Should You Eat Before Lifting Weights? Sports Nutritionists Break Down What The Science Says

Meet the experts: Jason Machowsky, RD, CSCS, is an exercise physiologist and board-certified sports dietitian. Laura Kunces, Ph.D., RD, CSSD, is a sports dietician, clinical researcher, and the vice president of medical strategy at Thorne. Mallory Aldred, RD, is a registered dietitian and the founder of What Mallory Eats, a functional nutrition coaching service.

So, do you need to eat before lifting?

For the vast majority of lifters, “it’s best not to go into a strength workout hungry, thirsty, and totally depleted,” says Jason Machowsky, RD, CSCS, an exercise physiologist and sports dietitian. Having some food in your system will give you the energy you need to put in your best effort in the actual session, as well as the raw material you need to start the repair process as soon as you’ve finished training, he says.

That said, “whether or not you need to eat before strength training is dependent on what your goals are and the actual intensity, duration, and volume of the strength session,” says Laura Kunces, PhD, RD, a sports dietician, clinical researcher, and the vice president of medical strategy at Thorne. Some people—very early morning exercisers, peeps with sensitive stomachs, and those trying to cut fat—may benefit from lifting in a fasted state, she says.

Eating before a strength workout is a lot like putting your texts on Do Not Disturb (DND) before screen-sharing or doing a quick Google search on the cute guy from Hinge before agreeing to a date. No, you don’t need to, but it’s probably a good idea—especially if you’re working out in the morning and your last meal was dinner the night before. More specifically, you should give your body carbs for energy and protein to fuel muscle growth and recovery, says Kunces.

Why? Well, the carbohydrates you eat turn into glycogen in your muscles, which comes through as energy while you lift, she says. So, “adding carbs to your system before a lift will help you move well, lift heavy, and feel powerful,” she says. And that stands whether you’re going for a one-rep max or hitting a kettlebell circuit. Think of it as adding a little more gas in the tank to work with.

Meanwhile, protein gets broken down into amino acids, which supports your muscle during and after a workout, says Machowsky. “Strength training induces the breakdown of muscle, which is what signals the body to repair and get stronger,” he says. “But having protein in your body will minimize muscle protein breakdown during a workout as well as prime your body to start the muscle protein synthesis required for repair as soon as you finish training.”

On the flip side, “not eating before higher intensity, higher volume, or heavier weight strength workouts can lead to quicker muscular fatigue, reduced ability to do work, and the perception that the work is harder,” says Kunces. In fact, because mental and muscular energy are needed for maintaining sound form, “injury may be a higher risk during a fasted lift,” she says. Basically, you’ll get less bang—and more pangs—from a fasted lift than a fed one.

Benefits Of Eating Before Lifting

• More access to energy to power lifts
• Increased mental focus leads to better form
• Decreased risk of muscle breakdown
• Improved rate of recovery
• Reduced muscle soreness

When (And What) To Eat Before Strength Training

Here’s the thing: When it comes to eating before a strength session, the amount and type of food matters.

Eating a huge meal right before is a recipe for worse performance and more discomfort, says Kunces.

When you lift, your body sends blood, which contains necessary oxygen and nutrients, to the working muscles. But digestion requires blood flow to be sent to the stomach, she says. As a result, “the different parts of the body will be competing for blood supply and may cause GI distress and a less optimal energy supplied to your muscles while you lift.”

Ideally, “you’ll want to have eaten a meal within the last three to four hours, or have had a pre-workout snack within the last hour,” says Machowsky.

As for what you eat? Regardless of the quantity of intake, registered dietitian Mallory Aldred, RD, agrees that lifters should aim to eat some carbs (for energy) and protein (for muscle support and recovery) with each meal.

One key difference between a meal three or more hours before a lift, and a pre-workout snack immediately before is that a meal can (and should!) include healthy fats, while a snack shouldn’t. Fat takes longer to digest, so it will still be in your stomach for your session, which can lead to GI issues, says Kunces. “You should also avoid eating new foods, spicy foods, high-fiber foods that produce gas, and anything that you’re intolerant to (like dirty, for example) right before a workout,” she says.

As you might guess, another difference is the amount of total food. “For a pre-workout snack, most people only need like 15 to 25 grams of protein and carbs each, for a total of 200ish calories,” says Kunces.

Here are some options:

• Five to eight ounces of greek yogurt with some cereal or granola
• One cup cottage cheese with berries
• Two hard boiled eggs and piece of fruit
• Half an egg or tofu sandwich on toast
• String cheese with handful of cracker
• One scoop of tuna with rice cake

If you’re a morning exerciser and can’t stomach any of these foods so early in the day, Aldred suggests “trying to sip on an essential amino acid supplement mixed with water during your workout to avoid muscle loss.” The AAs will provide your muscles with some of the fuel they need to repair, while the water will ward off workout-ruining side effects of dehydration, she says. (To be clear: Even if you sip AAs before your workout, eating a high-protein post-workout snack is still important).

Does it change based on your goals?

You bet. Whether you’re a bodybuilder in a cut or new exercise determined to safely lose weight, if your primary goal is to drop body fat, it’s OK if going from snack plate to weight plate isn’t your jam.

“During a lower intensity and lower volume lift, fasting may increase the percentage of energy coming from fat [rather than carbohydrates],” says Kunces. So, similar to fasted cardio, research in the International Journal of Exercise Science suggests this approach may result in greater fat loss. For the study, college athletes completed one 10-hour fasted resistance training session one day, and one def resistance training session another. The researchers observed that the athletes had a much lower respiratory exchange ratio—a calculation commonly used to glean insights into whether a fuel source is carbohydrates or lipid—which suggests that fasted resistance exercise relies more heavily on fat metabolism than carbohydrate.

However, there is some risk that, in addition to burning fat, your body also breaks down some muscle for fuel, says Aldred. Muscle is more metabolically active tissue than fat—meaning, the more muscle an individual has, the more calories they will burn at rest—so this is not ideal for fat or weight loss, she says.

To keep muscle breakdown at a minimum, Machowsky suggests prioritizing protein with breakfast immediately after. Eggs are the obvious choice, but he also suggests Greek Yogurt, protein powder smoothie or shake, smoked salmon, protein waffles, or even leftover chicken. “It’s also important that you get enough overall protein throughout the day for your goals,” he says. For people who strength train, the American College of Sports Medicine recommends 0.5 to 0.8 grams of protein per pound of goal body weight.

Gabrielle Kassel (she/her) is a sex and wellness journalist who writes at the intersection of queerness, sexual health, and pleasure. In addition to Women’s Health, her work has appeared in publications such as Shape, Cosmopolitan, Well+Good, Health, Self, Men’s Health, Greatist, and more! In her free time, Gabrielle can be found coaching CrossFit, reviewing pleasure products, hiking with her border collie, or recording episodes of the podcast she co-hosts called