Pre Workout Nutrition

One question I get asked often has to do with what to eat before your workout. The answer to this question depends on a couple of factors, such as whether you are looking to gain or lose weight, and if you are carb tolerant. If you are looking to get leaner I would most likely tell you to focus on eating something with protein and very low in carbs(no carbs at all is often better) before your workout. Many people make the mistake of eating a meal high in carbs before a workout while trying to get leaner. If you eat carbs before your workout you essentially shut off all fat burning during the workout and that is not what you want. If you are trying to gain mass then some carbs before your workout will probably help.

Those who workout early in the morning often ask about eating before working out and the answer to this question changes based on what people will actually do. If you are working out early in the morning and you are trying to get leaner then I would suggest that you take in something, but for most people they cannot eat before they workout that early. The optimal thing to do would be to wake up about two hours before your workout and eat a protein rich meal but not many people would choose this option. In this situation either a protein shake or a Branch Chain Amino Acid supplement would probably work best because they do not require much digestion and your body will be able to utilize these nutrients very easily. If you want to maximize your results then it is important that you make your nutrition surrounding your workout a priority. You can make tremendous progress by simply focusing on eating the right foods before and after your workouts.