Quote:
Originally Posted by Marcus  Eat something fairly easily digestible an hour or so before your workout so it's not going to sit in your stomach too long. Avoid a big meal. Carbs are best and I like a banana, maybe a yoghurt, a sports drink, a smoothie or shake, not too much protein though as it takes longer to break down than carbs. |
I see people do these things and I don't really agree with some of them, especially with
sports drinks. What happens is that when you drink these things before a workout, it spikes your blood sugar. When that happens, you get an insulin flood to cover the spike. Insulin blocks the paths to your
fat stores, you cannot burn from
fat until you burn up what is in your bloodstream, yet even once you do burn up everything that the insulin has covered, there is a time delay when you switch
energy sources, resulting in the dreaded "sugar high and crash". This is bad. Whatever you eat/drink before a workout, do NOT spike your blood sugar.
Also I should mention that it's often recommended that you have a 4:1 ratio of carbs to protein for recovery. This is why Clif Bars and other
energy bars are packaged in the manner that they are. The type of protein you consume and the type of workout makes a difference too, like soy protein is slow-release and isn't as effective after a hard weightlifting session as whey protein.
