Pre Workout Meals to Build Muscle and Burn Fat
Let’s talk about what’s best to eat before you work out.
Nutrition is just as important as your workout for improving fitness, looking good and gaining strength. When the two go hand-in-hand, amazing things happen!
Nutrition is perhaps THE most important factor in your fitness regime. The right vitamins, minerals, macronutrients and yes, calorie levels and even meal timing are needed for the body to function at its very best.
Think quality nutrition as the fuel your body needs to maximise performance.
Why You Need to Fuel Up Before A Workout
What you eat before a workout determines whether or not you will have the energy to achieve your greatest potential during each session. It can make a BIG difference – like getting an extra couple of reps or increasing the amount of weight you lift during the sessions.
Pre-workout nutrition is very under-rated. I see this all the time in the studio when clients come in for their sessions with little to no fuel to power through their workouts.
You don’t have to be a professional lifter to see the importance of having a pre-workout meal / snack. All you need to realise is that failing to eat before you work out means you are missing a huge opportunity to keep your body in an anabolic / muscle-building state. What this translates to is LESS lean muscle growth and LESS body fat reduction.
What to Eat Pre-Workout
The intention behind eating before a workout is to fuel the muscles – increase glycogen levels and stop catabolism.
Catabolism, as it relates to fitness and training, is the breaking down of muscle tissue. Being in a catabolic state for prolonged periods can be very dangerous, with some of the effects being…
- excessive breakdown of muscle tissue
- suppression of immune system, digestive organs and growth hormones
- fatigue
What you can do to prevent your body going into catabolism is to emphasise proper (1) nutrition (2) training and (3) recovery.
I tell clients to get some lean protein and slow releasing carbs 1-2 hours before training, e.g eggs any style, pancakes, oatmeal or quinoa…
You can even make these ahead of time – we recommend weekend meal preps (come on over to our Facebook page where we share our favourite recipes and fitness lifestyle tips)
Since fat delays food leaving the stomach, it can slow down your body’s uptake of nutrients. So the closer you are to your training session, trim down the fat unless you’re planning on working out intensely for more than 60 minutes, in which case, you’ll be burning through the fat as fuel regardless (Note: exceptions here for those who are fat-adapted or following a more keto-based approach).
Alternatively, there’s also Peak Chocolate. Formulated by athletes for athletes. Designed specifically for enhanced energy and endurance. Get some in the studio or directly from their website here.
And After Your Workout….
After an intense training session, your glycogen stores are depleted. Refilling them halts protein breakdown (read: muscle breakdown) and increases protein synthesis.
We recommend a recovery protein shake because it’s the quickest and most readily digestible protein available.
If you’re eating post workout, aim to eat within 1-2 hours after your workout.
It’s useful to know that insulin is anti-catabolic when raised right after exercise and anabolic when raised at rest. This means that when you eat carbs after a workout, it’s going to help you stop muscle breakdown but if you’re after lean muscle gain (and/or trying to lose fat), favour complex carbohydrates to keep your blood sugar levels stable after you train rather than spiking them again post workout to trigger the fat-storing process.
Still unsure about what to eat, when and how it all fits together into your already busy lifestyle?
We can help – 6 Weeks to a Slimmer, Healthier You…
- Unlimited HIIT Workouts
- Complete Meal Plans and Recipes
- Private Members Area
- Weekly accountability and support
We hold you by the hand each and every week, showing you how it’s done so that it fits in seamlessly into your lifestyle. Click here or on the image below to find out more.
