Pre-workout meal: What to eat before training and exercise?

As some of you may have noticed, I was playing around in a previous article about dosing with the idea that I might write a separate article on pre-workout meals sometime in the future. Since that future has just arrived, I am proud to present here an article dealing specifically with pre-workout meals. Because I believe that many of you have already been exposed to this topic countless timesand frankly, it's no wonder.

In a nutshell, I could basically summarize this topic with the following sentence. In general, it is recommended to consume a full and easily digestible meal full of quality protein and carbohydrates about 2 to 3 hours before training. However, if this is not enough for you, read on and you will learn everything you need to know.

Why is a pre-workout meal so important?

Because the right pre-workout diet can have a huge impact on the quality of the workout itself. So it certainly doesn't hurt to know what such a meal should look like. So if you are one of those people who find this question hard to answer, this article is just the thing for you. I will try to explain here what exactly a meal before training should contain and, last but not least, how to time such a meal.

When and what exactly you should have before your workout, but unfortunately I can't tell you with 100% accuracy. As it happens in such things, we are all different. So, in this case, something completely different may suit each of us. That's why you should try to gradually find out which foods are ideal for your body before trainingand how much time you need to digest them to be 100% ready for training.

Which pre-workout meal you choose depends, of course, on the timing and speed of your digestion on a whole range of other factors such as the type, length or intensity of the workout itself. So, as I mentioned in the introduction, it's important to always choose an easily digestible meal that is mainly rich in protein and carbohydrates. This is because such food can have a positive effect not only on your performance or recovery, but also on building muscle mass or even minimising the risk of injury.

How to time such a meal before training?

Ultimately, of course, it's entirely up to you. So, for example, some of you may find it convenient to have your last full meal approximately 3 hours or more before training. However, I would have quite a big problem with this, because I have observed that if I have such a meal, I knowmore than 2 hours before a workout, I'm hungry and can't concentrate on my workout. Personally, I would rather have a protein with fruit about an hour before training.

On the other hand, I know several people who have no problem eating a full meal just an hour before training. However, I would have a significant problem with this as well, and I would still feel full and unable to give 100% performance during the workout. It is possible, however, that this will suit you just fine.

So what I'm saying is that over time, everyone just has to figure out for themselves when and what meal to choose before training. However, as I wrote above, it is generally recommended to consume a full meal of protein and carbohydrates approximately 2 to 3 hours before training.

Our Tip: If you're having a chaotic day and can't manage to eat a good quality, wholesome meal 2 to 3 hours before your workout, definitely you can't go wrong by having at least a protein, ideally with some fruit, about an hour before your workout.

So what kind of pre-workout foods should I choose?

I can't tell you exactly what and when to eat before training. However, I still want to give you at least a few suitable foods that I think you should definitely try. And last but not least, I also want to point out some foods that I would rather avoid before a workout, if I were you.

For example, I would definitely recommend chicken or turkey or Greek yogurt or cottage cheese as a source of protein. As a great source of carbohydrates you can try fruit, rice, cereal, potatoes or even toast or granola. Peanut butter, chia seeds or avocado could be a great source of fat.

On the other hand, foods such as whole grains could cause some complications for some people. hundreds, certain vegetables or, and I am speaking mainly from my own experience here, legumes. These foods contain high levels of fibre, which which is absolutely indispensable in our diet, but which is not suitable before training. Since high-fibre foods are digested relatively slowly, they can cause fatigue, bloating or nausea during training.

I would also definitely recommend avoiding heavy and fatty foods before training. Even such meals, in the vast majority of cases, simply cannoteasily and quickly digested, which can cause problems with bloating or digestion during training.

Tips for meals to try before training

Now you may be asking yourself how you should combine all these foods appropriately. Don't worry, it's perfectly clear, so I'm going to write down at least a few combinations that are great to include 2 to 3 hours before your workout. So definitely feel free to try some of them. If somehow they don't suit you, simply try a different one.

