Nutritional Strategy

Pre workout nutrition depends very much on your relationship with your diet and fitness goals. Pre workout nutrition also depends on your individual goal. The pre workout nutrition of someone who wants to lose weight looks different than someone who wants to gain mass. Exercise requires a large volume of blood to be pumped to your working muscles which means that the blood flow to your stomachs is reduced during a workout, especially during intense workouts. However, our stomach demands energy to digest food which drains the power from the rest of your body. A well planned pre workout nutrition should focus on sustaining energy, increasing performance and supporting the body’s ability to build muscle and burn fat.

Basic guide in achieving a proper pre workout nutrition:

• Eat healthy pre-workout snacks to keep you energized. Don’t overeat or eat complex foods before a workout because you’ll feel heavy.
• Get enough sleep and rest in the night before a workout because it’ll help your body recover quickly or else your mind will give up before your body.
• Take naps if you need it. A 15-minute nap should do the trick to feel rejuvenated. Don’t nap more than 30 minutes because it could make you more tired than before.
• Do a stretching to warm up and activate your blood flow into muscles. Don’t do static stretches as they can decrease your strength and may lead to injuries.
• Take supplements you usually take to reach your goals. But don’t take a supplement that you’ve never tried or never heard it before as it might affect your overall health.
• Keep hydrated by drinking always water to replenish the fluids you may have lost during a workout. Alcohol intake such as beers leads to dehydration which can affect your motor skills and movements.

For most people, the best pre workout nutrition for beginners before starting a workout is arguably coffee. Coffee gives you a significant boost of energy and the best time to drink a morning cup of coffee is ideally, one hour before your workout. This is because while it typically takes 15 to 45 minutes to be absorbed in the body, you will feel the benefits at its peak around 30 to 75 minutes after assumption. Keep in mind that the key to drinking coffee is to have it in moderation. You may experience some side effects if you consume too much, such as an erratic heart rate. It may also destroy your sleep, which can have a negative impact on your body.

What you eat before a workout greatly affects your overall performance. While not eating enough before a workout can make you weak. If you feel like you are working hard, but not making the gains you want, or find that you feel sluggish during your workout, and the quality of your workouts decrease during the week, you may be under fueling your workouts and or not putting the right pre workout nutrition in your body.

Pre Workout Nutrition – Ready for the Routine

Some body builders and fitness buffs tend to over-complicate things, most especially regarding their pre workout nutrition. One of these is the right combination and the proper ingestion of these important nutritional supports for intense workouts.

To prepare for your workout means eating the proper foods hours (1 to 2 hours) before your training to give your body enough time for digestion. It also means taking the supplements that will help you maximize your productivity in training and ensure post-training recovery.

Carbohydrates

This a key ingredient that provides your body that optimal energy needed for performance. Even when you’re on low-carbs, you still provide your body with the fuel for a good workout. An expert says eating fast-digesting carbs is one alternative.

Rice is a fast-digesting carbs source. However, eating it way too long before your training session can make you sluggish. Some prefer sweet potatoes or oats just before a workout (30 to 45 minutes prior to training).  

Timing

Accordingly, the best time to consume complex carbohydrates is 1 to 2 hours before training. This will give the body enough time to digest the food and provide a gradual increase in energy, rather than a sharp surge in energy followed by an equally sharp crash.

By consuming complex carbs pre-workout, you also load up your muscles with glycogen (stored glucose that the muscles use for energy). The more muscle glycogen you have, the more weight you can lift and for longer periods of time.

Should you go for high-fiber choices like oatmeal, eat at least 45-60 minutes before training. High-fiber foods digest slowly and may cause bloating and gas during your workout.

BCAAs

Include in your pre-workout diet your branched-chain amino acids. Supplementation with BCAAs provides immediate fuel source for the muscle tissues since they are absorbed directly into the bloodstream and transported to the muscles immediately.

Experts say ingesting BCAAs before, during, and after a session can help minimize muscle breakdown. They help reduce fatigue and subsequent soreness in the muscles.

Some do it in their cardio sessions. But if you don’t like doing fasted cardio, BCAAs are still great to add to your pre-workout nutrition plan. Leucine, one of the three essential amino acids in BCAA is an essential part of the muscle-building process and can help you build more muscles.

