Back in the olden days, workout nutrition consisted of a quick run to the water fountain between exercises.
Then came Gatorade.
Then, we were introduced to the magic 20 minute post-workout window of time.
We were told that if we chugged down a carb/protein shake immediately after working out, we would:
- Shift our metabolism from a catabolic state (muscle damaging) to an anabolic state (muscle building) .
- Reduce post exercise muscle soreness
- Get bigger, stronger, leaner, faster, etc…
And there was (and still is) a lot of scientific research to back up this belief.
As a result, every gym put in a “smoothie bar” and we all chugged down some pretty gross post-workout protein shakes.
But wait, it doesn’t end there, we’re just getting started.
Researchers began to study whether pre-workout carb/pro nutrition might be even more efficient than post-workout carb/pro nutrition.
And their research showed that it was.
As a result, instead of one post-workout shake, I was now drinking half my shake pre-workout and finishing the rest post-workout.
I thought I had it all figured out.
Not quite.
The next scientific breakthrough discovered that while a combined carb/pro shake pre-workout worked wonders, a carb free protein meal didn’t work near as well.
And that was fine with me. Those heavy pre-workout protein shakes were sloshing around in my stomach and slowing down my workouts.
RECAP
At this point:
- Carbs before workout – GOOD
- Carbs & pro before workout good, but made Doug’s tummy upset
- Carbs during workout – GOOD
- Carbs & Pro (Amino Acids) immediately post workout – GOOD
In a nutshell, the theory is that:
- Carbs raise your insulin levels, increasing the efficiency of nutrient absorption.
- Your workout inflicts micro-damage on your muscles.
- Your muscles are now screaming for nutrition to re-synthesize newer/stronger/faster muscles.
- Then you throw a bunch of protein/amino acids into the mix
And voila, your body recovers faster & more efficiently from your workouts.
End of story, right?
Not yet.
In the past few years, I have been reading more about improving anaerobic endurance during workouts by supplementing with beta alanine or bicarbonates. And while the research shows mixed results, I have personally and professionally seen impressive gains in endurance during some pretty intense HIIT & HIRT workouts.
Since adding these supplements into the mix, I have been able to push some very intense workouts well past the dreaded 45 minute mark.
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So, what does all of this mean?
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It means that for best results, I recommend:
- Eating a combined pro/carb meal (real food) 1 to 2 hours before working out
- Drinking a mid-workout beverage containing…a high GI carb like maltodextrin, BCAAs, creatine, bicarbonates and/or beta alanine.
- Drinking a post-workout shake containing carbs and a fast digesting protein (whey isolate).
Keep in mind this is a best case scenario type of peri-workout nutrition program.
Most of you aren’t going to want to spend the money on all of this stuff.
So, if cost is an issue, I would recommend
- Eat the pre-workout meal as described above.
- Drink watered down orange juice during your workout. BCAAs & Creatine if you can afford them.
- Post-workout shake as described above.
Personally, I have tried 3 different workout beverages with sugar/BCAAs/Beta Alanine/Bicarb and have found that Biotest’s Surge Workout Fuel to be the most effective. It costs approximately $1.10 per serving.
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BTW – peri means around or about…so in this case peri-workout nutrition means nutrition around your workout
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I look forward to hearing your feedback. Workout nutrition is a hotly debated topic amongst all of the “experts” out there on the interweb.
My skin is thick, don’t hold back.
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So let’s talk about the GI of the carbs more. You are saying a high GI carb during workout, but what about before and after?
I have always worked under the idea that high GI carbs up to an hour before, during, and up to an hour after workouts is fine. Before and during it boosts blood sugar levels which may increase performance as the muscles have a supply readily available (especially if this is immediately after waking). After it bumps insulin levels, which pushes nutrients into the cells faster which bumps recovery in the long run?
What about other parts of the day? I think high GI carbs are to be avoided outside the workout time periods, but what about carbs in general? I have been working under the assumption that you need carbs throughout the day if you work out hard because your post workout probably does not cover all the bases due to absorption etc…, but when I work out intensely what type is best? High/Med/Low? I ask because I know low GI carbs impact blood sugar the least, but if I do a glycogen dump with 45min HIRT in the AM and then 12hrs later I have 2-3hrs of moderate to high activity at night, does the slow carbs fulfill the recovery needs in the short time span? Is there benefit to MED or HI GI carbs at any time outside of workouts?
What if one of our workouts ends less than an hour before bed? I have always heard that we should not eat carbs before bed because insulin impacts Growth hormone release, and during sleep is the time when this is released at its greatest. However I am also told the post workout meal is the most important meal in terms of recovery?
Also are there any changes to any of this if your workout is first thing in the AM, or any other specific time of day? For example I like to work out usually within 30min of waking, I can’t really eat a meal and have it digested in 30min so I usually just drink an 8oz red bull because I can digest the simple sugars in time with no issues. My schedule won’t really allow me the 1+hrs to eat a real meal before, and I figure its best to have something in my system since I have just fasted all night right?
