Pre Training Nutrition

Toby88

Hi all,

A little advice please...

We're back into the pre season slog but I'm finding my energy levels to be very low during training. Bare with me and I'll give ye a run down of the typical day prior to training.

I'm good with water, I'd usually drink 2-3L a day.

6:30am - wake up and have a Protein Shake / Smoothie along with a pint of water
10am - Breakfast consists of Porridge with Honey and a spoon of Granola
11:30am - Yoghurt
13:30 - Chicken and Chorizo Pasta Bake (not sure if this is a good idea)
18:00 - Apple and Peanut Butter
19:30 - Training
21:00 - Small Dinner
22:30 - Bed

Sleep is probably a factor but I'm sure I must be eating the wrong thing at lunch time and prior to training or maybe not enough of it...

Non Training days are similar but lunch would be soup and a wrap and dinner would be around 18:00.

Looking forward to ye're advice!

Alf Veedersane

I'd probably just rearrange so that there's something more substantial 2-3 hours before training rather than having nothing but an apple and peanut butter in the 5 hours between lunch and training.

Like you said, sleep may be a factor.

coffee_cake

Bunch of carbs around 3 hours before training is what i go with

Toby88

What kind of stuff would you normally have? I tried a banana sandwich last week and got a stitch! Hard to get the balance right... trial and error I suppose.

ThinkProgress

Toby88 wrote: »

Hi all,

A little advice please...

We're back into the pre season slog but I'm finding my energy levels to be very low during training. Bare with me and I'll give ye a run down of the typical day prior to training.

I'm good with water, I'd usually drink 2-3L a day.

6:30am - wake up and have a Protein Shake / Smoothie along with a pint of water
10am - Breakfast consists of Porridge with Honey and a spoon of Granola
11:30am - Yoghurt
13:30 - Chicken and Chorizo Pasta Bake (not sure if this is a good idea)
18:00 - Apple and Peanut Butter
19:30 - Training
21:00 - Small Dinner
22:30 - Bed

Sleep is probably a factor but I'm sure I must be eating the wrong thing at lunch time and prior to training or maybe not enough of it...

Non Training days are similar but lunch would be soup and a wrap and dinner would be around 18:00.

Looking forward to ye're advice!

First of all, what are you training for? How long do you typically train? What does a typical day of training look like?

On training days, does your day always begin at 6:30 am? Are you up and active at this time, or just eating and going back to sleep?

Chorizo is not the best choice for a training day meal. I would also move your main meal closer to your training time, and consider cutting out the apple and peanut butter. (too much fiber and fat prior to exercise will make you feel sluggish - slower digesting) You could have that as a snack after your training instead.

You're possibly also eating a bit too close to bedtime (although this really depends on your individual metabolism tbf)... You could try to eat something substantial very soon after your training ends. This will help your body to recover faster, and allow you to sleep better!

Would help to know more about your training, to give more specific advice.

Toby88

@ ThinkProgress

Thanks for the reply, makes sense,

The training is for GAA but its all mainly physical at the moment. Usually an hour long, mixture of gym circuits and sprints. High Intensity over a short period.

I'm up and out the door at 6:30 am every morning so its a long day until training comes around, hard to keep the energy up.

Might look at having the chicken and pasta 3 hours before training the next night and see how it goes... I take your point about the chorizo, I'll cut that out.

ThinkProgress

Toby88 wrote: »

@ ThinkProgress

Thanks for the reply, makes sense,

The training is for GAA but its all mainly physical at the moment. Usually an hour long, mixture of gym circuits and sprints. High Intensity over a short period.

I'm up and out the door at 6:30 am every morning so its a long day until training comes around, hard to keep the energy up.

Might look at having the chicken and pasta 3 hours before training the next night and see how it goes... I take your point about the chorizo, I'll cut that out.

Yeah you're obviously not in an ideal scenario for hard training, being tight for time... but it's not impossible to still make it work.

If it was me, I would be preparing my food as much as possible in advance for those training days... just so you can eat very quickly, and have more time for recovery and sleep. Even cooking a few different meals/snacks and freezing or refrigerating them etc.

GAA training you definitely need to be careful what you eat a few hours prior to training, because the running is going to mess with your stomach. I used to play myself, and my routine was basically pasta or rice with some kind of low fat sauce (tomato etc) chicken or fish (again low fat - so no salmon)... and the carbs you eat need to be moderate/low in fiber too. So even fruit would be skinless etc - like canned fruit in natural juice. Plain white bagels with some low calorie jam etc....

You obviously need something high energy a few hours before training or match, but you are only really topping up your energy stores... most of your energy will be coming from your diet in general. So other than your pre training/match meal... you will need to be eating more fiber/wholegrains and some quality fat too - important for recovery. But just limit those two things a few hours before training or match, as it will help you feel lighter and less sluggish.

Nothing wrong with having that chorizo pasta with a bit of veg etc, a couple nights per week... so long as it's after training. Same with the peanut butter and high fiber fruits like apples... nothing wrong with them per se, but I would keep them well away from your pre-training and match meals. Early morning or post training is perfectly fine!