Caffeine

Caffeine is one very popular ingredient in pre-workout supplements. This is found in coffee, tea or other beverages. The work it does is stimulating the brain to increase alertness and be less tired.  It is also very effective at improving several aspects of exercise performance.

It increases the body’s power output, meaning the ability to produce force quickly. This applies to different exercise, including sprinting, weight training and cycling. Studies show that it can improve performance during long duration endurance events like running and cycling and on sports that are traditionally played long like soccer.

Caffeine can produce short-term increases in blood pressure and may increase restlessness, but it does not typically cause an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia).

These are some of the important items needed for your pre workout nutrition before your intensive workouts.

Nutrition before Pumping Up

The fun part about working out is lifting some heavy weights and getting a sweet pump. Because of this, most people either half done their warm-up or wind up skipping it all together. Truly we know the warm-up isn’t sexy, but doing the right way and proper taking pre workout nutrition, it will help you feel better during the workout itself and actually prepare your body for what it needs to do. The reason you should never just hop right into a workout is because you should really prepare both your body itself as well as your nervous system beforehand. A good warm-up only takes about 10-15 minutes and is well worth it. This doesn’t mean foam rolling until you’re more tender than a slab of veal. It should consist of movements that take almost all your joints through their ranges of motion in a somewhat dynamic capacity and should closely emulate the main exercises that you will be doing in the workout itself. This increases your body temperature and gets the tissues ready for the workout.  It also prepares your central nervous system to more efficiently send signals to your muscles so that they fire appropriately for the upcoming task at hand. As for pre workout nutrition, research shows you may boost protein synthesis immediately after your training by consuming a fast-digesting protein to maximize muscle and strength building. Simply put, after a workout your muscles are hungry for nutrients and a fast-digesting high protein or high simple carb meal has been shown to deliver superior muscle-building results. Many athletes choose to consume these nutrients in liquid form (protein shake) because it's easy to prepare and the liquid can be digested more readily than solid foods. Research supports the notion that there's a two-hour "anabolic window" following the heavy resistance training.

Since a whole-food meal basically takes more time for preparation and even digestion, it's not your best choice in terms of an immediate post-workout meal, but it can be consumed an hour after your training. Oatmeal is the workout buddy you never have to nag to exercise. It sticks with you throughout your workout by gradually releasing sugar into your bloodstream. Adding fruit to your pre workout nutrition meals will help increase the fluid content of your pre-workout snack, keeping you hydrated. If you're a lunchtime exerciser, this is the sandwich for you. Tuna is low in calories, but high in protein and carbs. Hummus is a better-for-you spread over mayo or mustard, while also being high in fiber. And last but certainly not least, spinach is a produce powerhouse, handling everything from curbing your appetite to boosting your complexion and lowering blood pressure and inflammation. A warm-up and proper pre workout nutrition intake becomes even more important for those of you that work out first thing in the morning. It takes around 3-4 hours of being awake for our body temperature and hormone levels to reach their normal levels. When you sleep, your spine also decompresses and fluid builds up between your vertebrae, which explains why you might actually be taller in the morning and also why your back might feel a little stiffer first thing in the morning.

Nutrition Is the Key for Successful Training

To get the most out of your intense gym sessions you need to have a well-though-out exercise plan, plenty of sleep and good food. Eating the right kind and amount of food both before and after your gym session is crucial to your success. Eating gluten rich carbs just before your gym rendezvous is only going to bloat you. Well, the right thing to do is to eat a balanced meal about 1-2 hours before your workout session. The meal should include moderately digesting carbohydrates and a good source of protein. Your pre workout nutrition should include low carbs to give you the energy you’ll need, and protein-rich foods to store in reserve. Pre-workout nutrition for a cardio session requires more carbs than protein. Carbs give you the energy to power through an intense workout. Carbs are metabolized into energy very quickly. Your pre workout nutrition should be consumed between 30-60 minutes before hitting the gym. Add protein and fiber to deliver a steadier supply of energy throughout the workout and prevent fatigue resulting from consuming only carbs. Low glycemic index (GI) carbs release sugar into the bloodstream more slowly and tend to contain more essential nutrients like fiber. They are generally optimal to consume 30-60 minutes prior to either a strength training or cardio workout. Carbohydrates are responsible for refueling the muscles by getting stored in the body in the form of glycogen. When the levels of glycogen reduce in the body, we feel fatigued. During workout sessions, stored glycogen is used up by the body to give energy. If carbohydrates are not taken before the workout, the stored glycogen will be completely used up and it will have no backup energy left for the body which ultimately leads to workout energy. The carbohydrates taken before workout must be simple carbohydrates like fruits or fruit juices. A special sports drink can help in such cases.

