Pre-Workout Meals: What Should I Eat?

The key to having phenomenal workouts is definitely not an overpriced “pre-workout” powder.

The key to achieving great workouts is thorough preparation. The worst feeling for a lifter is to train hard and often but see no changes in their physique or performance.

A Lack Of Results

The reality is most people in the gym aren’t working hard enough to change their bodies. The official data and health statistics of the United States tell us this. Those who aren’t accountable on their fitness journey will never reach their goals of being healthier, leaner, and stronger.

Now there are also a healthy amount of people who train hard, but they cannot see the fruits of their labor. The reason why is that training is only 1/4 of the battle. Optimal results come down to fine-tuning your nutrition, recovery, and mindset as well. The percentages of what’s important look like this:

Training: 25 percent
Nutrition: 25 percent
Recovery: 25 percent
Mindset: 25 percent

The Importance Of Nutrition

If your nutrition is lackluster, then your results will also be lackluster.

It’s not about eating “healthy.” It’s about the quality and quantity of food that you consume at a given time. For lifters who want the best results, the most important meals are the pre and post-workout ones. These meals help you perform well in the gym and recover from training.

The folks who eat badly vs. the folks who eat well will end up with two completely different physiques.

Pre-Workout Meals That You Should Eat Before A Workout

A lack of the proper pre-workout meal is what leads to minimal progress and maximal frustration with building your body. My short list below can give you some great food options for what you should eat before your workout. I consistently rotate all of these options.

• Oats, Eggs, and Egg Whites

• Whole Grain English Muffin, Natural Peanut Butter, Banana and a Protein Shake

• Omelet (eggs, egg whites, spinach, tomatoes, and chicken breast) and Whole Grain Toast

• Chicken Thighs or Breast, Brown Rice, and Broccoli

• Canned Tuna and Whole Grain Toast

Why Should I Eat This?

These pre-workout meals have a good amount of carbs. Eating carbs before you train will keep your energy up during your workout.

Your energy for high-intensity training, like lifting or sprinting, comes from carbohydrates. There is also a good amount of protein in these meals to increase the amount of muscle you can build and to minimize muscular damage from the workout.

Your fat intake is not high during these meals. Your body does not use fat as fuel for high-intensity workouts, like sprinting and heavy lifting.  There is no need to load up on extra, unusable energy if you do not need it. Fat digests at a slower rate than carbohydrates. So, too much fat before a workout could make you feel full and sluggish while training.

The amount of food you eat will also vary based on how fast your metabolism is. On average, most people should have their pre-workout meal about 1.5 to 2.5 hours before they train.

Conclusion

If you prioritize your pre-workout meals, you’ll perform and look better.

I’ll holla at you next time.
The People’s Trainer,
Fitman