Tag: Post workout nutrition

Todays questions were a perfect way to introduce our new Friday Q and A. Keep them coming and we’ll do our best to answer them.

Question: Is beer really a good post workout beverage?

Jeremy Miller, Steamboat, Colorado

Answer: Believe it or not scientists say a beer after a strenuous workout can be good for the body. Beer has been shown in studies to rehydrate better than water can. The carbonation in beer helps quench thirst while the carbohydrate content helps to replenish calories burnt while working out.

My strength and conditioning mentor used to train a guy who drank a considerable amount of beer- mostly post workout. Acknowledging that he was maybe drinking a little too much they gradually tried to ease back his beer intake and noticed that he had more and more trouble recovering from workouts. He was even experiencing delayed onset muscle soreness more often than he used to.

They eventually made the connection that a large part of his calorie and carbohydrate intake he’d been getting from beer post workout was no longer going into his muscles and was hindering his recovery. As a result he needed to re-introduce good foods to make up the missing calories and replenish his energy stores.

A cardiologist who has worked with professional basketball teams suggests that beer has the perfect post workout make up, adding that he has long recommended the use of barley drinks to professional athletes following exercise.

Another study demonstrated when 2 groups of athletes were put through the same rigorous workout and half were given water and half beer, those who drank brewskis re-hydrated better.

While some argue beer has such a powerful diuretic effect due to the alcohol drinking only one after a workout doesn’t contain enough to cause any notable water loss.

Regardless, it always comes back to moderation. Having a beer after a good hard workout is beneficial and not a problem. 3 or 4- you’d be over doing it. Just to play it safe be sure to follow up with a glass of water!
 

Question: What’s the difference between white and brown rice?

Albert Yew, Wichita, Kansas

Answer: Both brown and white rice have very similar calorie contents at 4 calories per gram. The main difference lies in the processing and nutrient content.

White rice has the husk bran and germ removed leaving nothing but the starchy center. In the refining process several vitamins and minerals are lost such as b vitamins and iron.

And losing the bran isn’t that great since it has been shown to reduce LDL or bad cholesterol in blood- improving cardiovascular health.

Sometimes these nutrients are re-added to highly processed white rice but it’s never quite as good as the real thing. A very important mineral usually not added back to refined rice is magnesium which is essential in muscle relaxation. (Quick side tip: If you ever experience muscle spams or cramps, first check that your hydration levels are up to par and secondly your magnesium intake)

It is tough to argue against white rice considering over half the world lives on it but much like any grain- the more you strip it down and refine it the less nutrition it will yield.

So, sure you can live on white rice as it provides the same amount of energy as brown rice but you certainly won’t thrive on it because you’ll be losing out on all the b-vitamins, iron, magnesium, trace fatty acids and fiber.

Go for brown if you have the option.

Albert and Jeremy, thanks for some great questions and as always keep them coming.

Stay Strong,

Drew

Click Here and Start Earning Your Beer

Whether you are looking to lose fat or build muscle… if you don’t give your body the right nutrients (pre & post workout), it won’t happen fast enough.

There is a misconception out there that to lose fat it is best to workout on an empty stomach. The idea behind this is that by not eating before a workout your body will be forced to burn energy in the form of fat, ie. from your beer gut, love handles or back. It then becomes easy to convince yourself that eating before a workout isn’t worth it if you want to tap into your fat stores.

So if you eat something before a workout you would be wasting your time right?

Not quite.

Let’s take a closer look. When you break it down, our bodies number one priority is survival. Because of this, we need to give it a good reason to lose fat, and this only happens when we keep our metabolism high by constantly providing it nutrients (this is where quality counts and NOT quantity).

Going into a workout with an empty stomach, tells your body that it doesn’t know when or where the next feeding will come from. At this point you risk entering starvation mode and not only will your body fat become more stubborn and harder to burn off, you will also run the risk of breaking down your hard earned muscle. Exactly what you do not want!

The easiest way around this is to have a little protein prior to exercise. This will provide easy to use energy and stabilize blood sugar levels without breaking down muscle because there will plenty of protein shuttling around for your body to pull from.

 
 
Note: You want to ensure that your protein powder contains little to no fat. Without going into too much detail, directly before and directly after your workout is the one time of day you do not want to consume any fat. The best choices for protein are whey isolate, casein, and rice.

Our favorite choice for whey protein is Prograde Protein

And for those of that might be sensitive to whey we found an awesome rice protein you should check out called Sun Warrior Protein

Now we’ll tackle what to eat following an intense workout.

Research tells us that the hour immediately following a workout is a window for nutrient timing that we must not miss.

Consuming protein and carbohydrates right after or during a workout will assist in recovery, muscle building and allow you to keep the intensity high during future training sessions.

Whatever time of day you workout begin to implement proper pre and post workout nutrition. If you feel you have hit a wall when it comes to fat loss this is likely the jump start your metabolism needs.

On the other hand, if you are struggling to put on lean muscle mass, consuming extra calories around your workout will ensure they end up in the right place- your muscles and not your gut.

Whatever your goals- remember, no more cardio sessions at 6 am on a empty stomach!

Stay Strong,

Drew