What is it?
Pre-workout is the meal that is made just before performing a physical exercise. This meal can and should be optimized with the right nutrients to maximize performance and keep the athlete in gastric comfort to perform his workout.
What’s pre-training for?
Athletes of all modalities know the importance of performing an adequate pre-training, which provides energy and avoidhypoglycemia during exercise, but also is in adequate volume so as not to cause gastric discomfort in the practitioner. The duration and intensity of exercise are the most important factors that influence the adaptive response to resistance training.
How does pre-workout work?
Studies show that before shorter-duration exercise sessions that focus on lower intensity training, it may be beneficial to suspend carbohydrate consumption, although there is little evidence to support CHO restriction before high intensity exercise. In longer-term exercises (> 90 min), there is little evidence to suggest that fasting training offers any additional benefit.. It is unlikely that the intake of less than ~ 75 g of CHO will impair the adaptations of mitochondrial signaling of long-term and low intensity exercises, while consumption of 75 to 150 g of CHO before prolonged high intensity exercise is suggested to increase endogenous fuel storage.
When do you need to supplement?
There are several pre-workout supplements for sale on the market, but it is important to remember that they are not mandatory for good quality training. It may be interesting, in addition to the meal, to add a cup of coffee, since caffeine has the effect of reducing muscle fatigue, aiding in performance.
References
Article: Rothschild J et al. What Should I Eat before Exercise? Pre-Exercise Nutrition and the Response to Endurance Exercise: Current Prospective and Future Directions. Nutrients. 2020; 12(11).
Reading suggestion:
Understand the importance of pre-workout in physical exercise!
