How to Eat Before a Workout

You may have heard conflicting stories about whether to eat before or after a workout, if at all. While your buddy at the gym may be training on an empty stomach to reduce body fat, you can rest assured as you eat your pre-workout meal that you’re on the right path to attaining and maintaining a healthy body. The key is to know when and what to eat to suit your particular workout routine.

1  It is a commonly misunderstood notion that you should not eat before a workout because it defeats the object of building muscles and maintaining low levels of body fat. However, many experts agree that training on an empty stomach is a bad strategy to adopt and can in fact cause more harm than good. This is because you will burn calories more efficiently before you work out. Eating foods containing simple sugars will reduce the amount of glycogen you use during exercise, which means you will be able to train for longer and prevent your immune system from being compromised.

2  You should balance your pre-workout meal so that it is comprised of around 50 carbohydrates, 5 to 10 grams of protein, and no more or less than 250 calories. A mixture of simple and complex carbohydrates is best before working out, with a little more emphasis on having fast-burning simple carbohydrates available quickly for energy. If endurance training is a big part of your training routine, make sure that your pre-exercise meal contains significant amounts of branched chain amino acids such as milk. Keep yourself hydrated throughout your workout. Drink a 1/2 liter of water, juice or a sports drink 2 hours prior to exercise and then another liter immediately before your workout. Drink smaller amounts roughly every 15 minutes during exercise to remain hydrated.

3  If your training session is going to last for 90 minutes or more, you will need to take in additional carbohydrates such diluted fruit juice or a sports drink. For prolonged endurance events or activities (2 hours or more), eat small carbohydrate-rich snacks (approximately 15 to 20 grams of carbohydrates) about every 20 minutes. Healthy options are energy bars, dried fruits or oatmeal cookies. These will hold fatigue and enhance your endurance.

4  If you’re working out to increase your muscle power then your diet may need adjusting. Muscle is comprised of mainly water, 2500 extra calories are needed to gain a pound of muscle, compared to 3500 excess calories to make a pound of fat. Although many people believe that extra protein is needed for muscle gain, and your body will indeed use more protein during weight training, the average American diet is already high in protein.

5  So how soon before your next workout should you eat? If you’re boosting your body with a pre-workout nutrition drink, then finish it from 45 minutes to an hour before you work out. If you're powering up with solid food you should eat between 90 minutes and 2 hours before you work out. Don’t eat any closer to your workout or you won't be in peak condition and will probably suffer cramps while you’re training.