What should I eat for a morning workout?

Q: Most of the workout information I read is for people who workout in the middle of the day. How do I use my protein shakes when I workout within 1-2 hours after breakfast? I have 20g of protein and glutamine upon waking at 6:00 am with water. Then breakfast 1 hour later. Then if I am off or work later, I go to the gym by 8:30 or 9:00 am. I know how to time it if I workout later in day, but the morning workout thing confuses me. Should I have one shake prior to my workout, or will my breakfast be enough? I do have weight to shed, but I want to build muscle too. I have had difficulty putting muscle on without fat gain.

A: Stick with your 6:00 am protein and glutamine shake. That is perfect for stifling the muscle breakdown that occurs during the night when you were sleeping and going numerous hours without eating. When you go that long without eating your body turns to your muscles and breaks them down to get the amino acids that can fuel the body. The amino acids from the quick-digesting protein shake will get into your bloodstream faster than any other protein source. This will stop your body from stealing amino acids from your muscles. You also should have a protein shake within about 30 minutes before your workout. However, having a full breakfast an hour after your first shake and another shake before your morning workout may be too much if your goal is to lose body fat in addition to gaining muscle. If you can, try to workout within an hour of your first shake. If that is not possible with your schedule, then have your 6:00 am shake, but skip the full breakfast. Then have another shake with glutamine 30-60 minutes before your morning workout. So if you workout at 8:30 am, have the second shake around 7:30-8:00 am. Sticking with just protein shakes in the morning will help you burn more fat during your morning workouts and gain quality muscle and strength. After the workout have another protein shake with glutamine and then an hour later have your whole-food breakfast.