Post Workout Nutrition - What you need

POST-WORKOUT NUTRITION: WHAT SHOULD YOU BE TAKING AFTER A HARD WORKOUT?

Post-Workout Nutrition: What Should You Be Taking After a Hard Workout?
The Guerrilla Chemist, Chief Science Officer-Blackstone Labs, MS Organic and Biochemistry

You just finished a brutal workout. You trained balls-to-the-wall. You had your preworkout meal, and pre-workout drink before you trained. So what’s next? When you lift weights, you’re breaking down muscle fibers, which is a good thing. It’s the firs step in causing muscle hypertrophy. The second step however, is just as important, if not more important to building muscle: the post workout nutrient consumption. There’s a lot of broscience out there as to what you should take after a workout, but let’s talk about what the actual science says.

Leucine: The Most Important Amino Acid for Muscle Protein Synthesis

Leucine is one of the 3 branched chain amino acids (BCAAs), with the other 2 being isoleucine and valine. They are called branched chain because there side chains are branched like tree branches vs being linear. Several studies have shown that BCAAs, with leucine being the most effective, activate a protein known as mTOR(mammalian target of rapamycin), specifically mTORc1.1,2 Activation of mTOR results in a cascade of different events that ultimately leads to increase translation (the making of new proteins) specifically in muscle cells.3 In a study involving different forms of protein with different concentrations of leucine, it was shown that the amount of leucine present was the determining factor for muscle protein synthesis (MPS).4

So now that we’ve established leucine is a must have post workout, how much leucine do you need? Broscience would say “the more the better, right?” Well, you could be wasting your money. According to studies, 2.5-3g of leucine seems to maximize MPS. Any more than that doesn’t seem to affect MPS. There is something called the leucine threshold, where the activation of mTOR seems to be saturated. By contrast, 1g of leucine did not activate MPS.5,6


Carbohydrates and Insulin:
How Insulin Prevents Muscle Breakdown and Builds Muscle

Insulin is the most anabolic hormone in the body. It’s the main reason bodybuilders compete in the 270s and not the 240s. Insulin is released by the intake of carbohydrates, and acts as a transport system for nutrients to your cells. This happens by stimulation of the beta cells in your pancreas, when carbs (specifically simple carbs like glucose) are ingested.7 Insulin has also been shown to increase protein synthesis and prevent muscle breakdown. Without getting too deep in the science, insulin increases the delivery of amino acids to muscle cells, which in turn helps increase protein synthesis. Insulin also inhibits the net protein breakdown (proteolysis).8 Combining these 2 elements should demonstrate the importance of taking in simple carbs that maximally release insulin.

R-Alpha Lipoic Acid: Maximizing Your Insulin Response

Insulin is a storage hormone, which means it can store carbs as glycogen (carb supply in your muscles) or as fat. Insulin has been shown to halt lipolysis (breakdown of fatty acids) and increase lipogenesis (creation of new fat cells).9 So how can you properly utilize insulin to increase glycogen and not increase lipogenesis? Enter: R-alpha lipoic acid (R-ALA). R-ALA is synthesized in the liver and has been shown to increase insulin sensitivity (how well your body uses insulin) by activating 2 important signaling molecules in the insulin pathway: insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) and protein and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K). What this does is enhances the body’s ability to uptake and utilize insulin in skeletal muscles.10 R-ALA has also been shown to increase fatty acid oxidation (fat burning) and increase glucose uptake in muscle cells by activating a protein called AMPK. This leads to increased insulin sensitivity and less body fat storage when eating carbs.11

Glutamine: Why You Should Take It Post-Workout

Glutamine is one of the most abundant amino acids in the body, but it also gets depleted the most rapidly after exercise. One study suggests anywhere from 16-20% depletion of plasma glutamine levels after intense exercise.12 Because of this, and its many functions in the body it is classified as a “conditionally essential” amino acid. Glutamine has been shown to not only increase protein synthesis and have an anti-catabolic effect (by decreasing proteolysis), but also increase glucose uptake and replenish glycogen in skeletal muscle tissue.13 Glutamine is gluconeogenic, meaning it can convert to glucose if needed. After intense exercise, this can be extremely beneficial so that you’re not pulling glutamine from your body’s stores and taking it away from its functions such as immune support and protein synthesis. All of these benefits can be amplified with the addition of magnesium (Mg) to your glutamine intake. One study showed the anabolic effects of taking a magnesium-glutamine molecule (Magnesium Glycyl Glutamine, MgGG)) vs 2000mcg of oral testosterone. After 8 weeks, the subjects taking MgGG actually gained more lean mass than the testosterone group (3.2kg vs 3.0kg). The MgGG also increased plasma glutamine levels and was more stable than the free form glutamine.14

Protein: What’s The Best Type?

