Simplified: What To Eat Pre & Post Workout

One of the questions I get asked most as a personal trainer is:

“Should I eat something before I work out?”

-Or-

“What am I supposed to eat before and after exercise?”

While the answer to the first question is quick and simple – it’s typically best to have something in you to give you some fuel for a workout, how we answer the second question can actually vary on your goals and timing of your workout!

The majority of those who go on some sort of fitness journey could benefit from some nutritional guidance. You can have the best workout regimen in the world and the nutrition part can still be so mind-boggling! The fact that nutrition is arguably the most important part of getting in shape (whether that’s gaining weight, losing weight, or maintaining) has the potential to overwhelm people, keeping them from succeeding. That’s why I’ve teamed up with my good friend and Registered Dietitian, Amanda Yanvary, to bring you some very simple meal options based on your goals!

Be sure to check out Amanda’s blog at runningonnutrients.com!

Got some time before you hit the gym?

Pre Workout Meal

3-4 hours before workout

Breakfast Idea
- 2-4 slices of toast
- 2-4 eggs
- ½ cup cut strawberries
- Don’t forget a nice, tall glass of H2O!

“But what type of toast should I be eating??”

SIMPLIFY, SIMPLIFY, SIMPLIFY! These little details are the things that hold people back unnecessarily. Don’t worry too much about what type of bread you “should” be eating right now, focus more on the nutritional content and what you like. Tweak later. If you’re eating a high-cal bread, maybe just do the 2 slices instead of 4. This is just how we make mindful decisions. Complex carbs will hold you over much longer than simple carbs will. Keep that in mind.

Short on time before your workout?

Pre Workout Snacks

1-2 hours before workout

Banana & Natural Peanut Butter

RX Bar
- 1 hour before workout eat ½
- 2 hours before eat whole thing
- These are great because they are made from very few ingredients! My favorite is the mint chocolate. 😉

Applesauce & a Hard Boiled Egg

Fruit Cup & Mozzarella Cheese stick
- Make sure your choose a fruit cup that’s NOT in syrup

Planning to have a snack on hand for after your workout?

30 minutes post workout

*We want 20-40 grams of protein here.*

Try these Protein Shakes!

Lean Option
- Water OR mixture of ½ juice – ½ water
- 1 cup of fruit
- 1 scoop protein powder

Weight Gain Option
- Whole Milk or Full Juice (meaning not diluted like the above example)
- Natural Peanut Butter
- 1 cup of fruit
- 1 scoop protein powder

There are endless brands and types of protein powders on the market. There’s whey, whey isolate (ISO), vegan, casein, and heck, I have even seen one brand come out with an egg white protein blend! What kind you choose is totally dependent on your needs and lifestyle. Lactose intolerant? ISO, vegan, or that nifty egg white formula will be your friend over the whey. Standard whey absorbs quicker than casein, its slow absorbing sister, which people will take towards the end of their day to aid in recovery during sleep. While price, taste, type, etc. are all factors when it comes to deciding which protein is right for you, here are a few factors you should also keep in mind:

Protein Powders can range from 80 calories all the way up to 750 calories PER scoop. The average is around 150-190 calories. Choose accordingly.
Check the sugar content of your protein powder. A lean protein will have around 0-4 grams of sugar/scoop.
A lean protein will also have either 0-3ish grams of fat, and around 5 carbs or less. The goal with a lean protein is to be as close to containing just the macro protein as possible.
Try not to buy anything with less than 20g of protein per serving.

Planning a meal sometime after your workout?

Here is a simple breakdown of how you can use your plate as a guideline for portion sizes, that is, if you’re using a normal sized plate.

Weight Gain Post Workout Meal
- ½ plate complex carbs
  - ½ cup pasta, 1-2 slices french bread (can really be any bread, but french is yummy with pasta)
- ¼ plate veggies
  - Steamed broccoli is a good one!
- ¼ plate protein (it can be a large ¼ plate)
  - Turkey meatballs

Maintenance Post Workout Meal
- ⅓ plate complex carbs
- ⅓ plate veg
- ⅓ plate protein

Lean/Weight Loss Post Workout Meal
- ½ plate veg
- ¼ plate protein
- ¼ plate complex carbs

Post Workout “Frosty” Recipes

Standard “Frosty” Option

1 cup skim milk
1 scoop vanilla/chocolate protein powder
1 cup ice

Blend & Enjoy!

PB Chocolate Weight Gain “Frosty“

1 cup milk (whole or 2%)
1 scoop choc protein powder
2 TB peanut butter
1 cup icea
Add a banana if you want!

Blend & Enjoy!

ADDITIONAL NUTRITION NOTES FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION:

For a leaner alternative, you can opt for powdered peanut butter. Powdered PB often has higher protein, less sugar, less fat, & wayyy less cals. Just add water and you can control the consistency and supplement this ingredient in many recipes.

You can also easily substitute your lactose/milk needs. Please note, milk alternatives will not have the same protein content as animal based milk.

V8 may be the best bet for juice sources. Consuming juice post workout is alright because we can use the sugars to replenish our glycogen stores. Someone who is not active doesn’t really need this and shouldn’t be consuming loads of juices.

A huge thanks to Amanda for collaborating on this project with me! She understands just how important it is to me that health & fitness professionals make sure quality information is being presented to those who search for it. Science is always changing and information is constantly being cycled through the interwebs, but things don’t always have to be as complicated as they seem! Again, make sure to follow along with Amanda at runningonnutrients.com and on IG for all your nutrition needs!