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QUESTION:
Dear Tom: I came across a piece of
muscle-building advice written on a white board at a Bally's fitness
club, posted outside the "advanced" personal training
station. I took a picture and attached it to this email. As you can
see, it said to ingest whey protein and 60-70 grams of *simple
sugars* 30-45 minutes after your workout.
Is there any truth at all to this
advice? I take particular exception to point #1... I can't believe
eating 60-70 grams of simple sugar at any time can be good for you!
If this is indeed bad advice, I will
write Bally's corporate and tell them to stop hurting the public
with bad advice from their personal trainers.
What do you think? Thanks, Doug
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ANSWER:
It does seem counter intuitive,
but believe it or not, that is standard, and science-based advice
for post workout nutrition.
Post workout nutrition has been well
researched and there is evidence that taking in simple carbs -
usually glucose or dextrose with maltodextrin (plus whey protein) in
the form of a post workout drink - is an ideal post workout recovery
"meal."
The part about "waiting"
30-45 minutes is the part that is questionable, but that may have
been a simple oversight... I think what they meant was to ingest it
"within" 30-45 minutes.
Most of the research says that the
sooner after the workout you take post workout nutrition, the better
(which is why you see so many people these days chugging down
workout drinks while still at the gym... in the locker room, etc.)
That said, here is where I will get
controversial, because almost everything you read and everyone you
talk to these days tries to convince you that if you're not drinking
a post workout shake, all the time, regardless of your goals, you
are some kind of nut case with a "death wish" for muscle
loss.
Post-workout nutrition is very
important, no question about that.
The debatable part is whether it's a
must to get it in the form of liquid sugar or simple carbs + whey
and especially when your goal is maximum fat loss.
After reviewing the research and
taking into account real world results (on myself and my clients),
my opinion is that a large whole food meal does the job just fine,
especially in the context of a 6 meals a day bodybuilding style
nutrition program.
I think you could use whole food or a
drink and get great results either way.
How you approach post-workout
nutrition is going to depend a lot on what your goal is at any given
time. If your goal is gaining muscle mass or maximizing endurance
training or sports performance, you might approach it differently
than if you were on a strict fat-loss program (such as preparing for
a fitness or bodybuilding competition).
On a muscle growth program, I would
say it's a great idea to take advantage of the commercial
post-workout drinks available to you because it's hard to eat enough
calories to gain lean body weight.
Among a list of other benefits like
increased protein synthesis, decreased exercise-induced cortisol,
glycogen replenishment, and improved recovery, post workout drinks
provide a convenient and easy way to get more calories and that
indeed may help muscle growth.
On endurance programs, recovering
from workouts and keeping glycogen stores topped off are important
objectives, so again a post workout drink with plenty of carbs -
yes, the simple variety - is beneficial.
Where I suggest caution is when
you're shifting gears from muscle gain into fat loss.
My personal preference is to continue
focusing on the importance of a good post workout meal, but to take
my post workout nutrition in the form of solid food with the same
complex and natural carbs I eat in all my other meals.
A nutrition and training principle
you should always live by is:
"Don't compromise your primary
objective."
If your primary objective is fat
loss, I can't see taking in a large amount of pure sugar
post-workout as a good strategy to maximize your fat loss. It might
assist muscle growth, enhance recovery, or help restore your
glycogen, but it won't enhance your fat loss.
Keep in mind, however, that you're
very unlikely to store calories consumed after intense training as
body fat, because your muscles are "hungry" and like
sponges for soaking up carbs and protein after the workout, so you
don't need to worry about that.
But I can tell you from personal
experience as a competitive bodybuilder and fat loss coach that you
will almost always get leaner, faster with whole food (especially
people with an endomorph body type who are carb sensitive).
This is probably due to the
thermogenic nature of whole food and the obvious fact that refined
sugar is simply not fat loss food.
Because post workout nutrition is so
important and because commercial post workout drinks can be so
beneficial in so many ways, one way to tackle this fat loss issue if
you're already using a drink, is to leave your post workout drink in
during the early stages of your fat loss program and then if your
fat loss slows down or you plateau, the drink is the first thing to
get cut as you make your Fat Loss Diet stricter.
As always, adjust your approach NOT
by the information you read in the magazines or by the conventional
wisdom you hear in the gym, but by the actual results you are
getting in the real world.
Also remember that you must adjust
your approach according to your goals and slant everything towards
achieving your primary objective with maximum efficiency.
You can learn more about nutrition
techniques that are designed specifically to maximize fat loss in
the Burn The Fat program: www.burnthefat.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tom
Venuto is a natural bodybuilder, certified strength and conditioning
specialist (CSCS) and a certified personal trainer (CPT). Tom is the
author of "Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle,” which teaches you
how to get lean without drugs or supplements using methods of the
world's best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid
of stubborn fat and increase your metabolism by visiting: www.BurnTheFat.com
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