Does anyone use dextrose?

[tahinilove]

Was wondering if any women use dextrose post workout? I've been having a handful of sweets with my shake. Is this pointless?

[Edwardballow]

Dextrose is crystallized glucose--the natural sugar created in starchy foods, such as sweet fruits, honey and grains, primarily. Dextrose is extracted from these food sources for several different uses. Common names for dextrose include corn sugar, rice sugar, potato sugar or wheat sugar. From hospitals to food processing plants, dextrose is an integral part of delivering simple carbohydrates to the body.

[tahinilove]

Dextrose is crystallized glucose--the natural sugar created in starchy foods, such as sweet fruits, honey and grains, primarily. Dextrose is extracted from these food sources for several different uses. Common names for dextrose include corn sugar, rice sugar, potato sugar or wheat sugar. From hospitals to food processing plants, dextrose is an integral part of delivering simple carbohydrates to the body.

Thanks. I understand this but does it matter if it's coming from fruit/honey/or the dextrose powder?

[marisa_grace]

If I were you I would not use any off that stuff, if you want sweat use Organic Stevia. you can get it at any health food store.

[ThePann1907]

If I were you I would not use any off that stuff, if you want sweat use Organic Stevia. you can get it at any health food store.

Dextrose is not a sweetener, it's pure corn sugar. It has 9g of carbs (sugar) per tablespoon. It's supposed to cause an insulin spike post workout.

[tahinilove]

Dextrose is not a sweetener, it's pure corn sugar. It has 9g of carbs (sugar) per tablespoon. It's supposed to cause an insulin spike post workout.

Yes this is why I use it but is it superior to honey/fruit?

[ThePann1907]

Yes this is why I use it but is it superior to honey/fruit?

I doubt it really matters. I think dextrose just gets absorbed by the body quicker (bro science?). I used to eat fruit after my workouts, and honey is pretty much pure sugar as well, I was just trying out the dextrose for the past few weeks, and its been getting the job done. Plus it's like 10 bucks for a million servings, cheap stuff when bought in bulk.

I honestly wouldn't fret over it, I'm sure any of those choices will do the job.

[tahinilove]

I doubt it really matters. I think dextrose just gets absorbed by the body quicker (bro science?). I used to eat fruit after my workouts, and honey is pretty much pure sugar as well, I was just trying out the dextrose for the past few weeks, and its been getting the job done. Plus it's like 10 bucks for a million servings, cheap stuff when bought in bulk.

I honestly wouldn't fret over it, I'm sure any of those choices will do the job.

Thanks

[spefitness]

Was wondering if any women use dextrose post workout? I've been having a handful of sweets with my shake. Is this pointless?

Dextrose and whey protein in a shake works well post workout. A handful of sweets is pointless and not a good choice. I'm assuming the sweets you choose are junk. Depending on if you are an athlete or want to put on some muscle, to choose or not to choose dextrose is the question.
I used to use dextrose post workout with whey protein and glutamine for recovery after training. Doing this was to replenish glycogen stores that were depleted during intense training. I came across some info on carbs post workout interfering with growth hormone production. So I decided to test my body by taking dextrose out and just using whey protein and glutamine post workout since I wanted to put on a little more muscle mass for a competition. I did put on a little more mass. I then would have a meal (protein, carbs, and fat) about 1-2 hours after training. So, depending on your goals, the choice is yours.

[lssanchez]

Was wondering if any women use dextrose post workout? I've been having a handful of sweets with my shake. Is this pointless?

As few had said it is corn sugar that will raise your glucose levels that has been depleted during an intensive workout. I add a tsp to my post-workout protein shake. I am using a low-carb protein so it is essential for me to add it to it. I'm also not eating much carbs in my cut so I know I need to have some after my evening workout when I know I'm not having lots of carbs for dinner. Good luck!

