This is what the guy at GNC said...is it true?

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cthakkar1985
cthakkar1985 Posts: 137 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Currently I'm cutting, but of course want to maintain as much muscle as possible. My current routine on lift days is lift for 45 mins followed by 50 mins steady-state cardio. Then I have a postworkout meal (typically chicken with rice and veggies).

Guy at GNC said that I need to consume my postworkout meal within 15 mins of finishing lifting (before cardio) and that I should take a protein shake since it will absorb quicker because it's liquid and plant-based.

Any truth to this?

Replies

  • cthakkar1985
    cthakkar1985 Posts: 137 Member
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    Sued0nim wrote: »
    Not a shred

    How soon after finishing lifting would I need to consume a postworkout meal?
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
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    The relative importance of nutrient timing depends on a number of factors however it's fair to say that the contribution that nutrient timing makes is small at best.

    I'd suggest this review if you'd like something more in depth on the topic:
    https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1550-2783-10-5
  • courtneyfabulous
    courtneyfabulous Posts: 1,863 Member
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    NO!!

    Actually plant based protein is less well absorbed than animal protein, and whey protein is the quickest absorbing/digested protein there is. If you do decide to start taking protein shakes I suggest a whey protein one, unless you have some compelling reason to choose plant based. Plus the whey ones taste great and the plant based ones taste terrible & have a gritty texture.

    Its generally recommended to get about 20 grams of protein in within about 30 minutes of finishing your strength workout for optimal muscle recovery, but if you get enough protein through the day that's probably just fine too.

    I would suggest shorter hiit cardio rather than long steady state to prevent muscle loss while in a deficit, plus it's more effective and takes less time, but that's kind of a personal preference thing I guess.

    I know some people take BCAAs to help get through long workouts, you might want to look into that since you're doing almost 2 hours straight of exercise and that's a lot. But only if you feel you need it. I guess you could have your protein shake after your weight lifting and before cardio like the gnc guy suggested, but I would give yourself some time to digest it, not go straight into cardio- otherwise your body won't know whether to focus on digesting or exercising- I've had a couple times when I ended up vomiting when I tried to exercise too soon after having food so that's why I say that.

    What I do personally is I do an hour of lifting, and have a protein shake immediately after. I bring it with me to the gym and mix it up in a shaker cup right after my workout & drink it on the way home. Then I have a meal about half an hour to an hour & a half after getting home. I do hiit cardio (fasted) in the morning on the days between weight lifting days- and maybe a longer hike on the weekend. I like to break up my weight lifting from my cardio because when I try to do both one after the other it's too much for me and I start to feel run down- sometimes I do light cardio like a couple mile walk in the morning then weight lifting in the afternoon, but there's still a rest period in between. But again this is more of a personal preference thing, so do what works best for you and your body.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
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    Carlos_421 wrote: »
    I agree with Sued0nim and SideSteel.
    Also, to further illustrate how ill-informed the salesman is, adding a protein powder (solid, not a liquid) to water does not make the protein a liquid or faster absorbing. It just makes it wet.
    The speed of uptake depends on the chemical structure of the protein, not whether or not it's liquid or plant based.

    One of the fastest absorbing proteins is whey and it isn't plant based. However, even this is mostly irrelevant for casual and/or amateur lifters.

    All this is very true.

    Just a side story, my son had a classmate when he was a senior in HS. This kid was in good shape, looked a bit older than 17 and was slightly balding. He got hired at GNC and the manager told him to tell the customers he was a junior at the local university and majoring in nutrition.
  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
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    I personally think the pre-workout meal is WAY more important than the post. If you get a good pre workout meal (not talking about a "pre", but rather an actual meal), the post workout meal timing becomes irrelevant. No real proof to back that up, just how I feel.

    As for the GNC guy... you might just want to go to a local health shop where the people there are a little more informed. There is a lot wrong with what he said.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
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    GauchoMark wrote: »
    I personally think the pre-workout meal is WAY more important than the post. If you get a good pre workout meal (not talking about a "pre", but rather an actual meal), the post workout meal timing becomes irrelevant. No real proof to back that up, just how I feel.

    As for the GNC guy... you might just want to go to a local health shop where the people there are a little more informed. There is a lot wrong with what he said.

    That's no guarantee either. Our local "health"/nutrition shop is run by a bunch of people who believe in naturopathy, homeopathy and all kinds of other woo/quackery. They sell a good variety of protein and other supplements, but I certainly wouldn't want to take their advice for anything - I've heard them make a lot of recommendations to people that were far derpier than even the Dr. Oz show.
  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
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    AnvilHead wrote: »
    GauchoMark wrote: »
    I personally think the pre-workout meal is WAY more important than the post. If you get a good pre workout meal (not talking about a "pre", but rather an actual meal), the post workout meal timing becomes irrelevant. No real proof to back that up, just how I feel.

    As for the GNC guy... you might just want to go to a local health shop where the people there are a little more informed. There is a lot wrong with what he said.

    That's no guarantee either. Our local "health"/nutrition shop is run by a bunch of people who believe in naturopathy, homeopathy and all kinds of other woo/quackery. They sell a good variety of protein and other supplements, but I certainly wouldn't want to take their advice for anything - I've heard them make a lot of recommendations to people that were far derpier than even the Dr. Oz show.

    Yeah, no guarantees. We have a good local one that has a lot of testing equipment (bodpod, VO2max, etc) is run by very knowledgeable staff that do sports consulting as well. I guess I'm spoiled. But, you can usually understand the vibe of the place pretty quickly upon walking in.
  • mburgess458
    mburgess458 Posts: 480 Member
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    AnvilHead wrote: »
    Any time a statement starts off with "This is what the guy at GNC said....", it will very rarely be true. :) It's about like "I saw on Dr. Oz that....."

    This was my thought exactly.
  • LalaLovesPo
    LalaLovesPo Posts: 14 Member
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    I hate gnc. First off as a woman they treat me as a totally idiotic incapable loser. 2ndly theyre money parasites... i dont listen to anything they say ever. Vitaminshoppe has treated me a lot better, the staff is REALLY knowledgeable and not pushy salesmen. Maybe not commissioned like gnc? Screw gnc tho... its that all brah mentality...

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