• Chicken with rice and vegetables
• Cottage with bread, ham, cheese and vegetables
• Greek yoghurt with crisps, fruit, honey and peanut butter or jam
• Porridge in milk with apple and protein
• Greek yoghurt with dark chocolate, protein, cocoa, honey and toast with jam or peanut butter
• Turkey with boiled potatoes and vegetables
• Chicken and turkey mixture with pasta and vegetables

Our tip: There are of course countless options. For example, I personally find it convenient in most cases to give myself about 2 hours beforeI have a Greek yoghurt with protein, porridge with apple and two pieces of toast with butter and jam. However, there is no limit to your imagination.

The importance of individual macronutrients before training

However, I believe that many of you are also still wonderingWhat role do individual macronutrients actually play in all this and what can they provide us with before training? So let's dissect them a bit here.

Protein

As many of you probably already know, when we train we are trying to expose our muscles to a hugestress and tear down as many muscle fibres as possible. In order to support the recovery of these damaged muscles, we need to get enough quality protein into the body. However, such pre-workout protein can also provide us with a number of other potential benefits.

In addition to the positive effect on our performance or muscle proteosynthesis, protein before training can alsonition can also increase the anabolic response of our muscles and thus promote muscle growth. In addition, they can also have a positive effect on our strength or fat loss.

Of course, it is important to keep in mind that in order to promote muscle growth noand strength, a sufficient daily protein intake is essential. Such protein before training, however, can be another small, but absolutely indispensablem step towards maximum support of muscle growth or recovery and should definitely not be underestimated.

Carbohydrates

Glucose is stored in our bodies as glycogen and becomes the main source of energy during training. However, our glycogen stores are not infinite and can be depleted during training.

It will probably come as no surprise to many of you that carbohydrates will serve us primarily as a great source of energy and fuel. In fact, many studies have shown that optimal intake of carbohydrates can increase our muscle glycogen stores.

For those of you who have ever followed a low-carbohydrate diet, I am sure you will agree with me when I say that the workwe can train harder, harder and longer.

Fats

When it comes to fats themselves, I wouldn't overdo it before training. I mean, first of all, you should avoid very fatty and heavym meals, which can make you feel tired and make the workout worthless. It is fat that our body takes the longest time to digest out of these three macronutrients.

Of course, this is not to say that you should avoid them altogether before training. Even the right fats have their justification before training. Some research has shown that such fats can maintain optimal insulin and blood glucose levels.

While the aforementioned carbohydrates can serve as a great source of energy for our muscles especially during shortershorter, high-intensity physical activities, fats, on the other hand, can be a great source of energy for longer, endurance activities.

Interesting questions

So by now you should have a pretty clear idea of when and what food to have before training and what effect it can have on your training. But that's not all, because at the end of this topic we thought we'd also include somesome very interesting questions that are often asked in relation to pre-workout food. So if you are one of the people interested in the importance of salt, chilli or milk before training, don't stopread on, because these are the things I will be focusing on in the following lines.

Salt before training?

As we probably already know, table salt is a great source of sodium, which is an indispensable micronutrient for active athletes. In addition to activating a wide variety of enzymes, sodium also helps maintainstable pH in the body, and above all it helps hydration through increased water retention. Thus, such pre-workout salt can have a very positive effect on our pumping and veining during training.

It should then be taken approximately 30 minutes before training. The best way to take salt before a workout is to simply add it to your "pre-workout". Personally, I would then recommend sticking to approximately 1 to 2 grams.

If you want to get really detailed information about using salt before training, feel free to also check out our video or article on salt before training, dealing with this very topic.

Chilli before training?

I have to admit that I was a bit surprised by this question, because I personally never thought that chilli could have any effect on my training. However, this may also be due to the fact that I'm not too fond of spicy foods. So can chilli affect my training in any significant way?

