The post workout meal is probably the most important meal of the day for anyone who is into nutrition and fitness. However, in a lot of cases this importance also leads to confusion. Once you understand the basics of what nutrients your body needs and doesn’t need after your WOD, things will be much clearer.
There is a general consensus amongst CrossFitters that within 60 minutes of working out, you should eat a meal or snack with a 2:1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein. Why? Well, during exercise, most especially at a CrossFit intensity, your body has used up much of your muscle glycogen stores. It is important to replenish those energy stores post WOD in order to provide resources for the repair and rebuilding of muscle tissue.
According to an article posted on the CrossFit Albuquerque, quoting Miller and Wildman,Sports and Fitness Nutrition, 2004., “The rate of muscle glycogen recovery may be roughly 7-8% for the first 1-2 hours and then slow to about 5% per hour thereafter.”
This means that a snack containing simple carbohydrates, which are absorbed into the bloodstream more quickly, is best. You should ideally combine these simple carbohydrates with a small amount of protein for protein synthesis, muscle repair, and optimal physiological adaptations. It is advisable to try and avoid fiber and fat in this snack, as these will slow absorption. Simply put, fat slows down digestion. In this case, it would be slowing down the digestion of the protein and carbs. This is the exact opposite of what you want to happen. Basically, this is one time when you actually want to experience an insulin spike, which will help to drive those amino acids into your muscle tissue quickly.
Of course, your post WOD meal should depend on your goals. For instance, if you’re trying to lose weight, check out this quote from Melissa Byers’ blog, “The hormonal changes that occur during and after a workout greatly improve insulin sensitivity. However, if you eat high density carbohydrates within 30 minutes of a workout, you ruin the insulin sensitivity that you’ve gained. You recover quickly, but your insulin sensitivity probably doesn’t improve – which should be your big picture goal….If you are at a competition or event where you are performing multiple workouts, eat protein and carbohydrate (no fat, no fiber) immediately after your workout. Under normal circumstances where you will not be working out for another 12 to 24 hours, don’t eat until at least one hour after your workout.
As you can see, the CrossFit prescription seems to be rather consistent on this issue. Ideally though, you should listen to your body, and go with what feels the best for you.
Today’s Workout:
Buy-In – Benchmark Run or Row
WOD – “Good Times”
Elite/Zone 3: 4 rounds not for time of:
• 10 Overhead Squats (65/95)
• 15 Knees to Elbows
• 20 Ring Pushups (feet at height of hands)
Zone 2: 4 rounds
• Scale squats to 45/55
• 10 hanging leg raises
• 10 ring pushups (adjust difficulty as needed)
Zone 1: 4 rounds
• Scale squats to 25/35
• 10 sit-ups
• 10 pushups (scale as needed)
Cash-Out – Cartwheels – 4 set x 5 reps
So what would be some good examples of a post-workout snack or meal which would be in accordance with the zone?
I think a pre-workout snack is also very important. I typically try to eat 1.5 to 2 hours before I workout. I usually try to get some protein, from a perhaps an Elevate me bar, along with fruit and sometimes carbs.I have a similar thing post workout, but usually with a protein shake, which I sometimes mix in coconut milk and/or Udo’s oil.
When I do a double workout (WOD followed by strength bias, or strength bias followed by WOD), I try to have something in between, like a bar and some gels to help keep my energy up. Same thing for days when I run before the workout.
However, I don’t follow a zone diet, so don’t listen to me for proportions.
flying in today! Maybe see you at the WOD tonight!!!!!
To echo what Sean said, what you eat before a workout is also important! I like to have something with a moderate amount of carbs and protein (bars work well for this as they are small in bulk).
Following the research that I have read, I drink a 2:1 ratio of simple carbs/maltodextrin to whey protein isolate after every metcon or running/rowing workout (typically 35-45g carbs, 22g protein). I train twice a day most days of the week so this works well for me. The mix of carbohydrates and protein is linked to optimizing the replenishment of muscle glycogen following intense work. After weight training sessions, I tend to go lighter on the carbs and the same amount of protein.
If I was more concerned about losing bodyfat and not two-a-day workout recovery I would probably either delay my post-workout food intake and drop the carbohydrates a little bit.
