Remember a calorie is simply a unit of of measure, just like a kilometer is a unit of measure.
It’s far easier to consume 500 calories of carbs than it is 500 calories of protein, just like it’s easier to walk a kilometer down hill than to walk a kilometer uphill.
However if you’re goal is weight loss, are you doing yourself any favors filling up on empty calories from carbs instead of protein? No.
Similarly, are you going to to get a better workout walking 1km downhill or 1km uphill? You know the answer.
Note: You are not a mindless fuckin’ idiot if you do the opposite of this when bulking.
People be having their second 2 scoops of protein of the day after a workout and then not finishing their dinner… Or attacking it at the pace of a slug that’s just come back from an all-you-can-eat buffet.
Wanna sap your appetite real quick? Eat a ton of protein
I don’t get this comment. If your muscles are filled with glycogen, any food that spikes your insulin will just end up storing those calories as fat.
IMO, even on a bulk you should do anything possible to avoid storing nutrients as fat. Eat your protein and fats first and finish off with enough carbohydrates to stay in a calorie surplus. Who cares if you are hungry? Eating for weight training is a regiment to be adhered to.
I think gaining or losing weight is individual on how hungry someone is. Some people feel sick bulking, and some just stop trying to lose weight to gain. I kinda did last go around. It was a relief to be done bulking and eat more normal for me.
For people that really struggle to reach enough calories to put on weight, actually reducing protein could be the key to progressing in the right direction. Especially when some people eat way more of it than they probably need. For some people, that regimen you speak of is fine, but for others? You can make a hard time easier by just lowering your protein a little bit or having it at the end of or after your meals.
There’s also the massive point of digestion, lots of people’s tummies get all kinds of fucked up when they push the protein too much. Lowering it could be the key to both better workouts AND feeling better day to day. Even excess protein can be stored as fat.
Again, I’m not talking about everyone. People who are getting ready for shows are in a very different position from most, too.
No, no joke. Lots of science backs this up. And lots of anecdotal stories from people too. Getting carbs In right when you can use them best is awesome. Especially for low carb or weight loss focused dudes.
But carbs around the workout isn’t the only strategy. And low carb, weight loss focused people aren’t the only people who lift. And other science guys do research that validates other approaches. It’s easy to get confused!
Plus it’s difficult for a meathead to turn some science blurb into a workable strategy.
So check out this great Science dude in the gym post from @mertdawg
"Let me modify my response. When trying to loose bodyfat and retain muscle, I prefer to take in carbs after I have warmed up on my first exercise. This insures that I won’t need much insulin exposure to force the glucose into muscle because they will be very insulin sensitive and also experience non insulin mediated glucose uptake during the hard training.
If I was in a growth phase where I was eating a little above maintenance to gain muscle I probably WOULD take in glucose in advance of training by 15-25 minutes to raise insulin levels but would HAVE to also continue to take in additional carbs throughout the workout to prevent hypoglycemia because if I downed 35 grams of glucose plus leucine 20 minutes before a workout then I would be training hard WITH high insulin in my system. I have had blood sugar drop to 55 from that, and THAT can cause cortisol to rise too (it is an independent stressor that can have catabolic effects downstream. You may need to match your pre-workout carbs with an equal or even greater amount of carbs during the workout to balance the insulin released from the pre-workout carbs."
I know there is some data to back this up, also responding to @RT_Nomad. I have assumed on this one that it is kinda majoring in the minors. That being if you are getting enough protein and calories and eating somewhat spread out through the day (I’d say at least 3 meals), that it would be a very minor effect.
We kinda joke about this at the gym, but we are powerlifters mostly. I can see it being useful if needed to have some fast absorbing carbs a bit before and during the workout to help get through it, especially if in a volume phase.
I guess I don’t really know anybody who really tries to time nutrition after their workout for the anabolic window. For sure eat after, but if it’s 20 minutes or an hour and a half, I am not sure it makes much difference?
I agree. I see this a lot with top level sports in general. Even using stuff that may not do much like the cryo tanks (sit in a cold tank), cupping, etc… If it might work / give a small benefit, it is probably worth a try.
At my gym, the cupping thing is really prevalent. These are mediocre at best lifters walking around with giant hickies haha.
I’m interested more in this meal timings thing. If anyone more educated than me would like to discuss it or post some links for me to read I’d appreciate it.
One of my old mates who used to BB always used to get some sugary carbs snack straight after his workout and would swear it turned to muscle not fat but that just sounded too broish to be true.
I try to eat carbs before working out but it’s sometimes an hour or so before, would love to know what’s optimal.
My understanding was that fast-digesting carbs (simple carbs, refined sugars etc) replenished glycogen stores quicker. I’m sure there’s a decent amount of research behind it. As for timing, there are probably a dozen other things to dial in before concerning yourself too much about it.
