Below is a list of the 6 best foods to eat before training.
Eating a snack before a workout provides several positive benefits that improve your exercise performance and overall fitness experience. First and foremost, snacking at the right time provides your body with a readily available source of energy. The carbohydrates in your pre-workout snack are especially important because they are your body’s preferred and efficient source of fuel. Consuming carbohydrates before exercise replenishes glycogen stores in the muscles and provides the energy needed for sustained physical exertion.
Secondly, a pre-workout meal contributes to improved concentration and mental clarity during exercise sessions. Nutritious snacks with a balance of carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats can help stabilize blood sugar levels. This blood sugar stabilization prevents energy crashes and helps maintain mental alertness during your workout. A pre-workout snack provides your brain with a steady supply of glucose, which helps you stay focused, make good decisions during routines, and progress through difficult exercises more efficiently.
Additionally, eating a snack before your workout will help preserve and recover your muscles. Including protein in your snacks can help prevent muscle breakdown during exercise, especially if there’s a long time between meals. The protein content supports muscle repair and growth, leaving you in optimal condition for post-workout recovery. Overall, a carefully selected pre-workout snack can act as a fuel store, increase mental strength, support muscle health, and contribute to a more effective and satisfying exercise session.
Taking all this into account, Max Posternak has created a list of the 6 best foods to eat before training. max postnak is the founder of gravity conversionis a website focused on providing tips and training guidance for people who want to improve their fitness and lose weight.his YouTube channel It has over 5 million subscribers.
Check for yourself and consume these foods before hitting the gym hard.
15 common mistakes you make when building muscle
6 best foods to eat before training
Your nutritional choices have a huge impact not only on your physical appearance but also on your overall performance. Choosing the right foods will boost your energy levels, sharpen your mind, and significantly improve your performance at the gym.
There are countless ways to structure your pre-workout meal, but protein and carbohydrate combinations are common, such as chicken and rice, scrambled eggs and Ezekiel bread and vegetables, or oatmeal and protein powder and berries, Posternak says. I prefer to deviate from standard enumeration. Well known proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Instead, he talked about six great foods and drinks that have been recognized for their convincing effects on performance.
First on the list is chili pepper, especially known for the presence of capsaicin, the compound responsible for the intense heat in chili peppers. Surprisingly, research has shown that taking capsaicin before a workout increases your reps per set. In a study in which 10 trained men performed squats, those who took 12 milligrams of capsaicin 45 minutes before training completed more reps than those who took a placebo, Posternak said. do.
sauce: Vitruda Klein / UnsplashPossible explanations include an increase in pain threshold and an effect on calcium release from muscle cells, which benefits the central nervous system. While consuming large amounts of chili peppers may not be practical for some people, supplements like oleoresin chili peppers, which have a high capsaicin content, can be a viable alternative.
move on to next beetroot, emerges as an often overlooked powerhouse. Nitrate-rich beets help produce nitric oxide, which promotes vasodilation and improves blood flow. Consuming beets before a workout not only strengthens your “pump,” but also contributes to improved aerobic endurance, energy output, and muscle recovery between sets.
Although it can be difficult to incorporate enough beetroot into your diet, beetroot juice provides a concentrated solution, and approximately 500 milliliters is the recommended amount for optimal benefits.
casein, this protein source is gaining traction as a notable pre-workout option. Many people lean towards whey protein due to its faster digestion, but casein stands out for its ability to prevent muscle protein breakdown for a longer period of time. In a study comparing the effects of casein and whey on body composition and muscle strength gains, the casein group showed superior results.
Its unique peptide content contributes to improved nitrogen retention and overall anti-catabolic effects, making it an ideal pre-workout protein, especially when combined with options like oatmeal or skim milk.
10 scary things to do before training
oatmeal, despite various studies on pre-workout carbohydrates, particularly highlighting their benefits in calorie-restricted diets. Dieting reduces muscle glycogen stores, so consuming carbohydrates like oatmeal before a workout can help replenish glycogen stores and improve performance.
Oatmeal, which contains a moderate amount of fiber, promotes a slow release of carbohydrates and prevents hypoglycemic symptoms during training. Additionally, oatmeal contains a significant amount of protein, unlike most other carbohydrate sources.
Coffee with L-theanine Utilizing caffeine as the primary stimulant, it offers a simpler alternative to complex pre-workout formulas. Adding L-theanine to coffee enhances the positive effects of caffeine and reduces negative effects such as anxiety and increased blood pressure.
The recommended ratio of caffeine to L-theanine is 1:2, which is the perfect balance for most people. Caffeine is known for its role in suppressing fatigue and increasing concentration, strength, power, and endurance, but should be consumed with caution to avoid tolerance. If you develop a tolerance, you can reset your tolerance level by abstaining from caffeine sources for two weeks.
Last but not least, watermelon It has emerged as a valuable pre-workout option and is considered an excellent source of citrulline. Citrulline, a type of amino acid, argininepromotes nitric oxide production and improves blood flow.
Research suggests that citrulline improves gym performance by increasing blood flow to muscles, helping remove muscle fatigue markers, and reducing lactic acid buildup. Watermelon can be used as an alternative to beets and has similar benefits.
By incorporating these six valuable pre-workout foods into your diet, you can expect to improve your performance and see great results as a result.
For a complete explanation of each of the foods listed above in video format, click below to watch Posternak’s Insights.
How to build muscle twice as fast
15 exercises that reduce fat better than burpees
10 exercises to get in the top 1% of your physique
4 ways to recover from a hard workout
Massage
Massage promotes your own myofascial release. A common way to accomplish this is foam rolling. While this may seem helpful from empirical evidence, research on the actual benefits of foam rolling is still lacking.
That being said, here are three research findings. It is shown positive effect Rolling foam to relieve muscle pain.
Read more: Why a massage gun should be in every athlete’s recovery toolkit
active recovery
Active recovery is a good way to reduce muscle soreness. This includes a cool-down and low-intensity exercise.
This is also an area where research has not progressed, but a handful of the study Researchers found that performing active recovery, whether performed immediately after exercise or within a few days after exercise, reduced muscle soreness compared to not performing it.
The important thing is to perform low-intensity exercise that uses the muscles you’ve trained.
supplement
When it comes to supplements for recovering from training and reducing muscle soreness, research is relatively inconclusive. But he says of his research behind it: omega 3 It’s promising. What about supplements? Improve anabolic signaling This may promote muscle repair and muscle growth.
caffeine before training I think that the also reduce muscle pain.
Slow increase in training intensity
Increasing the intensity of your workout slowly is the best way to avoid muscle soreness and properly recover from your workout.
If you’re a beginner, just finished training, or are starting a new exercise routine, be sure to give yourself a few weeks to get used to the program. Work at a lower volume and intensity than usual to prevent excessive pain.
learn more
Learn how stretching can help your recovery, what are the benefits of cold water, and how to improve your physical health.
