Youโre a fit dude. You skip the bad stuff, always do #legsday, and hit the heavy bag hard. But if you want your body to continue performing like a Lamborghini, then youโve gotta put in the high-octane fuelโthat means eating the right foods before your workouts.
Think about it: A sports car still functions with regular old unleaded gasโbut it wonโt run as optimally or as long. Likewise, โwould you expect to get to your destination if the tank was on empty?โ saysย Jordan Mazur, R.D.,ย coordinator of nutrition and team dietitian for the San Francisco 49ers.
And while fasted cardio has always been a diet trend among people hoping to lose weight, โgoing into your workout fueled and ready to go will maximize the work you do when you train,โ Mazur explains.
For your pre-workout nutrition, you want to focus on foods that are high in carbs, moderate in protein, and low in fat and fiber. โFat and fiber slow down digestion and can cause gastrointestinal upset during your workouts,โ Mazur says. โCarbs are your main fuel source for activity and, just as important, itโs the primary fuel source for your brain. Additionally, the more substantial the meal is, the more time you want to allow for digestion, so itโs not sitting in your stomach.โ
Here are 10 meals and snacks thatโll pave the way for gains, whether you train in the gym or on the road.
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