Post Weight Lifting Nutrition

tootoop224

Came across this article. It's rather light on details, but has me thinking. I wanted to get your opinion on the premise that there is a 30-60 minute window after working out where eating the right amount of carbs and protein can help maximize muscle growth/healing. Also looking for any thoughts re: the foods they suggest.

http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/list/201305/10-best-foods-eat-post-workout#10

KimberlyDCZ

I read it. Makes sense to me. I usually avoid high GI foods later in the day so I guess now I could have some higher GI fruit after my evening workout. I like the suggestion of cereal and milk as I often have that as a late evening snack.

Hendrix7

http://www.jissn.com/content/pdf/1550-2783-10-5.pdf

You might want to check that out.

I guess now I could have some higher GI fruit after my evening workout

Fructose gets stored mostly as liver glycogen so that would not replenish muscle glycogen.

I think most will agree that muscles need to be repaired after a workout however the idea that this must happen within 1 hour seems to be unfounded or at least not conclusive and mostly promoted by supplement companies selling you recovery drinks.

I'm really not buying the idea that white rice post workout is going to give me any noticeable benefits over brown rice etc.

Unless you like to train fasted specifically...eat something before you workout then eat something afterwards. It doesn't really need to be made any more complicated than that.

jacksonpt

Nutrient timing isn't irrelevant, it's just highly overstated. Is there a benefit? Yes. Is it significant enough that most of us should worry about it, especially in the face of bigger objectives like total cals/macros/rest/form/etc? No.

KimberlyDCZ

http://www.jissn.com/content/pdf/1550-2783-10-5.pdf

You might want to check that out.

I guess now I could have some higher GI fruit after my evening workout

Fructose gets stored mostly as liver glycogen so that would not replenish muscle glycogen.

I think most will agree that muscles need to be repaired after a workout however the idea that this must happen within 1 hour seems to be unfounded or at least not conclusive and mostly promoted by supplement companies selling you recovery drinks.

I'm really not buying the idea that white rice post workout is going to give me any noticeable benefits over brown rice etc.

Unless you like to train fasted specifically...eat something before you workout then eat something afterwards. It doesn't really need to be made any more complicated than that.

Thanks for the link. I usually don't eat anything after my workout because I do it after my son is in bed, about 2 hours after dinner. Sometimes I feel like I need to though, so I was hoping to find out the best options. I haven't started lifting yet, but I think when I do, it'll be in the mornings followed by a protein packed breakfast with some complex carbs and fruit, simply because I like fruit for breakfast.

WhoButME28

Meal timing, even after any sort of workout, is what's referred around training circles as bro-science. As long as you consume your daily allotted amount of calories spread between your protein, fats and carbs and make sure you are also consuming essential micro nutrients you are good to go.

goodtimezzzz

extremely important but recent discoveries is after a killer workout wait for more then 60 minutes....You will see the magic! I take in 2000 calories sometimes an hour after a workout...TREMENDOUS!

goodtimezzzz

and meal timing is ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING when it comes to fatloss muscle building etc.

tomg33

Nutrient timing isn't irrelevant, it's just highly overstated. Is there a benefit? Yes. Is it significant enough that most of us should worry about it, especially in the face of bigger objectives like total cals/macros/rest/form/etc? No.

This. We're talking a few percent at best, for people already under strict controls.

and meal timing is ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING when it comes to fatloss muscle building etc.

No. The majority is maintaining a caloric deficit, followed by macro-nutrient breakdown and resistance training.

Confuzzled4ever

Well if it is true.. then I'm **** out of luck.. I usually can't eat until an hour after I exercise. I just dont' feel like it.

Wetcoaster

From everything I have read your body does not digest something instantly, as well as it does not distribute the calories and protein instantly. SO if you ate 3 hours before you workout, hit the gym then went to bed the calories and protein that you consumed prior still go to your muscles.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22895782

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/muscle-growth-and-pos-workout-nutrition.html

cwolfman13

For the vast majority of us, this is pretty much not all that important. It's more important if you're a competitive athlete as these little things can give you a slight edge...but for most of us, we're not really going to notice a whole lot of benefit and it's not really worth worrying about.

tootoop224

Thanks for all the responses.

In case your keeping score at home, here's the breakdown:

Important: 2
Meh: 4
Irrelevant: 2
*kitten* out of luck: 1

AlchemyOfTheBlackSunCult

The 30-60 minute window after lifting is complete nonsense. When you workout, you break down muscle fiber and deplete glycogen (muscle energy). Muscle protein synthesis is increased for 24-72 hours after working out. This means that your body responds more anabolically to amino acids in that 24-72 hour time period. After that time period is over, muscle protein synthesis within that muscle returns back to normal. The whole 30-60 minute thing is a huge marketing scam of companies trying to get you to buy their protein powder (not that protein powder is bad, its just not necessary)

ernestbecker

The principle of consuming right after a work out is sound advice. All those foods are generally good for you, if consumed in moderation, except for the cereal. That was random in the field of 10 foods.

