Written by Travis Halena | ACSM CPT
Fact checked by Andrew Lenau, ISSA CPT & Sports Nutritionist
FACT CHECKED
Just like you wouldn’t expect your car to run on empty, your body has a hard time operating at peak gym performance when there’s no gas in your tank. In fact, optimal gym performance requires adequate pre-workout fueling. Want to see your best gym results? It means knowing what to eat, when to eat it, and how much of it to eat.
Circling back to our car analogy: Your car also doesn’t run better if you fill the gas tank until it overflows, right? Similarly, your body won’t benefit from overeating either. It requires the perfect balance of nutrients timed appropriately leading up to your workout. It may seem like a lot to keep straight, but we promise it’s not.
We’ll walk you through everything you need to know about key macronutrients to eat, the best foods to eat before a workout and ideal timing recommendations, and the role pre-workout supplementation should play in your pre-workout routine.
Table of Contents:
- Understanding Macronutrients
- Best Protein, Carbs, & Fat To Eat Pre-Workout
- Timing & Composition of Pre-Workout Meals
- Hydration For Performance
- Pre Workout Supplementation Recommendations
- Benefits of Pre-Workout Fuel
- Individual Considerations For Pre-Workout Eating
Understanding Macronutrients
If you are going to fuel your body with the best foods, then you need to know what that entails.
The right pre-workout foods include at least one of three macronutrients:
- Carbohydrates
- Protein
- Fats
They are the essential nutrients your body needs in large amounts. Let's take a closer look at each.
Protein for Muscle Building
Protein is vital to your body and, most importantly, your muscles. it helps build muscle and repair tissue and is vital for cartilage, skin, bones, and hair. It also oxygenates your blood and makes enzymes that aid in digesting food and making new cells.
Protein checks in at four calories per gram. When determining how much protein per day to build muscle, research has shown that aiming for 1.6 to 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight is sufficient for building muscle1. Target dedicating 20-30% of your total daily calories to quality protein sources.
When eating throughout the day, you should be distributing protein evenly between each meal and have an idea of how much how much protein you need per serving.
In addition, a study found that regardless of exercise, participants who had a minimum of 20 grams of protein six times per day increased their lean muscle mass while decreasing body fat1.
Examples of High-Protein Foods To Eat Before Workouts
So what should you eat before exercising? Aim for a 2 to 1 carbs to protein ratio, which breaks down to 50 grams of carbs and 25 grams of protein.
- Protein Powder
- Milk
- Greek Yogurt
- Chicken Breast
- Eggs
- Lean Deli Meat
- Tuna
- Salmon
- Lean Ground Beef
All of these foods will increase muscle protein synthesis, support lean body mass, help muscle fibers repair, and provide you with essential amino acids.
For an idea of even more ideal protein sources, check out our list of best muscle mass-building foods.
Carbohydrates For Energy
Carbs are the primary fuel source for your body and essential for healthy living. There are two forms of carbs: simple (sugar) and complex (starches and fibers).
Complex carbs include brown or white rice, pasta, sweet potatoes, beans, lentils, and oats. Simple carbs include fruit, cereal, juice, sports drinks, white bread, potatoes, and muffins.
Carbs fuel your brain, kidneys, heart muscles, and central nervous system as they are broken down into glucose before entering the bloodstream. In addition, carbs can be used for immediate energy or stored in the liver as glycogen for later use (this can only be used for muscle cells).
Both simple and complex carbs weigh in at four calories per gram.
Most active people should get 40 to 50% of their daily calories from carbohydrates, although this may vary some depending on your body type. Studies in the sports medicine field show 30 to 60 grams is an appropriate target for sports or exercise sessions of longer duration2.
And, for our weight lifters reading this, carbs help preserve and build muscle mass. In fact, they are so important that some diets, like the Vertical Diet, emphasize eating lots of fast-digesting, gut-friendly carbs (in addition to protein) for optimal performance results.
Fats For Sustained Energy
Fats contain essential fatty acids your body can’t make on its own. They’re essential for absorbing fat-soluble vitamins, including vitamins K, E, D, and A. And, they provide a source of energy, especially for more prolonged bouts of exercise or sport.Fats are often seen as the villain but are essential for maintaining good overall health. Low fat and no fat may be popular terms, but more fat is surprisingly what you may need. You should aim for 20 to 30% of your daily calories from fats.
Fat intake should be sufficient to provide the essential fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins and to contribute energy for weight maintenance3.
Good fat options include:
- Nuts
- Legumes
- Nut butters
- Olive oil
- Eggs
- Cheese
- Fattier cuts of steak or ground beef
As a bonus, some seeds are also high in protein.
Timing and Composition of Pre-Workout Meals
No matter your goal, whether you are following a powerlifting program to gain strength, trying to build muscle through resistance training, lose fat, or improve athletic performance, you will want to have a plan for when and what you are eating.
What you need to eat to function best will depend on your workout timing, similarly to how you time a protein shake around your workout, and will mainly depend on how long before your workout you eat.
