Importance of Pre Workout Meals

Anybody who participated in sports programs has heard a coach or trainer spout the importance of the meals before a contest. This varies with coach, region, and even season. But, there is a valuable lesson to be taken from this commonality in sports coaching. The body needs energy to perform at its best. That energy comes form food that is ingested, digested, and processed by the body. Without food in the system this energy will not be available.

Pre Workout Meals

It is important to understand the very basic components of digestion to understand the importance of pre workout meals. Many people assume that since it takes as long as 36 hours for some foods to travel through the entire digestive system, a meal before the workout is not that important. And it is true, some of those coaches mentioned above mistakenly told their athletes that they could skip meals right before a competition and be fine. While it is true that the body takes some time to process foods that are ingested, the process of digestion actually kick starts the body to produce energy and make stored nutrients available.

The body, when a proper diet is followed, has a good reserve of energy and nutrients in reserve. It holds these for those times of starvation, or until the next meal comes to replace them. A skipped meal pre workout leads to a more sluggish start and reduced energy levels throughout the workout. The body will hold those energy stores in reserve, as much as possible, to prevent starvation and nutrient deficiencies. The body is a very efficient machine, and works hard to maintain homeostasis. If the body has a promise of nutrients to back up those being expended then it will more freely make them available. It then uses the incoming nutrients and energy to replace the reserves used.

Pre Workout Meal Nutrition

Fats, some proteins, and fibers are longer digesting nutrients, and require 12 to 24 hours, in most cases, to pass through the digestive system and out in waste. However, carbohydrates, especially simple sugars, and some proteins begin the digestion during chewing. It is further broken down in the stomach and quickly passes into the intestines for absorption into the blood. Simple sugars can be processed in minutes, due to the minimal processing required. Some complex carbohydrates and some incomplete proteins can be processed within the first hour. The processing may continue past that first hour but the energy and individual building blocks may be available fairly quickly.

The longer processing carbohydrates give a sustained energy release, as opposed to the quick release of sugars. This ensures that there are glucose molecules to replace the glycogen used up during an intense workout. Pre workout foods is important for packing the body with necessary nutrients to replace those used during a workout. It is less important for actual energy needs during the workout, except that it signals the brain to release stored energy. The amino acids processed from the ingested protein becomes available for muscle repair immediately following a workout. The fats and more complex carbohydrates provide for long term energy needs after the workout and during the repair and building process.

Skipping a pre workout meal, for any reason, is a formula for disaster. The energy levels during the workout will be reduced and the nutrients needed immediately, and hours after, the workout will not be available. A small carbohydrate and protein meal before a workout is just the ticket for ensuring muscle growth long after.