Pre workout Meal/Drink

Should your meal or shake prior to your workout contain high GI carbs?

Thanks in advance!

momuscle, high GI carbs would probably be less than ideal. In fact, it could be counterproductive for a lot of people because when blood sugar rises quickly, the body produces too much insulin, causing the person to feel sleepy, lethargic, brain foggy.

Your best bet is to have a protein shake an hour to an hour and a half before you go work out. That way your body will have had a chance to break down the protein into amino acids and those amino acids will be available to the muscles you’re working out.

I remember once reading about a study in Men’s Health that claimed that a group consuming casein protein before working out gained 50% more muscle mass than those eating nothing before working out.

I find that some cottage cheese with oats an hour to an hour and a half before working out gives me a fair bit of energy. I usually also have some whey protein and simple sugars just before and during my workout.

Hey, “mo,” good advice there, too, by lmjudek. I like to eat every 3 hours and time my workouts accordingly. Surge is something I take during and after my workout. To fully appreciate the value of lmjudek’s advice, check out John Berardi’s two articles, “Solving the Post Workout Puzzle,” I & II.