The short answer: eat a normal meal with carbs and some protein 3 to 4 hours before a workout, a smaller carb-based snack 1 to 2 hours before, or something light like a banana about 30 minutes before. Keep fat and fiber low as the start gets closer. For a workout under an hour, eating first is optional. For longer, harder sessions, it tends to help.
This guide covers the hours before you train. What to eat afterward lives in our post workout meal guide, and the two meals work together.
What should you eat before a workout?
Before a workout, eat carbohydrate you digest easily, a moderate amount of protein, and not much fat or fiber, sized to how soon you’ll start. The closer you get to training, the smaller and simpler the food should be. We worked out these options from USDA food data, using the portions shown:
| When | Example | Carbs | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 to 4 hours before: a full meal | Chicken breast (3 oz) with 1 cup white rice | 45g | 31g |
| 3 to 4 hours before | Oatmeal (1 cup cooked), a banana, 1 cup 2% milk | 67g | 15g |
| 3 to 4 hours before | 2 hard-boiled eggs, 2 slices whole-wheat toast, an apple | 52g | 21g |
| 1 to 2 hours before: a smaller snack | Nonfat Greek yogurt (6 oz) with a banana | 33g | 19g |
| 1 to 2 hours before | A plain bagel with 1 tbsp peanut butter | 55g | 14g |
| 1 to 2 hours before | A medium baked potato with 4 oz (1/2 cup) low-fat cottage cheese | 40g | 18g |
| About 30 minutes before: quick carbs | A medium banana | 27g | 1g |
| About 30 minutes before | 2 Medjool dates | 36g | 1g |
| About 30 minutes before | 2 plain rice cakes with 1 tbsp honey | 32g | 2g |
| About 30 minutes before | 1 oz hard pretzels | 23g | 3g |
Brands and portions shift these numbers a little, so treat them as a guide. The eggs-and-toast meal carries about 8g of fiber, which is why it sits in the 3 to 4 hour row. If you’re wondering whether the potato is a good choice, our guide to whether potatoes are healthy walks through it.
How long before a workout should you eat?
Most people do well with a meal 3 to 4 hours before a workout or a snack 1 to 2 hours before. The joint position statement from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and Dietitians of Canada says carbohydrate eaten in the 1 to 4 hours before exercise can keep topping up the body’s stored carbohydrate, especially the liver stores that run down overnight.
For exercise lasting more than 60 minutes, that statement suggests 1 to 4 g of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight in that window. For a 154 lb (70 kg) person, that’s 70g to 280g. The low end suits a snack an hour out and the high end suits a big meal hours ahead. The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) adds that a light snack 30 to 60 minutes before, such as 50g of carbohydrate with 5g to 10g of protein, can leave more fuel available late in an intense session.
Worried a snack right before training will make your blood sugar crash? The ISSN says any such rebound is effectively cancelled out by a proper warm-up.
Should you eat carbs before a workout?
Carbs before a workout make the most difference when the session is long or hard. The ISSN recommends carbohydrate-rich meals or snacks in the hours before higher-intensity exercise lasting more than 90 minutes. For lifting, the picture is weaker: the ISSN notes that pre-exercise carbohydrate may not boost resistance exercise performance when people start with moderately low carbohydrate stores.
Protein before training helps too, though it isn’t magic. In the studies the ISSN reviewed, muscle protein building was similar whether people had protein just before or just after lifting, and no study found that adding protein to a pre-workout carb snack hurt performance. Our guide to a protein shake before or after a workout covers those trials.
For a general fitness routine, your everyday meals do most of the work. The ISSN says people in a general fitness program can usually meet their carbohydrate needs with a normal diet.
Is it OK to work out on an empty stomach?
For a short workout, training on an empty stomach is usually fine, but you may perform better in longer sessions if you eat first. A 2018 meta-analysis of 46 studies found that eating beforehand improved prolonged aerobic performance, but not shorter aerobic sessions.
Fasted exercise did raise the amount of fat released into the blood after the workout, and early lab studies suggest it changes some signals in muscle and fat tissue. The authors say more research is needed to know what those changes mean over time. The ACSM joint statement treats training fasted as one way athletes deliberately train with low carbohydrate, used in some sessions for specific goals. So it’s a choice, with no proven performance advantage for everyday exercise.
If you feel weak or lightheaded training without food, try a small snack from the 30-minute row first. And if you do train fasted, eat soon after: our post workout meal guide explains why.
If you have diabetes: MedlinePlus says exercise can make blood sugar go too low if you take medicines that lower it, and the drop can last up to 12 hours afterward. It advises checking your blood sugar before you exercise and keeping a fast-acting snack nearby. If you use insulin, ask your provider when and what to eat before you train.
What should you eat before a workout in the morning?
Before a morning workout, have something small and easy to digest if you train within an hour of waking, or a fuller breakfast if you have 2 hours or more. The joint statement notes that for early starts, food beforehand helps restore liver carbohydrate after the overnight fast.
- Up to 30 minutes: a banana, 2 dates, or a slice of white toast with honey (about 29g carbs).
