I’ve seen a lot of questions being asked about using honey as a pre-workout. And there is something I want to clarify first before diving deeper into this post…
Honey will not replace the function of a pre-workout supplement that contains stimulants and ingredients designed to give your body more energy and endurance in the gym. But instead, honey should be used as a good source of fast-digesting carbs to help fuel your workouts.
Below, we’ll dive deeper into this subject by discussing the differences between a pre-workout snack (aka fuel) and a pre-workout supplement.
I’ll also talk about the benefits of consuming honey and how to use it before, during, or after your workouts for the best benefits.
Can Honey Be Used As Your Pre-Workout Snack
When it comes to choosing a good workout snack, honey may be one of the best options when it comes to a fast-digesting carb source.
Honey is a great source of carbohydrates and can be used as a pre-workout snack to help fuel you through your workout. Honey is a great fuel source for endurance exercise and an excellent natural alternative to sports gels or other quick forms of carbohydrates.
This is where eating honey really starts to shine. It’s a great source of natural sugar and can help with your energy stores and boost energy for prolonged endurance exercise.
Honey As A Pre-Workout Supplement Vs. Honey As Pre-Workout Fuel
You should know by now that eating honey should be used as fuel for your workout and will not replace actual supplements like pre-workouts, which have special ingredients and stimulants to give you energy, pumps, and endurance in the gym.
They can be used together to complement each other, and each can have its own place in your routine, but make sure you don’t confuse the two.
Pre-Workout Supplement
Pre-workout can have an effect on you mentally and physically in the gym. If you are wondering…
What does pre-workout feel like? Then, be sure to check out that post.
But this supplement is designed with stimulants like caffeine and other ingredients to give you energy focus, improve cognitive functioning, increase blood flow, improve athletic performance, and increase endurance in the gym.
Pre Workout Fuel
Fuel, on the other hand, will help provide your body with the glycogen stores it needs to physically move around.
You’re body’s primary fuel source is carbohydrate sources. And honey is a good source of fast-digesting carbs that your body can use as a fuel source before workouts.
Using Honey Before A Workout
Eating honey is a good way to get your body primed and ready to go before your workout. Ensure you consume it 20-30 minutes before your workout to give your body time to digest it.
You can also carry some with you and enjoy it during your exercise, especially if you plan on working out for a long period of time.
Benefits Of Honey And Endurance Exercise
When you eat honey, having energy is just one of its many benefits. Here are a few other health benefits you can enjoy:
- Honey can help maintain blood glucose levels during your workouts.
- Increase blood glucose concentrations more favorably compared to other foods.
- Honey has anti-inflammatory properties, contains anti-oxidants, and has an antibacterial property.
- It doesn’t raise blood sugar as quickly as refined white sugar
- A natural substance and a healthier choice in general
But the most popular reason people choose to eat honey before workouts is it’s a powerful fuel source that doesn’t raise blood glucose levels as much compared to other choices (compared to popular social media snacks like pop tarts and rice crispy treats)
How To Use Honey As A Pre-Workout Snack
There is no right or wrong way to enjoy honey before lifting weights or exercising.
You can literally just have a spoonful of this golden goodness 20-30 minutes before you need the energy.
Or you can get more creative with how you eat honey…
If you are having a full meal instead of a workout snack, you can use honey to sweeten whatever you’re eating.
For example, if you are eating toast, rice crackers, or waffles (which are some of the more popular foods to eat to fuel workouts). You can use honey as a healthy sweetener for all those foods.
And if you are just having a protein shake for your pre-workout snack, then you can just add your honey to that.
Using Honey For Your Post-Workout Nutrition
You can also enjoy some honey as an after-workout snack too. It’s good for glycogen restoration after long workouts where your stores where probably depleted.
And you can enjoy it however you like, but my favorite way is to add it to my protein shakes.
Honey In Your Protein Shake
This is a good way to get the benefits of protein powder and honey all at the same time!
Protein shakes are a great source of amino acids, giving your body the building blocks it needs for muscle growth, repair, and recovery.
Not only that, but if you have a sweet tooth like I do. It’ll be a good way to restore some glycogen into your muscles while using natural sugar to sweeten your protein shake a little bit.
Final Thoughts On Using Honey As A Pre-Workout
Now, you should understand everything you need to know about how to use honey before your workouts and even a few tips on using it during or after your workouts.
Also, you should have a clear understanding of the idea of honey as a pre-workout. It’s a great source of fast-digesting carbs that will help maintain blood glucose levels during your workouts.
But honey will not replace pre-workouts that contain stimulants and other ingredients used to boost performance in the gym. Instead, honey should just be used and thought of as a fuel source for your muscles and your body.
Now, I hope I was able to clear up everything you wanted to know and explain the differences between these two things.
There is a place for both of them in your routine. It’s just important to understand what the differences are between them.
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