We all know that protein builds muscle, but what’s the best type of protein to consume after a workout? And more importantly, why? To answer that question we must first discuss the different forms of proteins. Whey protein is commonly consumed post workout for a few reasons, but the main one being its high leucine content. Whey contains about 10g of leucine per 100g, so 25g of whey would give you the necessary 2.5g of leucine needed to initiate MPS.15 In a 2009 study, whey hydroslyate (predigested/broken down whey), casein (a much slower digesting protein), and soy protein (relatively fast digesting protein) were compared to see which resulted in the greatest degree of MPS following exercise. Researchers determined that post-workout MPS was following a whey hydrosylate shake was 122% greater than casein and 31% greater than soy. They concluded that the reason for this was both the fast acting nature of whey hydrosylate (and similarly isolate done in a previous study) and the leucine content.17

Putting It All Together: Protein + Leucine + Glutamine + Carbs + R-ALA

The combination of protein and carbs vs protein and carbs and leucine vs just carbs has been studied extensively dating back to the late 90s. Most, if not all have reached the same conclusion: the combination of whey protein isolate, leucine, glutamine, and simple carbs have increased total MPS and decreased protein breakdown following intense exercise.18 One breakthrough study confirmed that maximum insulin response was noticed in the protein+ leucine+ simple carbs vs either just carbs or protein and carbs (240% vs 77% vs 77%). Researchers also showed that the combination of these 3 ingredients maximized MPS post-workout.19
Based on previous aforementioned research on R-ALA, this will only enhance the utilization of insulin, and help drive carbs into your muscles.

The culmination of all of this research was taken into account when Blackstone Labs designed its premium post workout stack aptly named “The Braun Explosion”. This stack consists of 1 bottle of Isolation, our whey protein isolate that’s an easily digestible and fast-acting protein source, one tub of Formula 19, our clinically designed post workout recovery drink, as well as a container of Glycolog and Resurgence. Formula 19 contains all of the ingredients I mentioned in the article to maximize your post-workout gains. I firmly believe that the combination of these products best follows the most cutting-edge research on post-workout nutrition. In fact, you can save 10% by using my discount code “GC10”, which I consider my own personal seal of approval.

The Internet is full of A LOT of broscience and misinformation. Don’t ignore the science and hinder your gains. You workout hard, so why use anything less than what has been scientifically proven to work? Make the most of your post-workout nutrition with The Braun Explosion.

References:
1. Wullschleger S, Loewith R, Hall MN TOR signaling in growth and metabolism . Cell. (2006)
2. Norton, Layne E., and Donald K. Layman. "Leucine regulates translation initiation of protein synthesis in skeletal muscle after exercise." The Journal of nutrition 136.2 (2006): 533S-537S.
3. Stipanuk, Martha H. "Leucine and protein synthesis: mTOR and beyond."Nutrition reviews 65.3 (2007): 122-129.
4. Norton, Layne E., et al. "Leucine content of dietary proteins is a determinant of postprandial skeletal muscle protein synthesis in adult rats." Cellulose (Fiber) 53.53.7 (2012): 53-7.
5. Crozier, Stephen J., et al. "Oral leucine administration stimulates protein synthesis in rat skeletal muscle." The Journal of nutrition 135.3 (2005): 376-382.
6. Paddon-Jones, Douglas, et al. "Amino acid ingestion improves muscle protein synthesis in the young and elderly." American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology And Metabolism 286.3 (2004): E321-E328.
7. Seltzer, Holbrooke S., et al. "Insulin secretion in response to glycemic stimulus: relation of delayed initial release to carbohydrate intolerance in mild diabetes mellitus." Journal of Clinical Investigation 46.3 (1967): 323.
8. Fujita, Satoshi, et al. "Effect of insulin on human skeletal muscle protein synthesis is modulated by insulin-induced changes in muscle blood flow and amino acid availability." American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism 291.4 (2006): E745-E754.
9. Kersten, Sander. "Mechanisms of nutritional and hormonal regulation of lipogenesis." EMBO reports 2.4 (2001): 282-286.
10. Kamenova, Petya. "Improvement of insulin sensitivity in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus after oral administration of alpha-lipoic acid." HORMONES-ATHENS- 5.4 (2006): 251.
11. Lee, Woo Je, et al. "α-Lipoic acid increases insulin sensitivity by activating AMPK in skeletal muscle." Biochemical and biophysical research communications 332.3 (2005): 885-891.
12. Gleeson, Michael. "Dosing and efficacy of glutamine supplementation in human exercise and sport training." The Journal of nutrition 138.10 (2008): 2045S-2049S.
13. Antonio, Jose, and Chris Street. "Glutamine: a potentially useful supplement for athletes." Canadian Journal of Applied Physiology 24.1 (1999): 1-14.
14. Ashmead, H. DeWayne. "The role of magnesium glycyl-glutamine chelate in muscle regeneration." Revista Brasileira de Medicina 66.4 (2009): 81-86.
15. Volek, J. S. "Leucine triggers muscle growth. Nutrition Express."
16. Tang, Jason E., et al. "Ingestion of whey hydrolysate, casein, or soy protein isolate: effects on mixed muscle protein synthesis at rest and following resistance exercise in young men." Journal of Applied Physiology 107.3 (2009): 987-992.
17. Manninen, Anssi H. "Hyperinsulinaemia, hyperaminoacidaemia and post-exercise muscle anabolism: the search for the optimal recovery drink." British journal of sports medicine 40.11 (2006): 900-905.
18. Koopman, René, et al. "Combined ingestion of protein and free leucine with carbohydrate increases postexercise muscle protein synthesis in vivo in male subjects." American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism288.4 (2005): E645-E653.

And here is your counter point who is trying to sell Biotest Plazma ( above is trying to sell blackstone labs product), both have References who is correct???

[h=1]Post-Workout Nutrition is Dead[/h][h=2]Pre-Workout and Intra-Workout Nutrition is Better[/h]by TC Luoma | 01/15/16






[h=2]Here's what you need to know...[/h]

1. The nutrition you consume around your workout can greatly increase your rate of progress.
2. Pre-workout and intra-workout nutrition is more important that post-workout nutrition.
3. By ingesting protein before and during a workout, you spare muscle protein, negate protein degradation, and set the muscle up for regeneration and remodeling.
4. If intra-workout insulin is low, glucagon robs muscles of amino acids so it can convert them to glucose. Low insulin makes it possible for catabolic hormones to "steal" your gains.
5. Muscles need carbs to do work, but they also need protein. During a workout, amino acid requirements go up 500%.
6. Loading protein and carbs before and again during the workout also leads to fat oxidation that continues long after the workout.
7. Post-workout nutrition is still important, but it needs pre-workout and intra-workout nutrition in order for it to succeed.

