Comments on: Stop Treasuring the Post Workout Window

By: Marc

Marc — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 14:11:45 +0000

To those who claim that after their workout they are FAMISHED, I have one question :

What are the average duration of your workout ?

Pretty sure that’s more than the 45 – 60 minutes advised

I do short but intense workout and wait 1 hour before eating. That gives me good result. Also I always do my workout on a empty stomach…

By: Skyler Tanner

Skyler Tanner — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 21:35:13 +0000

The trouble with this notion is two-fold:
1. GH release isn’t blunted by a post-workout insulin spike.
2. Injecting GH doesn’t do squat for trained athletes or the elderly, so I’m not going to center my training on hope that 15 minutes of GH boost is going to do anything for my physique. It’s not going to hurt, but it’s not panacea.

Best,
Skyler

By: Just Right Fitness

Just Right Fitness — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 00:43:37 +0000

Just found your site- really great!

By: SimpleMan

SimpleMan — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 07:36:26 +0000

I workout in the morning. I get to the gym about an hour after getting up. I usually drink some high quality whey protien before leaving the house. When I get back from the gym I'll drink another glass of whey protien and them make my breakfast which is usually scrambled eggs with fresh basil, baby spinach, onions, red and green bell peppers, ghee, chipotle season, and sea salt. I'll top it with an avacodo and some fresh salsa. So do you think I could toss the pre and post whey? @ SimpleMan: I would see how it works for you. I know Keith at TTP does well with regular fasted workouts. Give a few mornings a try without the Whey and see how you do/feel and use that as a reference guide....

By: Curtis Penner

Curtis Penner — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 21:48:17 +0000

It looks like what you eat and when you eat it after your workout is very much a personal decision.

Like Kara, I often need something right after my weight training session. However, I rarely feel the need to eat right after a session of high-intensity cardio.

Over the years, I have placed less importance on eating fast-acting carbs with protein. Now, what I eat is determined by what time of day it is. Rarely do I eat before dinner, so I usually have a bowl of raisin bran cereal and mix some protein in water.

By: Trish (girlatgym)

Trish (girlatgym) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 18:23:42 +0000

I am trying to focus more on eating when I am really, actually hungry. I don’t worry about whether I just worked out or not. If my tummy wants food – that’s when it gets it. It works out much better for me.

By: Gubernatrix - all-round strength training

Gubernatrix - all-round strength training — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 15:52:16 +0000

I agree with Yash, exercise is a great way to make hunger go away. So is sleep. I have never been ‘into’ post workout nutrition (I usually just go home and have dinner) but I recently swopped water during my workout with an isotonic drink and it really helped my performance. This applies not just at the gym where I lift but when I am doing a longer session, such as 3-4 hours of rock climbing.

I should probably say however that I train mainly for performance not for aesthetics. I might be tempted to explore not eating immediately after training but ultimately I need to be guided by my recovery needs.

Interesting topic though!

By: Yash

Yash — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 02:47:04 +0000

Exercise really is a great way to fight those hunger pangs. When I train on an empty stomach I feel a little hungry beforehand, but my workout makes the hunger go away for another few hours… maybe i should just replace all of my meals with tabatas or sometihng…

obviously kidding.

By: TrailGrrl

TrailGrrl — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 23:36:31 +0000

I was working out with a trainer and doing that whole protein shake/6 meals thing and I got fatter and fatter when I went past my 40th birthday. Now that I eat whole foods an paleo with a lot of fat (and I don’t mean just a bit of avocado here and some nut butter there… I mean the real deal) I have to say that I am 2 sizes smaller and have new leaness to my middle that I am getting a litte vain about (hey after having a wheat Buddha belly I figure this is well-deserved). Following the standard gym and athlete diets didn’t work. Now my energy is great and I can tell how much better I feel after carne asada with avocado slices or a big ribeye.

Threw out all those powders and the gels from the triathlon days (did I ever really LIKE those?????).

IF has been a key component too. On days when I don’t eat until like 2:00 I feel great.

TrailGrrl

By: Kara

Kara — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 16:00:58 +0000

Sorry but I just can’t agree that this is true across the board. When I complete my workouts, especially on weight lifting days, I’m FAMISHED. I could literally come home and gnaw my arm off if I didn’t eat something. And mind you that’s with a snack about an hour before my workout as well.

I also found – through trial and error over the course of losing 100 lbs and keeping it off – that if I don’t eat after a workout, I’ll wind up eating more later, and usually not as much good protein as I should.

For me, even just a scoop of protein powder shaken in water makes a HUGE difference to my progress – both in gaining muscle and in losing/maintaining my weight. Not to mention it keeps me from eating everything in sight a couple hours after I work out.

@ Kara: Each to their own. If you find eating directly after/before a workout helps your progress go for it. One thing I know is that most people are fine to wait at least 30 minutes after a workout before eating. One of the other benefits is it allows the body and mind to calm down before starting to eat. I like to use the time immediately after a workout to hydrate or if I have done some intense cardio I will go for some coconut water or juicy fruit….