Eating BEFORE workouts

greatginew

I've got my workouts dialed in really well @ this stage of my journey & my food choices have always been on the 'good' side - lots of whole grains, green veggies, etc. But... I'm not sure what I should be eating or how long BEFORE my workouts. Suggestions?

v2embee

Pre-workout food choices depend on whether you plan on doing strength training or cardio.

Strength training -- to build lean muscle, your body needs a readily available supply of protein for tissue repair. The more intense your workout is, the more protein you need. You'll want roughly 25% protein vs 75% carb from your pre-workout meal/snack, and it's generally best to consume this 30-60 minutes prior to workout.
Good examples:
- egg white omelette with toast and soy milk
- protein powder smoothie with fruit (eg. mango) and flax seed
- greek yoghurt with banana, walnuts, honey

Cardo training -- carbs are metabolised into glucose (aka. energy!!) very quickly, and will help you power through these workouts. Like strength training, it should be consumed 30-60 minutes prior. While you'll want your snack to constitute 75%-100%, I'd recommend a bit of protein and fiber so your supply of energy is delivered a little more steadily.
Good examples:
- skim milk oatmeal with raisins, walnuts and honey
- greek yoghurt parfait with muesli and banana
- banana, honey, soy milk smoothie

Hopefully this helps. But don't forget about your post-workout snack options as well. Hope this helps.

Sidesteal

I've got my workouts dialed in really well @ this stage of my journey & my food choices have always been on the 'good' side - lots of whole grains, green veggies, etc. But... I'm not sure what I should be eating or how long BEFORE my workouts. Suggestions?

I would let personal preference dictate your choices here, assuming that you're monitoring performance and that you're able to hit your end of day nutritional targets.

You can also try training completely fasted.

Meggles63

I usually work out very early in the a.m. - around 5:30. I don't eat before hand due to this. I think it's up to what you are comfortable with. You don't HAVE to eat pre-workout, but you can certainly play around with some of the suggestions on this thread. Good luck!