If I go on a long bike ride like 2 hours, one of the first things I do when I get home is drink a sugar coke. Note, I do not drink or eat High Fructose Corn Syrup. I buy the mexican cokes that are still made with sugar. This sugar is quickly converted to glucose and shuttled to hungry starving muscles and will not add weight. About an hour later, I eat complex carbs, like a whole wheat sandwich with peanut butter or turkey. Good luck.

Shock_Wave

As a bber my muscle tissue is always repairing so therefor since the digestion process is only hours long and I can only intake so much protein at once I always eat some form of protein all through out the day for a constant flow of protein. I usually eat a pre work out protein shake only because I work out in the evening so its like my protein refueling snack since early lunch time then dinner after the work out. In the end its all about balancing my macros and allotted calories for the day.


ETA: I have also read that that supposed window can be up to 3 hours after your work out....

AlchemyOfTheBlackSunCult

As a bber my muscle tissue is always repairing so therefor since the digestion process is only hours long and I can only intake so much protein at once I always eat some form of protein all through out the day for a constant flow of protein. I usually eat a pre work out protein shake only because I work out in the evening so its like my protein refueling snack since early lunch time then dinner after the work out. In the end its all about balancing my macros and allotted calories for the day.


ETA: I have also read that that supposed window can be up to 3 hours after your work out....

Have you ever heard of protein refractory period ? Consuming protein all day is less beneficial than consuming it 3-5 times a day in moderately high doses

Shock_Wave

As a bber my muscle tissue is always repairing so therefor since the digestion process is only hours long and I can only intake so much protein at once I always eat some form of protein all through out the day for a constant flow of protein. I usually eat a pre work out protein shake only because I work out in the evening so its like my protein refueling snack since early lunch time then dinner after the work out. In the end its all about balancing my macros and allotted calories for the day.


ETA: I have also read that that supposed window can be up to 3 hours after your work out....

Have you ever heard of protein refractory period ? Consuming protein all day is less beneficial than consuming it 3-5 times a day in moderately high doses

No sorry I have not.
The way I see it is that since there is no peer review studies showing how much protein one can digest at once i.e.(20g-60g-80g??) I would rather a constant flow of protein all through out the day then not enough. No point in eating 60g of protein all at once if your body will only injest 20g and expel the rest as waste, savvy? Anyways that's my method to following my macros n overall allotted calories for the day.

AlchemyOfTheBlackSunCult

As a bber my muscle tissue is always repairing so therefor since the digestion process is only hours long and I can only intake so much protein at once I always eat some form of protein all through out the day for a constant flow of protein. I usually eat a pre work out protein shake only because I work out in the evening so its like my protein refueling snack since early lunch time then dinner after the work out. In the end its all about balancing my macros and allotted calories for the day.


ETA: I have also read that that supposed window can be up to 3 hours after your work out....

Have you ever heard of protein refractory period ? Consuming protein all day is less beneficial than consuming it 3-5 times a day in moderately high doses

No sorry I have not.
The way I see it is that since there is no peer review studies showing how much protein one can digest at once i.e.(20g-60g-80g??) I would rather a constant flow of protein all through out the day then not enough. No point in eating 60g of protein all at once if your body will only injest 20g and expel the rest as waste, savvy? Anyways that's my method to following my macros n overall allotted calories for the day.

Factually this is not true. Your body can digest almost any amount of protein at once (400+ grams, not that would EVER be necessary). Your body has an anabolic cap as to how much protein will be used to build muscle fiber, if you eat over that amount, it doesn't mean your body is going to get rid of the protein that wasn't used to build muscle. The amount that seems to come up over and over again is anywhere between .04-.06 grams of leucine/pound bodyweight (not protein, leucine, which is a BCAA which is the primary amino acid that causes muscle to grow). This equates to ~30-50 grams of protein (depending on weight, lean body mass, ect), but if you eat 80 grams your body will still repair other tissues with (protein doesn't only repair muscle, it repairs everything). Protein is the only macronutrient we NEED to survive, why would the body only digest so much at once.

Protein Refractory Period has to do with your amino acid levels. You want amino acid levels to spike, drop back to baseline, and then spike again, as opposed to having them elevated all day. If it's elevated all day muscle protein synthesis will not be as great.

Here's my resource, a study from Dr. Layne Norton

http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/protein_size_&_frequency.pdf

Shock_Wave

As a bber my muscle tissue is always repairing so therefor since the digestion process is only hours long and I can only intake so much protein at once I always eat some form of protein all through out the day for a constant flow of protein. I usually eat a pre work out protein shake only because I work out in the evening so its like my protein refueling snack since early lunch time then dinner after the work out. In the end its all about balancing my macros and allotted calories for the day.


ETA: I have also read that that supposed window can be up to 3 hours after your work out....

