Without going into a whole slew of human physiology and biochemistry, after exercise, our body needs:
- Glycogen (stored glucose) replaced that was used during exercise, and
- Protein to rebuild skeletal muscle broken down during said exercise.
Because we've depleted our muscle (and to an extent, our liver) glycogen, the body naturally wants to replace it; to get glucose into our muscle cells in the form of glycogen, we need 1) our cells to allow it to enter, and 2) a way to get it in there, because it' ain't an open-door policy. Insulin, a hormone secreted by the pancreas when carbohydrates (and protein, but we won't worry about that right now) are ingested, is like a "key" to the insulin receptors (think of these as the "door" to the cell) on our skeletal muscles. In the PWO state, these receptors are sensitized, or up-regulated. They work better, with less insulin. In fact, despite countless nutritional "experts" stating you NEED to spike your insulin, you don't. They just don't know enough about human physiology, specifically GLUT4 receptors and non-insulin mediated glucose transport. This is in place in case we were to eat a pure fat and protein meal, which would be perfectly normal in paleolithic times. But I digress.
Blah-blah-f-ing-blah, I know. Coles Notes: Sugar works better post workout. Your muscles need it. So eat it. How? PWO shake, baby!
All you need is a blender, a ripe banana, frozen fruit (I prefer a berry mix, lower GI, and higher phytonutrient content) water, and a whey protein of choice. I added a powdered greens supplement called Greens+, but this is purely optional. All it is is a whole-food greens supplement, once again, to up my daily phytonutrient, pro-biotic and anti-oxidant intake; it also affects pH and PRAL, but that's really neither here nor there.
Whey protein: I like whey isolates, just based on their purity and ease of digestion. whey protein concentrates are cheaper, protein per scoop is lower, and some folks have issues with digestion. Hydrolyzed whey is the next step up from an isolate, but IMO (in my opinion) it ain't worth the cost-to-benefit ratio. Plus it tastes like shit. Even with a ton of sweetener and other garbage.
Blender: Any will do. That classic Osterizer has lasted longer than any of my relationships, all combined. And it's not crazy, like 99.9% of the women I've dated. I like that.
Macro breakdown:
My shake is composed of about 45g carbs (30 for the banana, 15 for the berries) and 30g of protein. The Greens+ adds a negligible amount of any macro, and the rest is water.
Suggested formula: 0.4g/kg Protein, 0.8g/kg Carb. This is 30g Pro and 60g Carb for a 165lb person. Which is me. I like to go lower carb just out of pure convenience. I used to use milk, which basically added up to the 60 (or more), but milk sucks, and unless your a damn baby on the boob, the dairy council can go to hell. Not quite as pointless as grains, but close. Still has it's uses (PWO, purposeful weight gain, point in case), but it's freakin' phenomenal at making people fat otherwise.
I'll follow this up with a small balanced P/C/F whole food meal within an hour or so, and then a few hours later another whole food meal, but larger. This is the one time when multiple feedings make good sense---when your body can utilize what's being put into it.
CFLA, 1PM, Nov 27th
Low Bar Back Squat
I've been a bit of a physical wreck lately; my back, walking into the gym today, was STILL sore on the right. I also had my MRI arthrogram on Wednesday, and had a radiologist digging into my shoulder capsule with 4" long epidural needles. Needless to say, shit is sore. Despite all that, today went surprisingly well, and I was in a semi-fasted state---last whole food meal was about 6:30PM last night. Had some coffee/whey/coconut oil this AM, but that's it.
95#x10
135#x10
225#x3
275#x3 Felt really solid
295#x3 Solid, good depth, no sketchy form at all. 10# PR Ref Nov 11th for 285#x3
305#x1 Just to see; harder than hell, but *might* be a few more lbs in the tank here.
After this gift from the PR gods (not to be confused with the Crossfit gods, who are proven douche-bags and far from omnipotent), I was feeling pretty damn good. Coach Brandt had a couple of clients he was doing some personal training with, so I had to keep the celebratory profanity in check.
Death By Ten Meters
10m sprints, on the minute. 1st minute 1, 2nd minute 2, etc etc.
Worked up to 15, which please the hell out of me; felt awesome till 8, then the legs started dying. at 14, I had zero rest. At 15, I finished right at the buzzer, and threw the towel in. Might have been able to pull 16 out of the bag, but it would have been massive. There's mucho room for improvement here, as I felt I was dragging my ass in the later rounds.
