Best meal before weight training in the early AM?

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frannie078
frannie078 Posts: 21 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi everyone,

When I am heading to the gym in the early morning, I'm not sure what I should be eating to fuel my workout (typically a 10 min cardio warm up followed by 45-60 min of weight training).

My trainer said that I should eat something very light (like a banana or a handful of dates), however, I told him that I don't feel like that is substantial enough to get me through the workout, and I'd rather eat a slice of toast or english muffin with almond butter or greek yogurt or something like that. He stated that eating more than a piece of fruit before weights would result in my body using energy to burn off that small meal, as opposed to burning fat.

Can anyone tell me if this is actually true? Am I sabotaging myself by eating a small amount of protein/fats in addition to carbs pre-workout?
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Replies

  • colors_fade
    colors_fade Posts: 464 Member
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    My wife teaches a 5:00 am lifting class (free weights, dumbbells, yoga combination). She swears by her peanut butter and graham cracker snack. She's tried a bunch of different snacks to fuel her through that workout before, but the peanut butter and graham cracker seems to work best.

    Listen to your body. Try stuff out. Find what works for you.
  • the_arghbowl
    the_arghbowl Posts: 63 Member
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    When I used to lift in the AM (0500) I had egg whites and oatmeal. 300 calories & enough to punch through a hard session.
  • MinnesotaManimal
    MinnesotaManimal Posts: 642 Member
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    Everybody is different. I work out anytime from 5 am to noon doing weights, hiit or 3-6 mile runs or a combo of those and never have more than a cup of coffee and several glasses of water. If I eat before working out I feel sluggish and bloated. Some people can't walk to their car without a breakfast. So really the best thing to do is experiment and keep track of performance in the gym.
  • Bry_Fitness70
    Bry_Fitness70 Posts: 2,480 Member
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    I usually go with apples, oatmeal, and a protein bar. I keep a protein drink and a G2 Gatorade in my gym bag for afterwards, then eat some yogurt mixed with oats and protein powder when I get home.
  • thesupremeforce
    thesupremeforce Posts: 1,206 Member
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    I mix peanut butter with All Bran. Then I drink a protein shake.
  • mad_lifting_runner
    mad_lifting_runner Posts: 37 Member
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    Hi everyone,

    When I am heading to the gym in the early morning, I'm not sure what I should be eating to fuel my workout (typically a 10 min cardio warm up followed by 45-60 min of weight training).

    My trainer said that I should eat something very light (like a banana or a handful of dates), however, I told him that I don't feel like that is substantial enough to get me through the workout, and I'd rather eat a slice of toast or english muffin with almond butter or greek yogurt or something like that. He stated that eating more than a piece of fruit before weights would result in my body using energy to burn off that small meal, as opposed to burning fat.

    Can anyone tell me if this is actually true? Am I sabotaging myself by eating a small amount of protein/fats in addition to carbs pre-workout?

    It's important to realize that the majority of the muscle glyco you'll be using to lift tomorrow was eaten today. So eat well before bed.

    The morning snack really shouldn't be very heavy. I prefer yogurt or a good protein shake.
  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
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    Don't listen to personal trainers about nutrition. Eat your English muffin with almond butter or whatever makes you feel best. Sure, lifting is about burning fat if that's your goal, but it's more important to focus on gaining strength. If you feel weaker eating a banana before lifting than you do eating something else, eat whatever fuels your workout best.

    I eat a Quest bar before I lift at 5AM. I don't have time to sit around and wait 30 minutes before I start working out, so I'm lifting within 10 minutes of eating. It works for me and I feel stronger at that time than I do if I try to lift at the end of the day after all of my meals. Just listen to your body and do what feels best for YOU, not your trainer.
  • patrickblo13
    patrickblo13 Posts: 831 Member
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    It's probably not the best advice but I lift at 5am every morning. I don't eat anything before I work out.
  • _Terrapin_
    _Terrapin_ Posts: 4,301 Member
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    TBSP of PB, squeeze honey count 3-2-1, go to gym.
  • robert5891
    robert5891 Posts: 29
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    My suggestion would be to get a new trainer that actually knows what they are talking about. He/she is still spouting off typical bro-science in regards to workout nutrition. I workout first thing in the morning and have nothing in my system aside from my pre-workout drink (White Flood Reborn by Controlled Labs). There is no need to eat anything before training if you don't want to. Your body will replenish its glycogen stores over the previous 24 hours provided you are consuming adequate calories and macronutrients the day before.

