The (Un)Importance of Post-Workout Carbohydrates

The Myth

5.30am - Wake up, ingest 20g of whey protein, 1.5g Vitamin C & Pre-W.O. Shake

7.00am - Complete grueling back workout, ingest 10g of BCAA’s (10:1:1 ratio)

7.30am - Eat a post-workout meal of oatmeal & eggs

WAIT, WHAT?

Yes you read right - a post-workout meal of complex carbohydrates, good fats & protein. You might be thinking that I’m crazy … perhaps 70g of dextrose & a scoop of whey would be a better alternative? I say otherwise …

The myth that an insulin spike should be the focus of your post-workout nutrition is   yet ANOTHER that refuses to die. Don’t get me wrong - before you stop reading be assured that I am aware of the importance of restoring muscle glycogen after exercise. What I’m suggesting is that, for the majority of us, this is a relatively easy task which doesn’t require specific ‘timing’ in accordance with any specific period.

The Reality

Studies have shown that glycogen levels are more rapidly restored following endurance exercise upon the consumption of simple carbohydrates immediately after activity. However, the key word here is endurance … Unless you are a marathon runner, or engaged in something similarly arduous rapid muscle glycogen restoration is not a concern that’s particularly high on our list of post-workout “to do’s”.

For those of us simply concerned with building muscle, or losing fat - protein synthesis should be our main concern. Muscle glycogen will replenish itself quite easily during the course of the day as you are consuming your other meals, without you having to spike insulin levels to do so. In fact, with regard to strength training, studies have found that consuming carbohydrates following anaerobic exercise only increased muscle glycogen by 16% more than the consumption of WATER alone!

The Solution

I suggest that for the purposes of maximising muscle acquisition, while minimizing unnecessary body fat accrual, a better strategy would be to incorporate between 30 - 40g of complex carbohydrates with your whey protein & amino acids to reach your fitness goals faster. Simple sugars won’t ‘shuttle’ the nutrients into your muscles any faster than the spike the Whey-BCAA combination will. This myth endures due to its ‘face validity’, despite a resounding lack of factual data. So, if it’s not necessary, stop riding that insulin roller coaster, and try something more in-line with your health / physique goals today.

Note: With regard to BCAA ratio’s, I’m of the opinion that the higher the level of Leucine, the better. My own post-workout shake contains a ratio of 10:1:1.

References:

Ivy, J.L., Katz, A.L., Cutler, C.L., Sherman, W.M., Coyle, E.F. (1988). Muscle glycogen synthesis after exercise: effect of time of carbohydrate ingestion. Journal of Applied Physiology, 64(4):1480-5.

Pascoe, D.D., Costill, D.L., Fink, W.J., Robergs, R.A., Zachwieja, J.J. (1993). Glycogen resynthesis in skeletal muscle following resistive exercise. Medicine and Science in Sports Exercise, 25(3):349-54.

Koopman, R., Beelen, M., Stellingweff, T., Pennings, B., Saris, W.H.M, Kies, A.K, Kuipers, H., & Van Loon, L.J.C. (2007). Coingestion of carbohydrate with protein does not further augment posexercise muscle protein synthesis. Endocrinology and Metabolism, 293(3): 833-842.