I always go to the gym right after a meal which means that I had eaten my amount of calories and protein. Yet a friend of mine told me to get vanilla whey protein and mix it with gatorade in powder form. Do we really need to take a shake of protein before working out? Does it really matter if I don’t take any?
I also used to take protein after my workouts. Now after working out, I take 2 raw eggs, 1 can of sardines, and cottage cheese. Did anyone have tried that?
First post of this kind on CT’s forum…
i think the general consensus is that protein and carbs should be ingested straight after your workout.
in terms of eating before, i think you have to be careful, and match it up to your goals.
eating a big meal before training can cause you body to burn energy for other processes (digestion) and can have a negative impact on performance, not to mention the obvious, acute symptoms like cramps.
with my goal being body re comp and strength, i take BCAA’s and creatine pre-workout. since i started to taking this (as opposed to lifting on without pre workout food / supplements) i certainly noticed improved performance and recovery. I also had harder muscle pumps -could be unrelated.
i would recommend that set up for anyone as it prevents muscle break down on fat loss diets and assists performance.
It’s pretty simple actually,
A protein shake before the gym, if no meal has been consumed, is a great idea.
A protein shake after the gym, is a great idea.
A meal before the gym, then a protein shake after, is an excellent idea.
Basically, it doesn’t matter what source you use for your pre-workout protein, as long as there is a pre-workout protein, as fueling your body with protein pre-workout is extremely beneficial.
I wouldn’t drink a shake pre-workout, especially on leg day. That’s just me, though.
For this kind of information I would best redirect you to John Berardi an already well known Nutrition expert around T Nation. A book he recommends and one in which he contributed is called nutrient timing by two Professors at University of Texas. In short, the recommendations based on scientific data is fast absorbing protein ie whey protein along with High Glycemic Index carbohydrates ie Maltodextrin/Dextrose intra and post workout.
Gatorade unfortunately is composed of more sucrose as evidenced by the ingredient list which is not a preferred source of carbohydrates during this time as the fructose in the sugar is redirected to the liver rather than the muscles where it is most needed. Hope this helped and again if you want more detailed information I would highly recommend you to get the book Nutrient Timing as it is only a few cents in Amazon (all you’d need to pay for would be shipping)
[quote]victoralejandro wrote:
I always go to the gym right after a meal which means that I had eaten my amount of calories and protein. Yet a friend of mine told me to get vanilla whey protein and mix it with gatorade in powder form. Do we really need to take a shake of protein before working out? Does it really matter if I don’t take any?
I also used to take protein after my workouts. Now after working out, I take 2 raw eggs, 1 can of sardines, and cottage cheese. Did anyone have tried that?
[/quote]
You really don’t know much about this stuff huh?
The absolute best way to do this is to take PLAZMA 20 or so minutes prior to your training and also during.
The TYPE of protein and carbs in this product are super easily absorbed meaning that they will NOT interfere with your workout and are absorbed so fast that the nutrients will be in your bloodstream when you are training… the blood is shuttled to the working muscles thus sending the nutrients to the muscles.
A “regular” shake will NOT do as it is not absorbed fast enough. Even the purest whey isolate takes up to an hour to be fully digested and even longer for all the nutrients to b available. A regular shake is much harder to “plan”… too soon and it will not be fully digested (see later point about that) and too soon and the nutrients might not be in the bloodstream anymore.
A solid meal too close to a workout is an horrible idea. The body sends blood primarily where it is most needed. During digestion up to 70% of the blood flow is directed to the digestive system. Now, if you go train when you are still digesting food the body will have two choices: (1) it keeps the bulk of the blood being shuttled to the digestive system to keep on digesting optimally… but since less blood is sent to the muscles, so they will receive less oxygen and you will lack work capacity, endurance and will recover at a slower pace or (2) send more blood to the working muscles which means that you will be able to train harder BUT digestion will be perturned which can give you nausea and even lead tp throwing up. The same hold true for an undigested shake.
Now, the thing is that digestion takes longer than many believe. It is false to believe that after 60-90 minutes your digestion is over… even after 2 hours it is likely not complete (but at that point it might not be an issue, unless it was a hard-to-digest heavy meal).
If you look at the work of Bob Seebohar, which is based on the latest scientific research, who also has been hired as a dietician for the US Olympic Team, and has been since 2008, you will find Plazma fits the bill perfectly.
got it guys, thank you for your comments