Strength Training Advice

innocenceportrayed
innocenceportrayed Posts: 569 Member
edited December 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
I just started some light strength training yesterday and was wondering because I've seen so many different views....what should you typically eat before lifting? I know afterwards you want water and lots of protein but what should you stock up on before hand?

Replies

  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
    doesn't matter

    some people like a banana for the extra sugar


    i like lifting fasted

    TETO.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    I lift in the morning and usually just have coffee before. Really you are using nutrients from the day before anyway.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Whatever makes you feel the best/strongest for your workout. For some people (like myself), that's nothing. Others need a little something, still others need a full meal. It's all personal preference.
  • innocenceportrayed
    innocenceportrayed Posts: 569 Member
    I have hypoglycemia, so i feel is I eat nothing then I'll get dizzy and pass out with a barbell on me or something insane. I can't lift in the morning due to classes, so I usually go to the gym right after class and was going to lift for like 10 minutes(2-3 sets of whatever) then do cardio then lift then more cardio. I always carry a protein bar with me for after but I don't know I always read people stock up on carbs and stuff before they lift which i never understood
  • LeenaRuns
    LeenaRuns Posts: 1,309 Member
    Whatever makes you feel the best/strongest for your workout. For some people (like myself), that's nothing. Others need a little something, still others need a full meal. It's all personal preference.

    This. I lift first thing in the morning without eating before. Afterwards, I usually have protein powder with almond milk.
  • jdsmom0104
    jdsmom0104 Posts: 236
    me too... when ur at the gym @ 530.... not much to eat at that time in the morning :) (if you're up @ 445 like me)
  • Spartan_Maker
    Spartan_Maker Posts: 683 Member
    If you want insurance against gluconeogenesis from muscle-building glucogenic amino acids, use this time to consume a decent portion of your daily carbohydrates.
  • It took some time for me to work out how and when I felt best as far as nutrient timing goes. I lift better if I have two meals in before I train. Thats oats with protein for breakfast (7am) and then I will either have a shake with a few oats cakes or a small portion of oats again before I train. After I have trained I will always consume a post workout shake with milk and rice cakes. As soon as I added fast digesting carbs to the post workout meal my recovery and results were much much better. I would then eat protein complex carbs and salad within 2 hours of that. Definitely find what works but I have blood sugar issues and if i go more than 3 hours without any food then I crash.

    If your exercising the minute you roll out of bed then get a shake in to help retain the muscle that you have built :) the only thing i would do first thing in the morning fasted is moderate cardio. x
  • innocenceportrayed
    innocenceportrayed Posts: 569 Member
    Is there a way to calculate calories burned for strength training? Without a HRM, mine should be in tuesday.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Is there a way to calculate calories burned for strength training? Without a HRM, mine should be in tuesday.
    Strength training burns relatively few cals because of the way the body responds to the effort. If your goal is to burn cals, do cardio. If your goal is to get stronger, then you should lift.
  • innocenceportrayed
    innocenceportrayed Posts: 569 Member
    I'm doing both right now but thank you. (=
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    you should try and eat a combo of carbs and protein about an hour before work out. I usually go with a protein bar that is low in sugar....I like the pure protein brand...
  • goldfinger88
    goldfinger88 Posts: 686 Member
    I see a lot of people say they eat nothing before they lift. That's really a mistake. You don't want a lot on your stomach and you should wait about an hour after eating to lift. But you should have something on your stomach. I fix a protein shake with lots of stuff in it, including some carbs and a banana. And in about an hour, I take a bottle of water into my weight room and start lifting.

    Doing cardio on an empty stomach does burn fat better and is advantageous. But weight lifting is different. Even a banana would be ok.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    I'm doing both right now but thank you. (=

    That's great. count the calamity you burn during cardio, but don't worry about them when lifting.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    you should try and eat a combo of carbs and protein about an hour before work out. I usually go with a protein bar that is low in sugar....I like the pure protein brand...

    you should? why?
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    I see a lot of people say they eat nothing before they lift. That's really a mistake. You don't want a lot on your stomach and you should wait about an hour after eating to lift. But you should have something on your stomach. I fix a protein shake with lots of stuff in it, including some carbs and a banana. And in about an hour, I take a bottle of water into my weight room and start lifting.

    Doing cardio on an empty stomach does burn fat better and is advantageous. But weight lifting is different. Even a banana would be ok.

    why is it bad to lift in an empty stomach?
  • innocenceportrayed
    innocenceportrayed Posts: 569 Member
    I lifted on a fairly empty stomach today. I got there about 2pm my time and hadn't eaten since 8am and I was fine. I think it really does vary from person to person. I didn't get dizzy at all and kept my hydration up but then again i didn't lift extensively since I'm new to lifting I did 1 set of 10 reps of each thing.
  • DawnEH612
    DawnEH612 Posts: 574 Member
    So, here is what the back of my LA Fitness workout log book has to say about eating before a workout:
    Eat enough in advance so that you are not working out on a full stomach,but not so far in advance that you are hungry or starting your workout with lowered blood sugar levels. Working out on a full stomach can cause an upset stomach as blood is diverted away from the stomach to the working muscles. Working out on an empty stomach can cause you to feel dizzy and nauseated due to lowered blood sugar levels. Eating before exercise increases blood sugar levels- this reduces fatigue, improves performance and extends exercise duration.
    >easy to digest carbohydrate-rich foods are ideal. Great food choices include: grain products (bread, cereal and bagels), hot and cold cereal, pasta, potatoes, rice, yogurt, fruit and energy bars. Fruit juice, 1% milk and sports drinks are good carbohydrate rich fluids.
    Eat palatable, familiar,well-tolerated foods. Eating food you're not used to before exercising can upset your stomach.
    The size of your meal should be reduced the closer to exercise it is consumed. Wait several hours after eating a regular sized meal before exercising heavily to permit adequate digestion. High fat items may delay stomach emptying and digestion-avoid fried foods, bacon, sausage, and cheese prior to working out. Limit high fiber foods (bran cereals and beans) before exercise to avoid abdominal cramping and a possible urgent trip to the bathroom.
    The best PRE-workout meal and timing for an individual depends on personal preferences, experience and eating habits that day.
  • MariaMariaM
    MariaMariaM Posts: 1,322 Member
    I usually go yo the gym after the office and if hungry I eat nuts otherwise I don't eat anything prior to it.
  • Thanks for the info.

    My hunger level varies from day to day. Like I got up at 8 today, ate breakfast and went to school and I normally have a snack during one of my 3 classes and I didn't, went straight to the gym after school and wasn't hungry until way after the gym but I ate a protein bar on the way to my car anyway then when I got home a few hours after the gym I ate dinner. Today I only ate about 780 calories(I ate a few extra so MFP wouldn't yell at me ) but I really hate eating when I'm not hungry. But some days I am always hungry no matter what i eat or how much water I drink, so I can easily consume 1200-1500 calories.

    I think I'm going to experiment with it a little and see what's best for me. Today worked, but next time may not. I'm going to keep a protein bar on me at all times just incase.
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