    What (if anything) you consume before and after your workout does not play a significant direct role in the outcome of your diet, beyond personal preference.

    Why? Because what matters in terms of direct impact on outcomes is total daily intake of all nutrients.

    Thus, you should optimize based on how you respond to training in a fed or fasted state, and based on your hungry after exercise. In other words, use common sense.
  • 1971MLJ
    1971MLJ Posts: 137 Member
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    My workout sounds similar to yours, I normally only have a banana and that gets me through fine. I don't think I could eat anything heavier personally. Nothing to do with how energy is burnt, purely down to how I feel.

    Do what colours_fade suggests, see what works for you.
  • DjinnMarie
    DjinnMarie Posts: 1,297 Member
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    I usually have peanut butter toast or a couple of eggs. Enough to spike energy, light enough not to affect my workout.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
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    When I am heading to the gym in the early morning, I'm not sure what I should be eating to fuel my workout (typically a 10 min cardio warm up followed by 45-60 min of weight training).

    I would eat nothing.
  • The_Enginerd
    The_Enginerd Posts: 3,982 Member
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    Don't listen to personal trainers about nutrition. Eat your English muffin with almond butter or whatever makes you feel best. Sure, lifting is about burning fat if that's your goal, but it's more important to focus on gaining strength. If you feel weaker eating a banana before lifting than you do eating something else, eat whatever fuels your workout best.

    I eat a Quest bar before I lift at 5AM. I don't have time to sit around and wait 30 minutes before I start working out, so I'm lifting within 10 minutes of eating. It works for me and I feel stronger at that time than I do if I try to lift at the end of the day after all of my meals. Just listen to your body and do what feels best for YOU, not your trainer.
    ^This

    I am not a morning person and have more energy in the evening, so I lift then. Some ice cream or fruit an hour or two before lifting is my usual go to.
  • giggitygoo
    giggitygoo Posts: 1,978 Member
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    I focus on getting some complex carbs the night before, and then in the morning I have either egg whites and oatmeal, or a protein shake with milk and 2 shots of espresso when I'm running late.

    Works for me, but everyone is different.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
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    I am up at 5 and make waffle with bananas and crunchy peanut butter and maple syrup, glass of milk and a travel mug coffee to drink on the way to the gym... Been my goto breakfast before lifting for quite a while now... if I mix it up, I will do Oatmeal with brown sugar and a bagel with honey...... I think though it comes down to personal preference and what will work for your individual needs.... Best of Luck
  • Hopefullysane
    Hopefullysane Posts: 27 Member
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    at 6:30am I eat a hearty breakfast of oatmeal, mixed berries, greek yogurt and whole milk. I work out at 8. If I didn't eat before I worked out, I'd be useless. I'm hungriest first thing in the morning.
  • bostonwolf
    bostonwolf Posts: 3,038 Member
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    I don't do AM workouts any more, but I wouldn't eat anything and would train fasted. If I tried to eat I'd end up blowing chunks.
  • danielmbuckley
    danielmbuckley Posts: 13 Member
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    My suggestion would be to get a new trainer that actually knows what they are talking about. He/she is still spouting off typical bro-science in regards to workout nutrition. I workout first thing in the morning and have nothing in my system aside from my pre-workout drink (White Flood Reborn by Controlled Labs). There is no need to eat anything before training if you don't want to. Your body will replenish its glycogen stores over the previous 24 hours provided you are consuming adequate calories and macronutrients the day before.

    What (if anything) you consume before and after your workout does not play a significant direct role in the outcome of your diet, beyond personal preference.

    Why? Because what matters in terms of direct impact on outcomes is total daily intake of all nutrients.

    Thus, you should optimize based on how you respond to training in a fed or fasted state, and based on your hungry after exercise. In other words, use common sense.

    ^This^

    Do what feels best for YOU. If you feel like you need to eat more before you lift, then do so. If you want to train fasted, do it. If you have to have a workout drink during the workout... do it.

    So long as you are meeting your caloric and macro-nutrient needs based on your fitness activity, you'll see the results.
  • jrdouce
    jrdouce Posts: 9 Member
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    You have to listed to your body. If I eat within a couple of hours before I lift, at any time of the day, I'll puke. It's like the old "don't go in the water for an hour after eating". If you can handle something light, and you feel good, you've found your balance.

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