Workout nutrition matters the most in changing your body, but most people ignore it. We all know hitting the gym is key to building muscle and burning calories. But what do you eat before you work out? That’s the real secret. The right pre-workout meal can make you feel like a superhero, or leave you dragging your feet.
At Strivo, all certified trainers and fitness coach advice agree with the point that what you put in is what you get out as results. If you don’t know where to start, here are a few tips from Strivo’s top personal training UAE experts telling you everything you need to know about preparing your body for a great workout.
Think of your body like a race car in which, if there’s no fuel, there’s no race. The type of fuel that you add to the car depends on its performance. Your muscles run on glycogen, which comes from the carbs you eat. If you skip those, you’ll be running on empty. That means you’ll feel tired, weak, and struggle to get through your workout.
But it’s not just about energy. Eating the right foods before exercise gives your muscles amino acids, which help prevent muscle breakdown. It’s like putting up a safety net before you start. So, when you hear trainers say, “what you put in is what you get out,” they mean it. This is why Strivo’s fitness coach advice always emphasizes the importance of a strategic approach to workout nutrition.
As it’s not always about just the carbs or the calories, you’d have to take other things into consideration in your pre-workout meals. The best approach is to create combinations like carbohydrates and protein.
If you want the best of both worlds, the Strivo personal training UAE specialists recommend a mixture of both fast and slow-digesting carbohydrates. This will provide you both immediate energy and sustained fuel. To top it off, pair it with a small amount of lean protein and you’re ready for your workout session.
If you think you can fix the things you eat and you’ll be done, think again. The time you eat your pre-workout meals also matters in the same way as the contents of the meal. Eating too close to your workout can lead to digestive issues like nausea and sluggishness. On the other hand, eating way before your workout can leave you running on empty and make you tired quicker.
Here are a few case scenarios to give you a better picture:
This timeframe is the ideal window to get in a complete meal before the workout. This period allows your body to easily digest the food and absorb all the necessary nutrients it needs. Apart from that, it gives a proper supply of carbohydrates and energy for your workout. Make sure to include carbs, proteins, and healthy fats in this meal.
Worried that you don’t have enough time to fit in a complete meal? The next best thing is to grab a quick snack 45-60 minutes before your workout. And if you’re confused about what to eat, you can focus on easily digestible carbs and a small amount of lean protein. However, make sure to avoid high-fat foods at this time because they take way longer to digest, and you’ll feel bloated while working out.
Forgot to take a snack or didn’t have time for the meal? You can still get a quick energy booster before working out. Try taking something that gives rapid energy. This means that you can take an energy drink, a small piece of fruit that you like, or even a few bites of a granola bar. This approach is perfect as pre-workout nutrition.
Since every person has a different and unique body, the best fitness coach advice is to experiment to see what works best for your body.
Just like each person’s body is different, more variables are added when you’re focusing on different types of workouts. You have to eat pre-workout meals according to each type of workout and the goals you’re focused on.
For strength training, you need to eat a balanced meal with both carbohydrates to provide you with energy and protein to aid you in muscle repair and building. The ideal time to eat is 2-3 hours before our workout session.
You need energy for longer periods with endurance training. This means you need to intake complex carbohydrates as workout nutrition that will give you long-term energetic effects. And if you want to get a boost, you can eat a quick-digesting carb source right before you start.
HIIT involves quick and high-intensity bursts of exercise that accelerate your heart rate. For this type of workout, the best workout nutrition intake is easily digestible carbs that give quick, sudden bursts of energy.
If you’re not sure what to do, Strivo’s fitness coach advice would be perfect for you. It is specified for your needs in each workout session.
Now that you know what to do, here are some things you shouldn’t do in workout nutrition. In order to prevent all sorts of discomfort while working out and increasing your performance, the Strivo’s personal training UAE experts advise avoiding these things:
Even though healthy fats are a crucial part of a balanced diet, consuming them right before a workout can be a major mistake. Since fats take a long time to digest, you’ll feel the high-fat meal sitting heavily in your stomach. What happens next is that your blood flow goes from your muscles to your digestive system. The result? You feel a noticeable drop in your energy levels.
The worst part is that it can cause stomach cramps and discomfort, which makes it difficult to perform at your best.
Fiber is more than essential in pre-workout meals, and foods like beans, lentils, and certain vegetables are excellent for your overall health and digestion. But when it comes to pre-workout nutrition, if you take them too close to a session, they can induce bloating, gas, and a weirdly upset stomach.
This happens because fiber is a complex carbohydrate. It requires more effort for your body to break down and give energy. The easy thing is to intake low-fiber options to make you feel light and comfortable throughout.
Taking small amounts of simple sugar can provide rapid energy boosts. But when you overdo it, you should expect an equally rapid crash and burnout. This sugar rush might make you feel energized at first, but it will leave you weak midway through your workout, and you’ll feel tired. You should focus on a balanced mix of complex and simple carbs for sustained energy and better workout performance.
The worst things you can take before a workout are creamy sauces, fatty meals, and all kinds of fried items. They require a lot of time and energy to process and break down. They often lead to an upset stomach and induce vomiting, which makes you feel weighed down. You want your body to be focused on powering your muscles and not on a demanding digestive process.
Finding out the right workout nutrition can be complex if you’re trying to find something that works for you. That’s where Strivo’s certified trainers do more than just guide you through exercises. They provide the best personal training UAE that includes personalized dietary guidance.
What works for a professional bodybuilder won’t work for a busy professional- It’s as simple as that! Your Strivo trainer will help you understand your unique nutritional needs for your customized workout plan that complements your fitness goals!
