Master your morning workout with the right fuelling strategy

The early morning hours provide busy athletes with a small window to squeeze in a session before the day slams them with all the responsibilities of work and family. These quiet hours are a great opportunity to chip away at your training goals, but they also come with some unique challenges.

One of the most common challenges for early risers is how to fuel their training session. It can be difficult to eat anything before your session given time constraints and a lack of hunger. There is an ongoing debate about whether to fuel those early morning workouts or do them in a fasted state.

The answer is not the same for everyone. Some people simply can’t stomach anything. For those athletes it is the only option and so they must approach the session with realistic expectations and even design a training plan that factors in this realty when deciding which sessions land on days you will be working out on an empty stomach.

Option 1: The fasted workout

Depending how well you ate the previous day, you will wake in the morning hungry or not. If you are not hungry, the thought of food makes you queasy, and you have precious little time to get that bike ride in, then fasted you will be.

Things to consider in this situation are that your energy will not be optimal and hard sessions demanding speed or strength are not the best options for fasted sessions. This is the time to get some quality zone 2, endurance or recovery based miles in. The demand is not so high on the body that it will be calling for high octane fuel. If you can take a coffee with cream and sugar with you try drinking it during your workout. It’s not much, but it will at least replenish some of the glycogen levels in your liver, line your stomach with a bit of a buffer and give you a small amount of calories to help you last the session without fading too much.

There is much discussion and some evidence that going full fasted helps with fat adaptation. While opinions run hot, scientific evidence runs lukewarm. Whether or not you get a benefit, as long as you keep the session relatively easy you should be fine. The best line of defence in this situation is to eat a good sized meal at dinner the night before and consider an evening snack that won’t interfere with sleep. Protein is a great option. Avoid foods with caffeine or sugar so you aren’t wide awake from your bedtime treat. Sorry, the dark chocolate is lights out.

Option 2: Sample sized meal

This is ideal if you can stomach something small and it’s tolerable in your stomach while exercising. Likely, you will have a maximum of 15 to 30 minutes to get something in before you have to start your session. Consuming easily digestible items like instant oatmeal, a banana, toast with jam or a protein shake will give your workout a boost.

This also opens the door for more types of sessions you can schedule for this time slot. As long as you keep it ‘happy meal’ sized, you shouldn’t have a problem working out above zone 2 with something in your stomach. This opens the door to interval training or strength work like hill repetitions. If this is problematic, it’s a sign that you actually need to start practicing this. Come race day, you are going to have to tolerate eating and carrying food in your stomach while out on the course.

Don’t be discouraged if it feels horrible at first. This is actually something your body can adapt to and learn to tolerate. If this is something you struggle with then these morning sessions are the perfect time to force yourself to eat a small meal or snack because it is vital to your race day performance.

Liquid calories are always a good option in this scenario. Easier to digest and commonly used in racing, they offer a great option for early morning and race day fuelling for those who struggle consuming calories. Stick to carbohydrates as much as possible when fuelling your morning session, whether in solid or liquid form. Adding a small amount of fat or protein will help stabilize blood sugar levels if you find you get shaky on carbohydrates alone.

Option 3: Full meal deal

Those with more time before their morning session would be wise to have a normal breakfast, still high in carbohydrates but with more fats and proteins to combine for a complete meal and balanced blood sugar levels. This meal can be similar to the mini meal but a larger serving. It’s also an opportunity to include slower digested complex carbs like bagels or hash browns. Give yourself a good hour and a half to two hours to digest before starting your session.

If you have the time and stomach for a full meal deal in the morning, you can include any type of session in your training plan for that time slot. You should be fuelled and fit for hard intervals or longer endurance sessions. No need to skip the coffee either, if you are a fan. As a performance enhancer and a staple in many athlete’s diets, if it suits you, more than one cup can fit into this breakfast window without causing stomach upset.

Recovery dessert

Remember to save the best for last and eat something post-workout, whether you’ve done it fasted or fuelled. It doesn’t have to be a lot, but if you can grab a protein shake with some carbohydrates and fats mixed in on your way out the door you will recovery faster and not be constantly searching for food throughout the day. It’s better to be pre-emptive and get some replacement calories in so your body can get to the job of repairing and recovering.

If you aren’t motivated to take the time to prepare, eat or drink something after your workout, think of it as dessert. Fresh berries, chocolatey protein powder and creamy yogurt is a healthy, purposeful and delicious post-workout treat.

If you have time for a proper breakfast after your session, having done it fasted or on a mini meal, that is a great option. It can be easier to stomach a full breakfast after a workout and it will serve the same purpose as a quick recovery drink or snack.

Whichever category you fall into there is an option that can work for you. Be mindful of the sessions you pair with early morning hours and the food you can consume and you will always be on the right track.