Post workout nutrition for recovery -- The Body Builders Forum

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Date Posted: 08:14:14 10/18/04 Mon
Author: J.R.Smith, c.f.t.,s.f.t., p.n.s. - ISSA, USSA, ISFN
Subject: Post workout nutrition for recovery

Here is a post from a fellow ISSA trainer. I hope you enjoy it as it will answer a lot of your post exercise training questions about nutritional recovery.
J.R.

Following a workout, muscle glycogen stores are depleted, and many muscle proteins are also broken down, leaving us in a deficit state in respect to both of these crucial nutrients.
As more and more glycogen and glucose is burned up for energy, blood glucose levels begin to drop-off, which in turn cause insulin levels to drop drastically.

That is a very vital step to grasp because of the properties insulin has in relation to protein synthesis and anabolic hormone production.

These drops give rise to the catabolic hormone Cortisol. Cortisol is the last thing you want to let run rampant post-workout. Cortisol is the chief hormone responsible for �burning� muscle up for energy. Cortisol literally converts muscle tissue to proteins for conversion into glucose. This is your body�s way of producing energy when all readily available energy (glucose) and stored forms (glycogen) of energy have been expended. To compensate for this depletion of energy your body will go into a process called gluconeogenesis to produce glucose from amino acids in the liver. The end result of this process? Hard earned muscle used as energy, and all potential gains becoming null and void.

To sum up the post-workout scenario: cortisol increases, and insulin decreases.

This scenario presents several needs to our starving bodies.

In order to get maximum results from our workout we must turn these glycogen and protein deficits into glycogen and protein surpluses immediately afterward.

So the two most important components of muscle recovery are replenishing the glycogen fuel burned during the workout and rebuilding the muscle proteins that are destroyed during the workout.

These processes are highly time-sensitive: the sooner they are allowed to begin, the faster they proceed and the more likely they will be completed in time for the next training session.

This is because following training, the muscle cells are highly receptive to insulin, the hormone responsible for transporting glucose and amino acids through the bloodstream and into the muscle cell.

This crucial stage of receptiveness is more technically known as facilitated diffusion. Immediately after our training session, a natural restoration in anabolic hormones starts to occur, as our body tries to start the recovery process of protein synthesis.

The main volume of these hormones include: Insulin, Growth Hormone, Insulin-Growth Factor, DHEA, and estrogens.

This restorative process is called biochemical supercompensation.

However of all of these hormones, released insulin is the most important. Insulin rebound is responsible for the release of Growth Hormone, which is the key hormone responsible for the release of Insulin Growth Factor. Protein synthesis will simply NOT occur if there is an insufficient or delayed supply of energy and amino acids to offset post-workout catabolism.

The primary goal of post-workout nutrition is to rapidly induce an environment that will recoil, and help increase, these naturally occurring hormone levels to begin the crucial process of protein synthesis.

This can be best accomplished by decreasing post-workout cortisol levels rapidly and aiding our bodies in rebounding insulin levels, to further aid in the release of Growth Hormone and Insulin-Growth factor.

By consuming simple carbohydrates post-training we can induce an increased production of these anabolic hormones and thwart gluconeogenesis; thus maintaining a more positive nitrogen balance.

Cortisol can not be suppressed any faster than through a burst of insulin release from simple carbohydrate source. A prompt insulin discharge is highly beneficial in the post-training atmosphere because of the hormones uncanny ability to suppress cortisol. The faster this release takes place the faster protein and carbohydrates are delivered to the muscles to promote muscle recovery and adaptation.

Insulin is secreted by the pancreas automatically in response to rising levels of glucose or protein in the bloodstream.

Because of the body�s receptiveness to nutrition post-workout it is crucial to feed the �window of opportunity� as soon as possible following a maximum output of anaerobic threshold intensity.

Consuming and absorbing carbohydrates within 30 minutes of completing a workout will synthesize twice as much muscle glycogen as waiting two hours for consumption or absorption.

Consequently, both glycogen and protein synthesis proceed faster when carbohydrates and protein are consumed together.

In one study 10 healthy adults were subjected to 60 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise.

Half the subjects were fed a protein-carbohydrate supplement immediately after completion of their workouts. The remaining subjects were fed the same supplement three hours later.

Members of the �early� group replenished muscle glycogen 3.5 times faster than members of the �late� group. Muscle protein synthesis also proceeded more than three times faster in the early group.

This among countless other similar studies point to one clear goal�

Rapid absorption of post-workout nutrients! This is best accomplished from the insulin inducing carbohydrate-protein supplement combination.

Again, the rate of glycogen and protein synthesis in the muscles depends on the amount of insulin present in the bloodstream.

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Replies:

Re: Post workout nutrition for recovery -- Bryan Humphrey, 08:57:58 02/28/05 Mon
- Re: Post workout nutrition for recovery -- mike tanis, 14:46:09 02/28/05 Mon
  - Re: Post workout nutrition for recovery -- Fresco, 00:06:31 07/09/05 Sat
Re: Post workout nutrition for recovery -- marci, 03:34:54 05/27/05 Fri