Pre-Workout Snacks: What's the Best?

Hi there Nate Here!

This is one of the most frequent questions I get from Athletes and Warriors! I pray this helps.

(Prevention Magazine) Many exercisers wonder if they can get a pre-workout energy boost from food. But what can you eat that won't slow you down? And how much is too much? We asked the experts to compare two favorites -- energy bars and bagels. Here's what they found:

Bagels: Cheap, easy to find, satisfyingly crunchy (if you toast them).

Energy bars: Shiny wrappers, cool names, make you feel really athletic.

Which should you choose as your workout partner?

Performance: In a small study, David Pearson, PhD, of the Ball State University Human Performance Lab in Muncie, IN, failed to find a performance difference between cyclists who ate a bagel and those who ate a sports bar for breakfast before a workout on an exercise bike. "There was no recognizable benefit from the energy bar versus a common complex carbohydrate (i.e. bagel)," he says (Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, November 1996).

To explore this issue further, we collected some information and did a little testing on a typical bagel and two popular sports bars:

Frozen Bagel PowerBar Clif Bar Size and Type 3.5 in. (plain, poppy or onion) 2.25 oz (banana) 2.4 oz (apple-cherry) Price: $0.33 $1.69 $1.29 Nutrition: Calories 195 230 250 Fat 1 g 2 g 2 g Calcium 5% Daily Value (DV) 30% DV 4% DV Iron 14% DV 35% DV 10% DV Vitamin C 0% DV 100% DV 0% DV

Bagel Energy Bars Size: Fits in purse or gym bag Fits in pocket, purse, gym bag Sit-test: Uncomfortable to sit on, gets crushed, leaves crumbs on pants Barely noticeable when sat on. Virtually invulnerable to crushing

Conclusion: If you like the taste, convenience and the extra nutrients of the bars, fine -- just keep an eye on their fat (some have more than 2 g.) and calorie content. But if you want an inexpensive source of carbohydrate energy for your next workout, the lowly bagel is up to the challenge.

If it's time to get serious about your fitness, you need a structured program. I'll tailor a program specific to

your goals and abilities, that will contain:

	Fully customized workouts, listing: exercises, sets, reps and weights.
	Exercise videos and descriptions demonstrating proper technique for every exercise.
	A built in feedback system and email contact with me anytime.

Using the world's most powerful online training tool I can design and deliver a 12-week fitness program fully customized to your personal fitness goals, abilities, and schedule.

For more information about my background, fee structure and how to get started, go to:

US Sports Strength and Conditioning

 Just fill out the brief contact form if you would like to get started.

Contact Me: Nathan Lewis CSCS US Sports Strength and Conditioning

Tawan Deshawn Downs Thank you so much for everything Im an student athlete in Detroit, MI with a serious back injury and wow with 11 weeks of Mr. Lewis training (using the US Sports Online Strength and Conditioning System) I'm ready to get back on the field my strength in my back increase, my speed increase a little, i lost some weight, and i can see my abs coming in lol

Personal Trainers: Train More Clients, Make More, Have More Freedom