Exposing many myths about sports nutrition in bodybuilding and the benefits of carbohydrate-protein shakes. All athletes are aware of the presence of a "carbohydrate window" today. This is the period of time after training, when scientists assume nutrients are absorbed faster. However, the practical evidence for its existence is ambiguous, and it is difficult to say for sure that the "carbohydrate window" definitely takes place. In this regard, the question arises - why are you being stuffed with protein cocktails in bodybuilding, if there is no serious evidence of the existence of a "window" yet?
Should I take protein after training at a specific time?
The assumption about the presence of a "window" is primarily due to the fact that the training is carried out on an empty stomach. This leads to an acceleration of catabolic reactions and the deficiency of amino acid compounds that occurs before the start of the exercise persists and after its completion.
If you train after a nightly session without eating, then post-workout nutrition is well worth it. Ideal in this case would be a mixture of protein compounds and carbohydrates in order to shift the amine balance in a positive direction and activate anabolic processes. Using this tactic can induce muscle growth in the long term.
Thus, the most important issue is the influence of meals before the start of the session, because not all athletes train on an empty stomach. It is very common for bodybuilders to gain weight by eating about 60 or 120 minutes before the start of the session. In accordance with the nutritional composition, such techniques can be pre-workout or post-workout in nature. This is due to the fact that the process of food processing can last until the moment the body begins to recover from stress.
In one experiment, it was found that the use of a relatively small dosage of essential amino acid compounds (only 6 grams), used immediately before exercise, led to an increase in the concentration of amines in muscle tissue by 130 percent. Moreover, this concentration was maintained for 120 minutes.
At the same time, there are results from another study that has the opposite result. Consuming 20 grams of whey protein increased the muscle's ability to consume amines by more than 4 times, but the pre-workout concentration was not reached until three hours later.
However, quite a few athletes exercise after work until the evening meal. As a result, the last time they eat before class is 4 or 5 hours before. This can make post-workout nutrition very effective. Scientists have calculated that the anabolic effect of meals can last up to six hours, and this time depends on the metabolic rate of amino acid compounds after meals. As a result, scientists suggested that the maximum effect can be achieved at the moment when the rate of production of protein compounds is at its maximum, and amines in the blood are more prone to oxidation. Thus, if you train no earlier than 3 or 4 hours after eating, then even consuming 25 grams of protein mixture immediately after training can be very effective.
It should also be noted that these recommendations are not suitable for all athletes and training experience and age are of great importance here. For novice bodybuilders, the body's response to stress is the activation of the production of protein compounds in mitochondria and myofibrils. For trained athletes, this process is more characteristic of the myofibrial apparatus. Thus, we can say that experienced athletes should more closely monitor the time and quality of the protein compounds taken. This will optimize the rate of muscle growth.
Also, remember the results of another experiment that showed the need for older bodybuilders to take high dosages of protein supplements. Not all of the studies we've just talked about have certain limitations.
This is primarily due to the small number of long-term and controlled studies conducted. For this reason, it is difficult to pinpoint the factors that contributed the most to the research results (pre- or post-workout nutrition). Equally important is the use of different dosages of protein compounds in comparable situations. Moreover, in most experiments, subjects take small doses of proteins, ranging from 10 to 20 grams. For the results to be as accurate as possible, you need to take from 20 to 40 grams.
As with many studies on other issues, non-exercising people are often involved in the experiments. Most often, their muscles adapt well to stress, and this significantly reduces the value of the information received.
Practical advice on the use of protein mixtures
It is difficult to give advice based only on the results of the research already conducted. We have just talked about the reasons for this. It is best to focus on practical results in this matter, thanks to which you can partially fill the gaps in research.
To obtain a good anabolic effect, before and after exercising, you should consume from 0.4 to 0.5 grams of protein per kilogram of mass. For example, athletes weighing 75 kilos need to take 35 to 40 grams of protein mixtures before and after training. Exceeding this amount of proteins will not have the best result, and ignoring this recommendation will lead to a significant decrease in the anabolic background.
It is important to remember that protein foods have a temporary anabolic effect and the time interval between meals before the start and at the end of the session should be between three and four hours. It is assumed that the lesson will last from 45 minutes to one and a half hours.
The scientific view of physiological scientists on the intake of protein shakes in this video:
