Not eating after lifting

[royale13ii]

Is eating IMMEDIATELY after a workout always a must for gaining or maintaining size? 90% of the time I do just that but lately, I wait about 1-2 hours for my friend to go to lunch. I'm just wondering how the body reacts right after a lifting session...


Also, the importance of multivitamins...does anyone take it directly after a workout, or does the time of consumption actually matter?


thx

 

[BOWTECH]

You need to eat within 1 hr after lifting. This is the most beneficial. Even if you can't eat a meal try to get a protein shake with some fruit or something similiar. Very important.... 2 hrs is waaaaaaaaaay to long to wait

 

[jc1908]

most of the time i can't make out of the locker room without at least a PB sandwich on my mouth, if i don't have whole food, i try to have a shake handy.

 

[javaguru]

One hour is the "magic window" and every hour after that it decreases. I would down a whey and dextrose/maltodextrin shake during or immediately after your workout and have a "normal" meal an hour later; It really does wonders for recovery.

 

[lacoste]

A whey shake will be digested by the time you eat lunch with your friend so dont wait, down that thing right away, and you'll be ready to smash down some food.

 

[Lifterforlife]

I am not sure where the 1 hr. window came from, but I do believe it optimal to get some fast acting protein with equally fast carbs soon after a workout. In fact, I believe another one about 40 minutes later may be just as potent.

While it is true that it is what you do over weeks, months, years that add up to gains, you may be able to expediate the process with optimally timed protein/amino acid shakes. In fact, I found this study that may even relate this more.....
this study seems to indicate that amino acids are uptaken better. Post workout is probably an even more ideal time.

Recently, researchers from the University of Texas examined the effects of ingesting a carbohydrate (30g) and amino acid supplement (15g of essential amino acids) (CAA) or a meal on protein synthesis. Thirteen men ages 28 to 48 years of age where randomly into two tow treatment groups: 1) CAA= 36+OR- 10 years and 2)Control 38 + or -8 year. The CAA and meal was designed to be similar in amino acid content and were administered perodically throughout the day blood and muscle tissue was samples were collected in order to assess anabolism. The inclusion of a CAA supplement into a normal diet resulted in a greater anabolic stimulus as the meal treatment indicated by the 25% increase in protein synthesis rate. Additionally, the consumption of only meals throughout the 16 hour study period resulted in a negative net protein balance, while adding frequent CAA supplements resulted in a positive balance. The researchers suggested that the CAA supplement was more effective in maximizing protein synthesis rates as result of the speed with which the supplement is digested and taken up into the system. Based upon these findings it may be recommended for athletes consume some sort of CAA supplement throughout the day in order to maximize the muscular adaptations to their training regimes and maintain a positive protein balance.

This study on the surface seems to favor amino acids over whole food, but this is just the abstract. I would venture to interpret it more as an amino acid supplement taken with your meals would be more anabolic. Makes comon sense....add 2 protein shakes per day for instance on top of your meals, and you are typically adding at least 40 gr. of protein assuming one scoop per shake. This in fact would seem to have to sway the nitrogen balance more positive.

 

[John WB]

So two shakes?

1 immediately after a workout, then another 40 minutes after that?

what in the drinks?

 

[Lifterforlife]

So two shakes?

1 immediately after a workout, then another 40 minutes after that?

what in the drinks?

You do not need to do this, most folks do one.

But my research leads me to believe that a second shake is just as anabolic if not moreso than the first one.

 

[John WB]

So it's adviseable?

When would you have the pwo meal if you did this? How long after the 2nd PWO shake?

 

[Lifterforlife]

So it's adviseable?

When would you have the pwo meal if you did this? How long after the 2nd PWO shake?

I have mine about 45 min.-1hr. after my second shake. My shake consists of a high grade hydrolosate blend with high grade isolate. I usually go 70/30 in my blend, any over that and the taste gets hard. I have added BCAA's also in my shakes.

You can't go much over 30% hydrolosate, as it would be very difficult to drink. In fact, downright nasty. This is another marketing scheme of some protein manufacturer's. If you ever see one touting 100% hydrolosate or something along those lines, this is simply advertising.

What this actually means and by law they can do it is that 100% of the hydrolosate that is in the protein batch is hydrolosate. This might in fact be 2% of the entire protein batch for instance.