What should I eat before a workout?

Today I decided to share on a topic that is also very important in living a healthy lifestyle, nutrition. More specifically I’d like to help answer the question of “what should I eat before a workout?”

First, let me answer by saying that there is no miracle recipe and that it will always depend on your metabolism, when you workout, what the workout is, etc. Something that works well for me might not work as well for my training partner. That being said, what you eat before a workout greatly affects your performance. When we exercise, our body needs energy, this energy comes from our glycogen stores. If these stores are not replenished or filled with quality nutrients, your body can’t provide as much energy.

Here are a few guidelines / recommendations that can help you transform a higher percentage of stores into energy.

Tip #1: Protein / Carbs / Fat!

Throughout your whole day every meal you eat should have a healthy balance of proteins, carbohydrates and fats why change this for what fuels your workouts? Without diving too deep into the science of it many studies have shown benefits of the following ratio: 7g / 9g / 1.5g proteins, carbohydrates, fats respectively. The quantity will vary according to your goals. Example: Someone that wants to gain muscle mass and is very active might have a total of 28g / 36g / 6g whereas someone that is looking to lose weight might have a total of 14g / 18g / 3g. The main idea is the Ratio. An example of a 7 / 9 / 1.5 ratio would be: 1 hard boiled egg, ½ apple, ½ tsp peanut butter.

Tip #2: Workout Timing

Having a full meal following the ratio explained above between 2-4 hours before your workout is the ideal scenario. However this is not always possible.

For example, if you workout in the morning at 5:30 a.m... yes we have many crazy members doing this ;) Eating 2-4 hours before your workout is impossible. You should plan to eat a small snack before hitting the gym. An example would be yogurt with some fruits or egg whites and oatmeal with a few almonds.

Tip #3: Eat Clean

Think of your body as being an engine. The quality of foods you put in it will dictate the combustion ratio (energy available).

Shitty nutrients = weak combustion = lack of energy.

Quality nutrients = high combustion ratio = maximized energy stores.

A general rule to help you know if what you are about to eat is made of quality nutrients is to ask the question: Has this been significantly changed from its original state with salt, sugar, fat, additives, preservatives and/or artificial colours added? Stick with anything that you could answer no to this question!

Tip #4: Trial & Error

As long as you stick to quality and somewhat of a balanced ratio, try everything! Only you can find what works best for your own body.

Tip #5: It’s Too Simple To Make It Complicated

Just like the Snatch, Clean and Jerk, Muscle-up, etc. Most people overthink it, they get all anxious, nervous and they fail. Keep it simple and you will make the right decisions!

Quality - Balance - Timing