The main reason it is recommended to consume post-workout
carbohydrates is to restore the muscle glycogen you burned during training.
During training, your main fuel source is muscle glycogen, the form of glucose
stored within the muscles made up of long strings of glucose molecules.
Glycogen is essential for the production of ATP or the fuel
of our muscles that performs a basic function in order to optimize muscle
concentration; all research shows that the best solution to restore glycogen in
muscles after training is to use simple, fast digesting carbohydrates with a
high glycemic index.
Simple carbohydrates to restore glycogen in the post workout
Some industry experts argue that during a typical weight
room training session, you don't use enough glycogen to be concerned about
replenishing it as soon as possible. This is totally untrue, so be wary of any
person who claims such a thing.
Some practical tests carried out by a group of American researchers have shown that during an endurance training session in about 15-30 minutes, depending on the intensity, about 30-40% of muscle glycogen stores are exhausted. On the other hand, in high-intensity training sessions in the gym lasting 70-90 minutes associated with 15 minutes of cardio, more than 70% of glycogen stores are reduced. This demonstrates that restocking is essential and essential even for anaerobic training sessions.
So during periods when your goal is to increase muscle mass, do not give up the portion of simple carbohydrates at the end of the workout, calculate that delaying the consumption of carbohydrates by only 2 hours after the training session reduces the glycogen supply by 50%. muscles.
Furthermore, replenishing muscle glycogen levels as quickly as possible after training is important for muscle growth and being stored in muscle cells attracts water with it, also improving hydration and fullness.
This increase in the presence of water in muscle cells due to the rapid replenishment of muscle glycogen can help maintain a larger muscle cell volume for a longer period. This may be important because studies show that increased muscle cell volume triggers changes in the muscle that lead to long-term muscle growth.
Another advantage of consuming carbohydrates, especially carbohydrates with a high glycemic index such as dextrose or ribose, immediately after an intense workout is the speeding up of recovery times that will allow you to reduce pain in the following days and carry out training sessions closer together. A strange American trend involves the use of gummy bears in the post workout, rich in simple carbohydrates and ideal for satisfying the palate.
Some practical tests carried out by a group of American researchers have shown that during an endurance training session in about 15-30 minutes, depending on the intensity, about 30-40% of muscle glycogen stores are exhausted. On the other hand, in high-intensity training sessions in the gym lasting 70-90 minutes associated with 15 minutes of cardio, more than 70% of glycogen stores are reduced. This demonstrates that restocking is essential and essential even for anaerobic training sessions.
So during periods when your goal is to increase muscle mass, do not give up the portion of simple carbohydrates at the end of the workout, calculate that delaying the consumption of carbohydrates by only 2 hours after the training session reduces the glycogen supply by 50%. muscles.
Furthermore, replenishing muscle glycogen levels as quickly as possible after training is important for muscle growth and being stored in muscle cells attracts water with it, also improving hydration and fullness.
This increase in the presence of water in muscle cells due to the rapid replenishment of muscle glycogen can help maintain a larger muscle cell volume for a longer period. This may be important because studies show that increased muscle cell volume triggers changes in the muscle that lead to long-term muscle growth.
Another advantage of consuming carbohydrates, especially carbohydrates with a high glycemic index such as dextrose or ribose, immediately after an intense workout is the speeding up of recovery times that will allow you to reduce pain in the following days and carry out training sessions closer together. A strange American trend involves the use of gummy bears in the post workout, rich in simple carbohydrates and ideal for satisfying the palate.
Dextrose: The Best Post-Workout
Since glucose can be absorbed into the bloodstream within a
few minutes after being ingested it reaches the muscles as quickly as possible,
resulting in the replenishment of muscle glycogen. This will allow you to face
your next training session with muscles full of glycogen and muscle cells rich
in water, increasing volume and performance. Precisely because of this rapid
assimilation we can say that it represents the best carbohydrate source to be
integrated in the post workout.
Fructose: carbohydrate not fast enough
Fructose represents over 50% of the carbohydrates contained in fruit and honey and unlike many think it is part of the low glycemic impact carbohydrates. Due to its structure, it cannot be transformed directly into muscle glycogen such as with dextrose. When consuming foods rich in fructose, such as fruit, it is not absorbed immediately into the bloodstream like dextrose as most of it has to reach the liver, where it can be converted into glucose and stored as glycogen to be released. subsequently as glucose when the liver deems it necessary to maintain stable blood glucose levels. Due to its "slowness" of absorption, we do not recommend taking it post-workout.
Fructose: carbohydrate not fast enough
Fructose represents over 50% of the carbohydrates contained in fruit and honey and unlike many think it is part of the low glycemic impact carbohydrates. Due to its structure, it cannot be transformed directly into muscle glycogen such as with dextrose. When consuming foods rich in fructose, such as fruit, it is not absorbed immediately into the bloodstream like dextrose as most of it has to reach the liver, where it can be converted into glucose and stored as glycogen to be released. subsequently as glucose when the liver deems it necessary to maintain stable blood glucose levels. Due to its "slowness" of absorption, we do not recommend taking it post-workout.
Conclusions
What has been said is important to respect especially in the
phases in which the main objective is to increase muscle mass while in the
phases in which the definition is sought it is correct to eliminate simple
carbohydrates in the post workout and reduce the intake during the day. The
good news is that, evens in the absence of carbohydrates, muscle protein
synthesis will not be compromised.