The Art of Pre Workout Meal to Power Your Training
A good pre workout meal provides energy to carry you through the most grueling of workouts and sports practices.
Additionally, the precious proteins will be ready and waiting, circulating in your bloodstream just when they’re needed the most.
This post will provide food suggestions and guidelines on:
- when to eat
- what to eat and
- what not to eat
For your Pre Workout Supplements
As mentioned by expert Justin Newman of ShapeSanity: “Preseries Bulk from Transparent Labs had something I was looking for for a long time. Their list of clean and natural ingredients had me hooked.
For your pre workout meal.
When:
1.5 to 2 hours before the workout.
That way the food will not weigh too heavy on the stomach and the digestion will not take up too much energy, making you tired.
The nutrients –like carbohydrates for energy and quality proteins to repair your muscles– are circulating in the blood, ready for action.
What:
- Protein
- Low G.I. Carbs
- Some Smart Fats
What Not:
The classical pre game/pre training meal consists of something like this:
White pasta with chicken
Peanut butter sandwiches and milk
White rice and meat
Bananas just before and during training or a match
The main problem here are the high G.I.* (glycemic index) carbs that will give you a huge insulin spike, which in turn results in a dramatic blood sugar drop, especially in combination with hard physical exercise.
*The Glycemic Index of foods basically means how much will this particular nutrient raise insulin. Too much of that –or too high a G.I. in other words– can get you into trouble.
For athletes, we consider anything above 50 on that index as high, not medium!
Here are carbohydrates you should definitely avoid in your pre workout meal:
|
Pre Workout Meal Examples:
- Scrambled Eggs and Beans
- Chicken with Wild Rice
- Greek Yogurt with an Orange or an Apple
- Porridge
| Wild rice, whole grain brown rice, whole grain rye or spelt pasta, beans or lentils, and low g.i. fruit like apples, oranges and pretty much all berries are examples of good carbohydrates that are perfectly suited for your pre workout meal. |
A note on fat loss: if this is your training goal, the best pre workout meal is zilch: nothing at all, maybe a glass of water or a cup of organic coffee. Generally speaking it’s most effective to train in a fasted state when aiming at burning fat.
When building up strength, power and muscle mass, or when competing, it’s best to have a healthy, natural pre workout meal as outlined above.
If you ever wondered what to eat before a workout, hopefully this post has given you a good answer.
Have Fun! 
P.S.
I always like to hear what you’ve got to say, so if there’s any questions or suggestions, just post them here in the comments section!
I read them all and will be sure to answer as good as I can.