Surge Workout Fuel + Surge Recovery (Overkill?)

Hello,

I’ve been using Surge Recovery for a while and really like that product, but just recently started adding Surge Workout Fuel to my pre and peri-workout nutrition. The Surge Workout Fuel is amazing and has definitely added a level of intensity to my workouts, but I’m wondering if using the two of those together is a bit of overkill on the carbs. My current usage looks like this:

Surge Workout Fuel: 2 scoops

Pre-workout: 1/3 Surge Workout Fuel Drink
During-workout: 2/3 Surge Workout Fuel Drink
Post-workout: 2 scoops Surge Recovery

I’ve read about the ANACONDA Protocol and it’s use of the Surge Workout Fuel, which recommends drinking before, during, and after training in combination with ANACONDA. In this case I’m not using ANACONDA, so I’m just a little worried that I’m going overboard with both Surge products. Any thoughts? Would it be more effecient to just use the ANACONDA Protocol as described?

It all depends on your training/activity level, physique objectives, and the carb intake you’re shooting for on a particular day.

I’ve often followed a peri-workout schedule very similar to what you’ve listed and found that it worked well.

I’m currently around 190 Lbs at 12% body fat or so. I’d like to get to 180 Lbs, and slightly below 10% body fat. My diet looks like this:

Breakfast: 3 eggs, oatmeal, banana
Snack: greek yogurt
Lunch: chicken breast, sweet potato
Snack: 2 scoops Metabolic Drive
Pre-workout: 1/3 Surge Workout Fuel
During-workout: 2/3 Surge Workout Fuel
Post-workout: 2 scoops Surge Recovery
Dinner: salmon, green vegetables
Bedtime: 1 scoop Metabolic Drive

It’s around 2200 calories, 180g protein, 230g carbs, and 80g fat. I’ve done low-carb diets before, but I’m trying not to do a low-carb diet this time because I really want to manage muscle mass and possibly even build some during a cut.

In general I strongly believe the answer is no as to whether this is too much carbs – when taken this way and with this timing – while on a low-carb diet, but there can be an exception.

Someone who has never adapted himself to a low-carb diet, who finds himself or would find himself feeling like he’s dying (well, a bit of an exaggeration) when on very low carbs, would find that the above carb intake never achieved the metabolism shift where the body learns to use fat more efficiently for fuel and thus does well on a low-carb diet.

(“Metabolism shift” and “learns to use” aren’t scientific terms, but just conceptual descriptions.)

He could be better served in the long term by doing a truly low carb diet and gaining that ability – which seems to last a long time – and then in the future, his low-carb-except-for-workouts diets will go quite well.

In the short term, however, he can get outstanding results on the low-carb-except-for-workouts diet, but maybe not quite as good as if he had adapted to very low carb use at an earlier time. His workouts will also go much better than they would in his first truly-low-carb diet: that is for sure.

[quote]ethanwest wrote:
I’m currently around 190 Lbs at 12% body fat or so. I’d like to get to 180 Lbs, and slightly below 10% body fat.[/quote]

If fat loss is the objective, I’d go with one servings Surge Workout Fuel prior to training and one serving Surge Recovery during training.

Thanks for the tips guys.

I’ve seen a few other people on this forum mentioning Surge Recovery during training as opposed to during training. I thought the Workout Fuel was supposed to be used during training and Recovery used post-training. What gives?

Surge workout during. Surge recovery after. If you read the recommend us for Surge recovery, you will see that it is recommended that you continue to sip on it after your workout. I sometimes use if for post workout if I have some left after. If not, I use one serving of Surge recovery post workout.

[quote]ethanwest wrote:
I’ve seen a few other people on this forum mentioning Surge Recovery during training as opposed to during training. I thought the Workout Fuel was supposed to be used during training and Recovery used post-training. What gives?[/quote]

Surge Workout Fuel works best when you pre-load at least half a serving prior to training so that the nutrients are available once you start working.

Surge Recovery was originally developed for post-workout use, but we’ve been noticing a trend where those who consume it during weight training often experience better gains.

[quote]Mod Brian wrote:

[quote]ethanwest wrote:
I’ve seen a few other people on this forum mentioning Surge Recovery during training as opposed to during training. I thought the Workout Fuel was supposed to be used during training and Recovery used post-training. What gives?[/quote]

Surge Workout Fuel works best when you pre-load at least half a serving prior to training so that the nutrients are available once you start working.

Surge Recovery was originally developed for post-workout use, but we’ve been noticing a trend where those who consume it during weight training often experience better gains.[/quote]

I actually drink Recovery before and during WO. 2 scoops in 25oz water - drink 1/2 at -5 WO, refill bottle and drink full bottle of diluted last scoop during WO. I have made good and steady strength gains doing this.

In my diet right now as soon as i totally cut out the surge workout fuel and recovery the weight started flying off, but Im also the type of person that can eat 1400 calories for weeks and not lose any muscle so it’d probably be ok for you. if anything Id drop the recovery, i remember one time Shugart was using the workout fuel before and after training last summer when he was dieting, so you could give that a try. Dont get me wrong both supplements are in my top 5 i just don’t like them personally when im trying to cut fat.

Good advice. My main concern is this: Last year I dieted down to about 6% body fat (for no other reason than to hit the beach) on a pretty low carb diet but I ended up crushing a lot of my muscle. This year I’ve put on a lot of mass, but I don’t want to lose it during a cut, so I’m trying to find a diet that will drop fat but let me retain the intensity in the gym and hold onto my muscle mass. That’s why the biggest amount of calories that I consume during the day is pre and post workout nutrition. I’m just afraid that if I cut out the fuel or the recovery I may start losing mass again.

However, I may try it out because one difference between this year and last year is that last year I was also doing a lot of long distance endurance training, which I am not doing this year. So that also could have been part of the reason why I lost so much muscle mass.

[quote]ethanwest wrote:
Good advice. My main concern is this: Last year I dieted down to about 6% body fat (for no other reason than to hit the beach) on a pretty low carb diet but I ended up crushing a lot of my muscle. This year I’ve put on a lot of mass, but I don’t want to lose it during a cut, so I’m trying to find a diet that will drop fat but let me retain the intensity in the gym and hold onto my muscle mass. That’s why the biggest amount of calories that I consume during the day is pre and post workout nutrition. I’m just afraid that if I cut out the fuel or the recovery I may start losing mass again.

However, I may try it out because one difference between this year and last year is that last year I was also doing a lot of long distance endurance training, which I am not doing this year. So that also could have been part of the reason why I lost so much muscle mass.[/quote]

You could try having all your carbs at breakfast and peri workout but the most important thing you should be worrying about is calories in vs out is the most important thing, sure nutrient timing is good but hitting your macros and calories should be the only thing you worry about. if your losing weight too fast then adjust your calories and go from there. As long as your training hard and heavy and eating enough calories to lose fat and a steady (not supercharged turbo fast) rate you’ll get there and you will still have you mass.