Everybody has their own tolerance to pre-workout food. Therefore, eating before a workout can be either be fantastic, or it can be an issue. I have seen people get upset stomachs and or need to “break” in the bathroom, and others whose performance excels dramatically from pre-workout fuel.
If you read this article, don’t usually eat pre-workout, and then decide you want to try one of the options below, I suggest starting slowly and eating minimal amounts at first to assess your tolerance.Some people (like me) can eat a large quantity of food right before they train, whereas others must eat nothing, something very light, or more than 2 hours before training. The purpose of this article is to give you three meal ideas on what to eat before you workout. I will explain 4 quick points you should read first!
- Stay hydrated before you train. If you want more info on water consumption and how to tell if you are hydrated etc., check out my article The Forgotten Nutrient here!
- Consume a complex carbohydrate, protein, and a healthy fat about 2 hours before your workout. If you can handle this even closer to training great. If you can’t, cut out the fat source, or eat less. Having trouble finding ideas for these food sources? Click Here!
- Stick to easily digestible food sources for yourself. For example, if you cannot handle an animal protein source before training, try a more digestible protein source. This would be something like a liquid protein blend.
- The main goal of a pre-workout meal is to be fueled and comfortable.
Note: The empty stomach approach does work for some people. I generally only prefer this with cardiovascular training. But this is a topic for the future.
Below, I listed 3 of my pre-workout meal options. Adjust these according to your needs. You can cut down, increase, or keep the same serving size. Just keep it proportional to the recipes below for best taste.
Go ahead. Pick your poison below.
Also note: I do not count the trace amount of macros in the certain food choices but I am counting all calories for these recipes. For example I will not count the protein in oatmeal as that’s not its major food source.
1.) The Muscle Mass King
(Unmixed)
(Mixed)
Ingredients:
- 1 cup plain oats
- 1 scoop of any flavor protein powder
- 1 banana
- 1 tablespoons of natural nut butter
- 1 tablespoons extra virgin coconut oil
- Large dash of cinnamon
- Dash of salt
Directions:
- Cook the oatmeal to the texture of your liking.
- Mix in the rest of the ingredients (takes a little time, don’t add more water)
- Destroy!
Nutrition Facts:
Serving size: 1
Carbohydrates: 90g
Protein: 24g
Fat: 16g
Total Calories: 780 calories
2.) The Lean PB and J Queen
Ingredients:
- 1 scoop of any flavor protein powder
- 1/2 cup of red raspberries
- 1 tablespoon of natural nut butter
- 4 tbsp of water
- 10 ice cubes
Directions:
- Mix all uncooked ingredients into a blender.
- Destroy!
Nutrition Facts:
Serving size: 1 Shake
Carbohydrates: 8
Protein: 24 g
Fat: 8g
Total Calories: 250
3.) The Pick Me Up
Ingredients:
- 1 scoop of protein powder
- 1 Banana
- 1/2 cup of strong coffee (Better if its cold first) or scoop instant coffee
- Large dash of cinnamon
- 10 ice cubes
- (Optional) 1/2 cup Oats
Directions:
- Mix all uncooked ingredients into a blender.
- Destroy!
Nutrition Facts:
Serving size: 1 Shake
Carbohydrates: 30g
Protein: 24 g
Fat: 0g
Total Calories: 240 calories
BONUS:
One of my personal favorite pre-workout meals to enjoy every once in a while is some sprouted Ezekial toast with coconut oil to top it. Some eggs along with this is great as well if you can handle an animal protein source. (Coconut oil with a dash of salt tastes like butter)
Take a few minutes to down one of these quick options and let me know how they taste. The payoff will be more energy, better hydration, improved performance, and more!