Most people who are expecting to building muscles then BCAAs becomes very essential for them. For others, proteins post-workout helps in repairing the muscles and tissues which have worn off during an intense workout. Drinking milk is a very good option for post-workout foods. Foods like meat and eggs have BCAA in them which becomes an ideal post workout food. Studies have shown that caffeine helps in improving the endurance during the workout sessions. When it comes to caffeine supplement, the dosage is very important because an overdose of caffeine can make you nauseous and nervous. If you are suffering from caffeine sensitivity, then you can avoid taking this as you might get nausea. Whey protein concentrate and isolate are best to post workout supplement because whey helps in a quick boost in the muscle recovery and it also helps in quick muscle growth. Whey hydrolysate and casein helps in increasing the absorption of amino acids in the body making it an excellent post workout supplement.  Vitamin C supplement is mostly taken to deal with common cold and cough but that’s not all. Vitamin C helps in dealing with the stress which could be a strenuous workout as well. Vitamin C is an antioxidant which helps in dealing with the metabolic stress. Vitamin C helps in strengthening the immune system during an intense workout.

Workout Body Needs

Pre workout nutrition is important in your workout activity and there are supplements that are designed to give you a boost in all areas of your training. In usual cases, it would be sufficient to meet your training goals. However, athletes with a serious training schedule might need a little more than the usual. For bodybuilders and athletes, combining pump and pre-workout supplements is a great way to achieve insane and lasting pumps during and after exercise. While almost all pump and pre-workout supplements work well together, it is always advisable to seek consultation before mixing different supplements to avoid any risks.

Pre workout nutrition supplements typically achieve one of two goals: boost strength and power to muscle through harder and longer workouts or improve mental and physical energy to overcome mental road blocks and improve the mind/muscle connection. Whether you are looking for lean muscle gains, better pumps, and improved power output or you need the cognitive agility and energy to make it through a hard workout, there is a pre workout nutrition that will get the job done. In fact, this is why many people turn to premixed blends as they contain a variety of synergistic supplements to achieve multiple benefits. When using a pre workout nutrition blend, be sure it contains quality ingredients that synergize well together or make your own with proven supplements.

Nutrition needs for your body workout:

Carbohydrates

For short- and high-intensity exercise, your muscle and liver stores of glycogen are your muscles' main source of energy. But for longer exercises, the degree to which carbs are used depends on several factors. These include the intensity, type of training and your overall diet. Your muscles' glycogen stores are limited. As these stores become depleted, your output and intensity diminish.

Protein

Many studies and research have documented the potential of pre-workout protein consumption to improve athletic performance. Consuming protein alone or with carbs prior to exercise has been shown to increase muscle protein synthesis. One study showed a positive anabolic response after the ingestion of 20 grams of whey protein before exercise.

Other benefits of eating protein before exercise include:

• Better anabolic response, or muscle growth
• Improves muscle recovery
• Increases strength and lean body mass
• Increases muscle performance

Fat

Fat becomes the source of fuel for longer and moderate-to-low-intensity exercise. Some studies have investigated the effects of fat intake on athletic performance. However, these studies looked at high-fat diets over a long period of time, rather than prior to exercise.

Your body needs water to function optimally.  Good hydration has been shown to sustain and even enhance performance, while dehydration has been linked to significant decreases in performance. It's recommended to consume both water and sodium before exercise. This will improve fluid balance

Fuelling your body with the right pre workout nutrition prior to exercise will give you the energy and strength you need to perform better. Each macronutrient has a specific role before a workout. However, the ratio in which you need to consume them varies by individual and the type of exercise.

