What to Eat Before a Workout? Quick and Easy Pre-Workout Snacks

Did you know that what you eat before training can significantly impact your performance?

Pre-workout meals will essentially serve to:

• Provide you with energy (carbohydrates).

When you engage in strength training, about 80% of the energy you use comes from carbohydrates (1, 2, 3). Therefore, it's essential to include this nutrient in your pre-workout meal.

Carbohydrates are stored in the body as glycogen (in muscles and the liver). During strength training, part of these reserves, especially those in the muscles, are utilized.

Ideally, your glycogen stores should be at least partially full, or at the very least, not completely depleted (as is often the case when training on an empty stomach) when you begin your workout session (2). Otherwise, your performance might suffer, and you could experience greater muscle fatigue.

• Create an Optimal Environment for Muscle Growth (Proteins)

For muscle growth to occur, muscle protein synthesis must exceed muscle protein breakdown. Strength training increases both synthesis and breakdown.

Therefore, it is important that your diet provides sufficient protein, as they also boost muscle protein synthesis.

It's essential to ensure adequate protein intake throughout the day, especially close to your workout.

During training, muscle protein breakdown increases, so you need enough amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) to ensure that synthesis exceeds breakdown (1, 3, 4).

That's why today we're sharing 5 pre-workout ideas that meet these criteria.

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1. Yogurt with Toasted Oatmeal, Almonds and Blueberries

This option is perfect if you have 1.5 to 2 hours before your workout, due to the fat content (mainly from Greek yogurt and almonds).

Now, if you want to reduce the fat content because you have less time until your next workout, you can choose fat-free Greek yogurt or Skyr yogurt.

⌛️ Prep time: 5 minutes

🍽 Number of servings: 1 serving.

🔥Nutritional Information per 1 serving (384 g).

• Calories: 384 kcal
• Protein: 30 g
• Carbohydrate: 34 g
• Fat: 15 g

🍴 Ingredients for 1 serving

• Blueberries - 1 tablespoon - 0.4 oz (10 g) 
• Almonds - 1 tablespoon - 0.5 oz (14 g) 
• Greek Yogurt - 1 cup - 8.5 oz (240 g) - If you are short on time to workout, it would be advisable to choose a non-fat Greek yogurt 
• Oatmeal - 3 tablespoon -1.1 oz  (30 g) 

👨‍🍳 Preparation

1. Place the oats in a non-stick pan and bring to medium heat. Toast for 2-3 minutes and turn off.
2. If you wish, you can add the almonds to the pan to toast them as well.
3. You can sweeten the yogurt with stevia or the sweetener of your choice and add cinnamon and/or vanilla extract to taste.
4. In a bowl place the yogurt and then add the oats along with the almonds and blueberries.

📲 Open the recipe in Fitia here

On the other hand, remember that in the Fitia app, you can find these and thousands of other ideas.

Additionally, with Fitia, you can adjust the quantities of ingredients, add new ones, or remove those you don't like, and the nutritional information will update instantly based on your changes. Download Fitia for free here.

2. Mango Protein Milkshake

This option is ideal if you have very little time before your workout (e.g., 30-60 minutes).

Protein powder is one of the easiest and most absorbable ways to consume protein (containing little to no carbs and fats), and fruits mainly provide carbohydrates (without fats or proteins).

Therefore, this combination will be very easy to digest.

⌛️ Preparation time: 5 minutes

🍽 Number of servings: 1 smoothie.

🔥 Nutritional Information per 1 smoothie (320 g)

• Calories: 278 kcal
• Protein: 26 g
• Carbohydrates: 35 g
• Fat: 4 g

🍴 Ingredients for 1 shake.

• Mango - 1 cup - 6 oz (170 g) - You could replace it with 1 cup of your favorite fruit or whatever you have on hand. Remember that you can modify the recipes in the Fitia app.
• Protein Powder - 1 scoop - 1.1 oz (30 g)  - You can opt for a good whey protein or soy protein.
• Milk - ½ cup - 4.2 oz (120 g) -  Yoy could replace it with a Almond Drink/Coconut drink or just water. We recommend choosing one without added sugars. If you don't like this drink you

👨‍🍳Preparation

1. If you want, you can use frozen or fresh mango.
2. Place all the ingredients in a blender and blitz.
3. If necessary, add a little water.
4. If you wish, you can add the sweetener of your choice. For example: Erythritol, sucralose, xylitol, monk fruit, etc.

