Is it better to drink it all at the same time after the workout, half before and half after, or 1/4 before, 1/4 during and 1/2 after?
I currently drink half during and half after. Not saying that this is the absolute BEST way, but it works pretty well (definitely better than all after).
Hi, Max. There are two schools of thought on this one, depending on your goals.
One approach is to eat some protein (carbs being optional, depending on diet) about an hour and a half or two before your workout so that you have some amino acids floating around your system. Now if your goals were fat loss, there are those who would want to work out and draw upon fat stores as much as possible during the workout and for that reason would drink their Surge at the completion/conclusion of their workout.
The other school of thought is, once again, to eat 'bout an hour and a half to two hours before your workout and to take half your Surge at the beginning or during your workout so as to flood the muscles being worked out with amino acids while they have a good “pump” and then drink the remainder at the conclusion of your workout.
Like Char-Dawg, I believe John Berardi, the creator of Surge, subscribes to the 50/50 approach.
I like half before half after as well. I never used know what to eat before I lift and it’s a few hours after my last meal, so for simplicity’s sake I do it this way. Feel good throughout the workout and never seem to hit a wall where I lose energy halfway through a set.
1 scoop during, 1 scoop after for me too. I also eat a Protein/Fat meal 90-120 minutes prior to workouts. I don’t believe that drinking Surge during workouts compromises fat loss. The carbs are essentially replacing muscle glycogen that is being used for the exercise. Stored energy in fat cells really isn’t being used as much during lifting.
Damn Terry, you’re a walking encyclopedia! 
The goal is weight loss, so you think i should drink it all at once immediately after working out? And what you mentioned eating two hours before, were you talking about a real meal or a snack?
Just a thought though, since i’ll be on T-Dawg while drinking this stuff, wouldn’t it be a better idea to drink half during and half after, even though my primary goal is to lose weight? Just a shot in the dark here 
See the T-Dawg Diet 2.0 article at T-mag. I think all those benefits listed come from drinking half before, half after. Berardi also said that it does not interfere with fast loss when taken before. But you have to take it RIGHT before you start lifting, not 30 minutes before.
When I’m not doing keto I will take 1 scoop with a liter of water during and the same immediately after. Works great. I think I will try taking some an hour before, during and immediately after sounds like good stuff. Croooz
I drink it all after my workout. I tried splitting it up, but I found that it gave me cramps or made me feel too full. I drink water or an amino blend (ICE by xtremeformulations) during my workouts and save my Surge or Relentless for post workout. Works better for me.
I drink half before and half after. It has not interfered with my fat loss plus the it gives me good energy to get through my workouts.
Yup, just call me Tampa-Walking-Encyclopedia-Terry. (grin)
Max, I’ve tried it both ways. You’re talking subtleties at best. You’ll get great results either way. Myself, I can’t help but give serious weight to what John Berardi says.
However, the body tends to utilize those energy substrates you provide it before you work out. If you provide it with carbs, you’re going to get an insulin spike or at least an insulin “response.” Insulin shuts down fat mobilizing hormone. If you want to draw on fat stores while working out, why would you spike insulin? I like to eat protein or protein and fat or a scoop of LC Grow before I work out.
Now, let me argue with myself. My strong and passionate belief is that it’s NOT about the calories you expend while working out in the gym. It’s about the adaptations and repairs that go on AFTER you work out in the gym. Microtrauma and the resulting repairs are very calorically expensive and you end up with a boost to your metabolism that lasts up to 72 HOURS!!! Unlike cardio which gives you a boost that lasts a few hour.
So now that I’ve argued both points of view, do whichever you like best. (grin)
You know what, i’ll just try it both ways and see which one gives better results
allthough there has been much debate i firmly believe the best way to drink surge is in a cup.
LOL!!!
But Tyke, you do know there’s more than one school of thought on that, don’t you?
Terry, this brings up something interesting–I’ve never understood why you’d want an insulin-spike at all while trying to lose weight, post-workout or no. Because, as we all know, (class, say it with me) insulin spikes promote fat storage.
I do get the whole "insulin shuttles nutrients to the muscles" part of the equation, and it's nifty to reload the muscle with glycogen, but it seems like this kind of eating could de-rail a fat loss plan pretty fast.
d/c
Oh, boy, good question, dogchild. I’ve been chewing on this one a while. No short answer, though.
There are good hormones, bad hormones and hormones that need to be optimized. Growth hormone is good. Growth = good. Cortisol is bad. Insulin, however, falls into the latter category; it needs to be managed to help us achieve our goals and minimize the negatives.
Without insulin, glycogen stores would never be refilled and catabolism would run rampant after a workout. Think of the challenges faced by Type 1 diabetics who produce NO insulin. Building muscle mass is extremely challenging for Type 1 diabetics.
Insulin, however, does even more than just store glycogen. It's also responsible for shuttling amino acids and nutrients into the muscles. Where insulin works against us is when we take in carbs and fat at the same time. Insulin wants to sweep fat out of the bloodstream as well. Whatever fat is present in the bloodstream that cannot be instantly utilized for energy, building or repair is stored. So you're already seeing that insulin can work for us as well as work against us. Thus its need to be optimized.
So let's take your workout. Say you've been in the gym for about an hour. Cortisol levels are rising, muscle is being broken down. All of this can be brought to a halt by taking in high glycemic carbs and protein. The resultant insulin spike brings catabolism to a screaching halt and actually promotes protein synthesis and is thus muscle protective.
Insulin is also anabolic in a number of other ways:
1. Insulin is necessary for the production of IGF-1. Many of the beneficial affects of growth hormone are mediated (carried out by) IGF-1.
2. Though chronically high levels of insulin can lower testosterone levels, periodic spikes can boost testoterone by reducing sex-hormone binding globulin (SHBG), which has the effect of increasing free or bioavailable testosterone.
What's really important, dogchild, (if your goals are fat loss and protection of muscle mass) is to carefully pick the times you want to spike insulin. If you do so, you're minimizing the bad that insulin is capable of (i.e., fat storage) and maximizing the good. After all, insulin IS known as the most anabolic of all hormones.
Remember, too, if you're slightly hypocaloric and if you restrict carbs, you're probably burning stored fat 95% of the day. Periodic spikes are actually benificial.
Does that make sense?
BCAA’s prior/all my surge post-wo.
I use Cytovol during workout because it only has complex carbs – no sugar – plus glutamine, bcaas, a little protein, and b vitamins. Surge is for after for me. Reason I do things this way is that I heard sipping on carb drink during workout can be tremendously beneficial, however nothing’s worse than a sugar-induced insulin spike mid-workout. Immediately after workout, however, you want maximum insulin surge.
ok this may sound stupid, but on my scooper that came with my surge it has what appears to be a parting line made by the mold used to make the scoop. it is 3/4 the way up the scoop and goes completly around. is that simply what it is? or is that the line used to indicate a full serving? if i had a scale i would measure out 94 grams but i don’t. thanks