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Article: What Is The Anabolic Window?

I've always been aware of this anabolic window, but I didn't know the importance behind it. I think this is a great article to read. Great information.
 
I don't necessarily agree with the statement that "massive dose of carbs is intended to rapidly replenish glycogen within the body. It is also supposed to be coupled with a moderate amount of protein". In my experience the macronutrient ration should generally be 50/40/10 protein/carbs/fat, not more carbs than protein.
 
From various studies that I have come across, almost all of them recommend a 1:1 or a 1.5:1 ratio of carbs to protein for post workout meals.

BTW, we should be friends Moutainman33 just because we are a rare commodity when it comes to our macro's. Most guys on this board are high fat, low carb dieters which kinda defeats the purpose of packing on muscular mass according to this article. Of course, there will be others on this board that disagree with the article because it isn't what they want to do or hear.

I think the ultimate point of the article is that low/no carb diets leave alot on the table in terms of gaining muscular mass, which I couldn't agree with more. Those diets may do well at keeping you lean but they will never replace high carb diets for those looking to be as big and full as their bodies will allow. This rings especially true for bodybuilders (those who compete).
 
mountainman33 said:
I don't necessarily agree with the statement that "massive dose of carbs is intended to rapidly replenish glycogen within the body. It is also supposed to be coupled with a moderate amount of protein". In my experience the macronutrient ration should generally be 50/40/10 protein/carbs/fat, not more carbs than protein.
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There are VERY few cases when an athlete should ever be taking in more protein than carbohydrates. The only example would be off days, or meals that are very far away from the workout window. Ideally, carb to protein ratio should be 2:1 to 4:1 depending on the volume of training. On a gram per gram basis, carbohydrates are more anabolic than protein once protein requirements have been met. Don't underestimate the anabolic effect of insulin. Protein has no effect on insulin, while carbohydrates do. If you want to put on the most muscle mass possible, carbs should be consumed in pretty large amounts.
 
Legacyfighter said:
There are VERY few cases when an athlete should ever be taking in more protein than carbohydrates. The only example would be off days, or meals that are very far away from the workout window. Ideally, carb to protein ratio should be 2:1 to 4:1 depending on the volume of training. On a gram per gram basis, carbohydrates are more anabolic than protein once protein requirements have been met. Don't underestimate the anabolic effect of insulin. Protein has no effect on insulin, while carbohydrates do. If you want to put on the most muscle mass possible, carbs should be consumed in pretty large amounts.
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You are 100% correct. Too many guys think that just because whey protein causes a modest insulin release that all of the sudden it means that protein alone can suffice. I try to inform these guys that are "mass building" with keto diets, lol. It's comical to be honest with you.

At the end of the day, I usually hit a 1.5:1 ratio since I want to pack on exlcusively lean tissue. This has worked decently for me but I do plan to up my carb intake a bit and see what happens. I am not opposed to super high carb diets while bulking.
 
mpucciitm said:
Yes I am sure. Hit your required macros for the day and you will hit your goals. There are several studies that have already proved the 'anabolic theory' to be null and void
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Really...

So your body doesn't release GH during/after a training session, huh? Your body doesn't have GH release when you sleep? Wouldn't that equal to an anabolic window? I can at least say, regardless of muscle growth activity, that eating the right foods before a workout has a distinct metabolic advantage over fasted-training in high-intensity training as well as eating plenty of food after a hard training session tends to speed up my recovery. If you say there isn't an anabolic window, you might as well also say there isn't a catabolic window either. Would you go that far?

There is value in meal timing.

The thing that upsets me the most is that you can get away with saying things like this without anyone calling you out for some evidence. If I said something half as radical as this, I'd be chastised left and right on this board and the crappy thing is I actually have some anecdotal experience that validates my findings. I usually find some research, try it, and call BS or not on the studies after I've carefully assessed the results from my point of view. Can you honestly say the same about your statement? Have you tried eating all of your calories in the AM and training in the evening, with no food before or after training? Did it work? Or did you magically find yourself in a "maintenance mode" ?

At least give the college, doctor, etc or institution that created the study. Besides that, most studies are articulated terribly anyways and are not repeatable nor are they simple enough to make simple, evident conclusions. This could be the common case with the studies you have read. I'd say more importantly, if you want to know what is true and what isn't..go to the professional bodybuilders. Not all of them are juiced and not all of them are genetic freaks. Most of them just know how to sift through BS and find valuable information to use, try it and learn from it.
 
I'd be willing to bet mpucciitm is an emaciated marathon runner who wouldn't know the first thing about weight lifting and anabolic nutrition. He probably carries Powerbar Energy Gel Packs around with him where ever he goes.
 
mpucciitm said:
Yes I am sure. Hit your required macros for the day and you will hit your goals. There are several studies that have already proved the 'anabolic theory' to be null and void
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You know, you can also find studies that say protein is bad for you, that squats are bad for you, that fat makes you fat... There are literally thousands of other studies that say these three statements are complete BS. You can't just pick and chose which studies you want to look at. Try looking at lit reviews. The truth is that when you lift you trigger MTOR to release. This is the primary hypertrophic response. There is insulin dependent and insulin independent MTOR. Insulin independent MTOR is active as long as there is an FSR curve and carbohydrates AND protein are being ingested. Insulin independent MTOR is only active for a few hours post training. During this time you can shuttle more glucose and protein into your cells than you can outside the training window because the insulin independent MTOR is being released. This window closes roughly around the time DOMS begins to set in. This is generally around 6 hours. This is due to certain inflammatory factors.

If you think this is merely bro science, you should probably do a little more research.. bro.
 
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