📲 Open the recipe in Fitia here

3. Paprika Chicken Wrap

You can enjoy this wrap if you still have a couple of hours before your workout (more or less, depending on how quickly you digest).

If you have more time, you could add a source of healthy fats like avocado or olives.

⌛️ Preparation time: 20 minutes

🍽 Number of servings: 1 wrap

🔥 Nutritional Information per 1 wrap (247 g)

• Calories: 314 kcal
• Protein: 28 g
• Carbohydrates: 27 g
• Fat: 10 g

🍴 Ingredients for 1 wrap.

• Chicken Breast - 2.8 oz (80 g) 
• Tomato - ¼ of unit - 1.1 oz (33 g) 
• Wheat Tortilla - 1 count - 1.4 oz (40 g) - or corn, if you prefer
• Onion - ¼ unit - 1.3 oz (38 g) 
• Red Bell Pepper - ¼ unit - 1.1 oz (30 g) 
• Lettuce - 2 leaf - 0.7 oz (20 g) 
• Paprika -  ½ teaspoon - 0.05 oz (2)
• Oil - ½ tablespoon - 0.2 oz (5 g) (preferably extra virgin olive oil)

👨‍🍳Preparation

1. For this recipe you need cooked chicken.
2. Alternatively, boil the chicken for 12-15 minutes or grill for 4 minutes per side.
3. Wash the lettuce and set aside. Separately, cut the rest of the vegetables into strips.
4. Heat the oil, add the cut vegetables with a pinch of salt and paprika and sauté for a few minutes over medium heat until tender.
5. Mix the vegetables with the chicken.
6. Assemble the wrap with the tortilla, lettuce and the previous mixture.

📲 Open the recipe in Fitia here

4. Cottage Cheese Pancakes

These delicious pancakes are an excellent pre-workout meal because they contain enough proteins, carbohydrates, and some fats.

Enjoy them 1.5 to 3 hours before your workout. They can even serve as a complete breakfast.

⌛️ Preparation time: 10 minutes

🍽 Number of servings: 1 serving.

🔥 Nutritional Information per 1 serving (318 g).

• Calories: 384 kcal
• Protein: 30 g
• Carbohydrate: 38 g
• Fat: 11 g

🍴 Ingredients (for 1 serving).

• Egg whites -  3 units - 4.2 oz  (120 g) 
• Cottage Cheese - 3 tablespoon 3.2 oz (90 g) 
• Oatmeal - 5 tablespoon - 1.8 oz (50 g) 
• Vanilla Extract - 1 teaspoon - 0.2 oz (5 g) 
• Oil - 1 teaspoon - 0.1 oz (3 g)

👨‍🍳Preparation

1. If you don't have oat flour available, simply add rolled oats to a blender and blitz for about 15 seconds until you have a powdery flour.
2. Place the cottage cheese and egg whites in a blender cup and blitz. Then add the oats, vanilla extract and stevia to taste.
3. Blend until creamy.
4. Heat a pan over medium heat, add the oil and spread.
5. Add some of the mixture and cook until both sides are browned.
6. Cook the remaining mixture

📲 Open the recipe in Fitia here.

5. Chopped Egg Sandwich

This is one of the easiest snack ideas that can serve as a pre-workout meal.

Remember that eggs are not only a source of protein but also a source of fats. Therefore, this sandwich is ideal as a pre-workout meal if you have 1.5 to 3 hours before exercising.

⌛️ Preparation time: 10 minutes

🍽 Number of servings: 1 sandwich

🔥 Nutritional Information per 1 sandwich (224 g)

• Calories: 408 kcal
• Protein: 24 g
• Carbohydrates: 36 g
• Fat: 18 g

🍴 Ingredients for 1 sandwich

• Egg - 2 units - 3.9 oz  (110 g)
• Whole Wheat Bread - 2 slices - 2.8 oz (80 g) 
• Lettuce - 2 leaf - 0.7 oz (20 g) 
• Mayonnaise - Low Calorie - 1 tablespoon - 0.5 oz (14 g) 

👨‍🍳Preparation

1. Boil the egg for 7-8 minutes in a small pot. Remove, drain and peel.
2. Chop the egg and mix with the mayonnaise.
3. Place the washed lettuce leaves on one bread slice.
4. Add the chopped egg on top and cover with the other bread.
5. Serve.
    

📲 Open the recipe in Fitia here