What should I eat before a workout? What should I eat after a workout? As a CrossFit coach these are common questions I get asked by athletes. What should I eat before a CrossFit workout? What should I eat after a CrossFit workout? Today’s blog post covers the basics of what pre and post-workout nutrition can look like.

The short answer is: It depends. It depends on you! In today’s post I’m going to share some basics on what you should eat before and after a workout.

Pre-Workout Nutrition

The majority of fueling for a workout happens in the 24-36 hours before the workout. Our first priority is to make sure our days are filled with quality, real food and enough food to fuel our lifestyle and workouts.  

Here are basic guidelines for what pre-workout nutrition should look like:

• Eat 1.5 to 2 hours before your workout so your body has time to digest. For some people it’s even 3-4 hours before they workout. 
• Prioritize eating foods made up of mostly carbs and protein. Carbs and protein will fuel you with energy for the workout. 
• Keep fiber and fat levels low. Fat is slower digesting and might leaving you feeling heavy/full longer than you like.  
• Hydrate! Drink your water.

If you’re someone who works out super early in the morning, like a 5 a.m. class, you may not feel ready or wake up in time to eat prior to working out. So yes, you can workout fasted. Or some people like to have a small snack like a handful of cereal, a packet of instant oats, or a slice of  toast. If eating before an early morning workout doesn’t work for you, prioritize eating a solid dinner the night before with a protein and carb source. Once you get home from your workout in the morning eat something within one to two hours.

Pre-workout nutrition will be different for everyone, so you have to experiment and find out what works best for you! Currently I workout mid-morning of mid-afternoon. If I workout mid-morning, I’ll eat breakfast about 2 hours before I go to the gym. To make sure I’m prioritizing protein and carbs, I’ll usually have an omelette with one egg and 4-5 ounces of egg whites with veggies like spinach, diced peppers, and diced onion. For my carb source I’ll have either oats or a bagel on the side with a light spread of peanut butter and or raspberries.

If I workout mid-afternoon what I eat before varies. Sometimes I’ll wait 1.5 to 2 hours after I eat lunch then head to the gym. Or if I need a snack I’ll have either packet oatmeal with some Greek yogurt or protein powder mixed in. Those are just some examples of what I eat before a workout!

Post-Workout Nutrition

Your post-workout meal should happen within 2 hours after your workout and should prioritize protein and carbs. Protein to promote muscle growth and maintenance. Carbs to replenish glycogen stores. This will help with recovery and to refuel your body for the next day. 

Post-workout nutrition could look like: 

-A protein shake of 1 scoop of protein powder in almond milk with a banana on the side or blended in. 

-A well-balanced meal with a solid serving of protein, carbs, and fat. For example a grilled chicken breast, serving of rice, and veggie stir fry cooked with olive oil. 

Post-workout nutrition will look different for everyone. If you did an early morning workout then a protein shake might fit better with your day if you are quickly heading out the door. If you caught an evening class, you might be going home to eat a full dinner and then heading to bed. 

Since I usually workout mid-morning or mid-afternoon, a protein shake is my go-to. Some days I just have protein powder with almond milk. Other days if I go home right after my workout, I’ll blend up frozen bananas, frozen strawberries or mixed berries, protein powder, ice, and almond milk to make a protein shake.

The main thing is to make sure you eat something and to make sure you have a source of protein!

Do you have a favorite pre-workout or post-workout meal or snack? I love getting new meal and snack ideas!