That’s right gentlemen your mum and grandma weren’t lying, breakfast really is the most important meal of the day! Having said that it doesn’t actually mean that you need to eat breakfast if that is part of your daily plan. Like any meal it should be specific to your goals and most importantly with breakfast, the time of day that you intend to train.

So let’s look at the different training options and a killer breakfast to match them…

Up at the crack of dawn to smash a training session before work? 

Even with the greatest will in the world it is unlikely that you will be getting up at 4am to prepare a gourmet breakfast to fuel this early morning session. So the best approach here is to eat big the evening before with plenty of carbohydrates, sweet potato etc. (you know the drill,) so that you can wake up and use that energy in your morning workout.

What are the tricks of the trade here? Two pints of water to get you hydrated, a strong double espresso for that wake-up kick and then use a BCAA hit during your workout to protect your lean mass during your fasted training session. The reward for not hitting snooze and sleeping in is that you can really eat breakfast like a king for the ultimate post session refuel.

Here’s one of my favourites:

Chocolate Oat Supreme 

• Mix porridge oats with almond milk and chocolate whey protein and leave to soak overnight.

Then add the following toppings:

• A handful of blueberries
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
• 10 chopped almonds
• And sprinkle with desiccated coconut

 

Not up at 5am for a training session, but hitting the gym after work?

Breakfast is going to be the key meal to fuel your day. You can eat big here but eat lots of protein and fats and keep carb content low as you will need that energy boost closer to the time that you are training. The important thing is to leave enough time to prepare breakfast before you head off to work. Don’t grab an extra 30 minutes sleep and then think a croissant from Pret, as you sprint to the office, is going to cut the mustard!

Here are my favourite breakfast options:

The Fit Full English

• 4 eggs scrambled with a dash of butter, chilli flakes and pepper
• 150g smoked salmon with a squeeze of lemon
• 6 cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 avocado crushed

This isn’t rocket science guys, I am not a chef but anyone can scramble some eggs and be organised enough to have quality ingredients in the fridge. This will literally take 3 minutes to prepare.

Omega Kick-Starter

• Canned sardines in tomato sauce (yes you should always have this in your cupboard for emergencies) Microwave for 90 seconds
• Get your wok out and chuck in 6 asparagus spears
• Chop 4 chestnut mushrooms and add them to the wok and cook until soft
• Finally throw in 4 big handfuls of fresh spinach and stir in the wok until the spinach is wilted
• Whack on a plate and stick the sardines on top.

Again, this isn’t difficult or fancy, but a great way of getting protein and omega 3s in to your diet and no I am not on commission from John West!

I personally have never measured my macros but I eat to match the food groups in my meals to my training objectives and how I feel. This keeps life and food pretty simple to manage and enjoyable. I suggest you do the same.

As seen in Men’s Health Online HERE

Written by Richard Tidmarsh, Strength & Conditioning Coach, Owner and Lead Trainer of Reach Fitness. Follow Rich now on Instagram and Twitter