I wasn't too sure how this would go; yesterday we had a massive grassfire just east-southeast of Lethbridge. Trying to dodge walls of flame kicked up by the wind, dragging hose through burnt fields and sucking back enough soot to make a chain smoker gag, I feel like I've been chewing on a piece of charcoal all night. This morning, I STILL had that taste and smell lingering, even after 2 showers and about 8 litres of water.
Logging you in...
Posts
david · 800 weeks ago
PWO for me is usually a piece of meat and some some veggies and fat. I am not on the pwo shake routine - isnt it more for leaner guys wanting to get bigger/stronger? I think my adaptation to low carb paleo type food is really kicking in.... just in time for all inclusive me- he- coe. I did christine fasted and pr'd it, and yesterday prd the jerk ( the jerk is probably more of a technique issue though). I did partake in 4 tequilas and steak last night ....and some corn tortillas and quac :>). During Christine I felt pretty good till the 2nd round of rowing - the row just works me and by the last round I was between 1:59 and 2:05 on the split, from what I can remember - I did manage to hop off and finish all the rest sans break. All this being said I would like to see your thoughts on IF, and low Carb (ie meat and fat and veggies are just a side now and then) especially for "husky" dudes. I feel I am peaking and have been eating this way for about 1-1/2 months or so. (no fruit/ some veggies/ lots of meat and fats with occasional IF).
I also have another theory based on my discussion with a bunch of different women - ages 25-45 and all shapes and sizes fitness levels etc. I think women have something evolutionary that predisposes them to be a little more "addicted" so to speak to refined carbs and sugar in general? In my discussions it just seems that women find it harder to get off of it, or even want to get off of it. (just a lot of "I cant"). I could be way off here too, its just my observation from discussions.
later
David · 800 weeks ago
ANyway - I had a few questions and comments. I dont do post workout shakes or any shakes - the reason being is that I am not what you would refer to as lean... Would you say pwo shakes and high glycemic carbs plus protein sans fat is for leaner guys? Also, I would like to see you thoughts on IF and low carb paleo. I have been doing this for about 1 1/2 months, with occasional weekend splurge on corn tortillas and quac, with some tequilas. This week I had 3 bests (on Th Fr and Sat) - Christine, jerk- probably more technique than pr and jackie - Christine was done fasted as was jackie. One thing i did change (over the past few weeks) was the amount of cashews and mixed nuts i was eating- i have all but cut them out and replaced with coconut oil. All that said, I would like to see you do some writing on this some time. Can or how much protein will start causing excessive insulin response?
Another question - have you come across anything that discusses the difference between male and female in regards to craving or desire for sugar and refined carbs? From my experience and discussions with many women it seems there is a much higher propensity to "need" sugar or sweet?
Anyway - whenever you get a chance?
Thanks mike
Mike 58p · 800 weeks ago
PWO Shakes + high GI: I'm not 100% in agreement with Wolf on this one; PWO shakes *can* be utilized by anyone effectively, regardless of body comp. I like what OPT does...carb intake based on BF%. below 8%=40g, 8-12%=25g, and above 12%=10g, and 40g protein across the board, regardless of body comp. That's still a damn low carb intake PWO. I'm imagining his line of thinking is just to speed recovery, and perhaps attenuate excess cortisol PWO, even with such little amount of carbs. The 0.4g/kg and 0.8g/kg of PRO/CHO is from Berardi, and is more of a standard formula. I like OPT's better, but I wish he'd deviate more based on length of WODs or potential glycogen depletion. I've dabbled with the pure PRO/FAT shake (coconut milk and vanilla whey, lil' almond butter, JACKPOT) with neither pos or neg results.
In the end, though, it is VERY dependent on individual carbohydrate tolerance, goals, and convenience.
What you do: It's CLC. Cyclic Low Carb. Low carb during the week, top up the glycogen tanks during the weekend. IMO, it's a damn smart thing to do, because you get the best of both worlds---great body comp, overall low insulin excretion, utilize FFAs preferentially for fuel, but have "full tanks" of glycogen due to the weekends. Cutting the cashews/increasing the coconut oil would help, too....replacing O6s with rocket-fuel MCTs, a helluva lot more preferential to be utilized for energy than O6s.
