sugar but not a huge amount. The suckers, around 60 calories of pretty much just sugar, were nearly perfect. I was already pre-caffeinated by my morning coffee.

Post-workout maybe a little protein snack, more about satiety than nutrition. I get enough protein through the day, don't need to supplement, but for some reason lifting makes me extra hungry. 🤷‍♀️

This kind of stuff seems so individual!

5j29tg42y6

To fuel your body to lift hard and with intent (IE to 1 Rep in Reserve) your body needs carbohydrates…about 40-70 grams (depending on your size)~45-60 mins pre-workout.

Combined with easily digestible protein and you are all set up. For me, a longtime strength trainer, with consistent success this is my go to breakfast pre-morning workout: Overnight Oats/protein powder: