What to eat pre-training to avoid feeling bloated.

Let’s be real for a second — if the last time you ate before training left you bloated, uncomfortable, and struggling to get your belt on, no wonder you’re not keen to repeat it.

But when we talk about eating before training, that’s not what we mean.

Why Eat Pre-Training?

The goal of a pre-training meal or snack isn’t to weigh you down — it’s to fuel your session so you can get the most out of it.

Eating before training helps:

• Provide energy to train hard (and hard training = progress)

• Enhance performance (which means choosing something that doesn’t make you feel like crap)

If you’ve sworn off eating before lifting because you once had a full steak dinner 45 minutes before squats... yeah, fair. But there’s a better way to do it.

How to Eat Before Training Whilst Minimising Your Risk of Bloating

1. Limit Protein, Fats, and Fibre 1–2 Hours Pre-Training

Protein, fats, and fibre take longer to digest - and for many people, they’re a common cause of discomfort.

When you exercise, your body prioritises blood flow to your working muscles. Since digestion isn’t high up on your bodies priority list when you’re training hard, digestion can slow down.

Instead, aim for simple carbs about 30–45 minutes before your session. For example:

• White bread, wraps or crumpets with honey or jam.

• Pikelets/pancakes + maple syrup

• Lollies

• LCM bars or similar

• Rice crackers or pretzels

• Fruit juice (e.g. - cranberry or orange).

• Sports drinks (e.g. - gatorade / maximus / staminade)
  

How much?
It’s recommended to consume 0.5–1g of simple carbs per kg of body weight.

So, if you weigh 70kg: 0.5 - 1 x 70 = 35–70g of simple carbs.

If you’re someone who frequently trains fasted, or eats very little before you train, you can even start with less than the recommended amount (e.g. - half a banana, half an LCM bar, or 1 piece of white bread).
As this sits comfortably and your gut adjusts to regularly eating before training, slowly increase the amount of carbs until you’re sitting around the recommended amount.

2. Ease Up on the Fluids

Hydration is important for general health and performance, yes. But if you’re smashing back an entire energy drink or a load of fluid right before training, you can end up causing more bloating and discomfort.

Try: Sipping fluids slowly and regularly throughout the day - not all at once right before your session.

3. Check Your Caffeine Dose

Caffeine can enhance performance, but too much can cause undesired side effects - nausea, reflux, or even a mad dash to the bathroom mid-set.

Stick to 3–5mg per kg of body weight if you tolerate caffeine well.

If you’re sensitive to caffeine you can try 2mg per kg of bodyweight to start off.

Being mindful of your overall caffeine intake can help prevent you from consuming too much. Caffeine is commonly consumed in coffee/tea, soft drinks, pre-workout, caffeine tablets, gum and some sports drinks.

4. Don’t Leave It All to One Big Meal

If you’re eating most of your calories in one sitting an hour before training, your digestive system is going to be working hard. As we mentioned before, when you train intensely, your body prioritises blood flow to your working muscles, and doesn’t prioritise your digestion as much.

Too much food too close to training can cause cramping, bloating and nausea.

Instead, spread your food out evenly across the day to reduce the overall load on your digestion before your session.

5. If You’re New to Eating Pre-training, Start Small

If you’ve been training fasted or don’t eat in the hours before training, don’t jump straight to full meals. Your gut needs time to adapt.

0.5-1g of simple carbs 30-45 mins pre-training is the gold standard, however, starting even lower than this can help train your gut.

Start with something small:

• Half a banana

• A plain crumpet

• 250mL of juice

• Half an LCM bar

• One plain slice of white bread

After a little while and as time goes on you can slowly build up to that 0.5–1g per kg of bodyweight carb target as your tolerance improves.

Other Causes of Pre-Training Bloating (That Aren’t Food Itself)

Even if you nail your nutrition, other factors can cause that “ugh” feeling mid-session:

• Wearing tight clothes or belts around your stomach

• Meals you ate earlier in the day (or the day before)

• Physical or mental stress

• Eating too quickly

• Certain medications or supplements

If bloating is a constant issue, it’s worth digging deeper or speaking with a professional to see if there is an underlying cause.

The Bottom Line

If you’re skipping food before training because you once felt gross - it doesn’t mean that eating pre-training is bad. It just means you might have been eating the wrong types of food, in the wrong quantities, at the wrong time.

Try these small, strategic changes. You might find that you:

• Have more energy to push through your session

• Aren’t starving the second you finish

• Feel stronger and more consistent over time