Shannon is right in that the insulin sensitivity issue is a big picture deal and excessive simple carbohydrate intake at any time may be detrimental. If there is a history of diabetes in your family or you have a higher accumulation of fat stores around your midsection versus the rest of your body it is wise to be careful about your consumption of simple carbs.
turts
This is all very informative. I have recently started taking my post workout meal seriously again. I do the traditional protein shake and a banana or Nature Valley Bar.
With regards to Sean’s post, I would watch the fat intake right after the WOD. What Shannon said is seems to be ubiquitous throughout the literature. Fat immediately after an intense workout can actually do more harm than good. You want to get the carbs and protein to your muscles right away, from what I understand. That is also why simple carbs are preferred over complex carbs because they take much less time to be broken down.
That being said, I have also read that long distance runners, like Sean, are much better at using fat for energy than the average person, and so he might be benefiting more than the rest of us by consuming a little bit of fat after a workout. Maybe Rob and Donald can speak on this as well.
I do try to get some fat in about 1-2 hours before the WOD to give my body time to digest it and have a good energy store. I like the fats before the WOD because I don’t have to consume as much to get a given amount of energy.
Since we are on the topic of food….I have recently started getting an intense hunger around 10:30pm…just as I am about to go to bed. Any suggestions for good bedtime snacks?
M-train: I don’t typically mix fat into my shake after a workout, usually only during my morning shake.
There is lots of research on pre/post workout nutrition and lots of controversy regarding it. I have read only protein and carbs, only protein and fat and the list goes on.
Everyone’s body is different and reacts differently when fueled with certain foods. The best thing to do is what works best for your body. Try something out for a little while and see your results.
I say just make sure that it is healthy, quality food that you are getting in.
I think what exact food you eat depends on who you are, what your body type is, your typical energy levels, and what you feel works for you based on trial and error.
Myself, I like to have a snack at least 2 hours, but no less than 1 hr, before a workout. I’m not usually all that hungry after a workout, but I do make it a habit to go home and have a snack at least, if not my next scheduled meal, even if I don’t feel like it. It’s important to replenish those energy stores. And drink lots of water too! Don’t forget your fluids!
I find protein and fat works well for me, scoop of protein powder + either coconut milk or whole milk, but then I’m not an endurance athlete. The only time I really eat carbs is when I’m active 6+ hours a day, ie hiking/climbing/kayaking trips.
I found dextrose/maltodextrin makes me fat so earlier this year I switched to only whey protein pwo, which seemed to work a bit better. Then earlier this summer while researching whole milk as a pwo I found http://robbwolf.com/?p=634 , and since robb is the man on nutrition, I tried adding some fat pwo and was happy with the results.
But as everybody has said so far, you need to find what works for you.
I think that there is a lot less controversy regarding post workout nutrition out there than what is discussed in the public domain. The scientific literature is convincingly supportive of the combination of carbs and protein in a liquid form post workout for the purposes of restoring muscle glycogen. This has been demonstrated across a range of activity durations and modes.
Regarding fat intake before a workout, unless someone is incredibly (i.e. impossibly) lean, depletion of fat stores will not occur during a training session. Therefore adding fat preworkout for the purpose of storing extra energy is not necessary. Fat in the preworkout meal will blunt insulin response which can be favorable in terms of establishing stable blood sugar levels preworkout.
Endurance trained athletes do tend to rely more on fat oxidation for energy however their performance is always limited by availability of glycogen (carbs) not fat.
Adding fat to the postworkout shake will not enhance protein or glycogen uptake but if there is only one workout to perform, it isn’t necessarily necessary to include a bunch of carbs. Keep in mind though that if the workout is taxing, there will be depletion of carbohydrate stores in the muscle, which will need to be replaced via consuming carbs in the diet.
turts
PS my comments are purely from a performance perspective, not an aesthetic or convenience point of view. Most people will get good results from eating sensibly and getting in some decent food as soon after their workout as possible.
I remember reading about fat metabolism in the Lore of Running – Dr. Tim Noakes. It goes something like this but don’t quote me!: if it happens in men, it’s likely a result of lower intensity training (less than %50 of Vo2 max) or genetics.
Women, on the other hand, have a better ability to oxidize blood born free fatty acids with endurance training and thus need less muscle glycogen.
Noakes actually recommends a 7-10 day increase in fat intake during the run up to a long distance race (marathon or ultramarathon)
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