[h=3]The Most Important Thing[/h]Pre-workout nutrition and during-workout nutrition are the most important things you can do to make any kind of progress in the gym.
In fact, pre-workout and intra-workout nutrition is more important that post-workout nutrition.
[h=3]Real Progress in the Gym, Finally[/h]A few years ago, before we knew any better, pre-workout nutrition usually consisted of simply having a meal a couple of hours before a workout. Then, in more recent times, pre-workout nutrition transitioned to maybe sipping a whey protein shake an hour before going to the gym.
Others, preferring just a caffeinated buzz, would simply quaff an energy drink and power through their workout on nervous energy. This, of course, isn't "nutrition" at all.
And the idea of intra-workout nutrition? It didn't even exist.
Then came a golden age of enlightenment where lifters accepted the science of true pre-workout and intra-workout nutrition. They began drinking measured amounts of protein and carbohydrates before a workout and continued to do so during the entirety of their workouts.
For the first time ever, lifters pretty much universally made progress.
<!-- IMAGE --> <!-- IMAGE --> [h=3]Newbies and Nutrition-Deniers[/h]But then something happened: a new generation of lifters came along. Rather than accept the tried-and-true pre-workout nutrition principles of the enlightened lifters, they reverted back to the primitive.
Some went back to ignoring pre-workout nutrition entirely while others went back to drinking simple whey protein shakes, energy drinks, or worst of all, nothing before hitting the gym.
It's almost as if they decided to throw out science altogether, or to embrace contrary anecdotal research that disguised itself as science.
It's time to bring enlightenment back.
[h=3]Timing is Everything[/h]When it comes to building muscle, building strength, recovery, and even body composition, when you eat is as important, maybe even more important than what you eat.
You could eat a mountain of protein but it would be largely wasted unless you ate it when your muscle cells were receptive to it, which is before a workout, during a workout, and to a lesser but still important degree, right after your workout.
Let's look at it another way. Even a high quality protein drink consumed a few hours after a workout may result in 85% less protein synthesis than drinking a crappy protein drink during your workout.
[h=3]Anabolic Insulin vs. Catabolic Hormones[/h]Regardless of the quality of the protein you're ingesting, you still need insulin to make muscle cells receptive to that protein gift.
The old-time lifters who used to eat a meal a couple of hours before a workout were kinda-sorta on the right track, but they didn't know what we know today.
Sure, their big meal would introduce protein and carbs into the bloodstream, simultaneously eliciting a surge of insulin. And those recently digested nutrients would hop on insulin's back and ride the currents of blood until they trickled into the capillaries that fed muscle cells.
Thus fortified, the lifter would head to the gym to attack his workout. The problem? His timing was off.
By the time he got to the gym, an hour or two after his pre-workout meal, levels of insulin would already be on the wane. Protein and carbs were still floating around the bloodstream, but there wasn't enough insulin around to carry the nutrients home.
Not only that, but the lack of insulin would have left the muscle cells largely unresponsive to the protein.
It's like a coach who's just given the rip-roaringest half-time pep talk in history. He's got the players so amped up that they're banging on lockers and butting helmeted heads... only someone locked the door and they can't get on the field to play.
And things only get worse for our molecular players. Since insulin is fading, the insulin antagonist glucagon shows up and starts to rob muscles of amino acids so it can convert them to the glucose that muscles need for fuel.
Epinephrine and cortisol, two other catabolic hormones, also enter the scene, the former robbing the liver of glycogen to fuel the muscles and the latter robbing energy from wherever it can – from fat, carbs, or from protein itself.
All that fuel, energy, and building blocks should be going to the muscles, but instead they're being pilfered by catabolic hormones.
It's too bad that insulin is in such short supply, because it would offset the collective efforts of all those catabolic fuel/energy/amino-acid robbing hormones.
But even if insulin levels were high or higher, there wouldn't be many amino acids to transport to muscle cells because the lifter swallowed his last bit of protein an hour or two ago!
<!-- IMAGE --> <!-- IMAGE --> [h=3]No Muscle Glycogen, No Muscle Growth[/h]Consider also that muscle glycogen is reduced by as much as 12% after just one set of 10 biceps curls, and muscle glycogen is what fuels ATP, the energy currency of muscle.
Just three sets of biceps curls results in a reduction of about 35%, and if you do another few sets you're at a 40% reduction in glycogen.
To remedy this, you need constant fuel.
[h=3]Are Your Muscles Eating Themselves?[/h]You can see the importance of ingesting carbs before and during a workout, but ingesting protein is equally important.
Muscles need carbs to do work, but they also need protein. In that way, they're cannibalistic.
During a workout, amino acids, including branched chain amino acids (BCAA), supply up to 15% of a muscle's energy needs. And this use of BCAAs can go up by 500%, depending on the intensity and the duration of exercise.
But by ingesting the right type of protein before and during a workout, you minimize the cannibalism. You spare muscle protein, negate protein degradation, and set the muscle up for regeneration and remodeling, otherwise known as growth.
[h=3]Less Fat, Less Soreness, More Muscle[/h]Consuming the right types of protein and carbs during the workout is important for many of the same reasons that it's important to consume them before the workout.
Insulin levels are kept high and levels of catabolic hormones are kept low, as well as ensuring that the muscles are getting a steady supply of nutrients and building blocks.
The protein and carbs ultimately keeps protein breakdown low, and the carbs that are still being ingested are fueling the ATP/creatine phosphate pathway, ensuring higher reps and more intense contractions.
Likewise, fat is being oxidized at a much greater rate than otherwise possible, and this fat oxidation (fueled by proper nutrient timing) continues long after the workout.
If you were to actually weigh the muscles of a lifter who followed proper peri-workout nutrition after his workout, he'd literally be heavier than he would be if he'd followed the old time approach because he'd be filled with muscle-cell regenerating nutrients.
In short, everything would be perfect for muscle growth and recovery. The lifter, by ingesting a mixture of carbs and protein before and during his workout, has done everything to stack the muscle-building odds in his favor.
In addition, he won't be as sore the next day so he can train just as hard again.
<!-- IMAGE --> <!-- IMAGE --> [h=3]Benefits of Proper Workout Nutrition[/h]Here are the benefits of properly loading the muscles before training and then continuing to fuel them throughout the workout:

• Insulin levels are kept high, thus ensuring that nutrients can be carried directly to muscle cells.
• High insulin levels keep levels of catabolic hormones like glucagon, epinephrine, and cortisol low.
• Protein synthesis is kept high.
• Furnace-like fat oxidation ensues.
• Protein breakdown is halted.
• ATP and creatine levels are maintained.
• Free radicals and muscle damage in general are minimized.
• Inflammation is minimized, facilitating quicker and more efficient recovery.
• Muscle growth is maximized.

[h=3]What About Post-Workout Nutrition?[/h]Post-workout nutrition isn't really dead and it's not my intent to minimize its importance. It's just that pre- and intra-workout nutrition is even more important than post-workout nutrition.
You need to continue to nourish the muscles in the hour or so after a workout because the muscle cells are still keenly sensitive to protein.
However, unless the lifter had followed proper nutrition requirements before and during the workout, he's in for a world of hurt. He can drink his post-workout protein shake, but his muscle cells won't be as sensitive to any rise in insulin from the shake he just drank.
Insulin can/will carry the amino acids to the muscle cells, but they'll just pull the covers over their head and ignore it. These "homeless" glucose molecules will likely go into storage as glycogen or fat.
While it's not likely the protein will be stored as fat, much of it will end up in the liver, which is where amino acids go for storage.
Catabolic hormones will still be elevated and the rate of protein breakdown will still exceed protein synthesis.
The net result is very little anabolic stimulus and resultant muscle growth, some strength increases from neurological stimuli, and a lot of storage of amino acids in the liver.
Clearly, post-workout nutrition needs pre-workout and intra-workout nutrition in order for it to succeed.

[h=4][/h] <!-- RELATED --> [h=3]References[/h]

1. Cribb, Paul J, Hayes, Alan, "Effects of Supplement-Timing and Resistance Exercise on Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy." Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 38(11). Pp. 1918-1925. ISSN 0195-9131, 1530-0315.
2. Haff, et al, "The effects of supplemental carbohydrate ingestion on intermittent isokinetic leg exercise, J Sports Med Phys Fitness, 2001, Jun:41(2): 216-22.
3. Ivy, John, and Portman, Robert, Nutrient Timing, The Future of Sports Nutrition, Basic Health Publications, Laguna Beach, 2004.
4. Tipton, et al, "Timing of amino-acid carbohydrate ingestion alters anabolic response of muscle to resistance exercise." American Journal of Physiology - Endocrinology and Metabolism, 1 August 2001, Vol, 281 no.2, E197-E206 DOI:

Lets do both... would have to grow then!!

Sometimes my meal falls during my workout so I hoover it down real fast. Post workout 40 gram protein shake, bagel with peanut butter and a banana.

drtbear1967 said:

Lets do both... would have to grow then!!

Click to expand...

Can't hurt. Then in 5 years when they come out with a new study that changes everything, we won't have to change a thing.