Should You Eat Before or After a Workout?

Most of us get excited about prepping for a workout. After all, what feels more empowering than slipping on your best sneakers and filling up your water bottle? But a thought crosses your mind as you head out the door: should you eat before or after a workout?

The short answer is that you should usually do both!

The calories you consume fuel your body during your workout and afterward. Indeed, eating after your workout offers a whole bunch of benefits, too.

Read on to learn everything you need to know about exercise before or after eating. When you’re done, visit your local Gold’s Gym to stock up on all the nutritional supplements you need.

Why Nutrition Timing Matters

When it comes to eating before or after a workout, there is a lot of advice—both good and bad—out there. That’s why an understanding of nutrition timing matters. With this knowledge, you can distinguish between helpful tips and unsubstantiated trends.

First, let’s define “nutrition timing.” If you’ve ever had a post-workout protein shake, you’ve done a bit of nutrition timing.

Quite simply, what you eat—and when—can significantly impact how you feel during and after exercise. You can use this to your advantage every single time you go to the gym.

Your body goes through three phases throughout your workout and recovery period:

• Energy phase: This happens as your muscles release energy during each exercise.Consuming carbohydrates before a workout can give your muscles more energy, which helps you work out harder and for longer.
• Anabolic phase: This is the 45 minutes immediately following your workout when your muscles start the repair process. Consuming protein during the anabolic window can help with muscle growth and recovery.
• Growth phase: This is the time between the end of the anabolic phase and the start of your next workout. The best way to help your body recover during this time is with a good mix of carbohydrates, fruits and veggies, protein, and healthy fats.

So, should you eat before or after a workout? There isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer to this question. It boils down to what kind of exercise you’re doing that day and your goals.

But once you understand the benefits and drawbacks of each option, you’ll have a much easier time deciding which is best for you.

Should I Eat Before or After a Workout?

One of the best things about fitness is that you have full control over your goals, workouts, and results. Every aspect of your regimen is customizable to your specific needs.

The one downside to this? It means there’s no basic answer to the question, “Should you eat before or after a workout?” There justisn’t a universal meal plan or guide that’ll tell you exactly when and what to eat.

Read through the pros and cons below to better understand which is best for you, along with our tips on how to take a balanced approach.

Benefits of Eating Before a Workout

Experts agree that eating before a workout is a great way to “refuel” your energy and get the most out of your workout.

Plus, you can do so without consuming a mountain of food. These days, there are lots of healthy energy-boosting snacks that won’t make you feel lethargic.

According to recent data and studies, here are a few more proven benefits of eating before you hit the gym:

• Across the board, studies show thateating or drinking carbohydrates before your workout can help you push yourself harder and maximize results.
• Eating an entire meal before your workout makes you less likely to feel burnt out or hungry while exercising.
• You’ll have a much easier time maximizing your workout and burning calories. Not eating beforehand is likedriving your car while the gas tank is empty.

Drawbacks of Eating Before a Workout

As you consider whether to exercise before or after eating, you need to be aware of the potential drawbacks. These are pretty minor compared to the benefits of eating beforehand, but they’re still important to know:

• Experts believe that overeating before a workout can have the opposite effect, making you feel sluggish and slow.
• You still have to eat mindfully becauseheavy meals won’t break down fast enough to fuel your muscles.
• Eating fried or greasy foods pre-workout can causegastrointestinal issues during exercise.
• It’s best to eatone to three hours before your workout; otherwise, you can get nauseous.

Benefits of Eating After a Workout

Eating after a workout offers many benefits, just like eating beforehand. According to scientific studies, here are some of the biggest positives:

• When you eat foods rich in healthy fat after exercising, you’re furtherreducing your risk of heart disease.
• Yourbody’s immunity can decrease post-workout, but eating carbs can reinforce your immune system.
• Eating and rehydrating after you hit the gymfurther aids in muscle recovery.
• The food you eat after exercising helps boost tissue and muscle repair while enhancing muscle growth.
• Your body turns consumed carbohydrates into glycogen. Eating post-workouthelps refill these stores, which keeps you feeling alert and in control of your motor functions.

Drawbacks of Eating After a Workout

Of course, there are some downsides to eating after a workout. When you’re aware of these potential issues, it’s easy to make smart choices and, for the most part, avoid any repercussions:

• The temptation to feast after working out is very real, and it can take serious willpower to make healthy choices.
• Exercise has been shown todull hunger signals, which can make it hard to decide on what to eat once you’re done at the gym.
• You need to read through the ingredients—the wrong post-workout meal or snack can undo a lot of the effort you just put in.
• Eating spicy food after you exercise can put you on a fast track toheartburn and digestive issues for the rest of the day.

Exercise Before or After Eating: Balanced Approach

Should you eat before or after a workout? Honestly, the answer is: do both. With a bit of mindfulness regarding your fitness goals, this balanced approach will help youwring every drop out of your exercise routine.

By “balanced approach,” we don’t mean eating the same heavy meal before and after you work out. What we’re talking about is the fact that both have equal importance.

Basically, don’t eat a healthy, energizing pre-workout meal and then devour a fast food combo meal immediately after. And the opposite is true, too— eating a candy bar before your workout and a balanced meal afterward isn’t doing you any favors.

To get the most out of your workouts, try to keep these tips in mind:

• Don’t forget about fluids. In addition to eating pre-and post-workout, studies show that drinking water at the right time helps you stay healthier and safer.
• Since the proteins in your muscles can be damaged by exercise, eating carbs and protein post-workout is a great way to boost recovery.
• If you want a full meal, eat up tothree hours before your workout to reduce the chances of feeling nauseous.
• Before a workout, eat somethingeasy to digest, such as a healthy smoothie or a PB&J sandwich.

Conclusion: Is It Better to Eat Before or After Working Out?

To sum things up, the answer to “Should you eat before or after a workout?” is that you should do both. When you take the time to fuel your body with the right food, you benefit in so many ways. Here’s a quick recap of what you gain from eating before you exercise:

• Pre-workout meals stabilize blood sugar and stave off energy crashes.
• Consuming protein helps prevent muscle breakdown and strain.
• Increased endurance, allowing you to achieve more from each gym visit.
• Improved energy levels during your workout, leading to better performance.

When you eat after you work out, the proven benefits include:

• Balanced hormones, such as insulin, boosting your strength gains.
• Reduced muscle soreness post-workout by eating protein and carbs
• Replenished glycogen stores, preventing exhaustion from daily activities
• Enhanced muscle recovery and growth, enabling consistent exercise

The biggest thing to remember is that this is a personal decision—and the best option depends on your specific goals. If getting shredded is your ultimate wish, you’ll eat differently than you would to maximize strength gains.

But you don’t need to spend another hour Googling “Should you eat before or after a workout?” Head into your local Gold’s Gym to talk with our knowledgeable team members and stock up on all the nutrition you need to achieve your fitness dreams.