Pre workout meal

Roughly 70% of the energy in your pre-workout meal should come from carbs, but choose low-glycemic carbs like oatmeal, veggies, or sweet potatoes strategy is to exercise first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. In his book Body for Life, Bill Phillips states that performing 20 minutes of intense aerobic exercise after an overnight fast has greater effects on fat loss than performing an entire hour of cardio in a sated state.

Indeed, there is evidence that training on an empty gut can increase fat oxidation and allow greater mobilization of stored fat for fuel. But using more fat doesn’t necessarily mean increased fat loss, since most of the fat used comes from inside muscle cells, not from the fat below the skin. And once exercise has ended, any fats that are not oxidized will ultimately return to adipose tissue. This essentially cancels out any fat-burning benefits of pre-training fasting. And worse, protein from your precious muscles will be burned for energy as well.

A study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology found that nitrogen losses from protein breakdown were more than doubled when training in a fasted state. This is bad news for those seeking to maximize muscle mass.

To optimize your performance, you need to eat. Research has established that carbohydrate intake during exercise delays the onset of fatigue and improves endurance exercise performance. This happens because carbs enhance the availability of blood glucose to active muscle. Roughly 70% of the energy in your pre-workout meal should come from carbs, but choose low-glycemic carbs like oatmeal, veggies or sweet potatoes instead of simple sugars or candy to avoid wild fluctuations in your blood-sugar levels.

Protein is the next important nutrient to consider in order to decrease muscle breakdown during and after your workout. Fat takes the longest to digest, so a pre-workout meal should be relatively low in fat.

Your biggest challenge will be knowing how much food you can eat pre-workout, based on your own experience. Some guys can eat a full meal an hour before a rigorous workout, while others with more sensitive guts might have to wait three to four hours.

In general, a meal that is around 500-600 calories and is eaten by a 180-pound man two to three hours before a workout should be fine. Smaller snacks of 300 calories or less can be eaten one hour pre-workout, but you should experiment with the timing and meal size to suit your individual needs.

If you’re fueling for an intense endurance activity, then more carbs should be added. Those who are weight-lifting or building muscle should add more protein. Depending on your activity, the foods listed here will ensure that you get the best out of your workout.