Importance of Pre Workout Nutrition At Your Body

Pre workout nutrition depends very much on your daily activity and workouts. It is important to differentiate between an athlete, like combat sport athletes who often need some kind of specialised nutritional strategy from a nutritionist and “normal” people who exercise regularly and although do take their sports seriously, they don’t need to overdo their pre workout nutrition. Pre workout nutrition also depends on the individual’s goal. The pre workout nutrition of someone who wants to lose weight looks different than someone who wants to gain mass.

Body builders and athlete enthusiasts are always looking for ways to improve their performance and achieve their goals. Good proper nutrition can help your body perform better and recover faster after each workout. Optimal pre workout nutrition intake is prior to exercise and will not only help you maximize your performance but also minimize muscle injury and damage. Pre workout nutrition contains everything you need for your body goals. Assuming that your workout or race starts in the morning, the purpose of your pre-race meal is to top off liver glycogen stores, which your body has expended during your night of sleep. Muscle glycogen, the first fuel recruited when exercise commences, remains intact overnight. If you had a proper recovery meal after your last workout, you’ll have a full load of muscle glycogen on board, which constitutes about 70 percent of your total glycogen stores. If you didn’t re-supply with your pre workout nutrition after your last workout, you’ll only end up hurting yourself by trying.

Eating something nutritious before your workout can have several benefits. It fuels your body with energy, boosts your performance and decreases muscle protein breakdown. Your pre-workout nutrition should depend on your individual goal such as if you’re trying to lose weight, it’s best to eat a small snack or alternatively, train on an empty stomach. Training on an empty stomach, especially in the morning, has the benefit that your body hasn’t any energy in the stores, thus your body will draw on your fat stores as source of energy. Keep in mind, training on an empty stomach can be hard. You have to decide for you based on how weak or hungry you would feel during your workout otherwise.

If you’re just looking to build good aesthetics and looks, keep fit or improve sporting performance on a casual level then total daily calorie intake and macronutrient ratios are of more importance to you that the exact timing and composition of your meals. If a pre-workout meal has been eaten then the importance of the post-workout meal was largely diminished. Researchers go on to explain that unless you are planning on training a second time later in the day and therefore needed to restore glycogen stores more immediately or had not eaten a pre workout nutrition meal, then as long as daily caloric needs were met across the 24-hour day period there is no particular benefit gained from having a post-workout meal.
A good rule of thumb is to eat a mixture of carbs and protein prior to exercise. If you eat fat with your pre workout nutrition meal, then it should be consumed at least a few hours before your workout

Training Your Body

Training hard can deplete your body of vitamins, pre-workout nutrition and other compounds essential for muscle gain and fat loss. Even with the best diet possible, it can be incredibly tough to get all these vital elements – and that’s where supplements come in. One of the most powerful ways to optimize nutrition is proper timing of food intake. Protein and carbohydrates should be taken in 30 minutes to an hour after your workout. If you want to stay healthy and have more energy, this is the plan for you. It's relatively low in carbs and very high in protein, and it emphasizes antioxidant-rich foods to improve the health of your blood vessels while also warding off inflammation two factors that accelerate the rate at which every cell in your body ages.

Fuel your body with multiple small meals and snacks each day to keep your blood-sugar levels under control and your metabolism steady and to stimulate the production of new muscle. Drink water and calorie-free beverages to keep your performance in the gym at its peak. Avoid sugar-laden drinks that will fatten your waistline and sabotage your body's antioxidant defense systems. Give your body a protein infusion every couple of hours to maximize muscle growth while stimulating the release of fat-burning hormones. The best sources include lean beef, chicken, fish, lower-fat dairy foods, and soy. While whole foods should always be your first choice, a quality protein powder can be used in conjunction with your diet to make sure you meet your protein macros each day. Consider adding a whey protein or two between meals, and use slow-digesting casein protein to fuel your gains at night while you sleep.

When constructing a pre workout nutrition supplement program one should first give attention to the careful selection of a multi-vitamin. First and foremost consideration must be given to any potential allergies that you may have. Failure to select the correct multi-vitamin may result in an allergic reaction to the vitamins ingredients. Any other pre-existing medical conditions that one may have should be kept in mind while considering a multi-vitamin. In the case of prostatitis (prostate enlargement that is interfering with the ability to pass urine), a multi-vitamin with a high zinc content (15mg or greater) is best avoided.

