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14 Pre-Workout Nutrition
See Foods You Can Eat Before A Workout
Workout is not just about engaging in physical exercises, it is also about what you eat. Food contributes to the progress of workout, as they provide you with essential strength needed to complete your workout routine. It also ensures the performance and strength of achieving your workout goals. Asides these, good workout nutrition can help you recover faster from sore muscles after your daily workout routine, as well as maximize your output and performance while minimizing muscle tear or damages resulting from workouts.
A number of foods have been identified to be helpful for workouts. These foods have been broken down into pre and post workout nutrition. Each set is best for what its name implies. Pre-workout nutrition should be consumed before any workout, because they provide the essential nutrient your body needs to function properly under the pressure of workout.
You Are What You Eat
Supporting your workout with a healthy nutrition will provide for you the strength and energy you need to perform better. There is a certain essential role each macro nutrient plays before a workout. However, the rate at which you have to consume these macronutrients depends on a lot of factors, some of which are the kind of exercise, as well as the individual involved.
The following are essential macronutrients for pre-workout;
Carbs
Glucose from carbs is an essential fuel for the body. Glucose is converted to glycogen in the body. For rigorous and mild exercise, your glycogen stores become your major source of energy. However, for longer and more rigorous exercises, the amount of carbs required depends on certain factors. These factors include your type of training, the intensity of the training and the diet itself.
The amount of glycogen stored in your muscles is limited, thus, when it diminishes, your output becomes little. Hence the need to consume carbs that would supply you with enough glucose which would later be converted to the glycogen that would be utilized by your body during exercise.
According to studies, glycogen stored in the muscles increase as a result of carbs consumption, and replacing it after utilization would improve performance and encourage a boost.
One of the best ways of maximizing glycogen stores is by consuming a diet that is rich in carbs for 7 straight days.
Protein
Researchers have been able to identify improved athletic performance as one of the importance of protein consumption. When protein is combined with carbs, or when it is consumed alone before workout, the degree of protein synthesis in your body increases. People who consumed about 20 grams of whey protein regularly before their workout routine recorded a positive and high anabolic response.
The other benefits of protein consumption before workout are;
· Rapid and healthy muscle growth
· Rapid muscle recovery
· Improved muscle and body performance
· Increased muscle strength
Fat
Since glycogen is effective in high intensity exercises, fat is also an essential fuel for longer and moderate exercises. Some studies have connected the dots between the fat intake and improved athletic performance.
According to certain studies, consuming a fat rich diet daily for 4 straight weeks would shoot your running endurance up to about 40% for trained, fit and healthy runners.
Importance of Planning Pre-workout Meal
Planning your pre-workout meal is as important as planning your workout routine itself. You definitely cannot workout on empty stomach, as your body may not be able to withstand the pressure from the workout as a result of lack of energy. Thus, planning a meal and eating before workout would supply you with the energy you need to perform well.
In order to maximize your workout routine or output, consuming a combination of carbs, fat and protein would yield obvious and amazing results. It is important to note that these foods should not be eaten just 30 minutes or 1 hour before exercise. The food has to digest well before you begin your workout routine, in order to prevent indigestion and other digestive issues. Pre-workout nutrition should be consumed about 2 to 3 hours before workout. However, if you must eat 45 minutes or 1 hour to your workout, then choose lighter and simpler pre-workout meals, as they would help prevent discomfort in your stomach during exercises.
Pre-workout Meals
The kind of food you eat and how much of it you need depends solely on two factors, which are the intensity and duration of the workout. The best pre-workout meals should consist of a combination or carbohydrates and protein. However, if you must include fat in your pre-workout meal, then it has to be consumed hours-about 2 to 3 hours, before the workout.
The following are the different kinds of balanced pre-workout meals you can try out;
If You Wish to Begin Your Workout Between 2 To 3 Hours, Or More, Eat the Following;
· A cup of fruit juice with avocado spread, combined with whole grain toast and omelet egg
· A side salad with sandwich on whole grain
· Roasted vegetables with lean protein and brown rice
If You Wish to Begin Your Workout Within 2 Hours, Eat the Following;
· Milk with a whole grain cereal
· Whole grain bread with almond butter and fruit sandwich
· Smoothies made with milk with berries and bananas plus protein powder
· Oatmeal topped with sliced almonds and banana
If You Wish to Begin Your Workout within 1 Hour or Less, Eat the Following;
· Wholesome ingredients and nutrition bar with protein
· Fruits and Greek yoghurt
· Other fruits such as bananas, apples and oranges
It is important to note that you do not need to consume all pre-workout meals at the same time. Picking one of these meals will also supply you with the energy required for the intensity and duration factors of your workout. To get better results, you can carry out certain experiments with differing timings and nutritional compositions.
Supplements Are Also Just as Important
Supplement as the name implies is a kind of complement for food and nutrition, especially for foods that are not high in a particular kind of nutrient. They are commonly used during sporting activities and they are known to improve strength and performance, as well as reduce fatigue.
The following are some of the best pre-workout supplement;
Creatine
This is one of the most used supplements in sports. It is known to improve muscle fiber size, mass, strength and power, while reducing fatigue. As much as creatine is best taken before workout, it works effectively as well after workout. Ingesting about 2-4 grams of creatine daily would produce great results.
Caffeine
Caffeine is popularly known for its ability to improve performance, power and strength, as well as reducing fatigue and burning of fat. Caffeine is a major ingredient in certain energy drinks, teas and coffees. Pre-workout supplements and pills are not left out in this list. The amount of caffeine you consume does not matter, its effects on your performance is usually the same, regardless of the amount you take.
Branched-chain amino acids
Research has discovered that consuming this amino acid helps reduce muscle damage risks, and improve protein synthesis. Ingesting 5 grams of branched-chain
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