Pre-training Nutrition for Powerlifters
Need to fuel a heavy squat session?
Going in with a sugar-free Monster on an empty stomach might result in you leaving kilos on the platform. What types of foods you eat and when you eat can affect your energy levels, concentration, gut discomfort and ability to execute and perform at your best.
Meal timing: When’s the best time to eat before training?
Your pre-workout meal matters (2-3 hours before training)
We often forget that it takes time for our food to digested and broken down, for glucose to go to our bloodstream and to replenish our glycogen stores. Having a good dose of protein (20- 30g protein) and carbohydrates at this meal will help fuel your performance and optimise your recovery. Depending on the individual, moderate amounts of fat and fibre can be tolerated without negatively affecting their training performance. If you do find that you experience gut discomfort (burping, bloated, gassy) during exercise, try moving this meal back or reducing the fat and fibre content of this meal.
For some, this meal is enough to get them through their workout, but I find that many lifters prefer to also have a pre-workout snack. This is a great idea for many individuals (including those in a dieting or a bulking phase) especially when training sessions exceed 90 minutes.
Pre-workout snack: (1-2 hours before training)
This snack is optional but helpful for the early birds that train in the morning or for your high-intensity workout. Keep this snack high in carbohydrates and low in fat. Fats slow our digestion and may leave you feeling slow and sluggish during your workout. Make you’re your carbohydrates of choice are low in fibre, as fibre also takes longer to move through our digestive system and may cause stomach upset for some individuals.
In my experience, most lifters get their pre-workout meal right and prefer to eat a snack closer to their workout. Many struggle to pick appropriate types and amounts of food for their pre-workout snack to adequately fuel their workout and minimise gut distress.
Pre-workout Snack Composition:
What not to do within an hour of starting your workout:
- Eat baked beans (or any legumes and beans that make you gassy). It’s painful and awkward for us all.
- Try to fit in all your vegetables. Having a couple carrot sticks or a piece of fruit is unlikely to cause any gut discomfort but a big salad before a tough workout is not a good idea. Maybe wait until after the workout
- Have a heavy, greasy meal (save the burger and fries for later!)
By keeping your pre-workout meals low in fat and fibre means you also skip the bloated feeling that interferes with your ability to brace properly.
Caffeine & Carbohydrate Combo
Combine caffeine and carbohydrates for the ultimate pre-workout meal snack. Both have consistently shown to benefit performance, time to exhaustion, cognitive function and perceived fatigue.
Making sure your glycogen (our body’s way of storing carbohydrate) stores are topped up isn’t as important for resistance exercise, compared to endurance exercises. However, carbohydrates are still our main source of fuel for our brain and muscles. The optimal amount of carbohydrates for you to consume in you pre-workout meal and in total, is dependent on you - your goals, preferences, physical activity level including the intensity and volume of your current training block and more!
Current guidelines for caffeine intake for athletes is 3-9mg caffeine/ kg bodyweight an hour or less before training. That means a 60kg athlete would aim for 180-540mg caffeine (which is between 2 -5 coffees. This is a wide range because there is so much variation between how much caffeine an individual can tolerate. Therefore, start at the lower end and increase as needed. It’s important to note that there is research suggesting that the improved athletic performance from caffeine occurs when the caffeine dose is higher than usual intakes of coffee. While you may still receive performance benefits if you have your usual caffeine dose before training, over time this effect may be reduced. Therefore, some people find it helpful to slightly increase their caffeine dose on a difficult training session or competition day. Don’t go overboard but an extra 50-100mg of caffeine may help with performance and energy levels.
How much caffeine in your favourite drinks?
- 1 espresso shot = 100mg
- 1 tsp of instant coffee = 60mg
- Pre-workout = generally ranges anywhere between 150 – 500mg per serving. Read the label!
- Monster Energy (500mL) = 140mg
- Coke (375mL) = 50mg
- No-Doz Plus (1 caffeine pill) = 100mg
- Science in sport Energy + Caffeine Gel = 150mg
- Rokeby Farms’ Double Espresso = 120mg
Portable pre-workout snacks
- Want to get energised for a home workout and get some fruit into your day? Wholegrain toast, vegemite and banana + home-made coffee (2 tsp of nestle instant coffee): 120mg caffeine, 38g carbohydrates
- In a rush? Sugar-free energy drink + Uncle Toby’s Choc chip muesli bar (140mg caffeine, 21g carbohydrates)
- Budget-friendly option: 40g Nutri-Grain + No-Doz (100mg caffeine, 27g carbohydrates). Add milk for a more filling, higher protein snack.
- Want an easy, quick staple or you an excuse to try the unicorn LCM bars? LCM bar + regular Latte (100mg caffeine, 32g carbohydrates)
- Coming straight from work? On-the-go, stop by the servo option: Rokeby Farms Double espresso (120mg caffeinehow, 27g carbohydrates per 425mL serve)
A dietitian recommending high GI carbohydrates and refined sugar? No way!
Yes, low-GI carbohydrates like your fruit, vegetables and wholegrains are incredibly healthy and should form the basis of your diet. However, the benefits of carbohydrates that are more quickly digested is that they help give you energy faster without feeling overly full. Not helpful when you’re trying to feel full for a long time but very helpful before a workout to give us energy.
Hopefully this article helps you build a pre-workout snack that keeps you energised as you lift heavy. If you’d like to learn more about how to eat like an athlete, feel free to reach out and email on valentina@thestrengthdietitian.com.
