Workout fuel-- what do you do?

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  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    Before lifting I take a pre-workout supplement about 30 minutes before, I'll eat anywhere from an hour before up until I lift. Sometimes I eat while I lift lol. I do really like carbs before heavy training, pancakes in particular, but I can't always get that so I settle for a protein bar.

    It really doesn't matter so much. Eat what you like, when you like as far as meal timing before a workout goes.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
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    rbfdac wrote: »
    ...have a small snack (protein bar, oatmeal, yogurt, etc.) and then go to the gym...
    Opinions??

    ^ This works best for me. I can't do anything for hours after a big meal and I can't do much on an empty stomach either.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
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    ilex70 wrote: »

    So does the lemon, ginger, and orange juice keep the beet from tasting like a big mouthful of dirt? :p

    Beets don't taste like dirt unless you pull them out of the ground and eat them without rinsing them off first. I like raw beets peeled and shredded with a bit of lemon juice and olive oil. Season to taste. Let them marinate for a bit or eat right away. Great for the digestion. At least in my experience anyway. Yum!
  • LiveLoveRunFar
    LiveLoveRunFar Posts: 176 Member
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    workout in the morning for strength - I eat a banana before and then immediately after a protein shake. Workout-running---nothing before and sometimes nothing after until breakfast.
  • alasin1derland
    alasin1derland Posts: 575 Member
    edited March 2016
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    ilex70 wrote: »
    alasin1derland wrote: »
    1/2 raw beet, peeled seeded lemon, piece of ginger topped with orange juice in the blender. The nitrates in the raw beets turns to nitric oxide when mixed with good bacteria in the saliva. I used to put a scoop of protein powder but from what I understand protein blocks the ability to to change to nitric oxide and leaves it as nitrates. The nitric oxide increases blood flow increasing oxygen to muscles. I try to do this 3 times a week and try to make sure it lands on leg day. The other days protein powder mixed with whatever I am in the mood for or a protein bar. I usually eat or drink between 1/2 to an hour before my workout.

    So does the lemon, ginger, and orange juice keep the beet from tasting like a big mouthful of dirt? :p

    Yes. Apple in the mix is nice too. I always referred to that dirt taste as earthy, lol, but yes completly gone. Also, vitamin C completely blocks the possible conversion to nitrosamines. I am including this link as a quick google search of nitric oxide (even though the link is geared to men) it still overviews the advantages.
    http://www.anabolicmen.com/boost-nitric-oxide-naturally/
  • sunnybeaches105
    sunnybeaches105 Posts: 2,831 Member
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    I eat two meals a day. Seems to fuel me just fine. When I'm really hungry I might eat three meals.
  • Lovee_Dove7
    Lovee_Dove7 Posts: 742 Member
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    rbfdac wrote: »
    What do you typically eat and at what interval before a workout do you do it?

    I've done some research online and apparently the timing can be different for different people, but I'm curious about how you do it, as I'm still trying to figure it out.

    Is it better to go home after work, have a small snack (protein bar, oatmeal, yogurt, etc.) and then go to the gym or to eat a full meal for supper, wait an hour or so and then go?

    Opinions??

    I like a wee-hour lifting workout at 4AM, and prefer to go fasted. If I'm hungry, I take whey protein before going. My lifting session is only 1 hour at this point. If my work outs get more intense, I'm sure I'll need to eat some carbs with that protein.
  • gympho
    gympho Posts: 8 Member
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    I take a pre workout shake. Such as NO Xplode, C4, or Mr. HYDE. Not too much. Just enough to make my eyes itch.
  • ironhajee
    ironhajee Posts: 384 Member
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    superfox12082 wrote: »
    I get up really early and workout before my brain can realize I'm hungry. ;):smiley:

