Is Honey a Good Pre-Workout? Why Honey is a Great Snack
Unlock your full potential by engaging with our experts and community! Have questions about your fitness journey or looking for expert advice on weightlifting techniques? Don’t hesitate โ leave a comment below and Jacek Szymanowski will provide a personalized answer and insights to help you reach your goals.
Torokhtiy is reader-supported. Some links are affiliate links, and we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. See our disclosure page for details.
Because honey is mainly sugar, itโs a great way to get a quick boost of energy before a workout. Consider adding it to water, or a pre-workout shake!
With that being said, itโs not a replacement for the caffeine and active ingredients found in most pre-workout supplements, or the protein and complex carbs found in proper post-workout nutrition.
Is Honey a Good Pre-Workout? – Because honey is an easy source of simple carbs, it can be a great pre-workout snack. With this being said, you may want a more complete meal 1-2 hours before your workout as well, or a pre-workout supplement with caffeine and other active ingredients.
![is honey a good pre workout](https://torokhtiy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/honey-pre-workout-torokhtiy-min-1024x683.jpg)
Is Honey Good Before a Workout?
So, โdoes honey work as pre-workout?โ
In short, eating honey before workouts is a great way to get some added energy. This is especially true directly before you work out for a quick boost of carbs.
Also, while honey is fine on its own, to improve palatability, youโll probably want to mix it with water or a shake instead of eating plain honey.
Below weโll be looking at why honey is helpful, along with other nutrition tips, as well as the nutritional benefits of honey, and other considerations.
What Do You Need Before You Workout?
Typically, small amounts of carbohydrates like those provided by honey can be consumed directly before a workout. Of course, honey is not your only option here, with small amounts of fruit, gels, or sports drinks being alternatives to consider.
While honey is helpful directly before a workout, youโll probably want to have a larger meal several hours before your workout consisting of complex carbohydrates, fats, and proteins.
Beyond nutrition, you may also be interested in pre-workout supplements. These typically combine caffeine with other active ingredients to provide an extra boost to your workouts. While these supplements are beneficial, keep in mind that they arenโt necessary for a great workout.
Nutritional Profile of Honey
Letโs take a quick look at what you can expect from a tablespoon of honey. This is a good amount to take if youโre wondering about how much honey before workouts to have. This amount of honey contains:
- 63.8 calories
- 17.3g of carbs
- 0.63g of protein
- 0g of fat
As you can see, honey is made up mainly of carbs, which are almost entirely sugar. This is exactly what makes it such a great source of quick energy for exercise. However, this is also what may make it unsuitable for some athletes, as weโll cover more in-depth below.
Honey is fairly limited when it comes to micronutrients, containing a small amount of potassium and little else. Minimally-processed honey is also a good source of antioxidants, which have numerous benefits for overall health, recovery, and disease prevention. This is one of the main benefits of having raw honey as pre-workout.
1. Honey’s Potential Benefits as a Pre-Workout
The main reason people eat honey before gym sessions is because itโs high in sugar, which the body can quickly use for energy. While the differences wonโt be massive, you may notice a slight boost in your performance and energy levels when you eat honey (or any other simple carbs) before your workouts. This is especially true if youโre working out on an otherwise empty stomach.
With this being said, proper pre-workout nutrition (ie. a full meal rich in carbs, fats, and protein several hours before a workout) will likely have a more significant effect on your performance than a scoop of honey immediately before.
However, combining a full meal, and a pre-workout snack is likely the best way to optimize your performance.
The benefits of honey as a pre-workout snack will also depend on the type of exercise youโre doing. If youโre exercising for ~30-60 minutes, taking a single serving of honey before your workout will likely get you through.
However, for endurance athletes training for 1-2+ hours at a time, you may want to consider using honey as an intra-workout snack as well. Once your initial boost from the honey wears off, likely after 30-60 minutes, you can consume some more to provide another quick hit of energy.