Have you ever heard of protein refractory period ? Consuming protein all day is less beneficial than consuming it 3-5 times a day in moderately high doses

No sorry I have not.
The way I see it is that since there is no peer review studies showing how much protein one can digest at once i.e.(20g-60g-80g??) I would rather a constant flow of protein all through out the day then not enough. No point in eating 60g of protein all at once if your body will only injest 20g and expel the rest as waste, savvy? Anyways that's my method to following my macros n overall allotted calories for the day.

Factually this is not true. Your body can digest almost any amount of protein at once (400+ grams, not that would EVER be necessary). Your body has an anabolic cap as to how much protein will be used to build muscle fiber, if you eat over that amount, it doesn't mean your body is going to get rid of the protein that wasn't used to build muscle. The amount that seems to come up over and over again is anywhere between .04-.06 grams of leucine/pound bodyweight (not protein, leucine, which is a BCAA which is the primary amino acid that causes muscle to grow). This equates to ~30-50 grams of protein (depending on weight, lean body mass, ect), but if you eat 80 grams your body will still repair other tissues with (protein doesn't only repair muscle, it repairs everything). Protein is the only macronutrient we NEED to survive, why would the body only digest so much at once.

Protein Refractory Period has to do with your amino acid levels. You want amino acid levels to spike, drop back to baseline, and then spike again, as opposed to having them elevated all day. If it's elevated all day muscle protein synthesis will not be as great.

Here's my resource, a study from Dr. Layne Norton

http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/protein_size_&_frequency.pdf

"Your body can digest almost any amount of protein at once"

I have never seen any peer reviewed studies on this..
But I will bump to read your link later.

baptiste565

Protein is the only macronutrient we NEED to survive

u srs?

AlchemyOfTheBlackSunCult

Protein is the only macronutrient we NEED to survive

u srs?

Yes. Our body makes glycogen in the pancreas (or the liver, correct me if I am wrong), and fat as well. If you are eating 0 grams of fat your hormones are gonna be completely wrecked, but you'll survive, carbs you can do with 0, yeah your insulin will be messed up, but you will survive. If you had 0 grams of protein your nitrogen balance would be screwed up and you wouldn't live very long at all, not to mention essential amino acids repair damaged tissues (muscle, organ, ect.)

GiddyupTim

I know that, when I coached soccer, I was taught that this idea -- of replenishing within the 30-45 minute window -- was pretty well accepted. They also said that chocolate milk was about the perfect balance of protein and sugar, as good as any Tiger Milk or other body building product was going to be.
Now, the idea was that you were replenishing your muscle stores so you would recover better for the next day, and the next day's workout. Nothing more.
Oh yeah, and . . . what we were taught was not that eating triggered insulin release, but that your muscle tissues were open for replenishment for 30-45 minutes, and then you insulin system kicked in, and it affected your muscle tissues and you could not replenish as well.

Wetcoaster

Some good reading here.....

http://www.clinicalnutritionjournal.com/article/S0261-5614(12)00266-X/fulltext

http://www.machinemuscle.com/interview-with-nutrition-expert-alan-aragon/

http://www.bodyactive-nation.co.uk/articles/main-articles/nutrition/nutrition-basics/protein/is-there-a-limit-to-how-much-protein-the-body-can-use-in-a-single-serving

chrisdavey

I think it's funny how broscience evolves. Used to be eat every 3hrs and make sure you get your protein PWO. Now with lots of people on CBL, it's fast for as long as you can, eat only P&F before training and then mass carbs PWO.

Total macros intaken > any magical meal frequency.

Wetcoaster

I don't consider Alan Aragon broscience that is for sure.

chrisdavey

I don't consider Alan Aragon broscience that is for sure.

hell no!

His stance on CBL was pretty funny I must say. CBL seems like the broscience for powerlifters :laugh: (cause Mark Bell is shredded and is on CBL)

jgcurry3

30-60 minute window postworkout is optimal for protein absorption and also for muscle glycogen replacement. if it is not done within that time period it can take up to 2-3 days to fully replace.

Warchortle

The only thing I've heard for nutrient timing is any protein within 8 hours of exercise may SLIGHTLY have increased benefits, but PWO nutrition isn't that important to hitting daily macros.

baptiste565

Protein is the only macronutrient we NEED to survive

u srs?

Yes. Our body makes glycogen in the pancreas (or the liver, correct me if I am wrong), and fat as well. If you are eating 0 grams of fat your hormones are gonna be completely wrecked, but you'll survive, carbs you can do with 0, yeah your insulin will be messed up, but you will survive. If you had 0 grams of protein your nitrogen balance would be screwed up and you wouldn't live very long at all, not to mention essential amino acids repair damaged tissues (muscle, organ, ect.)

lol. i guess survival is a relative term. u will probably be bed ridden, bald, yellow eyes, and about 40 lbs. u need essential fatty acids that ut body cannot make and alot of vitamins that r mostly found in carbs.

Warchortle

Stop breaking that dudes balls, he's just saying when you think of "essentials" they are found via protein and not through other sources.. stop getting butt hurt over nothing.