Should You Eat Before Or After A Morning Workout – With so much conflicting information about when and how to eat for optimal fitness results, it can be hard to know if eating breakfast before your morning workout is really all it’s cracked up to be. Some experts say that fitting in a pre-morning workout meal is so important that it’s worth waking up a whole hour earlier. Some say that “solid” workouts (ie, working out on an empty stomach) are the ticket to overall fitness and performance. With so many conflicting claims, what should be done before starting morning exercise? And does movement pattern matter when it comes to answering the age-old “to eat or not to eat” question?
To understand the science, we turned to two nutrition professionals who know a thing or two (or two hundred) about the impact of breakfast on a morning workout.
Should You Eat Before Or After A Morning Workout
Registered dietitian nutritionist and board-certified sports dietitian Lauren Antonucci, MS, RDN, CSSD, CDCES, CDN, has a simple answer to whether breakfast makes sense before a morning workout. “Basically, yes,” says the author of High Performance Nutrition for Masters Athletes
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Workout leads to improved ability to work harder for longer—and because hard work plus recovery equals fitness and performance benefits, fuel before exercise.
Vanessa Ricetto MS, RD, CDN, co-founder of Coolina Health in New York City, has a slightly more nuanced take on the matter. He agrees that it’s a pre-workout meal
Be advantageous in some situations, but “it’s really just a matter of preference.” Ricetto says a quick sweat session under 60 minutes doesn’t guarantee a full meal. But in those cases, refueling after training is essential. “For some people, not eating at least something before a morning workout can increase post-workout hunger levels and lead to overeating later,” she adds. “Pre-workout nutrition can also affect exercise performance. If you find that your appetite and performance are compromised when you exercise on an empty stomach, you probably need to eat something.
“Eating early will serve you better in any condition that affects performance and/or muscle maintenance or muscle growth,” says Antonucci. “Gone are the days when we mistakenly believed that endurance athletes needed carbohydrates and resistance training people needed protein before and after training. All athletes need both! For anyone doing both endurance and cardio
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Depending on the length of the full double session, include some protein and possibly carbohydrates between the two sessions.
Again, personal preference is a necessary consideration when deciding what to eat and when to eat, but different types of workouts
Different levels of energy and fuel are required to achieve optimal performance. “Carbohydrates are your body’s main source of fuel,” she explains. “When you eat carbohydrates, your blood sugar rises and your body uses that sugar as fuel for exercise. When you start a workout without eating, whether it’s cardio or strength training, your body uses stored carbohydrates (glycogen ) and uses stored fat for fuel
Here, the type of workout can affect what — and when — you choose to eat. “If you’re doing a long cardio workout, it’s possible that pre-workout carbs will make you feel better, go faster, or last longer than if you did a faster workout,” says Ricetto. “If you’re strength training — especially strength training after a cardio workout where you’ve already depleted energy and glycogen stores — you’ll benefit from pre-workout fuel from carbohydrates and some protein. This helps you perform better. It can, because your muscles and body have the energy they need to lift more weight while maintaining proper form.
What Should I Eat Before A Morning Training Session?
The research on this is, well, mixed. While most studies — such as this 2014 paper published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition — show no significant differences in measured outcomes between people who eat breakfast before exercise and those who do, some studies point to benefits.
Disadvantages of exercising on an empty stomach. For example, this 2015 article in the Journal of Physical Therapy Science suggests that fasted workouts may contribute to fat loss, but may increase the stress hormone cortisol, which can lead to numerous health problems such as anxiety, depression, cardiovascular disease, digestive problems, and more. . problems, and more.
While fasted workouts and intermittent fasting have been said to increase fat burning in recent years, Antonucci says those claims aren’t necessarily what they are. “Burning more fat during your sessions at the expense of performance or strength is not desirable for most active individuals,” she says. “Instead, focus on fueling smartly and properly before, during, and after all workouts, and let fat burning happen naturally at other times of your day.”
Rissetto claims that anyone looking to make gains should seriously consider a pre-workout meal. “Being able to lift heavy weights and achieve muscle hypertrophy when trained to failure, results in better muscle growth and leaner body composition,” she says. “You’ll be able to train harder and more efficiently in the same time frame with some pre-workout fuel.”
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If you do high-intensity interval training (HIIT) or any other form of cardio, Antonucci says you may need some extra carbs for sustained energy. “A good rule of thumb is 1 gram of carbohydrate/kg of body weight an hour before you start your high-intensity session,” he says. “For long sessions and sessions later in the day, aim for a maximum of 4 grams of carbs/kg of body weight in the four hours before you start that grueling workout or competition. Be sure to combine this carbohydrate category with at least 10 to 20 grams of protein before you start exercising.
Antonucci says that while more research is needed, the benefits of fueling before a morning workout are greater in women, especially peri- and postmenopausal women and “masters athletes” (ie, those 35 and older). Because fasting workouts. Cortisol tends to increase and provides insufficient fuel to prevent muscle protein breakdown during and after exercise and promote muscle protein synthesis to repair, rebuild, and increase muscle mass. “Do yourself a favor and refuel before breaking a sweat,” she says.
If you decide to fuel up before your workout, you may be wondering what exactly to put on your plate. The answer again comes down to preference and what you can tolerate early on, but experts have some suggestions.
“Ideally, we’ll eat one to two hours before training,” says Antonucci. “But it’s certainly not practical for avid athletes. For those people—of which I am one—you can practice eating an egg or toast with peanut butter, low-fat cheese, or yogurt 15 to 30 minutes before you start your workout, depending on your tolerance and the intensity of your workout. training.” Most athletes find that eating before a strength workout is a little easier than a cardio or endurance workout.
What To Eat Before And After A Morning Workout
Riceto agrees, insisting that a small snack should be enough. “If you’re a ‘wake up and work out’ person, it’s best not to eat a full meal,” he says. “Digestion expends energy and blood flow to the GI tract, and this can rob muscles and other tissues. needs during training.”
A full, heavy meal can also cause an upset stomach, she adds. So if you wake up early and work out in less than an hour, first have a small breakfast that consists primarily of fast-acting carbohydrates and avoid foods that consist primarily of protein, fat, and fiber. Your body will immediately use the sugar in fast-acting carbohydrates to fuel your workout.
Some of Riccito’s favorite recommendations include whole wheat toast with fresh and dried fruit, energy bars, oatmeal, and jam. “If you have more than an hour before your workout, you can add some fat and protein, such as nut butters, nuts, seeds, cheese, and Greek yogurt,” he says. “If you eat two to four hours before your workout, go ahead and eat a full, balanced breakfast of complex carbohydrates, lean protein, and healthy fats. Try Greek yogurt or an oatmeal bowl with fruit, nuts, and seeds. Have avocado toast and whole grains. Top with bread with eggs. Or enjoy a smoothie with protein powder, fruits, vegetables, nut butters, seeds and oats.”
And if you can’t really sit down with a pre-workout meal, Rissetto says it’s especially important to refuel your system after exercise. “A post-workout meal should contain enough protein to repair muscles, carbohydrates to replenish glycogen stores, and some fat to balance the meal and keep you full and satisfied until your next meal,” she says. “A great post-workout breakfast option is an egg or egg white omelet with vegetables, a side of avocado spread on whole grain toast, and some fruit. If you’re a shake or smoothie person, try protein powder, skim or almond milk, frozen fruit, a scoop of oats and some chia seeds.”
What Science Says About The Best Way To Eat (and What We’re Still Figuring Out)
As both experts claim, choice plays a big role in deciding what and when to eat for optimal fitness. But the food
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