    LOL !!!
  • lynshady
    lynshady Posts: 10 Member
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    Early morning spin classes are usually a small amount of cheerios and milk or a banana.
    I eat dinner about 1.5-2 hours before going to the gym at night and on weekends about 2 hours before heading to the gym (egg whites or eggs, toast or sweet potatoes and coffee).
  • kelly_e_montana
    kelly_e_montana Posts: 1,999 Member
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    For me, when I when I do Crossfit or running, it's optimal for me to eat breakfast about an hour and a half before I work out. Usually my go-to is old fashioned oatmeal (not instant) with a small spotty banana and some nut butter mashed in. I also do well when I work out later in the day if I ate a meal a few hours prior and just eat a Luna or Zone type bar as a snack 30-60 minutes before my workout. I notice a HUGE difference in my Crossfit performance related to whether I am properly fueled or not.

    If I'm lifting (I powerlift and o-lift), I can usually eat a bigger meal before than my cardio (doesn't make me feel sick to my stomach). Optimally, I like 50 grams of starchy carbs pre-workout and 50 grams starchy carbs post-workout with additional protein post-workout.
  • lezerlies
    lezerlies Posts: 39 Member
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    I like eating a quest bar about an hour before strength training. If I'm running I'll eat a banana about 45 mins before.
  • scastor27
    scastor27 Posts: 204 Member
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    Everyone's different. Me personally, I can't run or lift on a full stomach so I try to make sure it's been 2-3 hours since I last ate or if I'm early morning I'll have something on the smaller side with high protein.
  • Springfield1970
    Springfield1970 Posts: 1,945 Member
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    Everybody's the same. If you are working out and striving for a good performance, then it is vital to fuel beforehand and even during.
    For an intense cardio session, 2/3 hours beforehand fill up those glycogen tanks with carbs like oats, cereal, bananas, honey, etc.
    if you don't have time then a banana 30 minutes before and a sports drink during (you can make your own, but there are specific carb grams per hour depending on body weight). Maybe a fast acting gel 5 minutes before.

    If you're not interested in performance, but just want to burn calories, then by all means do it fasted.
    I've decided not to do more than a gentle walk without fuel. It's taxing on the body to keep trying to find fuel from its own tissue, and fat only burns fast enough for low intensity exercise.

    If I want to burn fat, it's usually from the food deficit while I'm at work or at some point during the night when my stores have dipped.

    I eat most of my carb calories in a 5 hour window around the workout, and I get superb results, high vo2 Max, fast running, swimming and cycling speeds and good strength to weight ratio.
  • rbfdac
    rbfdac Posts: 1,057 Member
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    Springfield1970 wrote: »
    When you say workout, what do you mean? There's different heart rate zones.
    Are you on a fat loss programme or are you muscle building?
    What are your goals.

    It's not different for different people. We are all human machines, but there are different types of workouts, and also, time of day and intensity and duration is a big factor.

    I suggest reading 'Racing Weight' by Matt Fitzgerald if you want to see what Olympians diets are like.
    Also, Chrissie Wellingtons autobiography spills a lot of secrets. (She was the world ironman female champion year after year).

    I literally just mean go to the gym and workout on the elliptical or the treadmill and then do some weight training. Nothing more.

    And I didn't mean different for different people, as in some bodies work differently than others- I meant, some people get nauseous when they don't eat before, some get nauseous when they do, etc.

    I highly doubt my diet needs to be anything close to an Olympian diet-- I just walk/jog on the treadmill and do the weight circuits.
  • rbfdac
    rbfdac Posts: 1,057 Member
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    Thank you all for your responses-- I cannot have caffeine- my body is super duper sensitive to it and it gives me palpitations and sweats and shakes, so a lot of those pre-workout supplements and/or coffee are out of the question.

    I think here lately I've been having a hard time hitting my carb goal and maybe that's affecting some of my energy levels. After losing 40 pounds, I've had to adjust my calories and gone down by 150 a day, so I'm still adjusting to trying to hit the right macros.

    I feel like I do best when I eat around 2 hours before a workout, but I'm still experimenting and wanted to see how everybody else does it!

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