Pre-Workout Meals Affecting Performance

[Teddy-G]

I've heard this one a million times...

"I'm not as strong today because I didn't have enough protein before this"

Does what you eat prior to your workout really have such an immense impact on your performance?

 

[LAM]

lol..that's a newbie statement as protein is the least efficient maronutrient. the body generates many more moles of ATP from fatty acids and glucose than amino acids derived from proteins.

 

[OutWhey]

I've heard this one a million times...

"I'm not as strong today because I didn't have enough protein before this"

Does what you eat prior to your workout really have such an immense impact on your performance?

LOL it comes down to providing your body with energy.

 

[Teddy-G]

lol..that's a newbie statement as protein is the least efficient maronutrient. the body generates many more moles of ATP from fatty acids and glucose than amino acids derived from proteins.

Thanks, but you didn't really answer my question. Does what you eat in the meal prior to your workout affect your performance?

 

[unclem]

yes, if you eat the right stuff and have time for full digestion of the nutrients you did eat.

 

[LAM]

Thanks, but you didn't really answer my question. Does what you eat in the meal prior to your workout affect your performance?

certainly depending on the intensity of training. to have a successful training session when using heavy weights you would want to have a decent amount of carbs in the pre workout meal. the types of carbs consumed should depend on how much digestion time you have between the meal and the actual beginning of training. it would be most important to consume carbs say first thing in the am before working out when the body is already in a low blood sugar state and less important at say an evening training session if several meals containing carbs where already consumed earlier in the day. but yes in general carbs are essential when it comes to having optimum levels of energy for training

 

[MDR]

I generally train first thing in the a.m. I've gotten in the habit of drinking a small whey protein shake with a carb supplement added. By the time I get to the gym and warm up, everything is digested and I'm ready to go. If for some reason I train later in the day, I'll eat awhile before the gym so I'm not feeling full while training.