Whether you are a regular gym goer or someone who is fairly new to health and fitness, everyone wants to maximise their performance during a workout. The cornerstone of a good workout is to nail your pre-workout meal to fuel your body for some high intensity exercise.

Knowing what to put in your body before a workout can be tricky, and it can vary depending on your own personal goals; be that fat loss, maximum performance or both. Our mission at White’s Oats is to help you reach your fitness goals by showing you how the humble oat can be used to fuel your workout.

Are oats a good pre-workout meal?

Oats are a great form of healthy whole grain carbohydrate which is incredibly beneficial for preparing your muscles for working out, as carbs supply the body with the energy it needs to exercise.

The health benefits of oats don’t stop there, they are also packed full of fibre, protein for muscle support and essential fats for joint support. Making it the perfect base ingredient for a pre-workout meal that can be tailored to your specific requirements and tastes.

Why is it important to eat before working out?

Fuelling your body with the correct nutrients before exercise will give you the energy and strength you need to perform your best.

Each macronutrient in your meal plays a specific role before a workout, so it is important to know what each nutrient does and how it is going to affect your performance. The ratio of each nutrient that you should include will depend on your own goals, and the intensity of the exercise.

Oat nutrition

When it comes to your fitness goals it is vital to keep track of the three key macronutrients; protein, carbohydrates and fats. Take a look at the role of these macronutrients and how they affect exercise performance.

Carbs

Whole grains are complex carbs that pack a lot of energy. Your muscles use the glucose from the carbs contained in oats for fuel. The carbohydrates contained in oats are slower to be released into your bloodstream, so you won’t have a blood sugar spike and crash.

For short high intensity workouts (HIIT), your glycogen stores are your muscles main source of fuel. These stores are depleted at a rate proportional to the intensity of the activity. So HIIT workouts break down glycogen at a faster rate compared to exercise over a sustained period.

Protein

Oats are packed full of protein for muscle support, making them the perfect thing to eat before a workout, or after for recovery. Porridge oats contain around 11-15% protein which equates to 11.1g of protein per 100g.

It is important that you get plenty of protein in your diet, especially when you are training as your body needs protein to repair and grow muscle that is broken down during exercise. Regular exercise will mean you need a little bit more protein than usual.

Fats

Most people don’t consider oats to be a fat-rich food, but they do in fact contain a considerable amount of good–polyunsaturated and monounsaturated–fats when compared to other grains.

Fats are an essential energy source but It’s best to avoid too much fat right before a workout. This is because, although high in energy, fats are slow-digesting. This means, instead of making you energetic, too much can actually make you feel sluggish and heavy. So timing your pre-workout meal is essential for optimum performance.

When should I eat a pre workout meal?

When it comes to eating a complex carb meal like oats a good general rule of thumb recommends that you eat them between 3 hours - 1 hour before your workout. If you plan on working out as quickly as 45 minutes after eating, then it is best to have a pre-workout meal that consists of simple carbs such as greek yoghurt and berries.

No matter what you’re eating, try not to eat until you’re totally full as you don’t want to feel weighed down or bloated during the workout.