[tahinilove]

Dextrose and whey protein in a shake works well post workout. A handful of sweets is pointless and not a good choice. I'm assuming the sweets you choose are junk. Depending on if you are an athlete or want to put on some muscle, to choose or not to choose dextrose is the question.
I used to use dextrose post workout with whey protein and glutamine for recovery after training. Doing this was to replenish glycogen stores that were depleted during intense training. I came across some info on carbs post workout interfering with growth hormone production. So I decided to test my body by taking dextrose out and just using whey protein and glutamine post workout since I wanted to put on a little more muscle mass for a competition. I did put on a little more mass. I then would have a meal (protein, carbs, and fat) about 1-2 hours after training. So, depending on your goals, the choice is yours.

That's so interesting! So it increased your muscle mass? That's what I'm aiming for. So basically our glycogen stores don't need to be filled immediately? Also I thought that the insulin spike increases the uptake of protein?

[spefitness]

Yes, it did increase muscle mass. This trial of mine started about 9 months ago after a competition. I wanted to be a little bigger. Most people have enough glycogen stored unless they are on a very low carb diet. We do need carbs as a transport of protein to increase mass. I eat carbs throughout the day and never carb deplete even before competitions. Though everyone is different, it is a trial and error to fine tune ourselves to find what works for us.

[tahinilove]

Yes, it did increase muscle mass. This trial of mine started about 9 months ago after a competition. I wanted to be a little bigger. Most people have enough glycogen stored unless they are on a very low carb diet. We do need carbs as a transport of protein to increase mass. I eat carbs throughout the day and never carb deplete even before competitions. Though everyone is different, it is a trial and error to fine tune ourselves to find what works for us.

So it is just a case of fitting your macros over the day and not so much timing?

[spefitness]

Yes, eating balanced meals (macros) throughout the day. Though timing of meals is important, eating every 2-3 1/2 hours. You want to keep your metabolism up and feed those muscles. Also, timing in your post workout recovery drink is important. My window of opportunity is right when I'm done with my last set. And then, the balanced meal after that is about 1-1 1/2 hrs after workout.

[MrB1g]

Dextrose and whey protein in a shake works well post workout. A handful of sweets is pointless and not a good choice. I'm assuming the sweets you choose are junk. Depending on if you are an athlete or want to put on some muscle, to choose or not to choose dextrose is the question.
I used to use dextrose post workout with whey protein and glutamine for recovery after training. Doing this was to replenish glycogen stores that were depleted during intense training. I came across some info on carbs post workout interfering with growth hormone production. So I decided to test my body by taking dextrose out and just using whey protein and glutamine post workout since I wanted to put on a little more muscle mass for a competition. I did put on a little more mass. I then would have a meal (protein, carbs, and fat) about 1-2 hours after training. So, depending on your goals, the choice is yours.

So glucose is a great choice, but sweets made from bound fructose and glucose are 'pointless and not a good choice'.

Unless your training sessions are 8 hours long, I don't see the need to rush to 'replenish glycogen stores'.

Carbohydrates post workout influencing GH production? Minor fluctuations in hormonal balance happen as a result of a wide range of factors, not eating carbohydrates for fear of blunting GH release is as rational as saying that squats will get you bigger arms due to temporary elevations in anabolic hormones. The latter point has been demonstrated to be irrelevant with regard to muscle protein synthesis and you can bet any effect on GH release from consuming carbohydrates post-workout will fall into the same basket. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19736298

Yes, eating balanced meals (macros) throughout the day. Though timing of meals is important, eating every 2-3 1/2 hours. You want to keep your metabolism up and feed those muscles. Also, timing in your post workout recovery drink is important. My window of opportunity is right when I'm done with my last set. And then, the balanced meal after that is about 1-1 1/2 hrs after workout.

Eating frequently doesn't 'keep your metabolism up' in any meaningful sense. Calories burned as a result of TEF don't change based on meal frequency, it's entirely dependent on overall caloric intake.

No, timing your post-workout recovery drink isn't important. You can train fasted for days without a catabolic effect, amino acids remain highly concentrated in your blood stream for a considerable period of time and protein synthesis remains elevated for many hours (particularly if you consume a high-protein meal before training, which most people do) to the point that additional protein consumption has a negligible effect on MPS. Within that, the idea that you need to consume protein within a set, short-term timeframe after training is completely redundant.


Best of luck in your ongoing career as a personal trainer and 'specialist in performance nutrition'.