Eating before or after a workout depends on one lifestyle factor - Inverse

So if your energy is somewhat low, or you’re doing a longer or more demanding session, consuming carbohydrate-rich foods – such as pasta, rice, cereals, or fruit – around three to four hours before exercise can help provide the energy you need to keep moving.

There’s also evidence that carbohydrate type can help improve metabolic responses to exercise.

Consuming an easily digestible, carbohydrate-rich meal (for example, porridge with blueberries) around three hours before a training session may help sustain energy and improve training quality without necessarily leading to gut issues.

If your goal is building strength or muscle, evidence also suggests that eating protein before exercise may improve overall recovery responses.

Studies have also demonstrated that eating soon after finishing exercise (as opposed to waiting for a few hours) can help maximize recovery, particularly if a carbohydrate intake of about 1.3 grams per kilogram of body weight per hour is consumed during the two-to-six hour short-term recovery phase.

Unless training in a fasted state for a particular reason (such as for metabolic adaptations or personal preference), there does appear to be clear advantages for eating before (and during) longer duration exercise.

While eating after exercise is important for building muscle and recovering between workouts, eating before a workout may be equally important for those doing demanding or long workouts.

But no matter the type of exercise, it’s important to make sure you’re eating enough carbohydrates, protein, and other key nutrients to fuel yourself.