Have you ever wondered whether breakfast before or after exercise is more sensible? As with many questions, there is not just one right answer. Basically, it depends on the goal you are pursuing with your physical activity in order to be able to assess whether you should eat breakfast before or after.
If your main reason for doing sports is to get in shape or even lose a little weight, you have to pay attention to different things than ambitious athletes who want to surpass themselves in every workout. No matter what your goal is with sports nutrition or why you are asking yourself this question, together we will find the ideal answer for you and your needs.
Discover Verival's sports breakfast
Does sport on an empty stomach burn more fat?
You want to lose a few pounds, preferably as quickly as possible? You've heard that exercising on an empty stomach can help you burn fat?
If you want to trust scientific studies, that's not true. They found no evidence that a training session on an empty stomach is beneficial – at least not for losing weight. Although it does increase the metabolism of fatty acids, this does not appear to have a significant effect on body fat percentage or weight loss, but it does offer some interesting approaches for insulin-resistant people (type 2 diabetes).
So the same applies to you as to everyone else who wants to lose weight – plenty of exercise and an adequate diet.
Breakfast before exercise – the key to success?
Do you want to get the most out of every training session? Whether you're into strength or endurance sports, if you want to take your training to the next level, you need to have an adequate energy supply.
Why breakfast before exercise improves your endurance
Depending on whether you do endurance sports or are more of a HIIT type, your body draws on different energy sources. During a HIIT workout, your body metabolizes mainly carbohydrates, whereas during longer but less intense endurance runs, your body tends to draw on fat.
So it makes sense to top up your carbohydrate stores before a high-intensity session. The best way to do this is with a carb-rich pre-workout meal that will raise your blood sugar level as evenly as possible, thus keeping you energized throughout your workout. However, you should make sure that you allow enough time between breakfast and your workout so that you don't end up exercising on a full stomach. Find out why, for example, porridge is perfect for breakfast before a workout.
For long-distance runners or endurance athletes whose training lasts longer than an hour, it is recommended that they consume a readily digestible source of carbohydrates. Ideally in liquid form, such as smoothies or protein shakes, or in the form of solid, but easily digestible, low-fiber food, such as a banana. Our insider tip: the Verival date confection. This is not only an excellent source of carbohydrates, but also contains little fat, making it the ideal snack before training.
About the Verival Sport products
Can you build muscle faster with a high-carb breakfast?
To accelerate muscle growth, the body needs sufficient stimuli. These, in turn, require a high intensity and thus a lot of energy. Therefore, if your goal is building muscle, you should ideally eat breakfast before your workout. If your carbohydrate stores are almost completely depleted before you exercise, it can be difficult to train intensely enough to build muscle.
After training, it is particularly important to eat a protein-rich diet because your body now needs enough protein to regenerate and build new muscle tissue. Plant-based proteins such as chia seeds, nuts or oats are suitable. That's why we place particular emphasis on a sufficient protein content in our sports range – so porridge, muesli, and shakes are the perfect companions for your muscle-building journey.
But carbohydrates can also be useful after intensive strength training. The same applies here as with HII training – the body primarily metabolizes carbohydrates and thus empties your glycogen stores.
To both replenish your glycogen stores and speed up your recovery, thus optimizing your muscle growth, you should eat a protein- and carbohydrate-rich diet. We have summarized what the perfect sports breakfast looks like here in detail.
Conclusion: What is better, breakfast before or after exercise?
Whether breakfast before or after exercise is better depends largely on what kind of sport you do and what your goals are. And if you can't decide, why not just have breakfast twice? 😉