Time-release versus non-time release is also something that one should consider. Time-released multi-vitamins are usually more expensive but provide considerable advantage as minerals and vitamins are released at a slower, but more steady rate. This allows for better retention, and an overall better value. There is little sense in spending money on a product, only to rid yourself of the vitamins as your urinate.

If you want to stay healthy and have more energy, planning a pre workout nutrition is the plan for you. It's relatively low in carbs and very high in protein, and it emphasizes antioxidant-rich foods to improve the health of your blood vessels while also warding off inflammation two factors that accelerate the rate at which every cell in your body ages.

Important Rules in Taking Stack Supplements

While it’s true that pre-workout nutrition supplements increase muscle growth and can give you more energy, there are some side-effects you should be aware of. Not all pre-workout nutrition supplements are dangerous per say, but it’s important to know what it is your are taking and exactly what you’re in for. Be vigilant about what you take and always read your labels. By the time our food has been harvested, refined, packaged, transported and left on supermarket shelves, a lot of its original nutrients are lost. Eating the highest quality food can offset this challenge considerably, but it's expensive and not always practical. As a work around, experts recommend that everyone takes a multi vitamin and multi mineral supplement each day to keep their body enriched with essential nutrients.

Many people who use pre workout nutrition supplements to up the ante on their gains don’t just stick to one. They “stack” them up, mixing different products and substances together to create their perfect “super-supplement” combination. Sometimes this combination is right; other times, it can be quite dangerous. Different substances may have an adverse reaction to one another, or they may “double up” with one another and cause dangerous reactions. Stacking two stimulates pre-workout nutrition is extremely dangerous and is never recommended; stacking a stimulant pre-workout nutrition supplement with a non-stimulant pre-workout supplement is less dangerous, but carries its own risks. Consult with a personal trainer who specializes in muscle gains and supplements before taking any pre-workout supplements, and especially before stacking two different products together.

Having said all that, taking pre-workout nutrition supplements or any supplement for that matter is a personal choice. If you decide pre-workout nutrition supplements are right for you, here a important rules to follow.

• Use only the recommended dosage. Never double or triple up because you think it’s not working for you anymore. This is dangerous to your health.
• Use in cycles. It’s easy to take a supplement daily or every time you exercise, but just like with exercise, your body gets used to taking certain pre- workout nutrition supplements. Eventually, these substances won’t yield the same results. Try taking one week off for every week you use it, and be sure to give your body time to re-adjust.
• Keep in mind that if taken regularly, you will become desensitized to caffeine or other supplements. This means you will inevitably require higher and higher doses to feel the effects. This can put a great deal of stress on your adrenal glands and possibly lead to adrenal fatigue.
• Do not mix any pre-workout nutrition supplements with other stimulants like coffee, Redbull or stimulant drugs like amphetamines. Almost all pre-workout supplements already come with a mega-dose of caffeine, or contain other ingredients that are not meant to be mixed with caffeine such as synephrine. Stacking on your own accord is very dangerous, and could mess with your heart and put a strain on your organs.

Any chemicals consumed regularly will undoubtedly have negative effects on the body long term, so be aware, read your labels and make sure you’re being smart about your pre workout nutrition supplements.

Knowing Your Pre-workout Nutrition

Pre-workout nutrition isn’t as crucial as many would have us believe, but it’s not entirely without merit, either. Every day, your body is constantly breaking down and rebuilding muscle proteins. This process is known as “protein turnover,” and when viewed on the whole, breakdown and synthesis rates generally balance each other out. When you exercise, however, things change. That’s one of the reasons you need to eat enough calories and protein every day, why various strategies to accelerate muscle recovery can help, and why pre workout nutrition is a staple in the world of bodybuilding.

The goal of the pre-workout nutrition is simple:

Dial down muscle breakdown and punch up muscle synthesis rates. There’s evidence that combining protein with resistance training can magnify the workout’s effects on protein synthesis rates, I don’t think it’s strong enough to support the claim that pre-workout protein is absolutely vital under all circumstances. Instead, pre-workout protein should be viewed in the context of your diet on the whole.

