5 Pre-Workout Mistakes

1) Eating directly before you exercise. I’ve witnessed this many times and if you don’t want to end up barfing beside your car in the parking lot - don’t do it! When you eat, blood pours into your stomach in order for digestion to occur. Before you workout, you want all the blood out of your stomach and circulating through your muscles. Therefore you should eat 2-4 hours before any kind of exercise, depending on how well you metabolize food.

2) Cardio before you lift weights. Cardio will deplete glycogen, which means you will have less energy for lifting weights. If you want to look great naked, then most of your energy should go towards lifting weights. Perform cardio after lifting weights, because there is a greater chance your body will use fat as energy.

3) Static stretching before weight training. Stretching lengthens the muscle, which can inhibit muscle contraction and decrease strength. There is also evidence that static stretching increases the chance of injury. Dynamic stretching before lifting weights would be a better option.

4) Not taking caffeine before workout. Caffeine has been shown in countless studies to spare glycogen and increase strength. Take pure caffeine, coffee, or green tea 30 minutes before you workout. Avoid energy drinks because they are high in sugar.

5) Eating high glycemic carbs. Eating foods such as, bread, potatoes, rice, etc..., can have you feeling tired and lethargic before your workout. High glycemic carbs are absorbed quickly, which means they don’t sustain energy over a long period of time. A better pre workout option would be a balanced meal of protein, low glycemic carbs, and fat.