Eating before exercise ?

[blunomore]

I gym a few days a week, first thing in the morning.

Should one have a light meal before excercise, or rather exercise on an empty stomach ?

 

[WaxLyrical]

A small snack like an apple is recommended to prevent the body going into starvation mode.In this mode you don't burn fats and build muscle as efficiently.

 

[froot]

I usually make myself some eggs (or something that digests easily) before I go out training. I've learnt the hard way to not train on an empty stomach. Otherwise something like a smoothy could also work well, but slightly longer beforehand, as it's heavy at first.

 

[heartbroken]

I usually make myself some eggs (or something that digests easily) before I go out training.

I do an omelette/scrambled eggs about 45mins before hitting the gym. Afterwards I take a muscle/protein shake. Don't know if this is the "accepted" way of doing things. But if I train on empty I feel like vomiting on something.

 

[Peder]

I usually eat oats before the time, i do seem to have more energy if i eat before the time.

 

[Vox Populi Vox Dei]

I train on an empty stomach - obviously I feel a bit sickly, but usually drinking some water fixes that up. Then I have a nice big breakfast afterwards

I'm scared I'll vomit if I have breakfast to close to gym.

 

[Tinuva]

I used to eat Oats before going to train at gym in the mornings. Nowadays I just go in fasted mode, using the leangains.com diet. In the beginning I had some BCAAs before and after gym, but I think as my body got used to doing it fasted, I stopped drinking the BCAAs.

The BCAAs help to retain muscle and not break muscle down while training in fasted mode, or so they say at least.

 

[syntax]

I have a small, but thick smoothy usually before morning session.
If i train on an empty stomach I feel I dont perform as well.

 

[cerebus]

Yes you should eat something beforehand but give your stomach time to settle it. Even a morning rusk can be enough.

 

[Wikkels88]

first thing in the morning.

Teach me your ways:wtf:, I tried once before, can't get myself to be enthusiastic about training at 5-6am in th mornings, prefer training after work, as far as eating before training goes, I say test both and see what works for you, so many contradicting studies, some will say fasted training promotes fat loss, others will say training on a empty stomach will result in muscle loss.

 

[Other Pineapple Smurf]

I would say it depends on how intensive your work out it but eating something light is a good idea. Just don't drink anything but water during your routine as a lot of so called sports drinks just upset your stomach and have no real benefit to sessions lasting less than an hour.

 

[PsyWulf]

Empty stomach,starvation mode,body tries to conserve energy especially early morning,prevents conversion of stored fats/sugars to energy

Chow a light yoghurt/rusk/low GI bread and give it 30minutes

 

[Geriatrix]

Proteins an hour or so before and then carbs after is best.

 

[Tinuva]

It depends on what kind of training you do. If you go train fasted doing cardio work...expect muscle loss. Go train fasted doing strength work...well you won't get muscle loss because you actually make use of them, but I would highly suggest compound exercises over isolated exercises, and then the body will actually use fat reserves for energy as opposed to breaking down muscles.

Thing is, I may not know what I am talking about, but many people are following leangains.com which make use of fasted training, if you train in the morning...and they see results so...

 

[chrisc]

I try and avoid exercise

 

[Wikkels88]

Proteins an hour or so before and then carbs after is best.

First time I hear someone say it this way around, carbs are normally good for quick energy spikes and digest easier than proteins. So it would make sense to eat simple carbs(fruits) before hand for the energy spike and protein afterwards, seeing that proteins help with the recovery of the muscles

 

[PsyWulf]

I try and avoid exercise

Best advice here tbh

 

[Geriatrix]

First time I hear someone say it this way around, carbs are normally good for quick energy spikes and digest easier than proteins. So it would make sense to eat simple carbs(fruits) before hand for the energy spike and protein afterwards, seeing that proteins help with the recovery of the muscles

Do a Google. Latest nutrition research confirms it apparently. I've come across it from multiple fitness boards.

 

[Wikkels88]

Do a Google. Latest nutrition research confirms it apparently. I've come across it from multiple fitness boards.

Research changes daily, I believe you on the research part, but I'll stick with what I found from my own experience, if I eat for example a piece of chicken breast before training, I'm lazy in the gym, and I understand why this happens, because my body is working overtime to digest the chicken so my energy is split between my workout and digestion, every eat a leka steak and just wanted to lay down afterwards? I get the same feeling in the gym, but lets say I grab a peanut butter sammie and banana 30-60minutes before my workout then I'm like a energizer bunny, the proof of the pudding is in the eating

 

[Geriatrix]

Research changes daily, I believe you on the research part, but I'll stick with what I found from my own experience, if I eat for example a piece of chicken breast before training, I'm lazy in the gym, and I understand why this happens, because my body is working overtime to digest the chicken so my energy is split between my workout and digestion, every eat a leka steak and just wanted to lay down afterwards? I get the same feeling in the gym, but lets say I grab a peanut butter sammie and banana 30-60minutes before my workout then I'm like a energizer bunny, the proof of the pudding is in the eating

Jip, what ever works for you.
BTW, I didn't mean a steak before workout. More like a shake or a can of tuna.