Taylor Your Pre-Workout Nutrition to Your Overall Goals

Working out can benefit your body in several ways. A cardio routine will strengthen your heart and burn fat while resistance training strengthens your muscles. You can sculpt your body by choosing the workout regimen that is best designed for the results you’re seeking. One important factor that will determine the effectiveness of your training is the way you nourish your body prior to your exercise routine. As different workouts yield different results, your pre-workout nutrition should be tailored to the kind of exercises you will be doing and your overall goals.

Fat-Burning 

If your primary goal of working out is burning fat and losing weight, you will likely choose a routine that includes cardiovascular exercises and aerobic activity. The key to losing weight is caloric deficit; your body should burn more calories than it consumes. In order to work out as hard and as effective as possible, your body needs energy to sustain you through the session. Unlike other routines that require calories to fuel a strenuous session, fat-burning is best achieved when the body can burn fat instead of the calories in your stomach.

Before an aerobic session, eat foods that are low in fat and high in water. Fruits and protein shakes are perfect pre-workout nourishment for anyone trying to lose weight. Aerobic routines are likely to cause you to sweat, so drinking plenty of water before your session will help keep you hydrated and enable you to exercise longer.

Endurance Training

Endurance training can include a mix of aerobic and resistance training. Long distance runners train to give their bodies the cardiovascular stamina necessary to run for distance while resistance training is used to build the endurance for specific groups of muscles. In order to fuel your body for endurance training, carbohydrates play an important in your pre-workout nutrition. Carbs are burned as your body works at building endurance. The more carbohydrates your body has stored, the longer and more efficiently you will be able to train. Foods high in carbs include pastas and whole wheat breads and flakes. Some vegetables are also viable sources of carbs. Carrots and potatoes are rich sources of carbohydrates for anyone looking to fuel their endurance training workout.

Muscle Building

Muscle building requires that your body is fueled with what your muscles need to grow. Foremost on the list of necessary nourishment for building muscles is protein. Muscles use protein to heal and grow. It is a well-known practice to consume protein after a weight lifting session, but prior to your workout offers a valuable avenue for fueling your body with the carbohydrates and protein that will allow you to perform better during your workout while giving your muscles the stuff they need to progress in strength and size.