Breakfast and Your Morning Workout

So my friend Jeff is involved in Plyometric training early in the morning and asked my opinion about not eating before his workout. This is a great question and in a general sense, I am a firm believer in eating before exercise. There are so many variables though, that this isn't so black and white. Such variables could be type, length, and intensity of training, duration of preworkout fast, substrate content of preworkout meal, training status, and your individual GI tolerance of exercising fasted or postprandial.

In Jeff's case, he is doing explosive, full-body exercises at high intensity for about an hour. He wakes up at 5:30 and is at the gym at 6:00 for an hour-long workout before work. Just as he puts gas in his car so he can drive, he needs to fuel his muscles so he can exercise. If his last meal was at 6PM the night before, his liver glycogen levels are most likely depleted. Remember liver glycogen is what is responsible for maintaining blood sugar levels, so if he is running "on fumes" he could notice several symptoms associated with hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) such as light-headedness, mental stress, and fatigue - none of which contribute to a max-potential workout experience.

In Jeff's case, I suggest he try waking up 15 minutes earlier for a light breakfast such as toast with jelly and a glass of juice or water for about 60g of carbs (240kcals) 45 minutes before his workout. Other light yet carb-dense options could be low-fat yogurt, cereal, or oatmeal. If this isn't a possibility or he has GI discomfort, he could try a late-night snack. Yes, I know I just suggested the controversial topic of eating before bed but as long as he doesn't have reflux or sleep issues as a result, this may sustain blood and liver glucose levels long enough to last through his morning workout. Some general recommendations that I have came across include 1-2kcals of carbs/lb 1 hour before workout. For me, I workout in the afternoon and time a carb-dense lunch with a protein shake about 1-2 hours before my workout. The best way to find out what works best for you is trial and error. For example, if you are doing High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) through sprints, you may want to be a little more conscious of what you eat than if you were going to cycle for an hour or two.