Here are some suggested time frames for eating pre-workout, along with accompanying meal ideas.
Eating 2-3 hours before a workout:
This is the best-case scenario to check all your pre workout nutrition boxes. Meals 2-3 hours before workouts should include a mixed balance of lean protein, starchy carbs (complex), and moderate amounts of fat.
This will help promote longer digestion and sustained energy without crashes.
Meal ideas:
- Steak, roasted sweet potatoes, and green veggies
- Whole grain pasta with ground beef
- Hard boiled egg, whole grain bread, and milk
Eating 1-2 hours before a workout:
Within the one hour to two hour time frame, there is still plenty of time to have a bigger meal before your workout, but you will want to decrease your fat if you fall into this window.
Decreasing fat will help your body avoid painful stomach cramps while struggling to digest fats during your workout, and it'll still give you the energy required for your killer assault bike workout.
Meal ideas:
- Greek yogurt with honey and granola
- Whole grain sandwich with lean deli meats, like a turkey sandwich
- Chicken, brown rice, and veggies
Eating 30-60 minutes before a workout:
Whether you just woke up or haven’t eaten all day, if you fall into this time window, you’ll want quick carbs as a fast fuel source and protein to preserve muscle.
Instead of a full meal, think of this more like a pre workout snack. Avoid fats entirely here as there won’t be enough time to digest them properly.
Meal ideas:
- Protein shake and half a banana
- Low-fat chocolate milk
- Fruit juice or sports drink and a protein shake
Hydration for Performance
It's essential that you don't forget about hydration! Your body needs water to function. Dehydration has been linked to a significant decrease in performance4.
Try for 16 to 20 ounces of water at least four hours before exercise. If you just woke up or it’s close to working out time, get 8 to 12 ounces.
During your workout, drink 4 to 8 ounces per every 20 minutes of exercise.
If you're working out immediately in the morning, keep in mind your body has been resting all night, and you haven’t taken in any water. Remember that dehydration causes a reduction in blood volume and decreased skin blood flow, sweat rate, and heat dissipation, increased core temperature, and increased glycogen use.
Try for 8 to 12 ounces right away upon waking to stay hydrated.
Supplements for Pre-Workout Nutrition
When discussing what to eat before a workout, we can't forget to discuss taking a pre-workout supplement, as they can enhance your overall energy, focus, and performance.
A few of the best ingredients found in pre workout supplements include:
- Caffeine: Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant that blocks the action of adenosine, a neurotransmitter responsible for promoting relaxation and sleepiness. By blocking adenosine, caffeine increases alertness and energy levels, leading to improved focus and concentration, enhanced performance, and increased energy levels. In addition to being found in pre-workout and your morning coffee, there are also some great Caffeine Pill options.
- Beta-Alanine: Beta-alanine is a non-essential amino acid that combines with histidine to form carnosine, a compound found in skeletal muscle tissue. Carnosine acts as a buffer, helping to neutralize acidic byproducts of intense exercise, such as lactic acid, thereby delaying the onset of muscle fatigue and increasing your muscular endurance.
- Branched-Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs): BCAAs are essential amino acids that play crucial roles in muscle protein synthesis and energy production. They are metabolized directly in skeletal muscle tissue, where they can be used as a source of energy during exercise. Taking this supplement can reduce your muscle breakdown, delay fatigue, and enhance your muscle growth. Check out our round-up of the Best BCAA Supplements to find your perfect fit.
One of the easiest ways to benefit from these ingredients (and many others) is to simply take a pre-workout before your sweat session. Check out our 8 Best Pre-Workouts For Women and 8 Best Pre-Workouts For Men to find your perfect pre-workout fit!
Timing and Dosage Guidelines:
If you're taking a pre-workout supplement, take it 30-60 minutes before hitting the gym. As for dosing, keep in mind that individual responses to pre-workout supplements can vary, so it's essential to listen to your body and adjust the dosage accordingly.
If you are trying pre-workout for the first time or are even trying a new one, start by cutting the suggested dosing in half. Women with lower body weights may even want to think about starting with 1/4 of the recommended dose.
Then, based on your tolerance and reaction to it, you can gradually increase the dosage to the full recommended serving size over time.
You can learn more about dosing and timing guidelines in our article: When Is The Best Time To Take Pre-Workout?
Benefits of eating before a workout
Now that you have a better handle on when and what to eat before a workout, it’s important to remember what the benefits are.
- Fueling correctly will maximize your performance, along with muscle and workout recovery.
- Carbs are what your body uses for HIIT sessions and other activities that are short and high in intensity. This allows for increased energy to perform better.
- Fat helps fuel your body for longer sessions. This means if your session lasts over an hour, your body still has adequate fuel, and the fats keep it from breaking down muscle.
- Protein improves muscle synthesis, prevents muscle damage, and promotes recovery and muscle growth.
- Hydration regulates body temperature, lubricates joints, and transports nutrients.
Individual Considerations and Fasted Training
It's important to keep in mind that everyone has different goals, preferences, and foods that work best for their bodies. Let's look at a few different considerations that may differ between individuals.
