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Should I Eat Before Coming To The Gym?

14 March 2023 Nutrition


A question we often get asked is “Should I eat before I go to the gym?”

There are 2 different goals to consider at when answering this question:

  1. If the goal is to lose body fat

  2. If the goal is training for performance

The answer to the goal of losing body fat will be similar to that of the blog we recently wrote regarding fasted cardio. 

READ MORE ABOUT FASTED CARDIO

Similar to fasted cardio, it will ultimately come down to personal preference

As fasted training doesn’t really have any benefit to your rate of fat-loss.

There has been a large amount of research into this and it’s shown that although fasted cardio increases the amount of fat burned during exercise, this is however compensated for by reduced fat burning during the rest of the day.

In contrast, fed-cardio indeed burns less fat during exercise, however this is compensated by increased fat burning for the rest of the day.

The difference in terms of fat burned between the two is zero.

As always, what actually will influence whether someone loses body fat is the key principles we preach at FACTR:

  • Is the person in an energy deficit? I.e. are they burning more calories than they consume
  • Is that person consuming adequate amounts of protein? (approx 1.6g/kg bodyweight)
  • Is the person doing regular exercise that they enjoy? (especially strength training)
  • The method suits that person’s needs/wants/circumstances

Eating for optimal performance

If your goal is to improve performance, then there may be some benefit to eating before you train as you will ensure you will have readily available energy and you will more likely have fully saturated muscle glycogen stores.

This will be more important if you are training for endurance events, compared with maximal strength, as the reality is if you have had enough food to eat the day before and you’re simply training before breakfast, then you will have sufficient muscle glycogen from the previous day’s food.

However, this again is underpinned by personal preference and your digestive capabilities, meaning that if you’re training at 6am and you are somebody who normally needs a couple of hours to digest food and feel comfortable training then eating beforehand won’t be a viable option.

If you train fasted, this may actually drive better adaptation, then when it’s time to ‘compete’, then look to have food beforehand to make sure you have enough fuel in your system.

Here are some great examples of carbohydrates that will help to fuel maximum performance; 

  • Whole grains eg. cereal, oats, bread
  • Fresh fruits
  • Potatoes
  • Pasta
  • Rice

If you are going to eat before coming to the gym, you are probably about to ask...

When should I eat before the gym?

If you are someone who doesn’t train in the gym, then you may look to ask the question “How long before a workout should I eat?”

Again, the exact timeframe for eating before a workout will differ for everybody depending on their own digestive system and how quickly their body can process food. As a general guideline we would suggest anywhere between 1-2 hours before the gym.

If you are eating less than an hour before training perhaps opt for something lighter and quicker to digest like a cereal bar or a banana.

To conclude, if you’re looking to lose body fat it doesn’t really matter. If you’re looking to increase your performance, then it’s probably better to have something to eat (especially some carbohydrates) before you train. The deciding factor for most people will be their schedule, their digestive capabilities and above all personal preference.

Whichever you choose, if you do it long enough, your body will adapt in time and you will get used to it!