If you are planning a workout session, one thing that you will want to make sure you’re doing is preparing a good pre workout meal. The food that you eat before your workout session is going to dramatically influence the rate of progress you make from that workout and can ensure that you feel your best going into the workout and after it’s finished.

As you plan your pre workout meal however, you need to take into account when you’ll be having it so that you can make sure your body is well fueled.

Let’s go over what you should know.

A Liquid Meal

First, if you are planning a liquid meal, you’ll want to consume this around 20-30 minutes prior to the session. Liquid meals will digest more slowly than a solid food meal will, so they won’t take as much time to hit your blood stream.

If you take them too much longer before the workout than this, you may find that you are running low on fuel partway through the session.

A Solid Meal

Next, if it’s a solid meal that you’re having, you’ll want to choose to have this meal about an hour to two hours prior to the workout. If it’s a very large meal, you may opt for three hours before. As you go about your workout sessions, you’ll best learn your body and how much time it takes solid food to digest before you hit the gym for your workout.

Keep in mind different foods may take longer to digest than others as well, so play around with the food choices you’re making to ensure that you are not setting yourself up for cramps or digestive troubles.

The Nature Of The Workout

Finally, also take into account the nature of the workout as well. If it’s a very easy workout – a light cardio session for instance, you really don’t need to be eating anything before it as your body can easily run off the stored fuel you have on your body.

In that case, feel free to just eat after the workout is done, especially if this is coming first thing in the morning.

If it’s a more intense interval or weight lifting workout however, then adding that pre-workout meal in will be a must.

So there you have the key factors to consider. Make sure that you plan your meal wisely so that it serves you well.