Just under two hours until sports training and the hunger announces itself. A cheese sandwich would be easy to make, but it probably doesn’t fill you up and feels heavy on the stomach. But there are alternatives. Plus: Fitness experts told FITBOOK what they eat before a workout.
What and when to eat before exercising depends entirely on how long or how intensely you want to exercise. «Only those who want to do intensive sport for 30 minutes or longer have to think about this,» says sports nutritionist Claudia Osterkamp-Baerens.
2 hours before training
For all those who want to perform because they want to keep up with their buddies or hate bad training, a carbohydrate-rich, easily digestible meal about two hours before the sport makes sense, according to the expert. So that there is no feeling of fullness or heartburn, the meal should be as low in fat as possible, not contain too much roughage and fiber and rather little protein.
For example, the one-pot spaghetti bolognese, in which the spaghetti is cooked in one pot with tomatoes, peppers, beef tartare, canned tomatoes and broth. Pizza toast is also quick to prepare: spread tomato paste and granulated cream cheese on wholemeal toast, add some pizza seasoning, top with tomatoes, corn and peppers and bake with grated Gouda cheese.
Also in the book «Eat Like an Athlete» (Eat like an athlete) athletes find alternatives to the cheese roll. If a workout is coming up, a high-carb lunch recipe makes sense: bulgur salad with chicken, for example, a soba noodle salad in a jar or wraps with salmon. The need for fast carbohydrates before or during exercise can be covered with homemade snacks such as granola muffins, banana bread or coconut rice slices.
30 minutes before training
So not necessarily the cheese roll. The sports nutritionist recommends muesli or porridge if you want to exercise right after eating. «If the food is still in the stomach during training, it feels uncomfortable, it leads to stomach pressure because the stomach closes up,» explains Claudia Osterkamp-Baerens, who is also responsible for nutritional advice at the Bavarian Olympic Training Center.
«With fine oat flakes that are softened in warm water, the stomach has a lot less work to do.» This also means that the carbohydrates get into the blood faster. The closer you get to training, the finer the consistency should be. Her tip for a super-quick lunch in the office if a sports unit is waiting afterwards: mix five to ten tablespoons of tender oatmeal with warm water and milk and add a baby fruit jar. Then you can start half an hour after eating.
If that’s too boring for you, you can pimp the dish with a handful of blueberries, morello cherries and grated chocolate – an idea from the book «Hans Sarpei’s Football Kitchen», on which Claudia Osterkamp-Baerens also worked. The guide is primarily aimed at young people who regularly attend soccer training sessions.
Rules of thumb in sports nutrition
As with a wholesome and healthy diet, there are also a few rules of thumb in sports nutrition: We already suspect that the portion of fries and currywurst before a training session is not a good idea. «Fat ensures that food stays in the stomach longer and digestion is more complex,» says Hans Braun. This in turn means that the energy is not available as quickly.
For Hans Braun, high-carbohydrate, but rather low-fiber foods, little protein and little fat make sense. And: «The less time there is between a meal and intensive training, the smaller the amount we should eat.»
Try what you get
Eating shouldn’t become a stress factor, says Hans Braun from the German Sport University in Cologne. Which diet makes sense before training depends on the type of sport, the goals, the intensity and duration of the training. Just try what works for you, advises the nutrition expert, who trains soccer teachers at the Hennes-Weisweiler Academy of the German Soccer Association.
This is what 5 proven fitness experts eat before exercising
The ideal pre-workout snack…a topic that draws many opinions. Banana, espresso, nuts, protein shake – or is it better not to train at all and sober? One eats for the last time no later than two hours before training, the other gives himself an energy boost immediately before the workout. In 2019, five exciting fitness aces from the fields of personal training, sports science and athletics revealed to FITBOOK what they eat before training and when they prefer not to.
- Alex Hipwell – the personal trainer used to be a dancer and became German champion in the figure class (bodybuilding) in 2014
- Felix Klemme – Graduate sports scientist and personal coach. Klemme has been working with overweight people for many years, TV viewers may still know him from the weight loss show «Extremely difficult – My way into a new life» (RTL 2).
- Hendrik Senf – the Berliner is one of the most successful crossfitters in Germany
- Stephen Geisler – Professor for Fitness & Health Management at the IST University in Düsseldorf and lecturer for Olympic weightlifting at the German Sport University in Cologne. His focus in research and teaching is on strength training.
- Charlotte Weidenbach – leads courses at a popular full-body cycling provider in Berlin
Eating optimally after exercise
What exactly the optimal diet should look like after cardio and strength training – and what you can achieve with a specific diet immediately after the workout, FITBOOK has worked with sports and nutritionist Dr. Michael Despeghel, lecturer for health behavior at the University of Giessen.