Nutrition for Morning Workouts

[supersprout]

Hello all! 

 

I wake up at 5:00 AM, throw on clothes while half asleep, and 10 minutes after my alarm goes off I am warming up for my workout. 

 

Since I am beginning a new program to get me to a 10K (currently run over 3 miles/5K every other morning), I would like to know if anyone can recommend some nutrition tips for morning workouts.

 

My New Years Resolution is to stop eating 2-3 hours before bed, I have done very well so far. Boredom eating is a problem of mine. Having said that, I have noticed that my workouts are suffering a little because basically I am hungry.

 

Any ideas?????

[musclesnwhey]

For the morning I just eat a banana or something and go on my morning run. Your body is already starving from the night so it's not the best for muscle and recovery if your pushing your body more without nutrients. But I share a lot of the same problems as you with eating late etc etc.

 

Good luck on getting your 10k.

[lawrencep93]

If I was working out in the morning I would make a mix of unflavoured BCAA's 10g + 15-30g MCT oil + 1-2 cups of coffee + 15-30g of grassfed butter. Blend it, and drink it about 15-30 mins pre-work out.

 

The MCT oil and butter give you plenty of non crashing energy and helps the brain uptake caffeine so you smash a morning work out!

 

Also it's easy to digest, so your body doesn't spend too much energy digesting, but has the building blocks to repair cells and fat to give you lot's of energy.

 

I used to always eat before bed. Now I intermittant fast till dinner, have a dinner full of fat, keeps me full so I don't eat after 6 or 7pm any more, unless I have one handful of nuts if I had a smallish dinner.

[El Exorcisto]

I drink a scoop of Xtend in a liter of water peri-workout but I'm lifting. I don't know if BCAAs would have a whole lot of benefit for a runner. Fasted cardio seems to be all the rage these days though. If you're into that kind of thing.

[lawrencep93]

I have heard of low carbers doing a BCAA + MCT/fat mix before long cardio sessions.

 

I think Peter Attia takes BCAA's MCT oil and super starch before long bike rides. Ben Greenfield does something along the same lines.

 

10k run, with BCAA's should reduce the amount of muscle being broken down into amino acids, and help strengthen the low twitch muscle fibres.

 

Fasted cardio results in larger weight loss for people on a SAD diet, because they are not just burning sugar and causing sugar crashes and hunger. I think OP should go to a paleo diet lower in carbs, I find that working out hungry on low carb I actually perform better, my lifts are much better. Because I can burn fatty acids for energy and my body isn't using all it's energy on digestion.

[Jacksson]

I would try a banana.  When I was cycling it was by far my favorite pre-ride meal.  Easy on my stomach, great sustained energy, affordable, and pretty easy to prepare.  Keep it simple.     

[stevembk]

I workout fasted in the morning. Usually a 10-15 hr fast. Only water, coffee and BCAA's.

[Stonie]

I'm a banana and espresso person, myself. Coming from a background of having rarely eaten breakfast until I joined NF, a banana was big enough to hold off the growly monster in my stomach and small enough that it wouldn't impede my movement when I worked out. Also can't go without my morning dose of caffeine so I keep it simple with a single shot of black coffee. Also, negating any crazy weather systems messing with supply, bananas are quite cheap.

[unclesam]

Unless you are running intervals or some other hard paced workout looking for speed gains then over short-medium distance runs at a steady pace your body shouldnt actually need any extra fuel because at that pace your body can quite readily and happily get enough from fat stores(the start of run will always be a little harder to begin with) just make sure you are hydrated enough(this will also help to reduce hunger pangs)