Ask A Coach: What Should I Eat To Reach My Goals?

When it comes to exercise and nutrition, there’s a lot of information out there to choose from, often with one piece of advice conflicting with another!

We’re working with our Personal Trainers to answer some of the most popular fitness questions so you can get accurate information and start your health and fitness journey off on the right foot.

Today, we have Personal Trainer and Run Coach Ian Scarrott, and Personal Trainer and Nutritionist Adam Glover, answering your nutrition questions. Watch their video to find the answers to:

• What Should I Eat Before The Gym?
• What Should I Eat During Exercise?
• What Should I Eat After Exercise?
• What Advice Would You Give To Someone Looking To Lose Weight Or Bulk Up?

Don't forget to check out our Ask A Coach: What To Wear To The Gym blog too. 

What should I eat before the gym?

Making sure you get enough food is crucial to making the most out of your workouts. According to Adam, what you eat throughout the entire day is more important than what you eat just before a workout – a good snack won’t counteract a day of not eating enough food!

That said, if you’re eating 2 or more hours before a workout, aim for a balanced meal with protein, fats, and carbs. If you’re eating an hour before, a carb rich snack is perfect. For anything less than an hour, quick digesting foods like fruit will give you an energy boost without making you feel nauseous while training. 

What should I eat during exercise?

If you’re training for less than 60 minutes, there’s no need to eat during a workout. For endurance athletes or those training for over 90 minutes, easy digesting carbs can help to replace lost glycogen. Think sports gels and drinks or fruit juice.

What should I eat after exercise?

Aim to eat some protein within an hour of working out – a protein shake should be enough to tie you over to your next meal! Make sure your meal has carbs and protein to help with recovery and keep you satiated.

What advice would you give for someone looking to lose weight, or bulk up?

If your goal is to build muscle, you need to create a stimulus that allows for muscle hypertrophy. Train the muscle group close to failure 2-3 a week and eat protein regularly throughout the day. Protein helps to facilitate muscle growth and prevent muscle breakdown. Try to get at least 20g in each meal and snack. Check out our guide to bulking and cutting for more advice on bulking.

For weight loss, keeping a calorie deficit is really important. Work out your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) and aim to reduce how much you eat. A 500-calorie deficit will achieve a 1lb weight loss each week. Make sure you don’t overly restrict, as this is more likely to lead to binging. A smaller deficit is easier to stick to and more sustainable! Learn more about how many calories you need for weight loss here.

Check out Working with a Personal Trainer is a great way to achieve your goals and access expert information. You can find available PTs on your gym homepage, or learn more about the benefits of working with a Personal Trainer here. Not a PureGym member yet? Find your nearest gym here.