Pre-Workout Nutrition Basics

Pre-workout meal necessity is very dependent on the individual.
Some people feel better training fasted (without food in their stomach). But a lot of people don’t. If you find yourself constantly fatigued/lacking energy when you train, evaluate your pre workout nutrition habits:

• First of all…do those habits exist? Do you eat anything before you workout?
• How close to your workout do you eat?
• What macros are represented in that your meal? Is it all fats? All carbs? All protein? A mixture of two? A mixture of three?

These are all big factors in how effective your pre workout meal can be, so let’s dive into each component a little deeper…

To eat, or not to eat?
If you struggle with energy and less-than-impressive performance on the training floor, and you currently DON’T include a pre-workout meal into your routine, then now’s the time to try it out. You’ll likely notice a big difference in your energy and performance on the training floor.

If you train first thing in the morning, training fasted tends to be easier assuming you enjoyed a hearty meal the night before (as you can tap into that fuel); however, you may still find that getting a little something down makes you feel better. Since we don’t expect you to get up at the ass crack of dawn to prepare yourself a meal, this is where liquid calories can be very convenient, as you’ll benefit from having some fuel to power you through your workout without feeling heavy or full.

SFH Fuel is our favorite pre-workout protein powder, and coconut flavor tastes amazing mixed up with cold brew or iced coffee!

Pre-workout meal timing:
We recommend a 1-3 hour eating window prior to your workout. Depending on when your meal falls within that window, the contents of that meal will need to look different – which we will cover in the next section!

If you tend train more than 3 hours after your last meal, try incorporating a small snack closer to your training session and see how the impacts your workout.

Pre-workout meal macro components:
As mentioned above, the timing of your pre-workout meal can help dictate the contents of the meal. For example, you may not feel so hot if you’re eating a fat-dense pre-workout snack an hour before you train. Why? Fats are slower digesting, so you’ll feel it sitting in your stomach and “weighing you down” during your training session. Similarly, if you’re taking down quick digesting carbs without fats to complement them three hours prior to your workout, then may feel too hungry and/or tired during your workout since your body digested those nutrients so quickly several hours ago.

 *Serving sizes are dependent on the individual, but generally speaking, the further away from your workout, the larger the meal!