For individuals aiming to improve strength, a pre-workout meal for muscle gain is usually not at the top of the list. However, the best pre-workout meals are crucial for everyone who exercises consistently, regardless of whether they are elite athletes. Eating before working out is necessary if your fitness objective is to grow muscle.
But the best pre-workout meal for muscle gain won’t be done before an exercise session. Furthermore, certain foods might significantly impair your performance regardless of the kind of exercise you have scheduled. What is the potential for muscle gain with a carefully planned pre-workout meal? When should you have this dinner, and what should it include? Let’s examine this.
How long should you eat a meal before working out?
Professional sports nutritionists and top nutritionists in India say that you should eat dinner three to four hours before a hard workout. This time frame makes sense since preparing a feast takes three to four hours. The fuel is no longer easily usable if you wait more than four hours to work out after this meal. You guessed it—catabolism is then much more likely.
A complete pre-workout meal less than three hours before activity puts you at risk for a partially digested food-producing upset stomach, which can be uncomfortable and significantly impair performance.
What to Eat to Gain Muscle Before Working Out?
The following are the best pre-workout meals for muscle gain :
- Heavy in carbohydrates
- Protein content is modest (15–25 grams).
- Low in fat
How much and when you eat depends on your body weight, level of activity, and time of day. If you work out more than four hours after dinner but before the feast, you may need a larger snack or a smaller meal 30 minutes to two hours before working out. In this case, the main attraction of the feast should be carbohydrates, with a small amount of protein.
When preparing your dinner, keep in mind the supporting points.
How Many Carbs Are in Your Pre-Workout Meal?
Sugars should be the majority of a pre-practice feast because the body uses them as fuel for exercise. Should you wish to concentrate on a specific macronutrient throughout your pre-practice meal, it should be sugars.
A person should regularly consume 1.8–3.6 grams of starch for every pound of body weight. Therefore, a 140-pound woman should not withhold anything from her daily intake of 504 grams of sugar. If, in the unlikely event that you want to gain muscle:
- Point at the higher aim.
- Stick to the lower end of this run and divide your carbs equally between your three main meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner).
- If you want to remain lean, allocate 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrates daily for your pre-workout meal, regardless of how you divide them.
Protein in Your Meal Before Exercise
Protein counting helps you feel fuller and strengthens your muscles at the same time. As a result, you will not experience hunger while exercising. Protein for your pre-workout feast should contain between 15 and 25 grams. If losing weight is your primary goal, you should consume more protein than building muscle. Your specific protein needs will depend on your weight and muscle mass. Once more, this protein consumption aims to prevent the breakdown of your muscles during a calorie deficit. To maintain muscle mass, a simple guideline is to eat one gram of protein for every pound of body weight.
Why is it necessary to eat to gain muscle before working out?
Your body uses most of its carbohydrate reserves for energy during sleep, so if you skip meals before going out, your body can begin metabolizing muscle to make energy. When you don’t consume enough protein or calories throughout the day, your body lacks enough fuel, leading to muscle breakdown. Simply missing a meal reduces the amount of muscle in your body, negating all the hard work you’ve put into your workout and healthy diet.
However, a balanced breakfast before working out stops these losses from occurring in your muscle mass bank. Otherwise, the improvements you achieve throughout exercise will only help you become more balanced rather than just restoring it after fasting workouts cause an overdraft.
Pre-workout meals can aid in your muscle-building objectives by increasing the effectiveness of your efforts in the kitchen and at the gym. Going without food right before an exercise session is like going two steps ahead and one step back.
The Bottom Line
In summary, recent workouts are essential for the development of muscle. It makes a difference when considered as a whole: you work out to the fullest extent possible, fend off hunger pangs, and prevent the inevitable catabolism that results from intense exercise. Remember to make plans in advance and eat a modified meal rich in nutrients. Therefore, if you’re looking for the best pre-workout meal at home, consider the meal just discussed.