The research on eating carbs before a workout is clear: it improves performance. Specifically, eating carbs 15 to 60 minutes before working out will help you push harder in your training and may also aid in recovery and muscle growth. There are a couple physiological mechanisms in play here.

First and foremost, eating carbs before training providing your body with an abundance of glucose (blood sugar) to burn for immediate energy, and this helps you in three major ways.

1. The more glucose that’s available for your muscles to burn, the better you’re going to do in your workouts and especially if they’re longer.

2. Elevating blood glucose levels helps preserve the glycogen stored in your muscles. Glycogen is a type of carbohydrate stored in the body, and it’s the primary source of fuel for resistance training workouts. Thus, the further you dip into your body’s glycogen stores, the more likely you are to experience a drop in workout performance.

3. Research also suggests that maintaining higher levels of muscle glycogen improves cellular signalling related to muscle building.

Many people carry out what’s called fasted cardio in an attempt to burn and lose body fat- but unless you are carrying out this cardio from 6 to 7am you need to fuel your body before each and every workout.

Ultimately you should picture your body like a car- you can’t expect to drive from New York to Alabama with no petrol in the tank. If you’re looking to perform and train at your best, you need to make sure your body has enough fuel to do so! If you fail to provide yourself with the energy and nutrients required during exercise, the chance are you won’t see results as quickly as you should and over a long period of time your likelihood of becoming ill or injured will be increased.

Some guys will have big post and pre-workout nutrition without any appreciation for how those extra calories affect their total calorie intake. These guys then wonder why they are not losing any fat. Whether you are trying to lose fat, or build muscle, having an appreciation for the calorie implications of your pre and post-workout meals can be very helpful for you.

Vegan Pre-Workout Foods for Perfect Pre-Workout Nutrition

Being healthy and physically fit is not just as easy as dreaming, you need to have discipline, self-control and strict health awareness. Of course if you are setting your goal to be healthy and fit you need to eat properly and consume enough nutrients that your body needs. With this said, one of the effective ways is to take pre workout supplements that suits your pre workout nutrition. It is known to be great source of nutrients that increases energy, improves stamina and enhance body strength.

Regardless of the supplement you choose, it’s important to remember that you also need a good health habits and a proper pre-workout nutrition. Beyond knowing the benefits of taking pre-workout supplements, having enough sleep is a part of taking proper pre workout nutrition. It is a nutritious diet and safe exercise habits which are consider as the most important ingredients for workout success. Furthermore, together with enough sleep, vegan pre-workout foods are also one key to observe proper pre workout nutrition. In this article, some vegan pre-workout foods are enumerated; see the benefits you can enjoy.

Coffee

Before pre- workout supplements are introduce to the market to provide athletes, body builders and gym goers a source of energizer, coffee is one of the vegan foods used by previous mans to provide then increase of energy and endurance. Have you noticed, every morning most of us drinks coffee others with black coffee which tastes stronger? This is because coffee contains ingredients that boost our energy and let us feel awake and revitalize. This is a very essential food to include in your pre- workout nutrition.

Whole Grain

Whole Grain is a very nutritious food that is ideal and prefect for your diet and your pre workout nutrition. This vegan food is very worthy for your metabolism as whole grain is known to be effective in promoting good digestion. Whole grain will give you the energy that you need to push through to your workout. Instead of consuming lots of rice you shift your diet through eating whole grain either bread or meal. Eating this has no side effects but instead give you a healthier body and stronger performance during your workout.

Fruit and Nut Butter

Having great pre- workout nutrition while eating nutritious fruits like apple or a banana will provide you with a good emission of energy before your workout; thus you need potassium in which banana is known to be reach in this minerals. Potassium helps prevent muscle cramps and refill the potassium that you lose when you sweat every time you do exercises and workouts. You also need protein for a lasting energy that you need during extreme activities in which you can get by eating nut butter.

Oatmeal

Oatmeal is a vegan food that is known as great source of healthy carbohydrates in which our body essentially needs during doing heavy activities. Consuming oatmeal instead of pack rice will surely benefit your pre workout nutrition. Oatmeal also provides a source of long-lasting energy. Consuming more of this has also no side effects as it is also good for digestion; it has fewer calories and will not make you fat.