Research performed by doctors and scientists at the University
Research performed by doctors and scientists at the University
of Texas demonstrated last year that taking an essential amino
acid/carbohydrate drink directly after weight training exercise
stimulated muscle building mechanisms by up to 400% above
normal rates. This is the highest recorded rate of muscle
anabolism.
It appears the stimulus of heavy resistance training combined
with the presence of all essential amino acids and high insulin
levels from simple carbohydrates, work together, synergistically
to produce this powerful anabolic response. Getting that easily
absorbed protein and carbs into your body right after training is
essential to muscle growth.
Now, the same group of researchers have recently provided
evidence that consuming the same carb/essential amino acid mix
just before training can be equally as potent at stimulating
muscle growth. This new study* determined that consuming the
protein (essential amino acid) and carbohydrate supplement just
before resistance exercise produced a greater anabolic response
than the same drink mix after resistance exercise.
The results on six healthy subjects showed that the delivery of
amino acids was significantly greater when the supplement was
taken during pre-training as opposed to after training. Total net phenylalanine uptake across the leg muscle was also greater when the supplement was taken during pre-training as opposed to after training, while the phenylalanine uptake appearance rate (the main indicator of muscle protein synthesis) increased equally in both consumption trials.
The researchers suggest this anabolic response may be due to the increased flow of amino acids into the working muscle during training. This makes sense. These studies are vital to our understanding of how to build muscle, but they only provide information on what's happening within a specific site (in this case the leg muscles) and not whole body protein turnover.
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