Protein: Because of glucagon secretion, I don't honestly think one needs to be worried about excessive insulin secretion; it (isulin secretion) happens in response to protein intake just to facilitate gluconeogensis and glycogen storage---going back to the paleolithic pro/fat meal. From a modern/athletic/body comp viewpoint, the high TEF (thermic effect of food) and enhanced glucagon secretion from whole food protein sources (face and a soul type, ha!) make it a win-win. So to answer your question, if you're talking meat, I don't think a guy can have "excessive" intake. Whey causes more of an insulin spike, and I'm imagining perhaps brown rice protein or some other bullshit vegan crap would be even higher, but since one should just be using this PWO, it's not a major concern.
Male and Female: MAJOR difference in tolerance to IF and meal frequency. It's interesting you ask this as I've only recently looked into this. I know of one trainer specifically that either doesn't have his female clients do IF, or if they are adamant that they want to, puts them on shorter fasts, in the 12h range. As to the "why" of decreased tolerance to fasting, I can only speculate. I'd say it's hormonally driven as a protective mechanism to 1) keep BF stores higher, and 2) ensure a potentially developing fetus has a constant intake of macros. Neolithic reason? To drive us fucking crazy when they are hungry. :-D
david · 800 weeks ago
also what about magnesium and zinc supplementation for better sleeps - especially you shift workers?
Mike 58p · 800 weeks ago
-66% of all patients admitted to the ER are Mg deficient
-80% of all patients admitted to ICU are Mg deficient
-as quoted by Charles Poliquin; "Every single athlete I see walk through my door is Mg and Zn deficient."
-High intensity training depletes both Zn and Mg through sweat loss; couple this with inadequate diet, and most every athlete is easily deficient.
-Low levels of zinc will can exacerbate low test levels, and this is most often the "sales pitch" that makers of ZMA will throw...but fixing your Zn levels, while important, only normalize your test.
-Victor Conte, the brain behind BALCO labs and the infamous "Clear" steroid, patented a formula of Zn, Mg, and B6 called ZMA; anything labeled with "ZMA" is composed of 450mg of Mg, 30mg Zn, and 10.5mg B6. Now, Conte pitched this supp based on a really fucking poor study done on football players and test levels. Pure garbage. BUT...what he did do was reveal that a deficiency can, and does, exist in healthy young athletes.
Does it vastly improve one's performance? Unless you eat pretzels and beer (um, the Zone, anyone? LOL), you probably won't notice much. But for sleep? Shit fucking rocks the house, and I swear by it.
There's some theories on Zn and sleep, but for the most part, it's the Mg and B6. Magnesium causes deep tendon reflex suppression, and acts somewhat like a calcium channel blocker, causing decreased contractility in the muscles. Also, it inhibits the sympathetic nervous system, enabling the parasympathetic nervous system---Feed and Breed, vs Fight or Flight, baby. Translation: Mutha-F-ing deep sleep.
B6 really doesn't affect the quantity or quality of sleep, but does help in the formation of serotinin and GABA...serotonin indirectly affects the secretion of melatonin, and GABA is a inhibitory neurotransmitter. Once again, Feed n' Breed, baby. Sweet dreams.
Over the years I've screwed around with pretty much everything under the sun to deal with shiftwork and sleep deprivation. Diphenhydramine and various other antihistamines, dimenhydrinate, melatonin, 5-HTP, kava kava, valarian root..all are hit-and-miss. They either leave you feeling piss drunk in the morning, hungover, or eventually cause rebound insomnia. What I take now:
Standard ZMA dose, + 1500mg GABA. Shit rocks, no groggyness, and I can wake up and be alert in seconds, so it works for me at work, also.
jocelyne · 800 weeks ago
I just wanted to thank your for your fish oil post – I have been following a paleo diet for a month but have been struggling with taking my fish oil but after reading your post I now can appreciate the importance of taking this supplement.
Thanks,
Joce.
Mike 58p · 800 weeks ago
Glad you liked the fish oil post! If you have any questions at any time, just throw 'em my way. And a blanket apology to everyone for the not-so-"G"-rated language I sometimes use....sorry folks, I should leave the firehall mouth at the firehall. :)
jocelyne · 800 weeks ago
I have a tone of questions – I am currently following a paleo/zone plan that Chad set up.
