Should you have a big meal to sustain yourself or just be eating a few light snacks before you workout?
I know it can be confusing trying to decide what's best, so here are the nutritional facts:
Carbs are the main source of energy that you get from your diet, so those are what you want to focus on before a workout.
It is recommended that you consume between 0.6 - 1 grams of complex carbohydrates for every kilo of bodyweight, approx. 1 or 2 hours before your train.
For example, if you weight 70kg and you were going to workout at 5pm, you would want to eat at least 42grams of carbs and no more than 70 grams of carbs, between 3 and 4pm.
You will need the energy; however you want to avoid eating a large amount too close to your workout as it will be uncomfortable to workout whilst your body is digesting food.
If it has been longer than 2 hours since I had a main meal, then I usually opt for a medium or large banana about 30 - 45 minutes before I start working out (that's between 20 - 30g of carbs)
This means that my body has a replenished store of carbohydrates that it can burn throughout my workout, but it won't be trying to digest a meal of potatoes and protein as it would be, if I tried to fit in another meal beforehand.
As far as pre-workouts go, I've always preferred a cup of black coffee to set me on my way.