Preworkout meal timing

[bigdavid]

How do you all time your preworkout meal? I want to maximize my energy from the meal but also do not want to feel full and sluggish at the gym with a full stomach. I have been eating a meal of brown rice and chicken about 90 mins pre gym and a preworkout powder 30 mins pre gym. I am not sure if this is the best approach any opinions?

 

[BigKrabbe]

Do you feel full off of your brown rice and chicken? When I am not on a cut, I like eating a cup of oatmeal or cup of brown rice 90ish minutes before my training session.
Then I drink a shake 45 minutes out, preworkout 15-30 minutes out. Play around with your timing to see what best suits you though! You wont know until you try a variety of methods.

 

[bigdavid]

Do you feel full off of your brown rice and chicken? When I am not on a cut, I like eating a cup of oatmeal or cup of brown rice 90ish minutes before my training session.
Then I drink a shake 45 minutes out, preworkout 15-30 minutes out. Play around with your timing to see what best suits you though! You wont know until you try a variety of methods.

hmm do you feel that your preworkout is absorbed well since you had the shake ~20 minutes prior?

 

[BigKrabbe]

Absolutely, considering my warmup usually takes 20-30 minutes before I start my actual workout.

 

[aceroni]

Honestly dude I usually eat whole foods a little over 1 hr before i get to the gym.. My fav preworkout meal is about 40-50g sweet potato, a big fat bananna, and 7-8oz chick breast...
Like i said i'll usually eat that, wait about an hour, mix a preworkout, and drink it otw to the gym (5-10min max drive).. Then once I've completed one exercise I'll usually start sippin 40-50g dextrose and 40-50g whey isolate

 

[rhoadx]

try switching up your carb source, i used to eat oatmeal 1.5 hours preworkout until i noticed it was making me feel sluggish. use a slightly faster digesting carb and a faster protein source such as talapia and white rice

 

[mich29]

I'll eat a pb and jelly bout 10 15 mins before hitting the gym

 

[StackedCop]

I workout out in first thing in the morning. I have a protein shake, greek yogurt, some egg whites, fruit and a cup or 2 of brown or white rice.

 

[bigdavid]

Interesting to see how everyone does it differently. stakedcop: how do you workout in the mornings.. I am so dead I am an afternoon lifter for sure. I guess I am a night owl though so it makes sense. I guess it works better for you since I'm assuming you lift before work?

 

[StackedCop]

Interesting to see how everyone does it differently. stakedcop: how do you workout in the mornings.. I am so dead I am an afternoon lifter for sure. I guess I am a night owl though so it makes sense. I guess it works better for you since I'm assuming you lift before work?

Stims lol

 

[ssbackwards]

when on a bulk i assume you wanna stay somewhat lean,

best way to do this is to workout 2.5-3hrs AFTER your meal, so by that time leptin levels are good, energy is good, your burning up some fat, and your ghrelin levels will be optimal, therefore when its time for post workout meal, you can splurge,

if bulking id only eat 3-4x a day including post workout.

 

[R1balla]

i like to eat my meal about 1 - 2 hours before I begin my actual workout (warmup not included). This gives my body time to digest it a bit so I get the max effects of my Pre Workout and BCAAs

 

[Cantell]

I eat 1.5 hours PRE: Oats, Whey, and PB! 600 cals, 50 carbs, 50 protein, 20 fat.

 

[czo46]

Il eat a huge meal about 1 hour before i get to the gym and then drink my pre workout as I am stretching so that it will give me an extra boost 20 min into my lift. eating at that time alowes me to have 3 hours before my post workout meal

 

[Tboz]

Im up usually around 10am eat arond 11 pack and a half oatmeal and 35g protein shake. workout at Noon

 

[Docmattic]

When im not cutting i put 1.5 scoops of whey, 2 tablespoon of honey and a tablespoon of natural penut butter in a shake (water or milk). It works well for me especially if im short on time. Im cutting now and was very low on time today so i did just the whey and penut butter in water.

 

[GoHardOrGoHme]

The way im doing it for now is:

2 glycobol then 15 minutes later:
1-1.5 cups oats
1-1.5 cups milk
1-1.5 scoops intrapro

This is 1.5-2 hours before my lift. My pre-workout is either 15-30 minutes pre-workout or right before I start stretching out.

 

[criticalbench]

I do 2 scoops of protein, with a package of lipton soup with extra noodles (60ish grams of carbs) with na-rala and hemavol 1 hour before. The sodium content in the soup with hemavol swells me up intramuscular and makes me pumped to the extreme. The soup really enhances hemavol imo.

Mike

 

[Budman7811]

this has always been a problem for me. I workout at 530am and i get up around445. Getting a mealin before has been hard. the pb&j sounds good i am just worried about the effectiveness of the pre w/o supp absorbing and getting the most out of it. I have always heard a pre on a empty stomach increases the effectivness

 

[ssbackwards]

this has always been a problem for me. I workout at 530am and i get up around445. Getting a mealin before has been hard. the pb&j sounds good i am just worried about the effectiveness of the pre w/o supp absorbing and getting the most out of it. I have always heard a pre on a empty stomach increases the effectivness

so workout fasted and eat after

 

[aceroni]

@ critical bench, I NEVER thought about a sodium load before training.. Sounds like a pretty good idea though (assuming you're "dieting" or eating clean the rest of the time)
Ive heard of sodium loading the day before, but never the meal before..
Good stuff.