Zone – use parts of zone for portion control and limited fruit
Paleo – no dairy, no grain, no sugar, healthy fats etc….
The past five weeks have been quite successful as mentally I am very sharp and feel health, I have lost a little weight, and my skin is looking much better ~ I wish that I had started eating like this a long time ago…
I am now looking to branch out and start adding other veggies to my diet in order to add more variety but am uncertain as to which vegetables will (1.) elicit the correct insulin response - I am some what sensitive (2.) are low in starch
I have looked this up online but find conflicting statements when it comes to the squash family, turnips, beets, peas, and a couple of others that I can not remember right now.
Can you point me in the right direction of some good resources and/or let me know which veggies are specifically low starch and insulin friendly
joce.
Mike 58p · 800 weeks ago
I wouldn't start splitting hairs too much over vegetables...for the most part, by and large, veges are low GI(glycemic index)and low GL(glycemic load). The exception to this would be starch dense tubers like yams and sweet potato...excellent choices post work out, but heavy on the carbs.
Turnip and beets are totally fine, even being root vegetables. You'd have to eat a LOT to elicit a big insulin response. Peas (and beans, including green beans) are a legume, so I generally avoid them based on the lectin principle (lectins are highly inflammatory).
Spaghetti squash is one of my fav vegetables! I'm actually cooking some right now---a simple tomato based meat sauce with microwaved spaghetti squash!
I'm a huge fan of broccoli, spinach, mixed greens for salads, sweet potato (post work out), tomatoes, green peppers, carrots....
As a bottom like, when it comes to veges, I'm really hesitant to tell someone NOT to eat something, because we could all use more veges in our diet.
jesse · 800 weeks ago
QUestion: In sleep, sugar, and Survival he suggests taking 150mg of zinc in the morning and also in the afternoon - so 300 mg a day. You had mentioned yesterday that more than 30g you can really feel the effects. I was taking 300mg for awhile but didn't really notice any changes; although, at that time I didn't realize it was a sleep supplement. What's your thoughts on this?
Great info Mike, keep posting! I'm passing this info on to my sister who's had sleeping problems all her life.
Mike 58p · 800 weeks ago
Just want to make sure you're not mixing up your dosing of Zn and Mg...while Zn is essential for immunity and testosterone production, taking chronically more than 100mg a day can paradoxically IMPAIR immunity. 30mg/day from a standard ZMA formula plus dietary intake should cover an athlete's bases pretty good.
As far as sleep, the Mg is the main player, regarding muscle relaxation---it doesn't actually affect sleep directly, but help you get there via skeletal muscle relaxation. The B6 kinda indirectly kick-starts your melatonin, which should be cranking up at that time, anyways. The 450mg of Mg is a good starting point. I've doses in the 600mg range before, but I'd be careful. Enough magnesium, and your bowels will start a mass eviction on all occupants.
If you don't go the standard ZMA route, but try Zn and Mg separately, avoid oxides...as in zinc oxide and magnesium oxide. Look for aspartate, citrate, or with zinc, picolinate. Better bioavailability.
A LARGE portion sleep issues, especially in healthy young adults, arise from psychological stressors; insomnia is generally the first manifestation of chronic stress or undiagnosed depression. While it IS a physical symptom, the cause is mental---and one always wants to treat the cause vs symptom. It can also be a vicious cycle: stress--->less sleep--->more stress--->decreased mental and physical capacity--->more stress--->less sleep. I've been there, many, many times, and know insomnia all too well. My shiftwork contributes, but it's more a mental issue than anything. And quite common.
jesse · 800 weeks ago
Mike 58p · 800 weeks ago
GABA is interesting stuff....supposedly, it doesn't cross the blood brain barrier, so it shouldn't do a damn thing. But being an inhibitory neurotransmitter, it has a "calming" effect. Once again, not directly related to the physiology of sleep, but anyone who has 10,000 things running through their head at night knows how hard it can be to to hit dreamland.
Some dosing regimes recommend GABA in the 3-4g range; I've tried this, and it's accompanied by a wonderful experience of shortness of breath and body tingling. I'm kidding, it sucked. 1000mg to 1.5g seems to be perfect for me. And I've read nothing about down-regulation of GABA receptors from long-term supplementation; I've been taking it for a couple or years now.