Carbs aren’t just comfort food—they’re workout fuel. But when it comes to their role in your performance nutrition strategy, how does timing play in? Specifically, should you eat carbs before or after a workout? 

The answer isn’t one-size-fits-all, as carbohydrates play different roles depending on when you consume them. Eat them before a workout, and they power your performance. Eat them after a workout, and they speed up recovery.

Keep reading for everything to know about eating carbs before and after workouts, according to registered dietitians.

Should You Eat Carbs Before or After a Workout?

Whether you’re slowing it down with a gentle yoga flow or amping it up with an interval run, you should ideally be sneaking in some carbs both before and after your workout, according to board-certified sports dietitian Cynthia Sass, RD. 

“Carbs not only give us energy before we work out, but they help us refuel the tank and recover after,” says registered dietitian Kait Richardson, RD. “If you work out and don’t refuel with adequate carbs, you'll feel depleted later in the day. You may also experience cravings for refined sugar later—this is because your body is desperate for carbs to recover.” 

Do You Need Carbs Before and After Every Workout?

If you’re about to do a lower-intensity workout (think: a long walk, yoga, or light cycling), Richardson says you don’t necessarily need carbs beforehand, especially if you had a balanced meal earlier in the day, as your body can tap into its stored energy to power your movements. But she says “carbs are your friend” before high-intensity and strength-focused workouts, such as HIIT classes, heavy weight lifting, or a tough tempo run, since carbs help you get the most out of your workout without feeling drained halfway through.

However, Sass is of the mind that your pre-workout fuel strategy should be the same regardless of your training intensity. At the end of the day, you know your body best and how it performs in various workouts after eating (or skipping) a carbohydrate-rich snack or meal. (It’s also never a bad idea to speak to your healthcare provider for personalized nutritional guidance, either.)

But both experts agree that carbs are always helpful post-exercise, regardless of the type of workout you completed, so that your energy levels feel steady and supported the rest of the day.

And if your workout lasts an hour or more or is particularly intense, you might need to refuel with carbs while exercising as well, in addition to eating that all-too-important balanced yet carb-filled recovery meal, Sass notes.

Benefits of Eating Carbs Before a Workout

Think of carbs as gas in your car. “If you drive on empty, you’re not going to get very far. You'll sputter out halfway,” Richardson says. 

Likewise, carbs provide the fuel our bodies need to work out properly. The carbs we eat get broken down into glucose, which fuels our cells, tissues, and organs. Any carbs that aren’t used right away get stored as glycogen in our muscles and liver. Our bodies tap into these stores whenever we’re pumping iron or hitting the pavement. Without them, much like the car, we won’t get very far. 

Here are just a few ways this carb-powered fuel helps us during a workout:

Benefits of Eating Carbs After a Workout

When a car is driven a long way, it eventually runs out of gas. So, too, do our bodies when we run out of glycogen the longer and more intensely we exercise. 

“After a workout, muscles are like sponges that want to soak up carbs to restock glycogen,” Richardson says. That’s why it’s key to replenish those glycogen stores after exercising with some carbs, which benefits us in several ways: 

What Sort of Carbs Should You Eat Before and After a Workout (and When)? 

OK, so we know that it’s smart to eat carbs both before and after a workout. But exactly what sorts of carb-rich snacks do the job well, and how long before and after you train should you fuel up?

Before Exercise

While the “ideal” amount of carbs to eat before training will vary from person to person and workout to workout, a general rule of thumb is to aim for 30–60 grams of carbs about 30–60 minutes before exercising. “The closer to the start of the workout, the simpler the meal or snack should be to allow for proper digestion and absorption,” Sass says. “That means aiming for easy-to-digest carbs that aren’t too high in fiber, protein, or fat.”

If you’re eating one hour or less before you start exercising, she recommends these snacks:

And you might want to avoid pairing those pre-workout carbs with protein, fat, or fiber unless you can wait a little longer before working out. They all delay stomach emptying and slow digestion, Sass explains, so adding them too close to the start of a workout can lead to sluggishness or a “brick-sitting-in-the-stomach feeling.” 

Plus, if the food doesn’t get broken down and absorbed before your workout, it won’t be available to power your muscles. “This can result in under-fueled cells and an upset stomach—the recipe for a miserable workout,” she says.

After Exercise

Sass typically recommends eating a recovery meal of carbs, lean protein, and a bit of healthy fat within about an hour after exercising. This trio of macros “provides building blocks for healing from the ‘wear and tear’ of a workout and nutrient replenishment—carbs alone post-exercise won’t cut it for exercise recovery,” Sass says.

If it will be a bit before you get home, eating a bar or drinking a shake with both carbs and protein within an hour can help kickstart the recovery process, she adds. Later, when you can get your hands on more solid food, go for whole-food sources of carbs like whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and legumes to pair with your protein and fats. (While fast-digesting simple carbs like crackers or bananas are great to eat right before exercising, those complex carbs are smart picks for your everyday rotation, thanks to the satiety-promoting, blood-sugar-balancing fiber and starch they deliver.)

Sass is a fan of these balanced recovery meals:

The Takeaway

Carbohydrates are your body’s go-to source of energy, which makes them especially important both before and after exercise. 

Fast-digesting carbs are important to eat before working out because they’re broken down into glucose, which our bodies use as fuel. This will support our performance and prevent us from feeling sluggish while working out. Eating complex carbs as part of a balanced recovery meal with protein, fat, and fiber after working out can help your body repair and recover so that you’re ready for your next workout. 

So you should eat carbs both pre- and post-exercise, ideally within an hour before and an hour after. With that in mind, you know your digestive system best, so listen to your body when deciding your ideal carb timing strategy and reach out to your doctor or a registered dietitian for personalized guidance.