1) Intentional Fasting Before Training:
Fasted training is a technique that may work great for some and leave others feeling depleted.
Exercising in a fasted state enables your body to more easily break down fats for energy; however, while there has been some research done to indicate the potential benefits of exercising in a fasted state, there are currently no compelling studies showing that working out while fasting leads to significantly more weight loss or fat reduction5.
This means it will take some trial and error to see what you prefer, how you perform, and how your body responds.
2) Unintentional Fasting Before Training:
If you workout first thing in the morning, you may not have the time or desire to eat first. But, good news! You can still have a fantastic workout if you are unable to eat before. So whether it’s fasted cardio in the morning or you simply were unable to eat during the day and need to get your session in, it can be done.
A few things to keep in mind, though. If you're taking dietary supplements, like pre-workout, and are typically susceptible to an upset stomach, it may be best for you to take with some food. Also, fatigue from not eating may harm your performance.
To sum up, it is ok to not eat before a workout, but taking inventory of how you felt and performed during that workout is important. Always consider how you’re feeling during a gym session. If you felt sluggish, lightheaded, weak, experienced muscle cramps, or your performance drastically decreased, you may be a person who shouldn’t go without eating beforehand.
If you feel focused, vital, and energized, you may be someone who can get away with not eating before your workout. If your goals are to increase strength or performance, you should strive to fuel before each workout and let the fasted workouts be few and far between. Sometimes they may be necessary if you have to get your workout in, but they shouldn’t become a regular habit.
3) You Exercise Early In The Morning:
We know how hard it can be to wake up early before your workout. Sometimes you have to drag yourself out of bed for a brutal 5 a.m. gym session. Yes, if you want to get that bigger balanced meal we discussed earlier, you will have to wake up early enough to eat, so it has time to digest.
If you are going that route, try preparing your meal the night before. They say failing to plan is planning to fail, and that couldn’t be more true in this case. Even throwing a light snack, like a banana and protein shake, in your gym bag the night before to have on the way to the gym will do the trick. Your plan to progressive overload and make serious gains won't work if you've got no energy to work with.
If it’s too tough to wake up that early, that’s ok too. Just remember the timing guidelines we already went over. Try to wake up 30 minutes before your workout. This will give your body some fast-acting fuel and help prevent muscle breakdown.
Quick options include:
- Protein smoothie with low-fat milk and mixed berries
- Protein coffee with a piece of fruit
- Protein muffins
- Cereal (be careful with really sugary brands), milk, and an orange
- A protein shake and banana
- Yogurt and fruit, like berries or banana slices, and cereal with whole grains
- Whole grain toast
- Muffin and chocolate milk
Gatorade or some juice can be a great last-minute fix to help give your body a quick energy boost and fight that lightheaded, faint feeling that may come from low blood glucose levels.
Be careful with nutrition bars as they usually have a higher fiber and fat content than you realize. This will help avoid that painful bloated, cramping stomach feeling that would undoubtedly derail an intense workout.
What to Eat Before a Workout: Key takeaways
You should now understand how to set yourself up for pre-workout fueling success. Remember, it will take some trial and error work to see what works best for you.
These guidelines will help point you in the right direction, so you can figure out what and when you need to eat to ensure you bring your A game to the gym.
Remember these key pre-workout fueling takeaways:
- Figure out how long before resistance workout you are going to eat and adjust accordingly.
- Follow the formula for what types of foods fit with each macronutrient and plug them in based on what you like, what makes you feel best, and what will lead to a balanced diet.
- Fasted workouts, if necessary, can be done and may help lose fat, but fueling for performance is usually what the body is asking for. Opting to not eat may make you feel sluggish. Remember that fat loss comes from total calories vs. calories burned during the day, and adjust each meal accordingly.
- Hydrating is an essential part of pre workout nutrition, so focus on proper fluid balance by drinking water.
And don't neglect your post-workout nutrition either. It's just as important.
Now that you know the best things to eat before a workout, make sure you also eat the Best Post-Workout Foods too.
References:
- Hoffman JR, Ratamess NA, Kang J, Falvo MJ, Faigenbaum AD. Effect of Protein Intake on Strength, Body Composition and Endocrine Changes in Strength/Power Athletes. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2006;3(2). doi:10.1186/1550-2783-3-2-12
- Lm B, Ja H, Sh W, Ae J. Carbohydrates for Training and Competition. Journal of sports sciences. Published 2011. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21660838/
- Nutrition and Athletic Performance. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2009;41(3):709-731. doi:10.1249/mss.0b013e31890eb86
- Maughan RJ. Investigating the associations between hydration and exercise performance: methodology and limitations. Nutrition Reviews. 2012;70:S128-S131. doi:10.1111/j.1753-4887.2012.00536.x
- Hackett D, Hagstrom A. Effect of Overnight Fasted Exercise on Weight Loss and Body Composition: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology. 2017;2(4):43. doi:10.3390/jfmk2040043
Travis Halena
Author