Digestion Time

[Jack About]

How long does it take to digest a meal so it becomes fuel/energy?

A mate I train with on weekends doesn't eat before training, says he can't eat so early and we got to thinking are you training on the fuel of the previous meal ie breakfast or the last meals eaten? I prefer to eat before training but thought I'd ask for a better knowledge.

 

[pooley1810]

How long does it take to digest a meal so it becomes fuel/energy?

A mate I train with on weekends doesn't eat before training, says he can't eat so early and we got to thinking are you training on the fuel of the previous meal ie breakfast or the last meals eaten? I prefer to eat before training but thought I'd ask for a better knowledge.

Depends on what you eat
Whey and a banana are gonna digest much faster than steak and sweet potato
If you're eating a solid meal 90mins before training, this won't have digested to give you the fuel to train
I train fasted at 7am a couple of times a week. I have casein and oats before bed and pepto pro/hbcd intra

 

[Dtlv]

Typically fast absorbing nutrients begin to become available at about the 30min mark. From then it depends - carbs are mostly done in 3 hours or so, although bacterial fermentation can take a little longer. For protein and fats up to seven hours. At that point you are still extracting water, vitamins and minerals but no longer protein, lipids or carbs. The precise release though depends on the specific nutrients, their quantities and their combinations. A meal containing a lot of fiber and/or fat will slow the absorption of other food components.

 

[Jack About]

So whey blended with banana & oats anywhere up to 3hrs? I normally have that shake about 90mins before training

 

[edwards_2901]

So whey blended with banana & oats anywhere up to 3hrs? I normally have that shake about 90mins before training

You could also replace the banana with honey for the uptake In quicker absorption of sugars

 

[pooley1810]

So whey blended with banana & oats anywhere up to 3hrs? I normally have that shake about 90mins before training

I'd say this is fine. Although you'll be getting the nutrients from the whey and banana as the oats are low GI
At the end of the day, regardless of which meal provides your energy, if you feel good in the gym doing this and you're making progress then stick with what's working.
For me personally, I don't like training with a full stomach. I'll have a solid meal, usually egg whites and oats, then train about 2-3 hours later. I make sure I have good quality powdered protein/carbs in my intra that digest rapidly

 

[Dtlv]

I like to have a shake and some fruit around 45-60 mins before. If for whatever reason my pre workout feed is a full sized meal then I like to give a little more time, around 90 mins - two hours as I don't like training too full. The only thing worse than training full is training fasted.

 

[pooley1810]

I like to have a shake and some fruit around 45-60 mins before. If for whatever reason my pre workout feed is a full sized meal then I like to give a little more time, around 90 mins - two hours as I don't like training too full. The only thing worse than training full is training fasted.

Is the bad thing about training fasted personal preference or performance based

 

[Dtlv]

Is the bad thing about training fasted personal preference or performance based

For me it's a performance and recovery issue - I fatigue earlier and often get a headache within an hour or so of training if I'm not pre fed. It doesn't have to be a lot, but having something seems to make a big difference to me.

 

[pooley1810]

For me it's a performance and recovery issue - I fatigue earlier and often get a headache within an hour or so of training if I'm not pre fed. It doesn't have to be a lot, but having something seems to make a big difference to me.

I train fasted at least once a week before work. I do normally have some sort of pre wo boost but I notice no difference in performance, I quite enjoy it. As it's early though, around 7am and I have to wake up earlier than normal I do feel pretty fucked later in the day
I think recovery would suffer if I had to do this regularly and would have to adjust training routine

 

[Tommy6]

When I was training at 5am I just used to train completely fasted with intra bcaa. Tried even a quick banana etc pre workout but always felt unsettled.

 

[Dtlv]

People's response to training fasted or fed first thing definitely seems to vary a lot. IMO there's no right or wrong way in a general sense, you just have to do what works for you.