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Enigmaxxx7
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Here is a good article I lifted from Muscular Development's website on why you should consume a good Protein/Carb shake IMMEDIATELY after your workout.
For several years, it has been recommended that athletes ingest a carbohydrate and protein drink within two hours following exercise in order to optimize recovery. The rationale was based on studies indicating that ingesting carbohydrate with or without protein after exercise promoted glycogen and protein synthesis.1-3 Theoretically, it was believed that this may help promote recovery and lead to greater training adaptations. Although these recommendations were well founded, no studies had really evaluated the effects of nutrient timing on training adaptations- until now. The following discussion overviews results of an important study that evaluated the effects of post-exercise nutrient timing on training adaptations.1 It provides important practical information on how you can time nutritional intake in order to optimize muscle growth during training.
About the Study
As you are aware, there has been interest in determining ways to promote muscle growth not only in bodybuilders, but also in older individuals. The reason is that increased strength and muscle mass not only increase muscle performance but also enhance functional capacity (i.e., the ability to do daily tasks of living). For the elderly, this may reduce risk to injury due to falls and muscle weakness. Since resistance training and post-exercise nutrient intake has been reported to increase protein synthesis, Esmarck and colleagues4 sought to determine whether timing of post-exercise carbohydrate and amino acid supplementation affects training adaptations in the elderly.
In this study, 13 previously untrained elderly men (average age 74) participated in a supervised 12-week periodized resistance-training program using the leg press, lat pulldown and knee extension. The program consisted of performing three to five sets of 10-12 repetitions during the first six weeks of training and three to five sets of eight repetitions during the remaining six weeks of training. Prior to the start of training, subjects were matched into two groups based on body composition and daily protein intake. Subjects were then randomly assigned to ingest protein drink either within five minutes or two hours after completing each training session. The supplements contained 10 grams of protein (from skimmed milk and soybean), seven grams of carbohydrate, and 3.3 grams of fat. Subjects were not allowed to eat anything during the two-hour post-exercise recovery period.
Dietary food records, body composition (using dual energy x-ray absorptiometry, or DEXA), and strength tests were obtained at zero, six and 12 weeks of training. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and muscle biopsies of the thigh were obtained prior to and following training in order determine changes in muscle cross-sectional area, muscle fiber diameter and protein content of the muscle. In addition, a subset of six subjects (three from each group) had post-training blood samples taken every 30-minutes during a four-hour recovery period in order to assess the effects of exercise and supplementation on hormonal profiles.
Results of this study indicated that ingestion of the protein/carbohydrate supplement increased post-exercise insulin levels. Moreover, that subjects who ingested the protein/carbohydrate drink within five minutes after exercise experienced greater gains in muscle mass and strength than those who ingested the supplement two hours after training. In this regard, lean body mass increased by 1.8 percent in the group that ingested the supplements within five minutes of exercise while being decreased by 1.5 percent in those who ingested the supplement two hours after exercise. Likewise, cross-sectional area of the quadriceps increased by seven percent in the group ingesting the supplements immediately after exercise, while being unchanged (zero percent) in those ingesting the supplement two hours post-exercise.
Analysis of muscle fiber area revealed significantly greater gains in muscle diameter in subjects ingesting the supplement within five minutes of exercise (22 percent) compared to those who waited until two hours (-5 percent). Finally, gains in 5RM isotonic knee extension strength and isokinetic knee extension strength at 60 and 180 degrees per second were significantly increased by 47, 24, and 21 percent, respectively, in subjects ingesting the supplement immediately after exercise, while only 5RM strength was significantly increased (36 percent) in subjects ingesting the supplement two hours after exercise. Collectively, these findings indicate that ingesting the protein/carbohydrate supplement immediately after exercise may directly affect gains in muscle mass in elderly subjects initiating training.
