Buzz
If you’re lifting weights, it’s essential to fuel your body—but no matter what you eat, someone at your gym will probably tell you that your snack choice is all wrong. So what’s the ‘right’ thing to eat before a workout? And does timing really matter?
How food supports your workout performance
Just to clarify, we’re focusing on nutrition for weightlifting workouts. If you're heading out for a long run, cycling, or a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) session on the beach, your nutritional needs will likely vary.
The truth is, not everyone needs to eat before a workout, especially if it’s a light one. Most people don’t train hard enough or often enough to need a full meal beforehand, and your body already has glycogen stored in the liver and muscles as energy. Dr. Trevor Kashey, a biochemist and nutrition consultant, explains that consuming calories around your workout can help preserve some of these internal reserves and extend your endurance before reaching exhaustion.
Several factors influence whether or not you should eat before a workout, as well as how much you should consume, such as:
The time elapsed since your last meal
Your body fat percentage
Your health status and the medications you take
The duration of your workout
The time of day you work out
In simpler terms, if you're engaging in regular, heavy strength training and aiming to build strength, eating before your workout provides extra energy that helps you get the most out of your session and prepares your body for a faster recovery afterward. Kashey adds:
I prefer that an athlete eats beforehand to ensure they have the energy to train effectively, rather than pushing through a workout feeling like a 'zombie' and then having a big meal afterward. That never made sense to me. It’s smarter to ‘insure’ a higher-quality workout from the start. Better workouts result in better outcomes over time.
To put it simply, eating before your workout helps you feel more ready to put in the effort and push for a couple of extra reps. That extra intensity and those additional reps can really impact your overall progress and long-term results. So, if you believe your workout will suffer without eating, go ahead and fuel up.
What to eat before a workout
We often overlook the fact that what you eat should be focused on your own needs. There are two key factors that only you can assess. First, does the food you're consuming keep your stomach at ease? If it leaves you feeling bloated, gassy, or unpleasant, it’s not the right choice for you, regardless of what that one guy at the gym suggests.
Before discussing specific foods, there's another important point: meal size. The initial stages of digestion can take anywhere from six to eight hours, and the last thing you want is a heavy meal making you uncomfortable while you're trying to squat. If your workout is in a couple of hours, opt for a smaller meal.
Dr. Spencer Nadolsky, a board-certified family and obesity medicine physician, typically recommends a light, protein-rich meal within two hours before a lifting session. This could be a protein shake with some fruit or Greek yogurt topped with berries and a small amount of granola. If the meal is light enough, protein from either animal or plant-based sources works well too. Dr. Nadolsky’s suggestions align with Kashey’s guidelines, which include the following:
If you're about 45 minutes away from your workout, it's best to focus on foods that are easy to digest and quickly absorbed. Something like a banana paired with a protein shake could do the trick. With a warm-up period factored in, this typically means eating about 30 minutes before you head to the gym for your warm-up.
If your workout is still a bit further away—up to 90 minutes—you should aim for a meal that digests more slowly to keep you fueled. This would generally be a balanced meal with an appropriate distribution of nutrients, similar to what you would have for any other meal.
Some individuals prefer to eat during their workout, although this isn't typically necessary. However, exceptions include longer training sessions exceeding two hours, insufficient calorie intake (especially if you're trying to lose weight), feeling low on energy, or having a particularly demanding training regimen. In such cases, Kashey suggests a quick carbohydrate source like Gatorade or straight-up sugar (such as maltodextrin) mixed with easily digestible whey protein.
Just a reminder, avoid munching on a full turkey sub while you're hanging out in the squat rack.
What should you eat post-workout?
Hardcore lifters might tell you that if you don't drink a protein shake right after your workout, all your efforts will be wasted! But don’t worry, your muscles won’t wither and fade if you don’t eat right away.
As highlighted in this review in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, your post-workout meal isn't as critical if you've already eaten a couple of hours before your workout, don’t have another session later, and you're not a high-level competitor. Provided you eat a meal packed with protein and carbs within three hours (as recommended by Precision Nutrition), you'll be just fine. More importantly, as Kashey pointed out:
Getting the perfect protein shake right after your workout isn't as important as ensuring you're getting the
total
amount of protein you need. As a beginner, it's easy to focus on complex details instead of the basics, which can leave you feeling frustrated months (or even years) down the road.
For some, carbohydrates are simply easier to digest post-workout, according to Dr. Nadolsky. This makes it a great time to refuel with carbs. If you train in the morning while fasted, replenishing glycogen stores with carbs after your workout can give you the energy needed to be productive for the rest of the day, says Kashey.
It's important to remember that you typically don’t deplete enough glycogen to require immediate replenishment. To need that urgency, you'd have to be lifting seriously heavy weights and have another workout scheduled soon after. Additionally, weightlifting doesn’t burn as many calories during the session itself; so if you go overboard on your post-workout meal, it’s easy to gain weight (unless that’s your goal).
Here are some great options for a post-workout meal:
Oatmeal with fruit and a hearty omelet
Turkey sandwich
Medium-sized sweet potato, four ounces of lean steak, and vegetables
Chipotle chicken burrito bowl (keep the cheese, guac, and sour cream light to reduce calories)
It can be any meal, as long as it fits within your daily calorie requirements, includes enough protein (around 25 grams or more), and offers a good source of carbohydrates.
