Timing & Hypertrophy - Is there a relation for pre and postworkout nutrition
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When I was an undergrad way back in the 1980s, my nutrition professor told me that it didn't matter when you ate as long
as the total calories throughout the day balanced your energy needs. Of course, she was the same professor who said too
much protein was bad for your kidneys and that it was a waste of money to take multivitamins. Hmm, hope she's still not
saying that stuff today.
Times have changed
We definitely know that when you eat matters. Nutrient timing is one of the most intriguing new
subfields of sports nutrition, and the research that is pumped out each year is amazing. Ask yourself this: Rather than
taking my supplements pre- and postworkout, why not just take the stuff when I wake up and then again in the evening? It's
certainly more convenient. Well, buckle your chinstraps, my friend, and take heed with the latest research showing that
timing does indeed matter.
A recent study looked at the effects of supplement timing on muscle-fiber hypertrophy, strength and body composition
during a 10-week weight-training program. In a single-blind (meaning the investigators knew what they were giving the
subjects but the subjects didn't know what they were getting), randomized protocol, resistance-trained males were matched
for strength and placed into one of two groups. One group got a supplement (one gram of the supplement per kilogram of
bodweight) containing protein. creatine and glucose immediately before and after weight training. The other group consumed
the same dose of the same supplement in the morning and late evening. For a 176- pound person, that translates into 32
grams of protein, 34.4 grams of carb, less than 0.4 grams of fat & 5.6 grams of creatine monohydrate.
Guess what?
The group that took the supplement before and after training had better adaptations. They demonstrated a
significantly greater increase in lean body mass and one-repetition-maximum strength on the squat and bench press. That
group also had a greater increase in the size of their type 2, or fast-twitch, fibers and contractile protein content. Last
but not least, preworkout and postworkout supplementation also resulted in higher muscle creatine and glycogen levels after
the training program.
The take-home message
Take a combination of carbs and protein immediately before and after training. Your strength, lean
body mass, fast-twitch fibers, intramuscular creatine and intramuscular glycogen levels will improve to a significantly
greater extent.
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