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i hear a lot of people take gatorade or some kind of carb drink with their whey powder before they go workout is it because u want insulin and protein to get into the bloodstream fast and if so should u take it on your off days im assuming no

The use of Gatordate has something to do with it's potassium content, which helps in muscle recovery during and after workouts.

Well, I wouldn't want to spike insulin levels before a workout. I think it's counterproductive. Afterwards is fine. Now, some protein before is fine, you will have the amino acids necessary in your bloodstream and easily accessible. Gatorade was deeloped as an electrolytic replacement drink for athletes, meaning their out there on the football field, sweating out electrolytes (minerals, etc), and the drink has a transport system for easy, fast replacement, and is great for after a workout, and yes, you could combine it with some protein powder. That will just get more aminos in there for use in recovery.
Tim

If your workouts last longer than an hour or so, your glycogen levels are depleted.

Gatorade acts as a way to restore the sugars you need to continue working out and it also restors them in the correct ratio of sugars/salts (potassium and sodium).

Agreed. Don't spike your insulin pre-workout. Try a a lean protein and complex carb about an hour+ before your workout (chicken breast & sweet potato)

Post workout, try this - Equal grams of whey protein and dextrose (or for the the total amount of carbs, get half from dextrose and half from maltodextrin) and a pinch of salt. Mix with a generous amount of water (about a liter or more). The amounts vary by your size. If you are 200 lbs, then have 50g whey protein, 25g dextrose, 25g maltodextrin, sodium

Drink half the shake over 5 min **immediately after workout.** Then, take vitamin C, antioxidants, glutamine, creatine etc, wait 15 min, and finish sipping the rest of your shake, so that the whole shake is gone at the end of 1 hour.

Eat a whole food meal (example - salmon, oatmeal, greens with EFA dressing) 30 min - 1 hr after you finished your PWO shake.

Sounds like a lot of work, but trust me, it is so worth it.

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ACSM CPT