After reading that eating too soon after a workout reduces or even stops HGH production, particularly from eating carbs/sugar due to the insulin spike i’ve become confused as to what my eating post workout should look like.
What I have been doing is having my creatine supp which contains about 9 grams of carbs straight after the workout, wait 15- 20 mins then have a protein shake then after about 30 mins I’ll have solid food consisting of carbs and protein, usually rice and chicken (to restore glycogen). Now I may be over thinking all this but from what i have read recently this now seems like it could be effecting my gains due to stopping my body from producing HGH?
I have also in the past had a protein shake at the end of the workout then 15 mins later had 4-5 whole eggs scrambled which takes the carbs out of post workout. This was a while ago and I had no real reasoning behind it apart from to get protein in but I seemed to be leaner back then without trying to cut.
Can anyone give me any advice or put this simply to stop the confusion?
[quote]Getting Closer wrote:
After reading that eating too soon after a workout reduces or even stops HGH production, particularly from eating carbs/sugar due to the insulin spike i’ve become confused as to what my eating post workout should look like.
What I have been doing is having my creatine supp which contains about 9 grams of carbs straight after the workout, wait 15- 20 mins then have a protein shake then after about 30 mins I’ll have solid food consisting of carbs and protein, usually rice and chicken (to restore glycogen). Now I may be over thinking all this but from what i have read recently this now seems like it could be effecting my gains due to stopping my body from producing HGH?
I have also in the past had a protein shake at the end of the workout then 15 mins later had 4-5 whole eggs scrambled which takes the carbs out of post workout. This was a while ago and I had no real reasoning behind it apart from to get protein in but I seemed to be leaner back then without trying to cut.
Can anyone give me any advice or put this simply to stop the confusion?[/quote]
I really think that you are overthinking it. Just lift hard and eat. It’s not much more complicated then that. Also, if you take into account the placebo effect, constantly worrying that you are doing the wrong thing could actually cause you to not make as much progress because you believe that you won’t. Paralysis by analysis is a terrible thing to fall victim to. Lift as hard as you can, and eat … It has worked for countless men before you, and it will work for countless men after you.
Lifting hard an eating is what I’ve been doing and will continue to do but surely if having carbs after a workout is stopping my body from releasing Growth Hormone thats going to have a major effect on my gains? Don’t like to overanalyze everything but would like to be sure I have this right.
Is there any reason to replenish glycogen stores straight after a workout by eating carbs or will they replenish anyway? Am thinking carbs and protein before a workout then just protein and fats after?
The fact that craploads of people have gotten big/lean/strong taking in carbs/protein PWO means nothing to you?
Why are you so worried about postworkout growth hormone production in the first place? Growing muscle happens 24hrs a day, not just in the 2 hours after working out.
Yes you are way overanalyzing. A nitpicker could find SOMETHING wrong with literally any possible eating program you could draw up. The fact that in 3 years of coming to this site and training seriously I have never seen anyone care about this, or talked to anyone in person who cares about this, means it probably does not matter at all. Where did you read this anyway?
[quote]Getting Closer wrote:
Lifting hard an eating is what I’ve been doing and will continue to do but surely if having carbs after a workout is stopping my body from releasing Growth Hormone thats going to have a major effect on my gains? Don’t like to overanalyze everything but would like to be sure I have this right.
Is there any reason to replenish glycogen stores straight after a workout by eating carbs or will they replenish anyway? Am thinking carbs and protein before a workout then just protein and fats after?[/quote]
@scj119 of course I take that into account and have made progress doing the same myself but anyone aiming to build a better body surely wants to know if a small change like this is going to help further their progress. I’m just thinking back to when I didn’t have carbs after a workout and thinking I was leaner then whilst still making good gains an that this could be the reason.
Don’t see why anyone would just not bother about it if its going to make a big difference. I thought everyone here was after making as much progress as possible.
Also I have spoken to people about it to people an they say as long as they get their protein in they’re good. Just avoid sugar as HGH can’t exist with the Insulin spike it causes.
[quote]Getting Closer wrote: @scj119 of course I take that into account and have made progress doing the same myself but anyone aiming to build a better body surely wants to know if a small change like this is going to help further their progress. I’m just thinking back to when I didn’t have carbs after a workout and thinking I was leaner then whilst still making good gains an that this could be the reason.
Don’t see why anyone would just not bother about it if its going to make a big difference. I thought everyone here was after making as much progress as possible.[/quote]
Look at interviews with pro strength athletes and their answers to questions on nutrition and supplementation. They aren’t out there worrying about all of the little things like this, they’re out there getting things done. People make these things more complicated then they need to be, and those people are usually the ones who never make it to the top. Hard work and self confidence trumps all. The stress and the doubt that comes from worrying about the little things will do more harm then that thing could ever potentially do. Find me a study that says one thing, and I will find a dozen that contradict it. With how much we should know being as advanced as we are, we never really know anything.
Just over an hour before:
3 scoops whey, 1 banana, 40-50g steel cut oats (in a shake) + 20ml fish oil
30 minutes before:
Coffee & 20g dark chocolate
Post-workout:
3 scoops whey, 1 banana, 100g blueberries, 40-50g steel cut oats (in a shake)
Works great, I have lots of energy in the workout, starts to decline after about 2 hours if I go that long. No need for anything during training because I have enough nutrients floating around in my system.
