What To Eat Before A Workout
You already know the importance of a pre workout meal, and you may even understand what foods are best for reving up your energy before an intense workout at the gym. But do you know how to put all of those ingredients together to make a pre gym meal? Do you know what to eat before a workout?
Not only will we give you the basic building blocks that should make up your pre workout meal. We’ll even set you up with a few meal plan ideas to get your body ready for your next gym session.
Eat These Macronutrients Before A Workout
Have you ever gotten home from work and struggled to figure out what to eat before your workout, so you just went to the gym without a pre workout meal? Or maybe you figured that any pre workout food was better than no pre workout food at all, so you grabbed a protein bar and a bottle of water and headed out the door. Both of these situations are options, but neither of them will get you the rock hard body that you want and deserve.
Proteins
Protein isn’t going to give you energy during your workout, but it is going to help your muscles repair themselves when you’re done at the gym. Then why do you need to eat them before a workout? Because you muscles fibers will start to rebuild themselves immediately after the workout as long as there is protein available for use. What does this mean for you? Your muscles will be less sore after a workout than they would be if they had to sit around damaged for an hour or so waiting for your post workout meal to be digested to supply repairing proteins.
Carbohydrates
If you’re on a ketogenic diet, feel free to skip this macronutrient because you’ll be getting all of the energy you need at the gym from your increased fats intake. If on the other hand, you aren’t following a ketogenic diet it’s important to stock up on some healthy, unrefined, complex carbohydrates. This macronutrient is where your body will be pulling most of it’s energy from during your intense workout sessions.
Fats
You need to eat fats before a workout for energy, especially if you are on a ketogenic diet and not consuming an adequate amount of complex carbohydrates to get the job done. Even if complex carbohydrates are a part of your pre workout meal, it’s important to eat healthy monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats before a workout as well because once your body runs out of glucose (made by complex carbohydrates) it turns to fat as an energy source. Your body needs to work harder to make energy from fats, so they tend to be more beneficial during endurance exercises.
Putting Together Your Pre Workout Snacks
Greek Yogurt With Fruit
Greek yogurt is an easily digestible protein source that your body needs in order to repair muscle fibers that have been torn during your workout. Adding fruit provides your body with a quick spike of glucose that will be helpful in keeping up your energy during your workout.
This snack is best consumed within 30 minutes of your workout as it’s easily digestible and contains simple carbohydrates/sugars.
Hummus With Raw Vegetables
Hummus is made from chickpeas which means it’s a great source of protein, which your body will need immediate access to post workout. Choose the right vegetables as dippers in your hummus and you’ll be well on your way to a balanced pre workout snack, as many green vegetables provide your body with the complex carbohydrates it needs to keep moving.
This snack is best consumed within an hour to 30 minutes of your workout since it’s easily digestible but contains complex carbohydrates.
Turkey or Chicken Sandwich
Turkey and chicken are both ideal sources of lean protein. Pairing them with whole wheat bread to make a turkey or chicken sandwich to eat before a workout, will give your body not only complex carbohydrates that it can convert into energy to use during your workout, but also high quality protein that will be used post workout to repair torn muscles.
This snack is best consumed within an hour or two of your workout since it contains both lean protein and complex carbohydrates.
The post What To Eat Before A Workout appeared first on ISOLATOR FITNESS BLOG.
