Eating Before Exercise: What, When and How Much

Eating before exercise sounds strange to many sports enthusiasts. But if you take a closer look, there is definitely a strategy behind it. Especially if you want to build muscle, it is important to eat the right food beforehand.

Eat before exercise – when it makes sense

Eating something before exercising is important so that your body has the energy reserves it needs.

• You should eat something at least two hours before exercising. The less time there is between meals and exercise, the less you should eat. If you eat right before exercise, don’t eat more than one protein bar or you may experience stomach pain during exercise.
• Drinking is even more important than eating . If you know you want to exercise later, drink plenty of fluids. If you want to exercise in the morning, you should drink plenty of water the night before. To do this, choose water that contains a lot of sodium. When you sweat, sodium is one of the trace elements that is sweated out most quickly.
• A pre-exercise meal should consist of protein and a little carbohydrate if possible. Depending on when you eat, you may also include a little fat. However, you should only eat fat if there is more than two hours between meals and exercise.
• Carbohydrates are converted to glycogen in the body. The glycogen storage ensures that people have sufficient energy reserves that can be used for sport. When you have depleted glycogen stores, you also have less strength to exercise.
• Fat, on the other hand, is immediately converted into energy. So the general belief that fat makes you fat is a mistake. You can safely include healthy fats in your diet. Proteins are just as important. All tissues are made up of proteins, and proteins are particularly important for building muscle.
• If your focus is on building muscle, you should get plenty of protein in your diet. This is especially useful before sports. When the glycogen stores are empty, the muscle tissue is attacked because the body draws its energy reserves from it. That would be counterproductive for muscle building.

The right nutrition for the right training

Even if you want to lose weight, it is worth eating something before exercising.

• Adipose tissue is primarily consumed when you exercise at low intensity for a very long time. You can train more effectively by doing a short but very intense workout. This burns more calories than a long, low-intensity workout, plus it has the added afterburn effect. This means that the metabolism is also stimulated longer after training.
• If you go for a long run or jog, you should consume a lot of carbohydrates beforehand. During endurance running, the glycogen store is emptied. The glycogen supplies the necessary energy. So if you want to protect your muscles, you should eat a lot of carbohydrates in the evening, for example, if you go for a long endurance run the next morning.
• Basically, you should mix carbohydrates and proteins before each workout to get your desired result. Try out which foods suit you better and which don’t. In this way, you will soon be able to coordinate your nutrition perfectly with your training.

3 Recipe suggestions

Now that you know what nutrients you need for your purposes, you may not have any ideas on how to turn that into reality. Here are three recipe ideas.

• For example, if your workout is more than two hours away, you can eat a few slices of whole wheat bread with a salad. The salad can consist of lean poultry and fresh fruit. You can also add an avocado, which is high in healthy fats. As a vegan or vegetarian, replace the poultry with tofu, for example.
• If you only have two hours left, then Grainy Cream Cheese with Tomatoes may also be the right choice for you. Quickly made, it provides the necessary energy boost. Simply mix together the cream cheese with diced tomatoes, salt and herbs. Add the necessary carbohydrates with a slice of whole wheat bread.
• If you only have half an hour or less, eat a very light meal. Very light meals include yogurt with berries, a protein bar or fruit. It is important that you do not overeat and that the meal is easy to digest. Otherwise you could be suffering from digestive problems.

Eating Before Exercise FAQs

What happens if you eat before exercise?

Proteins are the building blocks of your muscles. If you eat protein before the workout, amino acids are already available to you during your workout, which your body can use immediately to build muscle.

Why shouldn’t you eat before exercising?

When does it make sense not to eat anything before exercising ? Burning body fat works better on an empty stomach, especially in the morning. This is because the body falls back on fat reserves when carbohydrate stores are depleted.

What to eat early before exercise?

The most important is: It always makes sense to eat something before training . Protein shakes and fruit, paleo bars, nuts & berries or – if you really want to switch to power mode – our Energy Aminos as a supplement to a small snack.

What should you eat before and after training?

Anyone who wants to build muscle eats a mix of carbohydrates and protein before training (e.g. scrambled eggs with vegetables, cheese and possibly a small slice of bread or an apple) and after training their normal main meal, also with more protein than carbohydrates. Don’t forget to drink.

Should you eat before training?

You should not eat too large meals directly before exercise. When the stomach is full, the body first needs rest to digest the food it has eaten. After a main meal, at least two hours should elapse before training .

How long should you not eat after a workout?

Don’t eat anything after exercise 15 minutes to an hour after exercise is the best time to recharge. If you wait longer than two hours, you risk undersupply of the muscles.

What not to eat before training?

Food and other nutrition that is off-limits before exercise . energy drinks. Half ripe bananas. Carbonated Beverages. spicy food . High-fiber food . protein shakes. smoothie Chocolate. Too much water. Fatty foods. Wine, beer and cocktails – in other words: alcohol.

What happens if you don’t eat anything after exercising?

The body can best store the necessary carbohydrates immediately after training , and the absorption rate drops after just two hours. So if you don’t eat , the stores will be empty and regeneration will be delayed.

What gives strength before training?

Just one banana is enough to strengthen you for the workout. Because the yellow fruit provides you with a top ratio of carbohydrates and fructose, which your body immediately converts into energy. Dates are also a perfect source of energy before training.

What to eat in the morning after a workout?

For the post -exercise meal , Dr. Weigl has a tip: “Drink and eat something that contains proteins and some sugar so that the body can regenerate as quickly as possible.” After the workout , the body can build up glucose and protein particularly well.

Is it good to train on an empty stomach?

Sport on an empty stomach means that you cannot access your full performance potential during the activity. That’s why you won’t increase your performance as effectively with empty glycogen stores. Exercising on an empty stomach can actually be counterproductive when trying to lose weight.

What should you drink before training?

The best pre-workout drink is water. If you use the wrong liquid fuel before training , you will have to reckon with performance losses. Are you bored of plain water? Then spice it up with lemon or cucumber slices.

When to have oatmeal before a workout?

To get the most out of your training , eat your last meal about two hours before exercising . Oats are particularly suitable because they are not heavy on the stomach and the complex carbohydrates provide sufficient energy.

What pre-workout food for pump?

Before training, you should have eaten enough carbohydrates. Rich Gaspari says that if you want a good pump during your workout, your muscles need to be loaded with glycogen.

How many carbs before training?

0.3 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight 30 minutes before training is then sufficient to gain energy and have reserve power for training . Imagine that you suddenly have no strength left during training and your stomach is pounding because you are hungry.