I read a lot of you dudes asking about all kinds of supplements, prohormones, steroids and whatnot when I'm sure many of you are ignoring the natural chemical factories that are your own bodies. A big key to my success in building lots of muscle without the use of steroids etc. has been paying attention to the biochemical processes of my own body. This manifests itself in my
POST-WORKOUT SHAKE.
It's such a simple thing. The shake is really just 2 scoops of whey protein and a boatload of sugar, but when all of that enters the body a lot happens. The real key to this mixture is the sugar. Ideally one uses a 50:50 ratio of dextrose to maltodextrin (however pure dextrose is acceptable). Dextrose is simply another name for glucose. Glucose is the sugar used in the metabolic processes in your body. There are many other kinds of sugars (starches and the like), but these are what are known as oligo/polysaccharrides. An oligo/polysaccharide is made up of individual glucose units linked together. In order for the body to use these sugars enzymes must break these linkages until individual glucose molecules are freed. Consequently, these sugars are not highly bioavailable (and why we don't eat pasta post-workout). In a pinch one can use table sugar (chemical name sucrose). The issue with sucrose is that it is a disaccharide linking a molecule of glucose and a molecule of fructose. It is quickly broken down into glucose and fructose (it's monosaccharide counterparts), making for a high bioavailability, but fructose acts differently than glucose. It's not ideal for building muscle as it acts on liver glycogen and NOT the glycogen contained in your muscle cells. Fructose also is low on the glycemic index, meaning it will not spike your blood sugar (very important to the next part of this post). Glucose on the other hand is the highest thing on the glycemic index and will readily spike your blood sugar.
Now what exactly does spiking your blood sugar have to do with muscle growth?
IT TRIGGERS THE RELEASE OF INSULIN! Insulin is really a miracle molecule. It's properties are everything you could want after a workout that has just broken down and depleted your muscles. It acts on the metabolic processes of your cells to: increase glycogen synthesis in the muscles (so you have energy for your next workout), decrease proteinolysis (the catabolic process by which proteins are broken down), increase amino-acid absorption (this is why it is combined with whey protein in the shake as it is a highly bio-available protein source), and relax the arterial walls to increase bloodflow (aiding in the transport of these nutrients to the cells).
The synergy between the sugar and the protein are based around this bloodsugar spike that releases insulin to promote the anabolic processes described above. My typical shake includes 2 scoops of whey protein powder and upwards of 75 grams of sugar (50:50
dextrose:maltodextrin). If you plan on using table sugar you should go for more than 75g as only half of it will be absorbed as glucose. Also, if you're using a supplement like creatine or BCAA's it is ideal to add these to your post-workout shake as they will also be able to reap the benefits of the increased nutrient uptake due to insulin.
I know this is a longish post, but please try to read and understand the whole thing as this is valuable information. If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask.
