So what is preworkout and should you be taking it?
Today's fitness industry has slapped the name 'preworkout' onto caffeinated substances or powders that may boost energy and performance. But today, we're talking about old school preworkout: food!
In short, preworkout refers to a supplement, meal or food consumed briefly prior to training. Its main purpose is to provide energy and sustenance for the workout to be performed. This is usually (and optimally) 60-120 minutes before you begin training.
Regardless of your goals, evidence shows that training on an empty stomach can lead to the breakdown of your muscle rather than fat. While training without eating beforehand is praised by many as a method for fat loss - weight training having eaten beforehand ensures two things:
- The opportunity for muscle growth We need fuel from food for intensity and endurance in our training. Without the energy to perform at our best, how can we ensure that we have caused enough damage directly to the muscles that then causes the muscles to grow? And, the more muscle you have, the less body fat you have.
- More fat loss over a 24-hour period While cardio is proven to burn a higher range of fat during the session, weight training effectively burns more fat over time, and after the session.
Our coaches have found that consuming carbohydrates 60-90 minutes before training has improved their performance.
As a take away, our key piece of advice when it comes to pre and post workouts is: Ensuring you are consuming a protein and carbohydrate meal 60-90 minutes prior to and post training will allow for better physical performance along with greater recovery for lean mass muscle gain.
What about preworkout supplements?
Many people have jumped on the supplemental preworkout bandwagon and found it to be very effective.
When purchasing any kind of supplement whether it be health or sport related, do your research! Quality control of supplements has become a huge issue with companies cheapening the ingredients and standards of producing supplements. Sometimes, a single shot of black coffee will do the trick.
Here are some preworkout ideas for your next session:
- Banana and oat 'cookie' (mashed together and microwaved for a few minutes)
- Brown rice cakes, banana and honey
- Lean mince, rice and green vegetables
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