Fueling Your Fitness Journey

Nutrition for Pre & Post Workout

By Coach Jamie

Nutrition plays a pivotal role in supporting your fitness goals. Whether you’re aiming to build muscle, lose weight, or improve overall health, what you eat before and after your workout can significantly influence your performance and recovery. As many of our members are embarking on an 8 week journey through our Summer Shred challenge, it’s brought up a lot of important questions and information that may be incredibly helpful to the large majority of our members regarding the best practices for pre- and post-workout nutrition, how different nutrients support your body, and the optimal timing for eating.

The Importance of Nutrition in Fitness

Your body needs the right fuel to perform at its best during a workout and recover effectively afterward. Just as you wouldn’t drive a car without gas, you wouldn’t want to work out on an empty stomach or with inadequate nutrition. While food can be a delicious part of our day and often a social event, it’s also the fuel you need to run optimally. Proper fueling ensures that you have the energy to power through your workouts, as well as the nutrients necessary to repair muscles and replenish stores of glycogen (your body’s energy reserve).

The nutrients to focus on when planning your meals around exercise are carbohydrates, protein, and fats, AKA macronutrients. Each plays a unique role in preparing your body for exercise and promoting recovery afterward.

Pre-Workout Nutrition: Fueling for Performance

While many like to workout fasted, I always tell clients to experiment with your meal timing. I’m specifically one of those people who can’t workout without a little bit of food in my system. Others often feel a little bit nauseous if they have anything prior to their usual gym session. Your pre-workout nutrition can be critical to ensuring you have the energy to perform at your best. Eating the right foods before exercise can help increase endurance, maximize muscle growth, and improve overall performance. The goal is to provide your body with a combination of macronutrients that will give you sustained energy throughout your workout. So if you’re one of those people who just can’t seem to workout after having a bite to eat, it might be worth looking at the types of food you’re consuming prior to hitting the gym!

 

1. Carbohydrates: Your Primary Fuel Source

Carbs are the body’s primary source of energy during exercise. When you eat carbs, your body converts them into glucose, which is then stored in your muscles and liver as glycogen. During physical activity, your body taps into these glycogen stores to fuel your muscles.

Eating carbs before your workout helps ensure that your glycogen stores are topped off, allowing you to perform at a high intensity without running out of energy. Examples of good pre-workout carbs include:

• Whole grains (brown rice, oats, quinoa)

• Fruits (bananas, apples, berries)

• Vegetables (sweet potatoes, leafy greens)

If I’m hitting the gym first thing in the morning, a banana is usually my go-to food choice. It’s a fast digesting carb that gives me an energy boost without having to prepare anything.

2. Protein: Supporting Muscle Synthesis

While protein isn’t the main fuel source for exercise, it plays a crucial role in muscle repair and growth. Consuming a moderate amount of protein before working out can help prime your muscles for the stress they’ll experience during exercise, and it may also help reduce muscle breakdown.

Good pre-workout protein options include:

• Greek yogurt

• Cottage cheese

• Chicken or turkey

• Plant-based proteins (like tofu, tempeh, and legumes)

I typically have a bit of protein in my morning coffee to hit my macro goals for the day. While many of these options do include dairy, I’m one of the unfortunate souls in the universe who has an intolerance to lactose. I’ll usually sub in a hard boiled egg or two if I’ve done my due diligence and meal prepped!

3. Healthy Fats: Supporting Long-Term Energy

Of any of the macronutrients to omit pre-workout, fats would be the one. Fat is a more slow-burning fuel compared to carbs and not as crucial during high-intensity workouts. Healthy fats can still provide sustained energy for longer or lower-intensity workouts. Including a small amount of healthy fats in your pre-workout meal is a good idea for activities like endurance training, where energy demands are more prolonged.

Examples of healthy fats to incorporate into a pre-workout meal include:

• Avocados

• Nuts and seeds

• Olive oil

• Nut butter (e.g., almond or peanut butter)

 

4. Timing Your Pre-Workout Meal

To give your body enough time to digest and convert the food into usable energy, aim to eat your pre-workout meal about 1.5 to 3 hours before you begin exercising. If you’re pressed for time, a smaller snack 30 minutes to an hour before working out can still be beneficial.

Examples of Pre-Workout Meals:

• A whole grain toast with eggs and/or a banana or other fruit (about 1–2 hours before)

• A smoothie with berries, protein powder, and a handful of spinach (about 30–60 minutes before)

One major thing to consider would be to avoid too much fiber in order to avoid any digestive discomfort while you’re powering through your workout. Nutrition can be very personal for each individual and there is not one right way to fuel yourself. These are just some suggestions and recommendations but it’s always worth experimenting. Figure out what foods work best for you and your body and find what makes you run most optimally.

Post-Workout Nutrition: Maximizing Recovery

After your workout, your body enters a recovery phase where muscle repair, glycogen replenishment, and the rebuilding of tissues take place. What you eat after your workout is critical to help replenish nutrients, support muscle recovery, and reduce fatigue.

1. Carbohydrates: Replenishing Glycogen

During exercise, particularly high-intensity or endurance workouts, your muscles’ glycogen stores are depleted. Consuming carbs post-workout is essential to replenish these stores and ensure you’re ready for your next workout.

Good post-workout carb sources include:

• Rice
• Whole Grains
• Sweet potatoes
• Fruit

Depending on the time of day, I love making a big post-workout egg scramble that’s heavy on sweet potatoes. (Honestly, eggs are one of my favorite foods and I can eat them any time of day!) But I am often on the go and try to keep fruit on hand for a quick replenishment post-workout.

2. Protein: Promoting Muscle Repair

Protein is vital for repairing the muscle fibers that were broken down during your workout. Consuming protein after exercise provides your muscles with the amino acids they need to rebuild and grow stronger. Aim for around 20–30 grams of protein post-workout for optimal muscle recovery.

Some excellent post-workout protein sources include:

• Whey protein (a fast-digesting protein)

• Chicken or turkey (or any lean meat)

• Eggs or egg whites

• Plant-based protein (e.g., lentils, chickpeas, quinoa)
• Greek yogurt or cottage cheese (if you handle dairy well!)

3. Hydration: Replacing Lost Fluids

Exercise increases fluid loss through sweat, which can lead to dehydration if not addressed. Dehydration can impair your recovery and overall performance, so it’s important to rehydrate after a workout.

While water is usually sufficient for most workouts, if you’ve done intense exercise that lasted longer than an hour, consider consuming a beverage with electrolytes to replace sodium and potassium lost through sweat. I always keep Gatorade Zero to-go powder packs in my gym bag just in case!

4. Timing Your Post-Workout Meal

The post-workout “anabolic window,” or the idea that your body can absorb nutrients more effectively within 30 to 60 minutes after exercise, has been debated. However, it’s generally accepted that eating within two hours after your workout is ideal for muscle recovery. Especially living in the tri-state area where we have to take traffic into account, your body won’t immediately shrivel up if you get stuck in rush hour and don’t have something prepared. Don’t stress too much about the exact timing, but aim to eat within a reasonable window of time after finishing your workout.

Examples of Post-Workout Meals:

• A chicken breast with sweet potato or rice, loaded with steamed veggies

• A protein shake with a banana

• Greek yogurt with berries and granola

 

Nutrition before and after a workout is crucial for achieving the best results from your fitness regimen. By carefully selecting nutrient-dense foods that include carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats, you can fuel your body for peak performance and enhance recovery afterward. Always feeling sore and tired? Check your protein intake! Whether you’re training for strength, endurance, or overall health, understanding how to support your body with the right nutrients at the right times can make a world of difference in reaching your goals.

Remember to listen to your body and experiment with different food combinations and timing to see what works best for you. With proper nutrition, you’ll not only improve your workout performance but also enhance your recovery, reduce injury risks, and feel more energized throughout your day.