Early Workout Meal

[fevan]

I have read a lot on the pre/post work out meal and a lot said to eat 1-2 hours before your workout. Just wondering what people recommend for a work out first thing in the morning. I get up at 5:30 and have a hour to workout before I need to get ready for work. Do you think shakes are the best way or real food before hand and a shake afterwards?

[seK]

I have read a lot on the pre/post work out meal and a lot said to eat 1-2 hours before your workout. Just wondering what people recommend for a work out first thing in the morning. I get up at 5:30 and have a hour to workout before I need to get ready for work. Do you think shakes are the best way or real food before hand and a shake afterwards?

Either wake up earlier or drink a shake while you lift.
Most liquid meals will be diguested faster and in my opinion they won't make you feel as "full".

[Skalami]

i would down some whey protein with water or maybe some sugar free apple juice along with a real apple or banana usually 1hour to 30mins before a workout.

[fevan]

Either wake up earlier or drink a shake while you lift.
Most liquid meals will be diguested faster and in my opinion they won't make you feel as "full".

waking up earlier is not an option, 5:30 is the earliest I can do.

[seK]

I would go with the shake option then myself.

[fevan]

i would down some whey protein with water or maybe some sugar free apple juice along with a real apple or banana usually 1hour to 30mins before a workout.

thanks Skalami, but i don't have an hour or 30 mins to wait, i basically get out of bed and stop in the ktichen before walking to the basement. no time for wasting.

[Joe Black]

In the grand scheme of things I wouldn;t worry about it.

I would make a shake (preferably somthing like Opticen which has a good mix of carbs and protein) and sip it throughout the workout. Or you could use a straight protein powder and drink it with say a banana as you start to lift.

Either way, just start getting something in you right before you train or as you train.

Check out this article - Nutrient Timing - When Science and Marketing Collide - It makes a good case for not sweating too much about these details.

[fevan]

I read that article before or atleast I tried too. Most of his what he is saying is lost on me and I loose him haft way down. I am more comfortable with corporate earnings and tax law. Human bio is all greek to me.

can you give me the punch line?

[Skalami]

youre rolling out of bed and pretty much directly hitting the gym? wow... id think a bit of a wakeup would be good some kinda warmup. But anyways i would still drink some whey protein with milk and maybe half a banana with a lot of water then continue to the basement/gym

[Skivvy9r]

Last time I deployed, the only way I could workout was to get up at 4am and head straight to the gym. If I planned ahead, I'd have coffee ready. Nothing else. When I'm working out, I don't want my body trying to digest a meal at the same time, liquid or otherwise. I'd head to chow straight from the workout. Maybe not optimal, but you do what you gotta do.

[gregory.rox]

I workout in the morning aswell (at 5 am) and I just ordered me some results and nitor.. My question is should I wake up at 4 am to drink the results and take the nitor (maybe even a scoop of nitrean)?

I will do what I have to do but having to work until 7:30 most nights and then still having to do homework and stuff, it kinda sucks.... but school is almost out

[fevan]

thanks for the imput people. i do a lite warm up Skalami before my heavier sets.

i have been trying different combinations the last couple of weeks. empty stomach is not working and i hate drinking while i workout. its a toss up between liquids and solids before hand. i am leaning towards solids, just not too much. then protein and carb after. and i am taking abs out of the morning and doing them in the evening when i haven't just finished a meal.

[Skalami]

you can have really small liquid meals that are decently high in calories (protein and some carbs) that will barely hit you.

But just want to mention this, when i was younger and working in East Hartford (i live in Mass) i would wake up drink coffee and drive to the gym do a quick 45min workout grab a shake and head to work, i made GREAT gains during this time.

[aarenlainey]

My ideal pre workout meal is a protein shake and some fruit. if I was cutting for a contest or way over weight it would be a bit different than if I am bulking. All you need is a good round healthy meal (protien , carbs , healthy fats )to fuel the body for its intense workout. It depends on how much time you put between your workout and your meal.

[joey54]

My suggestion, eat a high quality protein meal before bed. When you wake up eat some pop tarts, and drink gatorade(mix) while you workout. Then get a good Protein/Carb meal after working out, like Opticen and Maximus for example.

[Daniel Roberts]

I read that article before or atleast I tried too. Most of his what he is saying is lost on me and I loose him haft way down. I am more comfortable with corporate earnings and tax law. Human bio is all greek to me.

can you give me the punch line?

Here you go -

you have a set amount of food to eat during the day, and you’ve got to space it out in the way most convenient to you, without worrying about the little things.

How you split your food and when you take it comes a distant second to hitting your daily total. Because you’re human and you have a digestive system, there’ll nearly always be an overlap between what you ate hours ago and what you’re about to eat now. The good news is that our bodies take care of the sophisticated nutrient timing all by themselves.

And for what it's worth I'd go with Joey's suggestions above.