Just keep in mind youโll definitely want to have this honey along with water to avoid gastrointestinal comfort.
2. Additional Considerations
Itโs worth noting that honey is not suitable as a pre-workout for everyone. Especially if youโre diabetic, on a keto diet, or just cutting in general, honey may not be ideal for you.
First, if youโre diabetic, remember that honey is just a form of sugar, and as a result, should be used sparingly. While itโs alright to use in moderation, you will need to keep the rest of your diet in mind and may want to use honey sparingly.
Next, because honey is nearly 100% carbs, it wonโt be suitable for those following a keto, or low-carb diet. With that being said, while keto diets are likely effective at restricting calories which may then lead to weight loss, they likely arenโt ideal for maximizing exercise performance.
Speaking of weight loss, if youโre eating in a caloric deficit, you may not want to add in the extra calories from honey into your diet. Although a spoonful of honey is relatively low-calorie, youโll have to consider your goals and the rest of your diet to decide if itโs a worthwhile pre-workout snack.
What Makes a Good Pre-Workout?
Now that weโve gone over why honey can be a good pre-workout snack, letโs cover what else goes into a perfect pre-workout. Weโll be discussing nutrition, as well as some supplements you may be interested in taking.
1. Pre-Workout Essentials
Before getting into supplementation, you must have your pre-workout nutrition dialed in.
This begins with a meal several hours before working out, which should contain a good amount of carbs, fats, and protein. This will be the main source of fuel for your workout. You should aim to eat something that will keep you satiated throughout your workout. When youโre a bit closer to your workout, consider eating a slightly higher-calorie, carbohydrate-based snack.
Then, once youโre about to hit the gym, having a quick snack made up of simple carbs โ like honey โ can be a great way to give yourself a bit of added fuel. If you work out in the morning or youโre unable to eat a full meal several hours before your workout, having a small snack like this becomes even more important.
Of course, this will vary from person to person. Having a full meal and a pre-workout snack may be too many calories for some. Many people may be just fine with a small meal 1-2 hours beforehand and a quick pre-workout snack right before hitting the gym. Consider your own goals and preferences when deciding on how to approach pre-workout nutrition.
You may also want to consider taking supplements like pre-workout to add some extra fuel to your workouts. These mainly consist of caffeine and other ergogenic ingredients. The added stimulation from caffeine can provide a significant boost to your workouts, especially if youโre unable to eat a full meal beforehand.
Weโll be covering our recommendation for a high-quality pre-workout supplement below!
However, keep in mind that pre-workout supplements arenโt necessary to get a great workout in, and they arenโt a substitute for proper nutrition either. Make sure you have your nutrition dialed in, and that youโre not relying on supplements for your performance.
2. Consider the Type of Workout
Next, how you handle pre-workout nutrition may change depending on the kind of exercise youโre doing. A light workout in the gym has much different needs than intense endurance exercise.
If youโre working out for around 30-60 minutes, you can usually get away with less food beforehand. While a full meal followed up with a pre-workout snack is still ideal for performance, you may find youโre still able to get a good workout in with just a quick snack beforehand.
This will also depend on how intense youโre going in the gym. Going for heavy one-rep maxes will likely require more fuel than a light deload workout, for example.
On the other hand, if youโre practicing intense endurance exercise lasting several hours at a time, fueling properly is much more important for every workout. On top of a full meal and pre-workout snack, youโll likely need to consider intra-workout nutrition as well.
Something like honey can be great for this, as itโs an easy way to get a quick boost of energy during your workout.
While pre-workout nutrition is always important, for longer training sessions, it tends to have a greater impact on your ability to perform.
BULK Black by Transparent Labs
- Serving Size: 1 scoop (21.2 g)
- Servings per Container: 30
- Calories Per Serving: 5
- Betaine Anhydrous Per Serving: 2,500 mg
- Taurine per serving: 1,300 mg
- Recommended by Athletes: Hafรพรณr Jรบlรญus Bjรถrnsson, Pat Li, PAULINA
For a high-quality pre-workout supplement, consider Bulk Black from Transparent Labs, which contains 275mg of caffeine, along with effective doses of active ingredients Citrulline Malate, Beta-Alanine, Betaine, and Taurine. This makes it a perfect partner to proper nutrition to boost your performance even more!
