What to eat before a workout

In the gym I often get asked “What should I eat before a workout? How soon should I eat before and after I workout? What should I eat?”.

What you eat and when plays a huge role in endurance, strength, fatigue and more. Serious athletes need to have a regimented nutrition plan to help them improve their sport performance and prevent fatigue, but even recreational exercisers (that’s most of us) will see a huge benefit by getting proper nutrition before, during and after exercise.

The major players in nutrition for exercise are carbohydrate, protein and fluids.

Carbohydrate is the body’s main source of energy during moderate to high intensity activity, so you want to give your body carbs that it can breakdown easily beforehand. This is one time when simple carbs that are low fiber (white bread, Rice Crispies, etc) are better. Carbohydrates are also stored in the body as glycogen, to be used for energy later.

As you workout longer, your glycogen stores will diminish and you’ll need to give your body more carbs, such as a sports drink or gel, to keep going. These products should only need to be used for intense activity lasting more than an hour. Anything less than 60 minutes should be covered by your pre and post workout meals. Having simple carbs again after a workout will help replace glycogen stores. Exercise combined with carbs right after your workout can increase your glycogen storage, allowing you to run or swim further and harder the next time. Limiting carbohydrate intake will significantly decrease endurance, and can also lead to a breakdown of muscle tissue, and a decreased metabolic rate!

Protein is a major player in building muscle tissue and repairing it after training. Muscle is obviously important for strength, but is also a major fat burner so you want to keep it intact! There are some crazy ideas out there about how much protein is needed for training. Too much protein can mean unused Calories which are converted into fat. It can also disrupt the balance of other nutrients in the diet, increase calcium excretion, and lead to dehydration. The average athlete needs 1.2-1.4 grams per kilogram. Serious strength athletes or bodybuilders may need up to 1.6-1.7g/kg/day.

So here’s an example of what a before, during and after meal might look like:

Before: 2-4 hours prior you should have a regular meal consisting of carbs, protein and fat, such as a turkey sandwich, a yogurt and an apple. For extra energy, have another simple carb, low fiber, low fat snack (such as a small bowl of Rice Crispies with milk or a piece of fruit), within an hour before your workout.

During: If endurance exercise lasts more than 60 minutes, 30-60 grams of carbs should be consumed each hour for the duration of the activity to prevent hunger and maintain energy levels. This is equal to 2 cups of a sports drink (such as Gatorade), 1-2 gel pouches, ¼ cup of raisins or ½ bagel.

After: Rehydrate! Then, take in some simple carbs (such as juice) within 15 minutes of finishing a workout to replace glycogen stores. Eat another 50 grams of carbs with some protein within 2 hours after, such as a bagel with peanut butter, a fruit smoothie, or grilled chicken with rice.

Other Nutrition tips for a great workout:

*Try to have a protein source at each meal, such as meat, chicken, fish, tofu, eggs, milk, yogurt, hummus, peanut butter or cheese.

*Keep hydrated – thirst is not a good indication of hydration during exercise

*Make sure you’re eating enough. Restricting Calories can decrease endurance, strength and muscle mass!

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