bcaa with carbs post-workout? protein delay?

[frederickson]

after 10+ years of taking at least 50 grams of whey protein a day, i am going to take a break for a few months due to some suspected food sensitivities.

i plan on replacing my post workout whey + carbs shake with BCAAs instead. have read up on the subject, and realize the potential benefits of BCAAs pre and during workouts, but have some questions when taken post-workout.

1.) should the BCAAs still be taken with carbs for an insulin spike?

2.) do the BCAAs delay the need for protein immediately after workout to begin muscle repair? if so, how long should i wait to get a source of protein?

[spefitness]

after 10+ years of taking at least 50 grams of whey protein a day, i am going to take a break for a few months due to some suspected food sensitivities.

i plan on replacing my post workout whey + carbs shake with BCAAs instead. have read up on the subject, and realize the potential benefits of BCAAs pre and during workouts, but have some questions when taken post-workout.

1.) should the BCAAs still be taken with carbs for an insulin spike?

2.) do the BCAAs delay the need for protein immediately after workout to begin muscle repair? if so, how long should i wait to get a source of protein?

I hope you are eating more than 50grams of protein a day. Whats the food sensitivities?
Your post workout drink is so important. BCAAs should be in your nutrition program all day long, every meal.
After an intense workout your muscles have used up alot of glycogen.There is a window of opportunity to feed those muscles you just worked. Feeding the muscles is crucial for repair and growth. Simple sugars, fast absorbing protein and glutamine is what your muscles need right after a workout.
Im talking right after a workout, out the door. The window is about 15 minutes to feed. get a bottle of gatorade, put 20 grams of whey protein in. add glutamine and you have a simple recovery drink that will feed you untill a meal is eaten aprox half hour later.

Another thing to remember is that when you workout you break muscle down. Muscle repair and growth happens when you rest and eat .

[papagunz]

1. BCAA's are insulinogenic, carbs or not you will still get your 'spike'.

2. 'Need' is a touchy word. I wouldn't 'wait' really. If you are hunry 5 minutes after you lift, and had BCAA's during training, eat. If you are hungry an hour later, eat then. Obviously the need is greater if your pre-workout nutrition and/or intra-workout nutrition is suboptimal. And the 15 minute window, afaik, is not entirely accurate. Muscle sensitivity to insulin is raised well beyond 15 minutes after your workout.

[frederickson]

i take in about 300 grams of protein a day (weigh 235 lbs) on a high fat/protein, low carb regimen...

about 200 grams of which was coming from dairy - whey shakes, cottage cheese, yogurt, etc. started to get pretty terrible acne all of a sudden and some gi issues, leading to the delayed food sensitivity suspicions. poliquin has talked about developing "allergies" (though i think he really means sensitvities) to dairy, eggs, etc. if eaten in excess for long periods of time. so even if the dairy consumption is not to blame, i figure taking in such large amounts for such a long time probably could lead to problems.

even though bcaa's are mildly insulinogenic, i have read conflicting reports here that their absorption is either optimized or impeded by the insulin released from consumption of carbs.

i think for now my plan will be to have 10 grams bcaa's immediately before workouts, 10 grams in a shake afterwards with brown rice powder (my preferred carb source), and then a high protein meal with even lower gi carbs about an hour later.

if whey is no longer an option and post-workout hunger is not an issue, does this sound like a good plan?

[papagunz]

i think for now my plan will be to have 10 grams bcaa's immediately before workouts, 10 grams in a shake afterwards with brown rice powder (my preferred carb source), and then a high protein meal with even lower gi carbs about an hour later.

if whey is no longer an option and post-workout hunger is not an issue, does this sound like a good plan?

Are you having a pre-workout meal 1-2 hours before training, or are you waking up, downing some BCAAs, and hitting the gym? The reason I ask is since BCAAs stimulate protein synthesis, it'd be a good idea to have a pool of aminos in the blood (via the preworkout meal) to actually take advantage of the initiated synthesis from the BCAAs.

As far as the rest of your plan, it's not a bad idea at all. Pretty solid.