FAQ
Is Honey Good Before a Run?
Yes, honey makes a great pre-run snack for getting an extra boost of simple carbs before your workout. Just keep in mind youโll want a full meal several hours before your run, and potentially some intra-workout snacks depending on the length of your run as well.
Does Honey Provide Energy?
Yes, because honey is almost entirely made up of sugar, itโs a great way to get some quick energy. Just be aware it wonโt provide the same pure stimulation that a high-caffeine pre-workout will.
Conclusion
Pre-workout nutrition is incredibly important for optimal performance. While itโs no replacement for a full meal hours beforehand, honey makes an excellent snack immediately before a workout for a source of quick carbs. Itโs also a great addition to slightly larger meals like shakes.
You may also be interested in using pre-workout supplements along with honey. If so, we recommend trying Transparent Labs Bulk Black.ย
Have you ever tried eating honey before workouts? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
References:
- Heidi Skolnik, โHereโs What to Eat Before and After a Workout,โ Hospital for Special Surgery, https://www.hss.edu/article_eat-before-after-workout.asp (Accessed May 14, 2024)
- FoodData Central, โHoney,โ US. Department of Agriculture, https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169640/nutrients (Accessed May 14, 2024)
- Jerlyn Jones, et. al, โEverything to Know About the Health Benefits of Honey,โ Healthline, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/benefits-of-honey#TOC_TITLE_HDR_3 (Accessed May 14, 2024)
- The Nutrition Source, โCarbohydrates and Blood Sugar,โ Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/carbohydrates/carbohydrates-and-blood-sugar/ (Accessed May 14, 2024)
- Brittany Poulson, โIs Honey Bad for People With Diabetes,โ Verywell Health, https://www.verywellhealth.com/honey-and-diabetes-5115267#:~:text=Like%20any%20other%20sweetener%2C%20honey,limit%20your%20consumption%20of%20honey. (Accessed May 14, 2024)
- Carrie Bebermeyer, โFood for Thought: Ketogenic Diets Reduce Athletesโ Anaerobic Performance,โ Saint Louis University, https://www.slu.edu/news/2018/may/ketogenic-diets.php (Accessed May 14, 2024)
- Photos made by Torokhtiy Media Team.
Why Trust Us?
With over 20 years in Olympic Weightlifting, our team does its best to provide the audience with ultimate support and meet the needs and requirements of advanced athletes and professional lifters, as well as people who strive to open new opportunities and develop their physical capabilities with us.
By trusting the recommendations of our certified experts in coaching, nutrition, dietology, and sports training programming, as well as scientific consultants, and physiotherapists, we provide you with thorough, well-considered, and scientifically proven content. All the information given in the articles concerning workout programming, separate exercises, and athletic performance, in general, is based on verified data. We ensure that you can rely on our professionals’ pieces of advice and recommendations that can be treated as personalized ones which will benefit you and fully meet your needs.
The product testing process is described in more detailย here
Author: Jacek Szymanowski
Certified Nutritionist,
M.Sc.Eng. Biotechnology
Performance Architect,
Strength and Conditioning Specialist
With over 30 years of fighting experience, specialization in nutrition coaching for athletes, and expertise in metabolic health and dietary strategies, Jacek offers a comprehensive approach to optimizing your performance and well-being. Backed by a Master of Science degree in Biotechnology, Jacek remains at the forefront of scientific advancements, ensuring that his coaching is always evidence-based and up-to-date.
Still have questions after reading our article? Unlock your full potential by engaging with our experts and community! Don’t hesitate โ leave a comment below and Jacek Szymanowski will provide a personalized answer and insights to help you reach your goals.