Should you eat before a workout? It’s not just about gym workout. It can be about your martial arts training, heavy lifting, or any other physical activity. Everyone has different goals. A bodybuilder wants to get big, a martial artist wants to improve their strength and technique, some want to improve their stamina, some want to Weight Loss vs Fat Loss, some want to become strong men. Is it necessary for each of them to eat before workout? No, it is not, but it might affect their performance. How does it affect their performance? It does not stop them from making progress, but progress might be slower. When you take a pre workout meal or a pre workout snack it serves as fuel for your body.
Carbs and fats are the main sources of fuel for your body. Fat is stored as triglycerides in fat/adipose tissue. Carbohydrates are stored as glycogen in the muscles and liver and are available in the form of blood sugar. When you eat before workout, you will be able to perform better than you did during the previous workout. So what should you eat before workout? Should it be a meal or a snack? This varies from one objective to another. Let us break it down into building muscle, developing strength and stamina, and weight loss. People who want to build muscle need to take a pre-workout meal that consists of carbohydrates and proteins. Proteins are the main ingredients for muscle building, while carbohydrates are necessary for an effective workouts. People who want to develop their strength and stamina, they will require more carbohydrates and fats. The fats consumed should be good fats. For heavy lifters, they should have a pre workout meal and for others a pre workout snack is sufficient. For people whose goal is fat loss, it is tempting to believe that not eating before a workout will result in greater fat loss. There is no solid evidence or research on whether or not pre workout fasting is beneficial. Therefore, I believe that you should consume a limited amount of carbohydrates and do high intensity training.