Cause for Excitement
Okay, you might be wondering why I'm so excited about this study. Well, there are several practical findings from this study that I think are important for people who want to increase muscle mass. First, this study clearly shows that timing of post-exercise meals plays a critical role in optimizing muscle growth and training adaptations. Although we have known that post-exercise feedings affected glycogen and protein synthesis, it was unclear how long this anabolic window remained open after exercise. It was commonly believed that as long as you ate within two hours after exercise, anabolic responses to exercise would be enhanced.
Findings from this study indicate that it's important to eat soon after exercise in order to optimize the anabolic effect of training. Second, the amount of protein (10 grams) and carbohydrate (seven grams) necessary to promote this effect was fairly small. Previous studies have recommended ingesting 1.5 grams per kilogram body weight of carbohydrate with 0.5 grams per kilogram of protein to optimize glycogen and protein synthesis. For the average size person, this would be about 120 grams of carbohydrate and 40 grams of protein.
These findings suggest that simply ingesting a protein/carbohydrate drink after your workout can go a long way to enhancing your training adaptations. Finally, these findings indicate that post-exercise nutrition can help optimize training adaptations in the elderly. These findings may have significant implications to prevent injury and/or enhance rehabilitation of older individuals.
Bottom Line
If you want to optimize muscle growth, drink a protein and carbohydrate shake immediately after your training sessions.
References
Kraemer WJ, Volek JS, Bush JA, Putukian M, Sebastianelli WJ. Hormonal responses to consecutive days of heavy-resistance exercise with or without nutritional supplementation. Journal of Applied Physiology. 85:1544-55, 1998.
Tipton KD, Ferrando AA, Phillips SM, Doyle D Jr, Wolfe RR. Postexercise net protein synthesis in human muscle from orally administered amino acids. American Journal of Physiology. 276(4 Pt 1):E628-34, 1999.
Kreider RB. Dietary supplements and the promotion of muscle growth. Sports Medicine. 27:97-110, 1999.
Esmarck B, Andersen JL, Olsen S, Richter MM. Timing of post-exercise protein intake is important for muscle hypertrophy with resistance training in elderly humans. Journal of Physiology. 535:301-311, 2001.
For several years, it has been recommended that athletes ingest a carbohydrate and protein drink within two hours following exercise in order to optimize recovery. The rationale was based on studies indicating that ingesting carbohydrate with or without protein after exercise promoted glycogen and protein synthesis.1-3 Theoretically, it was believed that this may help promote recovery and lead to greater training adaptations. Although these recommendations were well founded, no studies had really evaluated the effects of nutrient timing on training adaptations- until now. The following discussion overviews results of an important study that evaluated the effects of post-exercise nutrient timing on training adaptations.1 It provides important practical information on how you can time nutritional intake in order to optimize muscle growth during training.
About the Study
As you are aware, there has been interest in determining ways to promote muscle growth not only in bodybuilders, but also in older individuals. The reason is that increased strength and muscle mass not only increase muscle performance but also enhance functional capacity (i.e., the ability to do daily tasks of living). For the elderly, this may reduce risk to injury due to falls and muscle weakness. Since resistance training and post-exercise nutrient intake has been reported to increase protein synthesis, Esmarck and colleagues4 sought to determine whether timing of post-exercise carbohydrate and amino acid supplementation affects training adaptations in the elderly.
In this study, 13 previously untrained elderly men (average age 74) participated in a supervised 12-week periodized resistance-training program using the leg press, lat pulldown and knee extension. The program consisted of performing three to five sets of 10-12 repetitions during the first six weeks of training and three to five sets of eight repetitions during the remaining six weeks of training. Prior to the start of training, subjects were matched into two groups based on body composition and daily protein intake. Subjects were then randomly assigned to ingest protein drink either within five minutes or two hours after completing each training session. The supplements contained 10 grams of protein (from skimmed milk and soybean), seven grams of carbohydrate, and 3.3 grams of fat. Subjects were not allowed to eat anything during the two-hour post-exercise recovery period.
