whey for pre-workout?

[DrpX]

read an article on a magazine called musclemedia which goes,
"...eating protein 1hr b4 workout will not only help optimize fat burning during ur workout, but significantly increases muscle protein synthesis after your workout"
they did experiments on rat(hmm..) and results,
"...the carb- and whole milk protein-fed rats gained it all in fat, while the whey protein-fed rats gained it all in muscle. and on top of that the whey eats burned significantly more fat than the others."
but i'm wondering since u guys seem to recommend carb for pre-workout.

[ManowarMan]

I'm currently following the Bracketing Method as outlined on the AST website. It's a simple method of consuming whey isolate and simple carbs directly before and directly after training. It really cuts down on the DOMS.

[footballjunior]

alot of people take in carbs b/c they feel that protein makes them feel sluggish during a wrokout

[Cogar]

Carbs and fat provide energy. Protein is required for building muscle and provides energy. (How it is used depends on your genetics, what you are doing, etc.)

Eating carbs or fats before a workout may help you exercise more due to increased energy levels, although you will be "burning" the food for energy, not body fat, so it is unlikely that you will lose any fat during such a workout and may gain some fat as the article suggested (if any excess calories are "left over" from the food). Of course, you may also gain muscle (depending on your workout and the food you take in after your workout).

Protein is different. Since your muscles are being damaged during a workout, your body will start needing protein during the workout. Whey protein digests very easily and rapidly, so having some before a workout will help your muscles grow by providing rebuilding protein as soon as they need it. There have been some studies that showed that you can gain as much muscle from eating protein before a workout as you can from eating protein after a workout. I do not know how accurate the studies were, but if they were even close, it is worth considering. Eating protein before and after a workout is what many people do here and get good results.

[DrpX]

wow! that was comprehensive. Thanx!

[Greg_SD]

Originally posted by DrpX
read an article on a magazine called musclemedia which goes,
"...eating protein 1hr b4 workout will not only help optimize fat burning during ur workout, but significantly increases muscle protein synthesis after your workout"
they did experiments on rat(hmm..) and results,
"...the carb- and whole milk protein-fed rats gained it all in fat, while the whey protein-fed rats gained it all in muscle. and on top of that the whey eats burned significantly more fat than the others."
but i'm wondering since u guys seem to recommend carb for pre-workout.

Taking Whey before your workout provides a lot of BCAAs.

Taking carbs pre workout (an hour or so before for low GI, right before for high GI, etc…) provides energy during your workout. I’m sure not taking carbs at least 2 hours or so before your workout would help burn fat. Also GH would probably be higher during your workout. This is a debate I rather not get into, hehe. “Experts” can’t even agree on which is better. The insulin vs. GH debate is out of my range.

[robefc]

I bracket my workouts but would go with a pre instead of post workout shake if I had to choose.

I never workout to lose fat, do cardio to lose fat, watch my calories to lose fat yes but I work out to gain/maintain muscle mass so carbs befoehand are a must (as is whey).

[footballjunior]

Originally posted by Cogar
Carbs and fat provide energy. Protein is required for building muscle and provides energy. (How it is used depends on your genetics, what you are doing, etc.)

Eating carbs or fats before a workout may help you exercise more due to increased energy levels, although you will be "burning" the food for energy, not body fat, so it is unlikely that you will lose any fat during such a workout and may gain some fat as the article suggested (if any excess calories are "left over" from the food). Of course, you may also gain muscle (depending on your workout and the food you take in after your workout).

Protein is different. Since your muscles are being damaged during a workout, your body will start needing protein during the workout. Whey protein digests very easily and rapidly, so having some before a workout will help your muscles grow by providing rebuilding protein as soon as they need it. There have been some studies that showed that you can gain as much muscle from eating protein before a workout as you can from eating protein after a workout. I do not know how accurate the studies were, but if they were even close, it is worth considering. Eating protein before and after a workout is what many people do here and get good results.

so, if ur still in calorie deficit as far as the day goes, but u take in plenty of protein b4 and aftera workout as well as all day, would u still be seeing pretty good results?

[Cogar]

Originally posted by footballjunior
so, if ur still in calorie deficit as far as the day goes, but u take in plenty of protein b4 and aftera workout as well as all day, would u still be seeing pretty good results?

If you are running a calorie deficit (cutting), my guess would be that you would lose less muscle if you have protein before and after a workout, since some of the protein will be used to rebuild muscle fiber and not just burned for energy.

[erowana]

Taking protein pre workout may cause you to feel tired, as the body needs the extra energy to digest protein.

[Greg_SD]

Unfortunately protein is not enough. Carbohydrates play a role in protein synthesis. That’s why Ketogenic diets are not good for muscle gain. It would be nice if it weren’t the case. It would make it easier to stay lean. Having the right amino acids in your system during your workout would be a good idea so some type of pre-workout protein wouldn’t be a bad idea. Remember why you take protein supplements. Not for the protein but for the amino acids. That’s why Whey is superior when you need amino acids at that time.

[Greg_SD]

Originally posted by erowana
Taking protein pre workout may cause you to feel tired, as the body needs the extra energy to digest protein.

Yeah, I have read that to. It has to do with ammonia accumulation during amino acid breakdown. That is where using carbohydrate to raise insulin could counter that effect temporarily. Carb+protein is supposed to raise it even more.

[Greg_SD]

I’m thinking of going with just some Whey a little before my workout during cutting days. Normally I have some low GI carbs and whey about an hour before my workout. About 2.5 hours before that I have a normal protein/carb meal like a turkey sandwich. Hopefully, that would provide enough energy for my workout. I’m not very active at my job.

[Cogar]

Originally posted by Greg_SD
I’m thinking of going with just some Whey a little before my workout during cutting days. Normally I have some low GI carbs and whey about an hour before my workout. About 2.5 hours before that I have a normal protein/carb meal like a turkey sandwich. Hopefully, that would provide enough energy for my workout. I’m not very active at my job.

What about taking a thermogenic (with or without ephedra) to increase energy?

[Greg_SD]

Originally posted by Cogar
What about taking a thermogenic (with or without ephedra) to increase energy?

I don’t like to but I am taking Thermo-DynamX (EAS) right now. I only take Thermogenics when trying to lose fat faster. Never Ephedrine based. I rather not use Yohimbine either. Depending on how much sleep I got the night before that might be enough. But you also need enough Glycogen in your muscles to last the workout. As long as you don’t go low carb on your other meals, it shouldn’t be a problem. I have actually read plenty of articles/books that tell you not to have carbs close to (prior to) your workout. That Glycogen stores gained from previous meals are all you need.

What you eat before, during, and after your workout is always debated. It would be nice to know for sure, but like everyone else, I don’t.

[Greg_SD]

I just remembered something. Glutamine is supposed to help lower ammonia levels. So either adding Glutamine or using a Whey powder with added Glutamine might help counteract that problem when using only Whey pre workout.