The age-old question: what should I eat before a workout?
Truth is, the answer to this question will never be clear-cut.
Different fuelling methods work for different individuals who engage in different forms of exercise and who can tolerate digesting different foods (aka… everyone is DIFFERENT!)
However, for the vast majority of people, the two key factors that will influence what should be eaten prior to exercise are:
- Meal timing in proximity to training
- Macronutrient composition & food volume
As illustrated by the infographic above, a meal consumed further away from the training window (~2-3 hours) will allow more time for adequate digestion. Therefore, this would be a fine opportunity to consume a balanced meal rich in complex carbohydrate sources (wholegrains, vegetables, fruit etc.) combined with a protein and dietary fat source.
We know that that dietary fat and fibre slow the rate of gastric emptying. Also, simple carbohydrates consumed in isolation are digested and utilised quicker than any other macronutrient. Therefore, it’s recommended that you choose pre-workout food sources appropriately if eating within ~1 hour prior to training.
The reason for this is that carbohydrates are the primary fuel source which aid anaerobic exercise (such as resistance training). However, they’ll only improve your performance if they can can actually reach your bloodstream and be utilised during training! A stomach full of undigested food, regardless of carbohydrate content, will provide no more than unpleasant satiation to an exercising individual. Therefore, be strategic with your pre-workout nutrition to ensure that your training performance is enhanced, not hindered!
Let us know, what are your go-to meals/foods prior to working out?