“Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commissions or revenue on certain items through these links.”
The weight room is the center of unsettled debates about everything from the best muscle-building supplements to Raise Shoes For optimal workout rep ranges and exercise sequence. But today the question is whether it is better to eat before lifting weights…or not?
Advertisement
is likely to benefit from fasting cardio-So it’s a valid question whether the same can be said about no-fuel liftoff. Or, there is one Pre-Workout Snack Take a healthier, more effective route to getting the most from your strength session Gaines?
Ahead, sports nutrition experts share the pros and cons of fasting and lifting, so you can settle the controversy for yourself. Plus, experts reveal the best pre-workout diet to maximize your training session while minimizing digestive distress.
Meet the experts: jason makowskiRD, CSCS, is an exercise physiologist and board-certified sports dietitian. Laura Koonce, Ph.D., RD, CSSD, is a sports dietitian, clinical researcher and vice president of medical strategy Thorne. Mallory EldredRD, is a registered dietitian and founder what does mallory eatA functional nutrition coaching service.
So, do you need to eat before lifting?
“For most lifters, it’s best not to go into a strength workout hungry, thirsty and completely exhausted,” says exercise physiologist and sports dietitian Jason Makowski, RD, CSCS. Happen Some? Food in your system, he says, will give you the energy you need to give your best effort in the actual session, as well as give you the raw materials needed to begin the repair process as soon as the training is over.
Advertisement
“Whether you need to eat before strength training depends on what your goals are and the actual intensity, duration, and volume of the strength session,” says Laura Koonce, PhD, RD, a sports dietitian, clinical researcher, and vice president of medical strategy at Thorne. Some people — early morning exercisers, people with sensitive stomachs, and people trying to lose fat — may benefit from lifting weights in a fasted state, she says.
Eating before a strength workout is a lot like putting your texts on Do Not Disturb (DND) before screen-sharing or doing a quick Google search before agreeing to a date. no you don’t do that need to do, but it’s probably a good idea—especially if you’re working out in the morning and your last meal was dinner the night before. More specifically, you must give your body carbohydrates for energy. protein To promote muscle growth and recovery, says Koonce.
Why? Well, the carbohydrates you eat are converted into glycogen in your muscles, which comes in the form of energy when you lift weights, she says. So, “Adding carbs to your system before a lift will help you run well, lift heavy, and feel powerful,” she says. And what that means is you’re going for it one-rep max or kill one Kettlebell Circuit. Think of it as adding a little more gas to the tank to do the work.
Meanwhile, protein breaks down into amino acids, which support your muscles during and after a workout, says Makovsky. “Strength training induces muscle breakdown, which signals the body to repair and get stronger,” he says. “But having protein in your body will reduce muscle protein breakdown during exercise as well as prepare your body to begin the muscle protein synthesis needed for repair as soon as training ends.”
Advertisement
On the other hand, “not eating before high-intensity, high-volume, or heavy-weight strength workouts can lead to rapid muscle fatigue, reduced work capacity, and the perception that the work is harder,” says Koonce. In fact, because maintaining sound requires mental and muscular energy, “the risk of injury may be greater during faster lifts,” she says. Basically, you’ll experience less bang and more soreness from a fast lift than a hungry lift.
Benefits of eating before lifting weights
-
Greater access to energy for power lifts
-
Increased mental focus leads to better form
-
Decreased risk of muscle tears
When (and what) to eat before strength training
The thing is: when it comes to eating before a strength session, amount And Type Food matters.
Advertisement
eat heavy meals Correct Koonce says before is a recipe for poor performance and more discomfort.
When you lift, your body sends blood to the working muscles, carrying essential oxygen and nutrients. But digestion requires sending blood flow to the stomach, she says. As a result, “different parts of the body will compete for blood supply and can cause GI distress and less optimal energy supply to your muscles when you lift.”
Ideally, “you’ll want to eat a meal within the last three to four hours, or have a pre-workout snack within the last hour,” says Makovsky.
related to What you eat? regardless of the amount Regarding intake, registered dietitian Mallory Eldred, RD, agrees that lifters should aim to eat some carbs (for energy) and protein (for muscle support and recovery) with each meal.
Advertisement
One important difference between a meal three or more hours before a lift and a pre-workout snack immediately preceding the lift is that the meal can (and should!) include healthy fats, whereas the snack should not. Koonce says fat takes longer to digest, so it’ll still be in your stomach during your session, which can cause GI problems. She says, “You should avoid eating new foods right before a workout, spicy foods, high-fiber foods that cause gas, and anything you’re intolerant to (e.g. dirty).
As you might guess, another difference is the total amount of food. “For a pre-workout snack, most people need only 15 to 25 grams of protein and carbohydrates for a total of 200 calories,” says Koonce.
Here are some options:
-
Five to eight ounces Greek yogurt with some cereal or granola
-
Two hard-boiled eggs and a piece of fruit
-
Half Egg or Tofu Sandwich on Toast
-
String Cheese with a Handful of Crackers
-
A Scoop of Tuna with Rice Cakes
If you’re about to exercise in the morning and can’t eat any of these foods at the beginning of the day, Eldred suggests “trying to consume one essential.” amino acid supplement Mix with water during your workout to avoid muscle loss. The AA will provide your muscles with some of the fuel they need to repair, she says, while the water will protect against the dehydration side effects that ruin exercise. (To be clear: Even if you sip AA before your workout, eat high protein Post-Workout Snack is still important).
Advertisement
For your information
“Proper hydration plays a key role in overall performance,” says Makovsky, which is why he suggests morning lifters — who likely haven’t drunk anything since the night before — should drink water on their way to the gym. “If you lift weights in the afternoon, be sure to drink fluids throughout the day,” he says. Ideally, aim to half your body weight in fluid ounces.
Does it change depending on your goals?
Absolutely. whether you are a bodybuilder in cut Or a new exercise routine to lose weight safely If your primary goal is to lose body fat, going from the snack plate to the weight plate is not right for you.
Advertisement
“During low intensity and low volume increases, fasting can increase the percentage of energy coming from fat (rather than carbohydrates),” says Koonce. So, similar to fasted cardio, research into International Journal of Exercise Science There are suggestions that this approach may result in greater fat loss. For the study, college athletes completed a 10-hour fasted resistance training session a day, and a DEF resistance training session a day later. The researchers observed that the athletes had a much lower respiratory exchange ratio – a calculation commonly used to gauge whether the fuel source is carbohydrate or lipid – which suggests that fasted resistance exercise depends more on fat metabolism than carbohydrate.
However, there is Some? The risk is that, in addition to burning fat, your body also breaks down some muscle for fuel, says Eldredge. Muscle is a more metabolically active tissue than fat, she says — meaning, the more muscle a person has, the more calories they’ll burn while resting — so it’s not ideal for fat or weight loss.
To keep muscle breakdown to a minimum, Makovsky suggests prioritizing protein immediately after breakfast. Eggs are the obvious choice, but he also suggests Greek yogurt, protein powder Smoothies or shakes, smoked salmon, protein waffles, or even leftover chicken. “It’s also important that you get enough protein throughout the day for your goals,” he says. For those who do strength training American College of Sports Medicine The goal recommends 0.5 to 0.8 grams of protein per pound of body weight.
You might also like