Dark chocolate is supposed to improve blood circulation (Pseudoscience - excuse to eat chocolate).
And there are many studies showing the health benefits of coffee, and the effects caffiene has on improving strength & focus.
[quote]Getting Closer wrote: @scj119 of course I take that into account and have made progress doing the same myself but anyone aiming to build a better body surely wants to know if a small change like this is going to help further their progress. I’m just thinking back to when I didn’t have carbs after a workout and thinking I was leaner then whilst still making good gains an that this could be the reason.
Don’t see why anyone would just not bother about it if its going to make a big difference. I thought everyone here was after making as much progress as possible.[/quote]
They would bother with it if it made a big difference. Not sure how else to say it.
[quote]Getting Closer wrote:
Also I have spoken to people about it to people an they say as long as they get their protein in they’re good. Just avoid sugar as HGH can’t exist with the Insulin spike it causes.
[/quote]
2-3 hours of low growth hormone production postworkout is so fucking unimportant I can’t even believe I’m responding.
Was anyone you asked noticeably big or strong?
The fact that this is never mentioned anywhere on any lifting site or by anyone strong or big doesn’t tell you that it’s unimportant?
You’re making this out to be something that i constantly worry about and have just stopped everything I’m doing until I find out if it matters. It’s not that serious a problem but its a lot more simple than a lot of the peri workout plans being discussed on here yet could make as big or even MORE of a difference so why get so annoyed that i wanna discuss it?
People that are already big and lean may already be doing it like a few people I’ve spoken to recently an its not something they even take note of anymore because they know it works.
Yes they were and one stays very lean year round. I wouldn’t ask people who don’t look like they know what they’re doing.
[quote]Getting Closer wrote:
You’re making this out to be something that i constantly worry about and have just stopped everything I’m doing until I find out if it matters. It’s not that serious a problem but its a lot more simple than a lot of the peri workout plans being discussed on here yet could make as big or even MORE of a difference so why get so annoyed that i wanna discuss it?
People that are already big and lean may already be doing it like a few people I’ve spoken to recently an its not something they even take note of anymore because they know it works.
Yes they were and one stays very lean year round. I wouldn’t ask people who don’t look like they know what they’re doing.[/quote]
OP. Any time hormones are involved people are generally speculating at best. Theres plenty of studies done that will show measureable benefits to certain protocols, that in the real world show negligable results. If its something you are interested in, and believe could benefit you in your particular stage of development, then give it a go for a month or so and see how you respond. Experimentation is the name of the game.
If it helps, Kiefer of Carb Backloading fame seems to think theres some merit (even in the carb backloading portion of your day) after working out to hold back on carbs for 30 minutes to an hour or so.
[quote]Getting Closer wrote:
After reading that eating too soon after a workout reduces or even stops HGH production, particularly from eating carbs/sugar due to the insulin spike i’ve become confused as to what my eating post workout should look like.
What I have been doing is having my creatine supp which contains about 9 grams of carbs straight after the workout, wait 15- 20 mins then have a protein shake then after about 30 mins I’ll have solid food consisting of carbs and protein, usually rice and chicken (to restore glycogen). Now I may be over thinking all this but from what i have read recently this now seems like it could be effecting my gains due to stopping my body from producing HGH?
I have also in the past had a protein shake at the end of the workout then 15 mins later had 4-5 whole eggs scrambled which takes the carbs out of post workout. This was a while ago and I had no real reasoning behind it apart from to get protein in but I seemed to be leaner back then without trying to cut.
Can anyone give me any advice or put this simply to stop the confusion?[/quote]
In my opinion, the anabolic effect created from insulin mediated nutrient uptake, is going to be far superior than any you would get from the GH.
However, like many have said you could wait to have carbs, as nutrient uptake is rampant after workouts anyway via mechanically (non insulin mediated) activated transporters. So you could see in this hour of non nutrient uptake if GH makes a difference or not.
My guess would be that you don’t notice anything, and for the purpose of gaining size I would try to jam as many nutrients before, during, and after your workout as possible (up to 4-5 hours after).
Seriously, any hgh release you are going to experience post workout is going to be 100% negligible. It simply does not matter. Don’t worry about it. As a natty, the only worthwhile HGH spike you are going to be getting is while you’re sleeping.
[quote]Getting Closer wrote:
After reading that eating too soon after a workout reduces or even stops HGH production, particularly from eating carbs/sugar due to the insulin spike i’ve become confused as to what my eating post workout should look like.
What I have been doing is having my creatine supp which contains about 9 grams of carbs straight after the workout, wait 15- 20 mins then have a protein shake then after about 30 mins I’ll have solid food consisting of carbs and protein, usually rice and chicken (to restore glycogen). Now I may be over thinking all this but from what i have read recently this now seems like it could be effecting my gains due to stopping my body from producing HGH?
I have also in the past had a protein shake at the end of the workout then 15 mins later had 4-5 whole eggs scrambled which takes the carbs out of post workout. This was a while ago and I had no real reasoning behind it apart from to get protein in but I seemed to be leaner back then without trying to cut.
Can anyone give me any advice or put this simply to stop the confusion?[/quote]
In my opinion, the anabolic effect created from insulin mediated nutrient uptake, is going to be far superior than any you would get from the GH.