Honestly, it probably depends on each of you how much you value chilli.chilli and spicy foods in general suit you and how your stomach tolerates them. However, I would recommend avoiding such foods before trainingas they can cause heartburn or more sweating. Chilli can't provide any significant benefits before a workout.

Milk before training?

Of course, milk can still be a great source of many important nutrients. However, as it is not an easily digestible food, I would not recommend drinking it before training.

In the past, however, drinking milk before, after or even during a workout was a relatively common thing. Especially among strength athletes such as strongmen or powerlifters, such milk drinking was a very widespread and popular phenomenon. For example, the now absolutely legendary powerlifter and strongman Bill Kazmaier was able to drink almost 4 litres of milk per day. Of course, this is a very extreme case and a whole lot of similar eating habits or training methods from the last century may seem like complete nonsense to us today. However, it doesn't change the fact that milk can still be, unless you are lactose intolerant, a great source of important nutrients.

However, it simply won't give you any significant benefits immediately before a workout. If you would like to include it before your workout, I would recommend having this milk approximately 2 hours before your workout. Personally, I sometimes have my milk along with protein and porridge about 2 hours before my workout and I have to say that it suits me perfectly.

Alcohol before training?

Basically, it has to be said that alcohol and training don't really go hand in hand. Of course, here it also depends on the amount of alcohol you drink. However, it is generally known that alcohol dehydrates our body, which together with sweating during training is definitely not an ideal combination. In addition, such alcohol can have a negative effect not only on our energy level or stamina, but also on our motor skills and decision-making abilities.

So if you don't have any training to do in the near future or just want to enjoy your free time a reasonable amount of alcohol once in a while might not be a bad idea. However, drinking it close to training time is completely inappropriate and can harm rather than help you.

Breakfast before training?

Since during sleep our body uses up most of its glycogen stores and gets into a state of catabolism, it's obviously ideal to kick-start your metabolism in the morning with a full meal.

Not rebooting your metabolism after an all-night fast can result ina decrease in your performance and, in extreme cases, a loss of muscle mass. I would try to avoid fasted exercise as much as possible.

However, if you plan to exercise immediately after waking up, or if you just can't make it, you caneating a full breakfast before your workout can be a relatively impossible task. In this case, try to at least have a protein, ideally with some fruit. If you can't even manage that, I would recommend either trying to change your daily routine a bit or at least take BCAAs together with glutamine. Such amino acids should prevent catabolism and protect muscle mass. If you want to learn even more about this topic, don't hesitate to check out ourolder article, in which we dealt with the issue of fasted training.

Although I do not recommend fasted training, it is possible that the workyou are perfectly comfortable with such training, which of course is perfectly fine. Ultimately, it is ideal to stick to what works for you. Personally, I just can't imagine that I would be able to perform 100% in the gym immediately after waking up, without any food.

Conclusion

So, as I mentioned at the beginning, ideally you should get close to2 to 3 hours before your workout a full meal, mainly rich in protein and carbohydrates. While you shouldn't worry about fats, I wouldn't overdo it.

The ideal pre-workout meal should be easy to digest and, last but not least, it should just make you feel good. If I were you, I would definitely avoid foods that you know directly will be good for you.that don't make you feel good, that bloat you or that make you feel full and tired. Apart from food, of course, drinking is also an equally important factor, which should not be underestimated, but that's another story for another time.

Finally, I think it is worth mentioning here that these tips and recommendations should be followed even if you eatfood before training, which does not suit you at all, is prescribed by your trainer or perhaps a nutritionist. In this case, just tell him or her about it and then try to work out together what food might suit you before training. Blindly following a predetermined diet that doesn't suit you at all is nonsense and could slow down your results.

The main thing is to listen to your body and, over time, figure out what and when to eat before training. The right diet can help you to improve the quality of your workouts and therefore your results.

And that's really it for now. I hope you enjoyed this article and if you have any questions about this topic, definitely don't be afraid to ask in the comments. We'd certainly appreciate any feedback.