What do you guys eat before a workout?
Oh, some pizza or maybe a hamburger, fries and a beer. HA! If that were true, then there better be some football on the tube, cuz I WOULD NOT be moving! he he he.
Seriously, I know it's been said to eat before a workout. However, I don't like to eat with a full gut. If I do eat before a workout, and that means it'd be a breakfast. So, oatmeal w/an egg or two bowls of grapenuts(love the crunchies!) and a non-fat latte or several cups of coffee. Oh, and some supps (creatine, fish oil).
1/2 hr before my morning workout, I eat 1/2 a protein shake and a honey sandwich plus a 1.5 litres of water. Then a banana and the rest of the shake afterward.
2.5hrs before my evening workout I eat 4 eggs. 45min before the workout I drink half a protein shake (the other half and a honey sandwich after the wo)
Avoid carbs just before workouts, they can have the immediate effects of making you sleepy. Carbs a few hours before is a good idea but avoid most fruit especially apples, the peels take too much energy to digest. Stupid apples.
I recently started training first thing in the morning. I love drinking a coffee and then training on an empty stomach. I do sip a surge-like beverage during my workout though. If I eat before I train, I follow JB’s recommendations and eat a P+F meal 2 hours before. This meal is typically scrambled eggs or a serving of Steve Berardi’s bodybuilder’s chilli. A P+F meal works better for me than a P+C meal. You may feel differently though, it’s an individual thing.
I usualy eat 3 or 4 whole eggs and a shake with 20 grams of casein, 50 grams of natural peanut butter, one tablespoon of olive oil, and maybe one of cod liver oil too, this is at least one hour before my workout. Right before the workout i have my pre-workout drink.
I drink 1/2 serving of surge in between my warm-up and training, then finish it off after training. As long as I drink 1 liter of water with the first 1/2, I don’t have a problem with it in my stomach.
1/2 cup oats with 2 tbspn crunchy peanut butter and 2 scoops low carb grow. 2 hrs b4 training
Big gnarly protein shake.
I also train first thing, on an empty stomach (well mostly empty, I have 2 cups of java before I hit the weights). I have been considering starting to slam a MRP when I first get up (45 min before workout), based on some other reader’s comments about early morning training. However, I generally feel pretty good with an empty stomach, no lack of energy at all.
3 scrambled eggs and one eye of round steak w. three fish oil caps a la the “ultimate workout” meal. There is NO substitute.
Actually for some people there is, but I get sluggish with carbs in the pre-game meal, even the low-glycemic ones.
I always worked out on an empty stomach in the morning. I never lacked energy at all, but began to worry about the catabolic effect of having no nutrients in your system. A few months ago I started drinking a serving of protein, a serving of poweraide, and 1/4 cup of oatmeal right before I head to the gym. Haven’t noticed any significant difference in energy level, but since it doesn’t cause me any stomach problems, I figure it can’t hurt to get some fuel in.
I like to have two scoops of Grow with 2 tablespoons of flax or fish oil 60 minutes before. Then I sipp on Surge during my workout and finish it after my workout. Carbs make me sleepy too!
Usually 200g of meat(usually pork or poultry) 1 tblespoon flax seed oil, fish oil caps and a green salad with some dressing. I get around 45-50grams of proteins, plenty of EFAs and less than 5g of carbs. It works great! I can’t eat carbs before a workout or I’ll fall asleep…
My 2 cents,
-LPDSB
For those of you that are happy with your pre-workout regimen, more power to you. However, no one should be eating fat within 2 hours before a workout. Here’s why: the fat will not be digested, and will sit in your stomach during the workout. After the workout, when you drink your post-workout shake (glucose/dextrose/malto + whey), you are setting yourself up for the possibility of serious fat storage. Also, because you SHOULD consume carbs before your workout, this would also increase the possibility of fat storage. If you’re not using a post-workout drink with high GI carbs and whey protein, then don’t bother taking any advice anyway, because you’re blowing the perfect opportunity for increased protein synthesis and recovery. Some people say that you shouldn’t consume carbs pre-workout. That would be false. A 1/2 serving of your post-workout drink taken within 1/2 hour of the workout is ideal. No one should be experiencing any insulin induced energy depletion because of it, and if you do, drink another 1/2 serving during your workout too. Contrary to what Polo said, an apple or any other kind of fruit would be acceptable pre-workout food. What do I do? A P+F meal 3 hours pre-workout, 1/2 of a Surge-type beverage 1/2 hour before the workout, 1/2 of a Surge-type beverage during the workout, 1 full serving of Surge-type beverage after the workout, a C+P meal 1-2 hours post-workout. Well, I hope I’ve clarified some stuff and helped someone. Remember, everyone’s body is different.
Choad - If you’re really worried about fat storage - it’s not the P+F meal 2-3 hrs preWO, as that will be digested by the time WO is complete, it’s all those carbs you’re getting preWO, before muscle glycogen is depleted and before muscles can up any more carb. It’s been stated by T-Mag staff on the forum numurous times in response to other posts that your 2 servings of Surge (1/2 preWO, 1/2 WO, 1 postWO) is overkill and not recommended. Thats a lot of high glycemic carbs in a short time and that can lead to excessively high insulin and fat storage due to more blood glucose than the muscles can take up in that short time period. This has been covered. The Surge gets dumped into your blood very rapidly and 1 serving is all that’s recommended.
I’m not worried about fat storage at all, actually. My diet as semi-outlined above works great for fat loss, muscle growth, and strength gains. The pre and during workout carbs are added merely for energy, as carbs are not eaten at any other point in the day except post-workout. A piece of fruit could be substituted for the Surge-type drink. I suppose for a beginner that doesn’t know how to train that well, how to manage his/her macronutrients and calorie consumption, and doesn’t do any cardio, then perhaps two servings might be overkill. But I’d still have the newbie work up to 2 servings over time, as he/she progressed in training & diet, knowledge & experience.