- 1 to 2 hours: Greek yogurt and a banana, or a bagel with a little peanut butter.
- 2 hours or more: oatmeal with milk and fruit, or eggs on toast. Our high-protein breakfast ideas give you more.
How much water should you drink before a workout?
Drink about 5 to 10 mL of fluid per kilogram of body weight in the 2 to 4 hours before exercise, the joint statement says. For a 154 lb (70 kg) person, that’s roughly 12 to 24 fl oz (350 to 700 mL). The goal is pale yellow urine, with enough time to use the bathroom before you start. Sodium in your pre-workout food and drinks may help your body hold on to that fluid.
The ACSM’s fluid position stand says to start drinking at least several hours before when you need to top up. Why bother? The ISSN notes that losing 2% or more of your body weight in sweat can clearly hurt performance, and sweat rates run from 0.5 to 2 liters an hour. Our guide to how much water you should drink covers the rest of the day.
What should you not eat before a workout?
Close to a workout, go easy on high-fat, high-fiber and very high-protein foods. The ACSM joint statement says foods low in fat and fiber, with low to moderate protein, are preferred before exercise because they’re less likely to cause stomach problems and leave the stomach faster.
A 2014 review of stomach trouble during exercise found that 30% to 50% of endurance athletes report it. Fiber, fat, protein and fructose were all linked with more symptoms, and dehydration may make them worse. In the last hour or two, that means waiting on:
- Fried foods and creamy, cheesy dishes
- A big bean chili, lentil bowl or large salad
- A large steak or other heavy protein meal
- Drinks sweetened only with fructose
- Milk products, if they tend to bother your stomach
Fiber still matters every other hour of the day, and our list of high-fiber foods helps you get plenty. White rice is a handy low-fiber choice before training, and our guide to whether white rice is healthy explains how it fits the rest of your week. Try any new pre-workout food on a training day first, never before an event that matters.
Your next step
Look at when your next workout is, count back the hours, and pick one row from the table. Stock two or three of those foods so the choice is easy. They don’t need to cost much: our cheap healthy meals guide uses the same staples. If you’re lifting through menopause, our guide to strength training during menopause pairs well with a week of planned high-protein meals.
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Quick questions
Should you eat before or after a workout?
You can eat before, after or both, and the two meals affect each other. The ISSN says the size and timing of your pre-workout meal may change how much protein you need afterward. Eating first helps most before long sessions. For a short workout, eat at whichever time suits your appetite and schedule.
Is it bad to eat right before a workout?
A small, easy snack right before a workout is fine for most people. The ISSN says a light snack 30 to 60 minutes before can add fuel for intense exercise. A big or fatty meal right before is more likely to cause cramping or nausea, so save larger meals for 3 to 4 hours ahead.
How long before a workout should I eat a banana?
A banana works well about 30 to 60 minutes before a workout. A medium banana gives about 27g of carbohydrate with little fat or protein, so it digests quickly. The ISSN says carbohydrate eaten 30 minutes before exercise has improved exercise capacity in studies, and a warm-up offsets any blood sugar dip.
Should you eat protein before a workout?
Some protein before a workout is fine and may help, but timing matters less than your daily total. In studies the ISSN reviewed, muscle protein building was similar whether protein came just before or just after lifting. No study found that adding protein to a pre-workout carb snack hurt performance.
How many carbs should you eat before a workout?
For exercise lasting more than an hour, the ACSM joint position suggests 1 to 4 g of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight in the 1 to 4 hours before. That’s 70g to 280g for a 154 lb person, with less as the start gets closer. Shorter workouts don’t need a set amount.
Is it better to work out on an empty stomach in the morning?
Working out on an empty stomach in the morning isn’t proven better for performance. A 2018 meta-analysis of 46 studies found eating first improved prolonged aerobic exercise and made no clear difference for shorter sessions. If you feel fine fasted, it’s a reasonable choice. If you take blood sugar-lowering medicine, ask your provider first.
This article is general information, not medical advice. Food and fluid needs vary with your health, your training and any medicines you take. If you have diabetes or another condition, ask your doctor or a registered dietitian how to eat around exercise, and don’t change any medicine without talking to your care team.
Sources
- Thomas DT, Erdman KA, Burke LM. Nutrition and athletic performance: joint position of Dietitians of Canada, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the American College of Sports Medicine, 2016
- Kerksick CM et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: nutrient timing. J Int Soc Sports Nutr, 2017
- Kerksick CM et al. ISSN exercise and sports nutrition review update: research and recommendations. J Int Soc Sports Nutr, 2018
- Aird TP et al. Effects of fasted vs fed-state exercise on performance and post-exercise metabolism: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Scand J Med Sci Sports, 2018
- American College of Sports Medicine. Position stand: exercise and fluid replacement. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 2007
- de Oliveira EP, Burini RC, Jeukendrup A. Gastrointestinal complaints during exercise: prevalence, etiology, and nutritional recommendations. Sports Med, 2014
- MedlinePlus. Diabetes and exercise
- USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy data