What should you eat before you train?
Most people underestimate how much their pre-workout meal is affecting their performance. Here's how to get it right.
Your pre-workout meal has one job: give your body the fuel it needs to perform. That means easily digestible, strategically chosen foods that support energy, muscle output, and recovery — without causing cramping, bloating, or fatigue mid-session.
Train fed, not fasted.
Training in a fasted state is not optimal for performance or muscle retention. You're doing yourself a huge disadvantage, under performing, risking injuries, and not reaching anywhere near the capability of your strength which directly affects your body composition. Training fasted is sadly very common, I'd estimate one in 3 people who come to me for coaching were training fasted. Your body needs readily available fuel to train hard, and without it you're compromising both your output and your results. Research consistently shows that pre-exercise carbohydrate intake improves strength, endurance, and overall training quality.
The Macronutrient Breakdown
The composition of your pre-workout meal should be:
High carbohydrates — the body's preferred fuel source, providing the energy your muscles need to perform
Moderate protein — essential for muscle strength, growth, and recovery, but not an efficient source of immediate fuel
Low fat and low fibre — both slow gastric emptying and can cause significant digestive discomfort during training
Good carbohydrate choices: white rice, oats, potatoes, banana
Good protein choices: chicken breast, lean steak, white fish, protein powder
What to avoid pre-training: oils, butter, nuts, avocado, salmon, ribeye — anything high in fat or fibre that will sit in your gut while you're trying to train
Timing Matters
When you train determines how you should structure your pre-workout nutrition.
If you train early in the morning, you'll need a larger carbohydrate intake before your session compared to training later in the day, when your body can draw on carbs consumed across earlier meals. Some people do well with a substantial meal — half a chicken breast and two cups of white rice. Others prefer something smaller and faster — a scoop of protein powder and half a banana. Neither is wrong; it depends on your digestion, your training intensity, and what you've eaten throughout the day.
For demanding strength sessions — particularly those taken close to failure — front-loading a significant portion of your daily carbohydrates pre-workout will directly support your performance and recovery. This is especially important if your goal is body recomposition, where training quality is directly tied to results.
Don't Overlook Hydration and Sodium
Water and sodium are both essential for muscle contraction and performance, and they're often under-prioritised. Depending on your body weight, training intensity, and frequency, aim for 2–3 litres of water per day and somewhere between half a teaspoon and 3 teaspoons of good quality salt. Your pre-workout meal is a practical time to include some sodium if your daily intake tends to be low. An electrolyte powder or a small amount of salt in your water during training can significantly improve performance and prevent cramping.
Getting this balance right may take some experimentation — pay attention to how you feel and how you perform in the gym after different approaches.
The Bottom Line
Pre-workout nutrition isn't complicated, but it does require some individualisation. Consider your daily carbohydrate targets, your training schedule, your digestion, and how your body responds. Experiment, observe, and adjust. What works well for someone else may not be what works best for you — and that's exactly the kind of thing a coach is useful for.
If you want detailed guidance on your macros throughout the day, including optimal pre-workout timing and composition, let's work together. I'll build a nutrition plan that maximizes your training performance and gets you results.
About the Author
Amy Thompson is an ISSN Certified Sports Nutritionist and Recomp Certified Coach with 14+ years of coaching experience. She's competed at the national level in powerlifting and bodybuilding, mentored by leading body recomposition coaches. She brings science-backed, efficient methods to help thousands of clients build muscle, lose fat, and transform their bodies. She specialises in creating sustainable, individualised approaches that work with your life, not against it.
References
Kerksick CM, Arent S, Schoenfeld BJ, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: nutrient timing. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2017;14(1):33. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5596471/
Ivy JL, Katz AL, Cutler CL, Sherman WM, Coyle EF. Muscle glycogen synthesis after exercise: effect of time of carbohydrate ingestion. Journal of Applied Physiology. 1988;64(4):1480–1485. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3132449/
Schoenfeld BJ, Aragon AA, Wilborn CD, Krieger JW, Sonmez GT. Body composition changes associated with fasted versus non-fasted aerobic exercise. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2014;11(1):54. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4242477/
de Oliveira EP, Burini RC, Jeukendrup A. Gastrointestinal complaints during exercise: prevalence, etiology, and nutritional recommendations. Sports Medicine. 2014;44(Suppl 1):S79–85. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4008808/