How Important is your Pre-Workout meal?

Pre-Exercise Nutrition

Pre-exercise fuel is important in order to prevent hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), settle your stomach and absorb some of your gastric juices, ward off hunger, fuel your muscles and glycogen stores, and give you peace of mind that you are well-nourished. How much you might want to eat will vary from person-to-person, but most people get good results from 0.5 grams of carbohydrate per pound of body weight one hour before moderate exercise, or 2 grams of carbohydrate per pound of body weight four hours beforehand. So, for an adult weighing 150 lbs, this means about 75-300 grams of carbohydrate (300 to 1,200 calories), but you do not eat tons of food to notice a benefit.

For example, for an 8 am event you should:

● Night before: Eat a carbohydrate-rich dinner (bread, pasta, potatoes, rice, vegetables, fruit) and drink extra water throughout the day before the event. If you know that you will likely feel jittery and unable to tolerate food in the morning make sure you eat well and have an extra-large bedtime snack in lieu of breakfast.

● Morning of: Around 6 am have a light 200-400 calorie meal depending on what settles best with your stomach. Meal ideas: yogurt, banana, one or two energy bars and plenty of water or tea/coffee (if you can tolerate the caffeine). If you want a larger meal, eat familiar foods between 5-6 am. Don’t experiment with new foods the night or morning before a hard workout or an event.

You must also be wary because pre-exercise food can potentially create gastrointestinal distress; in fact, 30-50% of endurance athletes have reported adverse reactions (gas, intestinal cramping, heartburn, vomiting, bloating, stomach pain, diarrhea) to their pre-workout meal. The best solution for choosing what to eat before exercise is often trial and error with your diet prior to your training workouts. If you do experience GI problems make sure you are not consuming too many high protein and high fat food items prior to your workout, stick to the tried and true high-carbohydrate, low-fat options (bagels, bananas, English muffins, etc.).

Studies have also suggested that caffeine may enhance high-intensity, endurance performance, but this must also be monitored since this too will vary from person to person. If you were worried about dehydration from your pre-race cup of coffee, that probably should not be much of a concern since research suggests it likely does not contribute to dehydration, and is okay for athletes, even in hot weather.

Reference: Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook, 4th Edition, 2008.