LAWNSAVER said:
This old school. Not to say it doesnt work, but every new study shows that WPI and carbs before training increases anabolism during training. Again, you dont want to "eat" before training, but a liquid shake is digested much easier than whole foods. I'm telling you it will increase your gains and speed your recovery!
True!! I am a hardgainer, and on top of that, my metabolism is slow, so I really can't "bulk" (eating everything in sight) very often, that's why I have studied pre- and post-workout nutrition very carefully. Here are some guidelines;
Of course you have to eat well before and after, but I think people know that... so here is my 2 cents on pre and postworkout shakes only...
PREWORKOUT SHAKE:
-15-45min before workout, personal preference may vary
-MUST contain essential amino acids (meaning, take either BCAA liquid or powder or HIGH-QUALITY ION EXCHANGED whey protein). about 5g's of essential aminos is enough (that is roughly 20-30 grams of high quality protein powder)
-SHOULD contain some carbs. Not enough to create a long insulin spike, just enough that they are digested before the workout starts. I recommend 20-30 grams of maltodextrin.
So, preworkout; take protein and carbs very moderatly, otherwise it won't do you good...
POSTWORKOUT:
-Absolutely no fat (not over 1%)... fat decreases absorption rate
-HIGH QUALITY ION EXCHANGED whey protein, this is the fastest acting protein, has a very good amino acid balance, and is not cheap. I take 40 grams.
-Maltodextrin 60-80 grams
-Dextrose 10 grams (just for creatine uptake)
-Creatine 5 grams
-Vitamins, like twinlab maxilife, ½-1 teaspoon, depending on how much you can drink this *hit without
Then a solid meal about 60-90 mins later.
I like to mix everything myself. That way I know that I have the best quality shakes, as my raw materials are very high quality. Some protein powders say something like "INCLUDES ION EXHANGED WHEY", and when you do some research, it turns out that only like 10% of the product is ion exhanged, and the rest is something else (like CFM whey protein...)
If you are lazy, then you could f.ex. for a preworkout shake; buy a BCAA drink, drink so that you get the needed amount of essential aminos, and then drink a carb drink, but only drink so little that you get 20-30 carbs. Of course the problem again is that are the carbs from the carb drink maltodextrin, or is there added sugar as well...
Hope this helps someone.