It turns out that post-workout carbs aren’t as important as post-workout protein. Remember: The goal of post-workout nutrition is to minimize post-workout muscle breakdown and maximize protein synthesis(building muscle). In the post-workout protein post, you learned that you can do this by spiking your insulin levels with protein alone. So, where do carbs come into play?
Insulin doesn’t build muscle BUT insulin does turn on/start your body’s muscle building process -protein synthesis (1). Insulin is like a switch that controls whether we’re burning fat or building muscle. What this means is that you can plan your day to have periods of time focused on building muscle and periods of time focused on burning fat. Insulin gets released whenever you finish digesting carbs. After working out, our insulin levels get spiked with protein alone. It turns out that we can keep our insulin levels elevated for a longer period of time if we eat carbs with our post-workout protein (2). Having elevated levels of insulin after a workout is helpful because that means gives your body more time to build muscle.
Our view on post-workout carbs
We currently think post-workout carbs are best for people who find it very difficult to put on weight or people who have a hard time eating enough food on a daily basis. If you don’t have trouble with either of those things you can skip the post-workout carbs so you can eat more food later in the day. If you eat a proper meal 2–3 hours after your workout, your insulin levels won’t be low for long at all.
Two post-workout options:
If you have time and feel like eating carbs, eat whatever your heart desires with your protein shake. All the carbs you eat will go straight into your muscle fuel tank (3).
Just eat protein and eat a proper meal with carbs 2–3 hours later so that your insulin levels don’t drop for too long.
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(1)The Insulin Advantage Clay Nation — https://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/insulin-advantage
(3) Robert A. Robergs, David R. Pearson, David L. Costill, William J. Fink, David D. Pascoe, Michael A. Benedict, Charles P. Lambert, and Jeffrey J. Zachweija, “Muscle Glycogenolysis during Differing Intensities of Weight-Resistance Exercise,” Journal of Applied Physiology 70, no. 4 (1991): 1700–06; J. L. Ivy, “Glycogen Resynthesis after Exercise: Effect of Carbohydrate Intake,” International Journal of Sports Medicine 19, no. S2 (1998): S142–45. doi: 10.1055/ s-2007–971981.
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