After my workouts I am consuming oatmeal and also metabolic drive protein. Should I be ingesting more simple carbs to post workout to rapidly replenish glycogen stores, or are the complex, slower digesting carbs from oatmeal alright?
It all depends on the why. Why are you consuming the oatmeal and metabolic drive post workout currently?
The way I view carbs is that they’re purely an energy source. They aren’t a builder, like protein, or a source of essential acids/hormone health, like fats. So, that said, if the workout is done, what’s the function of the complex carbs? What are they fueling?
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I have always been under the impression that carbs are good before a workout to fuel and then afterwards to fill back up glycogen stores as well as get the insulin driving into those muscles to soak up the nutrients (protein) to repair/build the muscles. I know I lack scientific terms…sorrry.
If the goal is specifically to drive an insulin spike rather than to fuel, to me, it would make more sense to employ a simple carbohydrate compared to a complex one.
However, protein itself can ALSO spike insulin. It’s an insulgenic food. It just doesn’t tend to elevate blood sugar due to the fact that it also increases glucagon.
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Gotcha! I figured nutrients were still getting there either way, I just wasn’t sure if a simple carb was the end-all-be-all.
It’s not: these are very “in the weeds” sorta things, but if one were to pick between one or the other, this makes the most sense to me. I personally don’t eat ANY carbs before or after training, and still grow.
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Another take is that post-workout might be the least damaging time to eat your “worse” carbs. Sometimes we use it as a justification rather than a true need, especially if we aren’t training multiple times in a day, for endurance sports, or in combination with exogenous insulin.
All that said, I like carbs pre- and intraworkout. Not a necessity, by any means, but it tends to improve my workouts. I don’t then feel I need anything specific post-workout. I think your strategy sounds great.
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Ya, I never use to train with carbs before my workouts for years. Then I found the Finibar on here for pre workout carbs and it’s great! I then drink intra BCAAs and post I have either oatmeal or some sort of fruit for carbs along with protein.
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Steak and eggs
Unnecessary really
It’s a bit more complicated than that…and unfortunately a ton of lies, BS and misinformation are propagated in this industry regarding the “need” for carbs.
Any substrate will illicit an insulin response and especially insulinogenic amino acids…
The “need” for carbs for both hard training and recovery has, in my estimation and experience, been greatly overstated.