I just got my shipment of Surge last week. its says to take after workouts, which is obvious as its a PWO shake. I lift at my school, and by the time i get home, its about 15-20 min since i lifted some weight. If i am to wait that long, will the Surge not work as well if i were to take it to the gym and take it immediately after working out?
You should be sipping half of your Surge between sets during your workout and chugging the rest AS SOON as you’re done lifting. Mine is gone before I even leave the gym locker room. Getting those carbohydrates in right away will replenish your glycogen stores and will do wonders for preventing catabolism. Working out at school shouldn’t be a problem for you. Surge mixes incredibly easily. You don’t need a blender or anything. Before school, put your surge powder into a bottle with the fluid oz. measurements on the side. Before you work out, find a water fountain, fill up your bottle and shake it up. It’ll be mixed perfectly. No problem
You can do either and will be fine. You have a window of about an hour after you workout.
With that said, I would take it immediately after if possible because you should probably wait about an hour after you take Surge to eat something else. 1/2 hour of that will be killed by you trip home.
Some even drink it while they workout.
what are the benefits of taking some while working out?
BigDirk, I’ll second RugbyKuhles’ good advice. John Berardi designed Surge. Originally the advice was to drink it immediately upon completion of your workout. However, JB found some science that caused him to change his mind. There was a clinical trial or something that suggested that a small P+C meal/drink eaten PRE-workout might even be more important to recovery than the PWO drink because the amino acids are hitting the bloodstream right about the time you complete your workout.
So that’s the reason for the recommendation that you sip one-half of your Surge before/during your workout and the other half immediately afterwards. The resulting hyperaminoacidemia (which is nutritional techno-speak for “a whole lot of amino acids in the blood stream”) creates an anabolic environment designed for muscle growth.
If you’re looking for a little more information on the subject, check out the following:
thanks tampa, just what i was looking for
Lemme ask a stupid follow up question. Should I use Surge while on a low carb diet? Even on low carb- I always have a post workout protein shake- but it does not have the macronutrient profile recommended by John B. The shake I consume is 75 grams of protein and about 15 grams of carbs. I’ve had a lot of success losing weight on a low carb diet- but wonder if I could add Surge to my diet without hampering my fat loss goals.
Hey, there, Irish!
Yes, I believe Surge is helpful and should be used even on low-carb diets. For one thing, there are two ways to reduce your BF%. One is to add (or at least hold on to) LBM while dieting. (We can hope, right? (grin)) The other is to reduce the number of pounds of BF you carry. Surge helps with the “preserving/protecting LBM” part.
So let’s imagine that you’ve just worked out. Cortisol levels are high and chewing up your hard-earned muscle. Drinking Surge spikes insulin (the only time you want to do so) and causes cortisol to drop like a rock. The sugar (maltodextrin & dextrose, actually) in Surge preferentially refills MUSCLE glycogen, not liver glycogen. This will result in stronger workouts.
Since you just finished working out, there is an elevated rate of fat burning going on INDEPENDENT OF glycogen stores being refilled to a very slight degree.
If you want more information on what goes on PWO and how to optimize PWO nutrition, read JB’s article on “Soving the Post-Workout Puzzle,” I & II. That way, no matter what you decide, at least you’ll be making an informed and educated decision.
If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to ask.
Thanks TT. Good stuff as usual
I have A PWO question for you folks. Sometimes I work out early in the morning and I always drink Surge PWO. For my meal after the Surge I will eat a second breakfast including 6 to 10 eggs/egg whites mixed and a whole cup of oatmeal. Should I avoid the oatmeal PWO since it is a low GI carb, or since I consume my Surge during/after my workout does it matter? I am on a massive eating type diet and I have to consume three whole cups of oatmeal a day to get all my carbs. Any response is appreciated
Joe_Bob
Hey, your timing is perfect actually. Taking Surge 20 minutes after your workout is perfect. Those minutes between workout and relishing the delicious taste of Surge give your body a chance to circulate pooled blood that has been in the muscles, normalize blood pressure and lower body temperature before eating. All good things. Good luck.
Hey, Joe_Bob.
Even with Massive Eating the goal is to put on as much muscle as possible, relative to fat. The whole-food P+C meal following Surge should not have any fat. Egg whites would be an excellent choice. The yolks, though, are a bit too high in fat.
Oatmeal, by the way, is a fabulous PWO meal. It will do a great job of refilling muscle glycogen stores. I have mine with some fruit and protein powder.
Don’t forget brown rice and sweet potatoes. They’re quality carb sources and will help you meet your carb requirements in Massive Eating without feeling too full or bloated.
Happy eating! (grin)
Hey Tampa Terry,
I remember that before you spoke about the blood type diet. Do you still incorparate that to any degree. If I am blood type O would’t that make Surge a bad post workout meal since it contains whey. Thanks in advance!
Brudog, I think it boils down to one’s priorities and goals.
If I had health issues – a chronic and/or inflammatory condition, an autoimmune disease, cancer, HIV – I would be very inclined to follow “Eat Right 4 Your Type” to the letter. There isn’t anything more important than our health. However, since my goals are more body-comp driven, I tend to follow more of T-Nation’s and JB’s dietary wisdom.
I do think there’s a lot to be said for listening to our bodies, though. If a food doesn’t sit well with you, don’t keep trying to eat it; find a substitute or an alternative. As an example, I don’t seem to do well with dairy, so I don’t eat very much of it. Instead of milk I’ll use Low Carb Grow!
Re whey, I use Surge and Grow!, both, and, like you, I’m a Type O. However, I try to limit my dependence on protein shakes and eat protein that I can chew over protein I drink.
As I said, it probably boils down to your priorities and whether you have health issues . . . and maybe balance to some degree.
What do you think?
Hey Terry,
I have lately become a true believer in Eat right for your type. I do not have any body comp goals at the moment so I guess that health is my main priority. When I was taking low carb grow before , I got at least one cold a year, and I was always clearing phlem from my nose and throat. I have been free of infections for the past three years now, and I suspect that it has much to do with the avoidence of the main offenders as pointed out by the BTD.
Great news, Brudog! You fall into a pretty small percentage. Not just that you’re happy with your weight and body comp, but that you listen to your body!
We all owe it to ourselves to keep searching until we find what works and what our body responds to best. I have to admit that I’m still searching and still learning, always trying to take thins to a higher level (for me and for the people I try to help). (grin)
d’Adamo has made a huge difference in people’s lives. Stay true to what works for you. And don’t be afraid to share what you’ve learned with others you think would benefit.
The other condition I forgot to put on my list was digestive problems. I think ER4YT is very much indicated for anyone with IBS, Crohns, etc.