As an athlete or physical fitness enthusiast looking for ways in which you can improve your physical performance in order to attain your goal is highly essential. When it comes to meals, having proper nutrition will aid boost your performance significantly and assist in recovering faster after your workout. Having optimal nutrition prior to your workout will substantially aid in maximizing your performance as well as minimize muscle damage, which is often common among athletes and physical fitness enthusiasts. There are several vital aspects you will need to consider when choosing the right pre-workout meal. In this article, we shall be discussing every essential aspect you need to know about the pre-workout meal.
Knowing the right meal to consume is highly essential
When it comes to fueling your body, choosing food with the proper nutrient prior to your workout plays a significant role in providing you with energy and strength in order to maximize your performance.
Every macronutrient plays a specific role in the body prior to exercising. Furthermore, the ratio in which you consume them differs significantly by an individual as well type of physical exercise. Some of the essential macronutrients include;
Carbohydrate
The primary source of energy in our body comes from carbohydrates. Our muscles use glucose from carbohydrates for energy. Our body processes and stores glucose in the form of glycogen in the liver as well as the muscle.
When performing both short and high-intensity exercise, the glucose stores becomes the primary source of energy for your muscle. However, when it comes to more prolonged exercise, the amount in which carbohydrate is used in the body will depend on various factors. These include; type of your training, intensity as well the overall diet.
As an athlete, the glycogens stored in your muscles are limited. As you deplete the available glycogen in your stores, your output and intensity will be diminished. Several studies have shown that consuming high carbohydrate foods will aid in increasing your glycogen stores as well as utilization while increasing the oxidation process of carbohydrate during a workout. The best way in which you can maximize your glycogen stores is through carbohydrate loading; this involves eating food high in carbohydrates for 1to 7 days.
Protein
Several studies have shown the potential of consuming a protein diet prior to your workout in improving the overall performance of an athlete. Consuming protein, either with or without carbohydrate before exercising, has proven to aid in increasing muscle protein synthesis.
A study has shown a positive anabolic response after participants ate 20 grams of whey protein prior to exercising. Some other essential benefits of protein include;
· Greater anabolic response or muscle growth
· Increase in both strength as well as lean body mass.
· Aids in improving muscle recovery
· Increases significantly muscle performance
Fat
Despite the fact that glycogen is ideal for short as well as high intensity bouts of exercise, fat is an incredible source of energy for longer as well as moderate to low-intensity physical exercise. Studies have assessed the effects of fat consumption on athletic performance. Nevertheless, these studies investigated high-fat diets over an extended period rather than before a workout.
For instance, a study showed the effect of consuming a 40% fat diet consistently for four-weeks and has proven to aid in increasing endurance running times in athletes as well as physical fitness enthusiasts.
Timing your pre-workout meal
While a pre-workout meal can be highly essential timing, it is a vital aspect that every athlete needs to consider. For you to maximize your training result, you should consider consuming a complete meal that consists of protein, carbohydrates as well as fats 2 to 3 hours prior to your workout.
In this case, you will be able to consume eat the right pre-workout meal. Consequently, you should consider keeping in mind that the sooner you consume the meal prior to working put, the smaller and simple your meal should be. When eating 45 minutes to an hour before exercising, you should consider choosing foods that are easy to digest and are high on both carbohydrates and protein. By doing so, you will be able to prevent any stomach discomfort while working out.
What are some of the best pre-workout meals?
The type of food and the amount you will eat highly depends on the duration, type as well as the intensity of your workout. The best meal is the one that consists of both carbohydrates as well as protein before exercising.
When you eat fat in your pre=workout diet, you should consider consuming it some few hours before working out; this aids in giving it ample time to be digested and absorbed by the body. Some essential pre-workout meals include;
When starting your workout within 2 to 3 hours or more;
· Sandwich whole grain bread, lean protein, as well as a side salad.
· Lean protein along with brown rice as well as roasted vegetables.
· Egg omelet along with whole-grain toast with avocado toppings and a cup of fruit.
When your workout commences within 2 hours
· Whole grain cereal along with milk
· A protein smoothie consisting of milk, banana, protein powder, as well as mixed berries.
· Natural almond butter along with a fruit preserved sandwich on whole-grain bread.
· One cup of oatmeal with banana as well as sliced almonds toppings.
When your workout begins within an hour or less
· Fruit and Greek yogurt.
· A piece of fruit like an orange, banana, or apple.
· Nutrition bar rich in protein as well as wholesome ingredients.
You should keep in mind that you do not require to consume several pre-workout meals at different times. You just have to choose one of the above depending on your workout schedule. For an effective result, you might consider experimenting with varying compositions of nutrients as well as timings.
Final verdict
Despite consuming the above three essential macronutrients (carbs, proteins, and fat) is critical, you might as well consider using supplements. Some of these supplements are responsible for enhancing performance, increase lean body mass, improve strength as well as reduces fatigue. When it comes to supplements, these are some of the most essential;
· Creatine
· Caffeine
· Beta-alanine
· Branched-chain amino acids
· Multi-ingredient pre-workout supplements
As we conclude, you should always remember that a combination of carbohydrates and protein is highly recommended and essential for a pre-workout meal. Furthermore, fat is as well a beneficial macronutrient; however, you should consider consuming it at least two hours prior to working out.
