Pre-workout nutrition - How to make the most of your workouts

By Martin Ebner

Photo by SHVETS production from Pexels

Consider this. Your body is a Lamborghini. You have a 500km drive ahead of you. You try making the journey on an empty tank. Will you make it the full distance? NO is the answer and your body is no different. Deprive it of what it needs and it can't perform properly.

Pre-workout nutrition is so important when trying to get the most out of your workouts. Even though you may be tempted to skip the calories in order to lose weight, DON'T! Undereating can lead to sluggish and more challenging workouts and as a result, you could face low blood sugar, which can cause light-headedness and fatigue.

““If I don’t eat properly pre-workout, my workouts are twice as hard and half as productive””

Food groups:

Carbohydrates fuel your workouts. Stick to whole grains, sweet potatoes, legumes, fruits and vegetables for sustained energy.

Protein prevents muscle damage and breakdown.

Fiber helps release carbohydrates at a steady rate into your bloodstream providing long-lasting energy.

Good Fat great when consumed in small to moderate portions. Food such as avocados, almonds, olive oil and salmon contain healthy amounts of good fats.

Bad fat aka Saturated and trans fats should be avoided like the plague! Too much of the wrong stuff can leave you comatose. Foods such as butter, fatty meat, processed and fried foods all contain high doses of bad fat.

The type of exercise and the intensity will have an effect on what you should eat to fuel your workouts. As a rule of thumb, aim for 65% carbohydrates, 25% protein and 10% fat.
 

Quick pre-workout snacks
 

60 - 90 minutes before workout out

• Oats with greek/natural yogurt topped with fruit.

• A Whole grain sandwich with boiled egg and sliced turkey/chicken breast.

• An apple and 1 tbsp of peanut butter

• a handful of dried fruit and nuts

30 – 45 minutes before working out

• A slice of Wholegrain toast with a tbsp of honey

• Bananas

• Skimmed cafe latte

• 250ml serving of coconut water

Foods to avoid before exercise

Fatty foods

Fat exits the stomach very slowly, which means you’ll feel full, lethargic and could cramp up.

Raw sugar or sweets.

Unrefined sugar causes a sugar rush and then inevitably a crash. Unless your workouts are 5 minutes long, skip it!

Overeating

Indigestion, sluggishness, nausea and probably vomiting are some of the symptoms associated with overeating pre-workout.
 

For more information on what and what not to eat or for English-speaking personal training services in Barcelona, contact us today.

Related article: post-workout nutrition article

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