Dietary food records, body composition (using dual energy x-ray absorptiometry, or DEXA), and strength tests were obtained at zero, six and 12 weeks of training. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and muscle biopsies of the thigh were obtained prior to and following training in order determine changes in muscle cross-sectional area, muscle fiber diameter and protein content of the muscle. In addition, a subset of six subjects (three from each group) had post-training blood samples taken every 30-minutes during a four-hour recovery period in order to assess the effects of exercise and supplementation on hormonal profiles.
Results of this study indicated that ingestion of the protein/carbohydrate supplement increased post-exercise insulin levels. Moreover, that subjects who ingested the protein/carbohydrate drink within five minutes after exercise experienced greater gains in muscle mass and strength than those who ingested the supplement two hours after training. In this regard, lean body mass increased by 1.8 percent in the group that ingested the supplements within five minutes of exercise while being decreased by 1.5 percent in those who ingested the supplement two hours after exercise. Likewise, cross-sectional area of the quadriceps increased by seven percent in the group ingesting the supplements immediately after exercise, while being unchanged (zero percent) in those ingesting the supplement two hours post-exercise.
Analysis of muscle fiber area revealed significantly greater gains in muscle diameter in subjects ingesting the supplement within five minutes of exercise (22 percent) compared to those who waited until two hours (-5 percent). Finally, gains in 5RM isotonic knee extension strength and isokinetic knee extension strength at 60 and 180 degrees per second were significantly increased by 47, 24, and 21 percent, respectively, in subjects ingesting the supplement immediately after exercise, while only 5RM strength was significantly increased (36 percent) in subjects ingesting the supplement two hours after exercise. Collectively, these findings indicate that ingesting the protein/carbohydrate supplement immediately after exercise may directly affect gains in muscle mass in elderly subjects initiating training.
Cause for Excitement
Okay, you might be wondering why I'm so excited about this study. Well, there are several practical findings from this study that I think are important for people who want to increase muscle mass. First, this study clearly shows that timing of post-exercise meals plays a critical role in optimizing muscle growth and training adaptations. Although we have known that post-exercise feedings affected glycogen and protein synthesis, it was unclear how long this anabolic window remained open after exercise. It was commonly believed that as long as you ate within two hours after exercise, anabolic responses to exercise would be enhanced.
Findings from this study indicate that it's important to eat soon after exercise in order to optimize the anabolic effect of training. Second, the amount of protein (10 grams) and carbohydrate (seven grams) necessary to promote this effect was fairly small. Previous studies have recommended ingesting 1.5 grams per kilogram body weight of carbohydrate with 0.5 grams per kilogram of protein to optimize glycogen and protein synthesis. For the average size person, this would be about 120 grams of carbohydrate and 40 grams of protein.
These findings suggest that simply ingesting a protein/carbohydrate drink after your workout can go a long way to enhancing your training adaptations. Finally, these findings indicate that post-exercise nutrition can help optimize training adaptations in the elderly. These findings may have significant implications to prevent injury and/or enhance rehabilitation of older individuals.
Bottom Line
If you want to optimize muscle growth, drink a protein and carbohydrate shake immediately after your training sessions.
References
Kraemer WJ, Volek JS, Bush JA, Putukian M, Sebastianelli WJ. Hormonal responses to consecutive days of heavy-resistance exercise with or without nutritional supplementation. Journal of Applied Physiology. 85:1544-55, 1998.
Tipton KD, Ferrando AA, Phillips SM, Doyle D Jr, Wolfe RR. Postexercise net protein synthesis in human muscle from orally administered amino acids. American Journal of Physiology. 276(4 Pt 1):E628-34, 1999.
Kreider RB. Dietary supplements and the promotion of muscle growth. Sports Medicine. 27:97-110, 1999.
Esmarck B, Andersen JL, Olsen S, Richter MM. Timing of post-exercise protein intake is important for muscle hypertrophy with resistance training in elderly humans. Journal of Physiology. 535:301-311, 2001.
