Eating before exercise is very important, as the body needs energy during exercise. Its source is carbohydrates obtained from food. In addition, you need to consume enough protein. This will avoid muscle breakdown and provide them with the necessary amino acids. In addition, you can get nutrients from sports nutrition. The main thing is to correctly calculate the calorie content of food and choose the right products or supplements.

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Should you eat before training?

Many girls working out at home or in the gym to lose weight believe that they need to skip the pre-workout meal. This is explained by the fact that in order to burn fat, you need to create a calorie deficit by spending them during training. Therefore, there is no point in eating before class.

But this logic is not entirely correct. Pre-workout meals provide the following benefits:

• increased energy during exercise due to the intake of fast carbohydrates, which replenish glycogen reserves (the body's energy reserve);
• blocking catabolic processes that occur during training and destroy muscles due to lack of nutrients;
• providing muscles with the necessary amino acids that restore destroyed protein structures, which is important when gaining muscle mass.

That is, food before training is needed so that the athlete has the strength to complete the planned amount of work. In addition, this meal is important for maintaining muscles.

This should be taken care of both by women who want to lose weight and by men during the period of muscle building. After all, the amount of muscle mass directly affects the quality of the body.

But drinking during meals and within 30 minutes after is not recommended. This will flush out stomach acid, which will interfere with normal digestion and absorption of food.

Pre-workout meal rules

To achieve good results from training, regardless of its purpose, you need to follow proper nutrition. Therefore, you cannot eat whatever you want before class. At this time, it is important to provide the body with a quality source of energy and protein.



“Good” fats can be obtained from nuts, flaxseed or olive oils, avocado, trout, tuna, and fish oil. They are sources of vitamins, essential amino acids, help maintain skin elasticity, healthy hair, nails and are responsible for the normal functioning of the cardiovascular system.




But you need to take into account that fats slow down the absorption of proteins. Therefore, their share should be no more than 10–15% of the total calorie intake.

To improve digestion, it is worth supplementing your meals with foods rich in fiber. This will cleanse the gastrointestinal tract and stimulate its motility. Fiber is found in vegetables, lettuce, bran, cereals, and wheat.



Fiber-rich foods

Sports nutrition

In addition, before training you can consume special sports nutrition.

During the drying period, you should drink a serving of whey protein or isolate 30–40 minutes before class. This supplement can be used as a snack when losing weight. BCAA's are also suitable - essential amino acids that should be taken immediately before training.

Ectomorphs - thin people who train to gain muscle mass and have difficulty gaining fat - can drink a mass gainer 30-40 minutes before performing weight-bearing exercises. But this will only be in addition to a full meal of solid food, which should take place earlier.

How long before training should you eat?

As a general rule, you need to eat 60–90 minutes before class. But it is worth considering that this time is approximate and conditional. Specific numbers will be individual for each person.

This will depend on your metabolic rate. Ectomorphs should eat an hour before training, as they digest food quickly. Endomorphs with a slow metabolism can eat within 1.5-2 hours. But it is worth considering that physique does not always accurately indicate the speed of chemical reactions in the body.

Therefore, the optimal time for a pre-workout meal should be determined experimentally. By the beginning of the lesson, the athlete should not feel hungry or full.

You also need to take into account the time of the lesson itself. If this is a morning cardio workout, then to effectively burn fat, you can do it on an empty stomach, and then eat proteins and carbohydrates for breakfast. But in this case there is a high risk of burning muscle mass.

If the workout takes place after lunch, food intake should be carried out according to the rules listed above.

The situation is more complicated with classes in the evenings if the goal is to lose weight. After all, it is important not to consume carbohydrates in the afternoon. However, what is eaten before training will be burned during physical activity. But it is still worth reducing the share of carbohydrates in favor of proteins.

By following these rules, you can significantly increase the effectiveness of your training and quickly achieve the desired result.

And a little about secrets...

The story of one of our readers, Inga Eremina:

I was especially depressed by my weight; at 41, I weighed as much as 3 sumo wrestlers combined, namely 92 kg. How to completely lose excess weight? How to cope with hormonal changes and obesity? But nothing disfigures or makes a person look younger than his figure.

But what can you do to lose weight? Laser liposuction surgery? I found out - no less than 5 thousand dollars. Hardware procedures - LPG massage, cavitation, RF lifting, myostimulation? A little more affordable - the course costs from 80 thousand rubles with a nutritionist consultant. You can, of course, try to run on a treadmill until you go crazy.

And when will you find time for all this? And it's still very expensive. Especially now. That's why I chose a different method for myself...