Trimarni pre-workout pancakes

Yum - Trimarni pre-workout pancakes with nut butter, cinnamon, syrup and bananas)

A common struggle among athletes is eating before a workout.

Many athletes have no idea what to eat (often due to confusion - how much, what, when, why) but a large portion of athletes struggle to properly digest food before a workout, which causes GI issues during the workout and thus, even the thought of eating before a workout is a scary thought (which is even more scary when it comes to race day and an athlete feels he/she can't eat before a race).

Here are a few of the benefits of consuming a pre-workout snack: 
-Fuel your upcoming workout
-Help with delaying fatigue during the workout
-Giving you energy for your workout
-Helping you think more clearly during your workout (focus, attention)
-Helping you stay satisfied (and not hungry) during your workout
-Reducing the  risk of dizziness, lethargy or shaky feelings, due to low blood sugar
-Prevent overeating after the workout
-Reduce sugary/sweet cravings later in the day
-Better control over portions throughout the day
-Less tendency to snack in the evening

As you can see, there are clear performance benefits of consuming a pre-workout snack but eating before a workout plays a favorable role in food choices throughout the day - which for any athlete who is looking for a safe and effective way to lose weight, this goes against the common trend that many athletes intentionally restrict calories before a workout in hopes of losing weight. Typically, this approach backfires and athletes end up sabotaging a high intensity or long volume training session (or even an EZ workout) due to fatigue and then overeat later in the day.

Here are some of the reasons why athletes struggle to accept food before a workout: 
-Thoughts that eating before a workout is bad (ex. you can't lose weight, calories in/calories out, you want to be "metabolically efficient")
-Your digestive system needs healing (ex. gut flora, bacteria)
-Inappropriate food choices before a workout (too high fiber, too heavy, too gassy)
-Poor timing of food choices relative to the start of the workout
-You want to save your calories for post workout
-Starting the workout too soon after sitting all day or waking up (you only give yourself 20 minutes or less from being sedentary or waking up before you start working out)
-Unhealthy daily nutrition choices
-Eating too much in the evening (large portions)
-Eating too close to bed
-You don't like the feeling of food in your gut
-You have to constantly use the restroom (loose stools, gas, diarrhea)
-You haven't trained your gut to accept food
-You think you don't need it


In my experience in working with athletes who struggle to consume food before a workout, there are many reasons as to why athletes choose to not eat before a workout.
But we need to fix this as there is a big problem with not eating before a workout.

At some point in your training and on race day, you WILL need to eat before you exercise.
Convincing yourself that you don't need to eat or that you can never eat before a workout (for whatever reason) is not only performance limiting but it can also affect your health.

My hope is that with my Trimarni pre-workout pancake recipe, you will find joy and energy by eating before a workout. I mean, who doesn't love pancakes?
I will not be attaching any rules as to when you need to eat the pancakes (ex. what workout distance/intensity) or how much but instead, I encourage you to try them out, in a portion that you feel comfortable with (1/3, 1/2 or the entire batter).
You should find these pancakes very light and easy to digest (thus the ingredients that I used in making this creation) so that you can eat a portion of your liking and feel clean in your gut, within 20-30 minutes.

If you feel that your training partner or friend would benefit from this blog post, I encourage you to share. I have worked with far too many athletes who have struggled with eating before workouts and races and I know how much of a performance limiter it can be to feel that you can't eat before a workout/race OR that you have no idea what to eat.

Let's start with pancakes.
Enjoy!

Trimarni pre-workout pancakes

Makes 3 medium sized pancakes

Ingredients

1/2 cup gluten free flour (or your choice low fiber flour)

1/4 cup lactose free 1% milk (or your choice milk)

1/8 tsp salt

1 egg
1 tsp baking powder

1. Mix together ingredients in a bowl until smooth.
2. Pre-heat small skillet to low/medium heat.
3. Lightly coat skillet with butter (I prefer salted butter over olive oil when making pancakes)
4. Pour 1/3 batter into small skillet to make a "thin" pancake.
5. Cook for ~90 seconds or until bottom of pancake is firm and golden brown. Flip. 

6. Cook other side for 30-60 seconds (sides may flip up a little).
7. You can serve your pancake in the traditional style (in a circle) or roll it up like a crepe or fold like a pita. 

(And if you were wondering - these can be anytime pancakes - for a snack, breakfast or even brinner).

Total calories (this is for the entire batter, portion as you wish depending on your workout. You can always save a pancake or two for after your workout): 

360 calories

8.5 g fat
450 mg sodium
57g carbohydrates
6g fiber
18g sugar (natural)

14g protein

Topping suggestions for additional flavor/calories:
Honey

Maple Syrup
Jam
Nut butter
Butter
Bananas

Cinnamon
Fruit

For vegan and dairy-free diets:

1/2 cup gluten free flour 

1/4 cup lactose free 2% milk (or your choice milk)

1/8 tsp salt

1 egg (or 8-10g protein powder, but pancake consistency may change)

If your Trimarni pre-workout pancakes work for you and you love them, consider making a large batch and freezing for future workouts AND for race day. 

