early morning pre-workout nutrition

[PsychedelicEagle]

IMO daily macros and nutrient source trump macronutrient timing (focusing on the fundamentals).

Thus, I'd only optimize timing after making sure total daily intake is appropriate.

On 1/26/2026 at 2:57 PM, Judy2 said:

it's advised to consume around 30g of carbs (preferably simple rather than complex) to fuel the workout

I guess it depends on how fueled your glycogen stores (liver + muscles) are: if you had enough carbs after your last workout and your fasting window since your last meal(s) is not extremely long.

Quote

Liver glycogen decreases overnight, but muscle glycogen is largely preserved. Most people do not need to eat before training unless the workout is long, very intense, or performance-focused.

If your workout is low-intensity (Zone 2 cardio, moderate lifting, <60min), you'll be oxidizing mostly fat.

Protein takes longer to digest so I'd push it after the workout. Not sure there are big benefits from taking it before vs just after.

[Judy2]

@PsychedelicEagle ok:)

i think when i want to push till failure, it makes sense for me to have some carbs in my system. on some days when i thought i still had enough in my stores from the night before, i miscalculated and couldn't really perform as well as i had hoped. 

this week i went to the gym at 7am (that's when it opens) and then straight to work and waited 6 hours before my next meal. idk if that's ideal, probably not cause the post-workout meal is more important than pre-workout. but sometimes with things in my schedule, it's hard to time things differently.

Edited Sunday at 04:25 PM by Judy2