Pre-Workout Meal

11/02/2021

Did you know that your pre-workout meal and timing of your meal is SO vital to how well your body performs during and after your workout session?

When you're going to the gym and putting in all this hard work you're going to want to get the best possible results.

If you have seen your strength or fat loss plateau then tune in and troubleshoot your pre-workout meal and nutrient timing.

I'm going to share with you what to eat and the timing so you can rock out your workout to get maximum performance.


PRE-WORKOUT MEAL

Racecars, dump trucks, bulldozers, motorcycles, and even smart cars need fuel to function. I use those comparisons to be humorous. Hopefully, I chose something you can relate with. Whatever your goals are, especially if you have a goal to lose weight, you need proper fuel.

Have you heard of "Nutrient Timing", that's just a sexy way to reference WHAT and WHEN to eat before, during, and after exercise.

Nutrient Timing is eating properly before and after your workout and it's VITAL

  • FOR PERFORMANCE
  • FOR ENDURANCE
  • FOR HOW GOOD WE FEEL WHILE EXERCISING
  • FOR GAINS
  • AND FOR WEIGHT LOSS

Does this routine need to be elaborate?? Well, YES and NO.

YES, because it's important to understand your 'current status' and what your goals are:

We have to master being BASIC before we can be EXTRA... like

  • Eating balanced meals regularly
  • Eating enough calories
  • Eating plenty of veggies

NO, because I'm about to tell you what to do... (LOL)

Glycogen Stores take about 24-36 hours to replenish. This means what you did yesterday (with your eating and exercise) effects today. (Ever wonder why bodybuilders normally don't train the same body part 2 days in a row?). This is why lower carbs on rest days might not always be the best idea.

Glycogen is a form of glucose that the body warehouses for future use. It is stored mainly in the liver and the muscles. When energy is needed, glycogen is quickly mobilized to deliver the fuel that the body needs.

PRE-WORKOUT MEAL & TIMING

You don't want to be digesting fresh food while slinging weights, OR yourself around. I think its best to eat 60-90 min prior to your exercise session.

Focus on getting primarily protein and carbs.

  • Eggs + Oats or Grits - if you're a southern girl like me
  • Chicken + Sweet Potato
  • Ground Turkey + Rice

You'll want to avoid Healthy Fats & Fiber

Healthy Fats can take up to 9 hours to fully digest. This can bog you down a little during a workout if you eat healthy fats right before. Fiber, well, fiber is great to keep you feeling full, and pooping like a champ, but not needed pre-workout.

Like to get it in before the sun comes up? No problem. Consider having a big carb-filled dinner the night before. Or, you can roll out and grab some instant oatmeal, rice cakes, or 6oz. Grapefruit Juice. If I train on an empty stomach, I will take my BCAAS on my way out the door. (mine are pill form, but there are plenty of good powders to add to your water)

Need a mid-training boost?

Long training sessions? In a low-calorie phase with your regimen?

Depending on what exactly we're training for there are times that nutrition DURING your sessions is necessary.

  • Easily digestible protein powder + Cyclic Dextrin
  • Rice Cakes
  • Sweet Potato Squeeze Packs (Organic Baby Food, trust me they're good)
  • GF Cereal (hot or crunchy)

If you want to know some of my favorite pre-workout nutrition so you can rock it out at the gym, click the link below.

Happy Training! <3

Comment below if you have a 'go-to' pre-workout favorite. I'd love to hear what it is!