 

[StackedCop]

I do 2 scoops of protein, with a package of lipton soup with extra noodles (60ish grams of carbs) with na-rala and hemavol 1 hour before. The sodium content in the soup with hemavol swells me up intramuscular and makes me pumped to the extreme. The soup really enhances hemavol imo.

Mike

How much na r ala do you use pre workout?

 

[AustrianOakJr]

The sodium content in the soup with hemavol swells me up intramuscular and makes me pumped to the extreme. The soup really enhances hemavol imo.

Mike

Its amazing to me how many people cut their sodium out before they compete as if they are competing on another planet where their reaction to sodium is somehow different. Without sodium you are flat and unable to pump.

 

[Budman7811]

Most of the time i do I just get a little light headed sometimes.....

 

[aceroni]

@ Aus oak.. As far as competing goes, i cut my sodium m-thurs then bring it in friday and saturday witha pizza junk load the night before.. Works like a charm for me.

 

[AustrianOakJr]

@ Aus oak.. As far as competing goes, i cut my sodium m-thurs then bring it in friday and saturday witha pizza junk load the night before.. Works like a charm for me.

IMOP, its probably the junk load that is doing much more for your look than the sodium manipulation. But I also spike sodium prior to the stage.....I just dont ever deplete prior.

 

[aceroni]

Oh yeah dude for sure the junk load is doing more.. I just figured the sodium manipulation helps with the water

 

[schizm]

this has always been a problem for me. I workout at 530am and i get up around445. Getting a mealin before has been hard. the pb&j sounds good i am just worried about the effectiveness of the pre w/o supp absorbing and getting the most out of it. I have always heard a pre on a empty stomach increases the effectivness

Totally know where you're coming from...I workout same time as you...and also didn't want food to hinder any of the energy/focus of the PreWO...for several years...then about a year ago started mega dosing BCAA's pre/intra, made some progress...the last 6 weeks or so have been experimenting by eating an apple & cottage cheese (sometimes also whey) at 5am, downing a preWO at 5:15ish, gym at 5:40 & using about 10-15g bcaa's intra...better energy, better workouts by far & making progress at a faster clip...wish I had tried this years ago...

 

[Budman7811]

Totally know where you're coming from...I workout same time as you...and also didn't want food to hinder any of the energy/focus of the PreWO...for several years...then about a year ago started mega dosing BCAA's pre/intra, made some progress...the last 6 weeks or so have been experimenting by eating an apple & cottage cheese (sometimes also whey) at 5am, downing a preWO at 5:15ish, gym at 5:40 & using about 10-15g bcaa's intra...better energy, better workouts by far & making progress at a faster clip...wish I had tried this years ago...

Now that sound interesting.... I have an intra right now that has waxy maize which is not such a good feeling about 45min into... I bet with that little bit of food that would help.... I will try this tomorrow... AND WILL BUST OUT SOME REPS IF IT WORKS!

 

[aceroni]

Yo guys you could try just taking your preworkout then sipping dextrose powder and whey during your workouts??
Although sometimes (like legday) the **** will make me nauseous, but id rather be nauseous than catabolic!!

 

[StackedCop]

Yo guys you could try just taking your preworkout then sipping dextrose powder and whey during your workouts??
Although sometimes (like legday) the **** will make me nauseous, but id rather be nauseous than catabolic!!

Why not BCAAs?? I always drink bcaa and carbs during my w/o

 

[Jack21]

I am taking this diet as a pre workout meal.
carbohydrate meal bread, potatoes, brown rice, pasta, couscous,fresh and dried fruit.

 

[Budman7811]

Yo guys you could try just taking your preworkout then sipping dextrose powder and whey during your workouts??
Although sometimes (like legday) the **** will make me nauseous, but id rather be nauseous than catabolic!!

iget that nauseous feeling with my preworkout and my intra. I am trying to find another preworkout right now that combines with infinite force. Infinite force has proteins, glutamine, waxy maize few carbs...not sure about the dextrose. It keeps me going good until the 45th min when i feel like death... i just stop drinkingthe intra and move over to the water fountain. One of the "much older" guys/extrainer tells me that just water would do me good and that junk I drink before and after is not needed...'all you need is a gut health supplement, protein powder and eat well'. i dunno ... i just do what i can!

 

[Fuzexd]

I'd suggest eating a meal 1-2 hours before hitting the gym and a piece of fruit right before and after.

 

[Budman7811]

I figured the nauscious feeling was the preworkout and the intra... I tried another new preworkout and everything was great! Hopefully tomorrow I will have the same experience. I still think I should be seeing more gains if I eat before working out, unfortunatly I am not getting up 1.5 or more hours before I workout ... 530 am workouts are early enough!
I need to maybe .... if I wake up in the middle of the night drink a shake with ample grams of protein