Pre-workout fueling - part II

Pre-workout fuel

Training is your gut is one the most (if not the most) important concepts when it comes to perfecting your pre-workout/race snack/meal. Eating before every workout (30-90 minutes before) will not only help boost your performance (ex. time to fatigue, mental focus, recovery and energy production) but you will also recognize what foods work/digest the best so that you can use those similar foods, in a larger quantity, on race day.

Karel and I eat before every workout, every day in our season. Absolutely no workout is started without some type of pre-workout snack. 

If you aren't use to (or comfortable with) eating before a workout, start very small in terms of quantity and carbohydrates for 7-10 days by selecting the most appropriate low-residue food/foods that you feel will work the best, depending on the workout.

You may find that your pre-workout snacks may vary workout to workout and that is ok but try to keep it simple and have no more than 5 staple "go-to" pre workout snack items.

It is perfectly fine to add a little fat/protein (which do take a little longer to digest) but the idea is to prioritize energy dense foods that pack a lot of carbohydrates, without a lot of fiber or volume.

Overtime, you will likely develop greater gut tolerance to food before a workout, which is ultimately the goal for every athlete. Instead of feeling restricted by food, train your gut to accept key foods before workouts. 

If you ever hear/see an athlete who can eat almost anything before a workout/race and perform fantastically well without GI issues, well let's assume that that athletes has a very resilient gut. 

How much fuel? 
To help get you started:

• ~120-200 calories (~30-40g of carbs + a few optional grams of protein/fat) before a 45-90 minute workout. Consumed at least 30 minutes before the workout (although the quicker to digest, like a glass of juice, you may be good to go within 15 minutes - however, I still encourage time to get your body/mind warmed-up before the workout).
• ~150-250 calories  (~30-50g of carbs + a few grams protein/fat) before a 90 minute - 2.5 hour workout. Consumed at least 30 minutes before the workout.
• ~200-350 calories (~40-70g carbs + 10-15g protein/fat) before a 2.5-3.5 hour workout. Consumed at least 45 minutes before the workout.
• ~300-450 calories (~50-90g carbohydrates + 10-15g protein/fat) before a 3.5+ hour workout. Consumed at least 45-60 minutes before the workout. 

Always include at least 8 ounce water with your pre-workout snack to help with digestion.

I also advocate consuming sport nutrition (electrolytes, carbohydrates, fluids) during all workouts over 60 minutes (ex. sport drink or water/gel).

Pre-workout carbohydrate-rich fuel options

Some of my favorites to dress-up with a smear of nut butter and cinnamon: 

Saltines

Rice cake

Banana

Cream of wheat
Wasa cracker

Topped with:

Honey

Maple Syrup

Raisins
Granola

Other low-residue options: 

Rice or rice-based cereal

Puffed cereal

Pancakes/waffles from refined flour

100% Fruit juice

Soup (broth-like)

Refined bread/crackers
Grits/instant oats

Applesauce (or applesauce packets)

Cooked/soft fruits (or without the skin)

Cooked veggies (ex. potatoes)

You are probably surprised to see a few of these recommendations like refined food or juice because as I mentioned in my last blog post, these foods are not associated with "healthy eating".  But keep in mind that as athletes, we have to take care of our gut as we fuel for performance and despite some of these options not being "healthy" for the average individual in the daily diet, they are extremely easy to digest (and find) before a workout and can certainly help minimize the risk for GI distress/issues during training/racing. 

In summary, it is imperative that you understand how to separate sport nutrition vs healthy eating. and apply this concept to your daily life and workout routine. 

I hope you found this helpful as it is one of the most popular topics that I discuss with young athletes (and their parents) and during my nutrition lectures as well as when I work with profession/elite athletes and age groupers.  I find that for the "new" athletes, fitness enthusiasts who explain that they can't stomach anything before a workout or individuals seeking body composition changes, this is often a topic that is hard to apply as it is far from what society views as healthy eating.

I am all about real food whenever possible so consider my pre-workout options as "real" as you can get without compromising gut health.  Remember that your pre-workout/race snack should be easy to find, easy to prepare and easy to consume.  If you want to make your own options of some of these items, that would be fantastic but don't overwhelm yourself at first. I want you to make sure you are finding it easy to fuel around workouts so that you can dedicate a lot of your extra energy to preparing and consuming a very balanced, real food "healthy" diet throughout the day. 

 I am excited to hear how your next few workouts go with your new pre-workout fueling tips as you should be feeling lighter, cleaner and most of all, working out with an energized body that has a happy gut.  

Any questions or concerns, just send me a message via Trimarnicoach.com (contact page).