What To Eat Before You Work Out

Getting your pre-workout nutrition right is a game-changer. Everyone is different and you’ll likely need to do a bit of trial and error to see what works for you, but there are certain principles that should help the vast majority of people to train well and feel good doing it.

Meal timing and carb types:

In the bigger picture of fat loss or muscle gain, meal timing isn’t massively important, when compared to overall calories and protein consumption. Where it is important is in helping you fuel your workouts effectively, and to an extent how well you refuel after (post-workout nutrition).

If you nail your meal timing in advance of your training, you can feel great during your workout even whilst being in a calorie deficit overall. You don’t have to feel like a zombie in the gym just because you’re dieting. You can keep getting lighter whilst getting stronger.

When it comes to anything more than light exercise, carbohydrates are king. Your body can fuel itself relatively effectively on fat for lower intensity exercise (though even then it prefers a blend of carbs and fat) but for everything else, carbs are king.

Without getting too bogged down with glycaemic index I follow a pretty simple rule for pre-workout carbs. I recommend eating starchy, complex carbohydrates (bread, pasta, potatoes, oats are examples) 2-4+ hours before training, and sugary, simple carbohydrates (banana, apple, berries, honey are examples) 45-90 minutes before training. I’ve found this combination works well for most people.

Training too hungry or too full:

Training really hungry sucks, training really full sucks. For me there’s a real ‘Goldilocks’ balance because I get hungry very easily but if I’m full I feel sluggish and don’t train well, or feel sick. Where possible I’ll follow my own rule above, with pasta a few hours before training, and some fruit before I head to the gym.

Training first thing in the morning:

If you’re one of the many people who likes to train first thing in the morning, don’t feel like you need to get up at 4am to eat a bowl of oats so that you get your complex carbs in plenty of time to release during your 7am session. That’s mental (though I’ve known people to do it). Instead make sure you get a decent serving of complex carbs in your evening meal and you’ll have enough stored glycogen to smash a good session.

You can always supplement with a piece of toast or a banana if you’ve woken up hungry so that you’re not distracted in training. I’m basically hungry from the second I wake up, whereas some people naturally don’t get hungry until later in the morning. Do what works for you here.

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Caffeine and pre-workout powders:

Caffeine and pre-workout powders can be great for getting you mentally in the zone for training and give you a big energy boost. Pre-workout powders are usually a blend of caffeine and a few other chemicals to increase focus or blood flow.

Some pre-workouts are really strong and can make you feel a bit weird after so I’d be careful going after the most aggressive ones you can find, and I definitely wouldn’t recommend them before cardio sessions, they’re usually more for heavy lifting. Do some research before taking any supplements (or ask me if you want). If in doubt just stick to coffee (black if possible) and if you’re caffeine sensitive try to avoid consuming it less than eight hours before bed.

Milk was a bad choice:

The other week I ate a big bowl of cereal with cow's milk about 75 minutes before going to an extremely violent strength, conditioning and cardio session. I felt instantly sick and it persisted throughout the session. Generally speaking, protein is low on the priority list as an energy source for your body, so don’t worry about getting much in pre-workout, and if you’re going to, I’d say don’t do it in protein shake or milk form.

Intra-workout:

Intra-workout fuelling (consuming during training) is probably not necessary for most moderate intensity workouts under 90 minutes. Your body can easily store enough carbohydrates to fuel you through most workouts if you have a decent blend of complex and simple carbs before.

If you’re getting into endurance training (running or cycling are examples) then you should start to look into how you fuel during your sessions when you’re out for much over an hour. For most other activities it’s not super necessary.