One more item, would you change any of this depending on your goals? If its maximum fat loss or maximum performance, any significant changes?
Keep up the good work!
-Matt
This further confirms one of my favourite sayings “Muscles are built in the kitchen!” – It makes sense to consume the bulk of your calories around your workout or else the body won’t have anything to repair itself with or re-energize.
@Matt, completely agree when you say “I think high GI carbs are to be avoided outside the workout time periods”. I can’t see any benefit of flooding the body with a load of energy when the body isn’t being pushed.
I was a little wary of reading the post when I saw it in my inbox – so tired of reading stuff that is difficult to understand. But thanks for this – this is doable. The fitness black book says to go into workouts in a fasted state for weight loss. I suppose many theories will be there..
P S: Very interested in the points that Matt has brought up. I am a 41 year old woman trying to lose weight. Losing steadily but slowly.
I hate to say this, but…it depends.
I start taking in the high GI carbs 15 min before I start to train. That should be enough time for them to work.
The goal is to cause a spike in insulin to encourage the storage of nutrients into the muscles that I just trashed during my workout.
Considering that fat loss is one of the main goals for almost all of my clients, I want to manipulate insulin to it’s best effect. That is, to store nutrients in the muscle via an elevated insulin level, BUT to avoid storing nutrients as fat due to a similar high insulin level.
To do this, I want my insulin spike to occur in as small a time period as possible surrounding the workout.
The longer we move away from the workout with elevated insulin, the more likely we move from storing nutrients into the muscle tissue and towards storing it as blubber.
More research needs to be done, but in my personal/professional experience, I try to operate within 15 min before & after the workout.
Re nutrition for the rest of the day – you CAN go carb free and avoid any insulin spike. That will work best for fat loss, but it makes a lot of people miserable. It’s a trade off. I have never done well with a no-carb diet. Because of that, I prefer low GI all day long (mostly veg) and then high GI at workout time
Avoid high GI except at workout time.
Re the nighttime workout – It’s a common problem. People work long hours, workout at night and then have to deal with the dilemma of a post workout feed. My answer depends upon your goal. If it’s fat loss, I would suggest a workout drink during the workout, follow immediately with a protein shake. If you’re going to bed in the next hour, don’t eat any more. But, if you’re up for another 2-3 hours, look at a solid meal high in pro/mod in fat and mod in vegetable carbs – greens, broccoli, etc…(slow to digest, loaded with nutrients)
However, if you find that your weight loss goals are stalled. We may try eliminating that last solid meal.
Re the am workout – don’t worry about the meal – the sugar in the red bull is going to give us our insulin spike. Follow up with a pro shake immediately after finishing the workout and follow with a solid meal with high pro & moderate carbs – because you have your entire day ahead of you, you can go with more calorie dense carbs at this meal – sweet potatoes, etc…(unless your weight loss stalls…and then we replace those carbs with more crunchy veggies)
Re goals – It all depends on goals and more importantly your results.
All of this is theory until you begin to try it upon yourself.
Sometimes I feel like a mad scientists, making little tweaks and adjustments to a diet/training plan to make it work for a client. Fitting a body transformation program into a modern lifestyle isn’t always the simplest thing to do.
Sangita
I enjoy reading Rusty’s blog as well, but that idea of fasted state workouts is one area where I couldn’t disagree more.
The idea behind the fasted state workout is to force a spike in growth hormone.
My issue with that is twofold:
1. When it comes to the effect of hormones upon body composition, insulin is the king. The slight changes in GH brought upon by a starved workout is irrelevant next to the effect that a large insulin spike has upon body composition. Insulin drives obesity. Insulin drives weight loss. Insulin drives gains in muscle mass.
2. I have personally & professionally seen the effect of this insulin manipulation hundreds and hundreds of times. I also have feedback from a group of trainers/strength coaches/ bodybuilding prep gurus whose livelihoods & reputations depend upon their clients getting good results.
The GH theory is still a fringe theory that relies on a handful of studies.
While it is an interesting theory worth experimenting with, when push comes to shove, I will always choose a method that is based in a large body of scientific research + a large body of practical application over a method with only a handful of theories to back it up.
DR,
I’m with you on the GH point. I began my journey believing in its effectiveness and its manipulation during workouts, but the evidence is just not there that it’s secreted for long enough in large enough quantities to do anything in a small scale. Training methodologies over longer periods can effect basal levels, but the immediate and fleeting spike in levels doesn’t do much. Lyle McDonald just had a really good few posts on this stuff.
I think growth hormone is a hormone that is important to keep track of on a larger scale, ie. on a daily or weekly basis by making sure you eat well and sleep well etc., and insulin is the one that people should be more worried about controlling minute by minute or hour by hour, because its the hormone that has tangible acute effects.
Thanks DR thanks a lot! I have read this over and over. I am actually beginning to understand insulin. You have written it very clearly. And thanks Yash for that important point. Very interesting discussion.