Why Your Post-Workout Shake Should Have Dextrose
Ever wonder why in the world you would bust your tight butt at the gym and eat uber clean only to down some sugary dextrose after a workout?
Doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, does it?
Well, science says you’re waaaay wrong.
You want to spike your sugar with dextrose after training. It elevates insulin so the body can start using all those nutrients that are in your post-workout shake.
Plus, it’s the difference between your body being in a catabolic state or an anabolic state.
Intrigued? Yeah you are.
Training Causes Muscle Hunger
Training causes your muscles to get ‘hungry’. They are the first to eat when you consume your post-training shake. Therefore, the sugar you consume will go straight to them, not to your saddlebags to sit.
It’s the perfect opportunity to eat your carbs and sugar because your metabolism is on fire and your body will use what you eat to replenish.
To make this easier to swallow, let’s go back to the basics.
Glycogen stores.
Glycogen Stores, Utilization and Replenishment
Glycogen is the preferred fuel source for muscles because it is more easily accessed when the body needs energy the most.
Glycogen is made and stored in the liver and muscles through carb sources. It is a polysaccharide of glucose that is used as energy.
When the body needs it, it converts muscle glycogen into glucose to use as energy.
Nearly 80 percent of energy originates from glycogen. So…um yeah its important.
The more of glycogen that’s available, the less damage catabolic responses caused by training will have on your muscles.
If you don’t have enough after training, your body will break down muscle tissue and your immune system will take a hit. Replenishing glycogen right after training is critical to get gains.
How do you replace it?
DEXTROSE of course!
Dextrose as a Post-Training Carb Replenishes Glycogen More Quickly
When you consume dextrose as your post-training carb, glycogen is replenished more quickly.
When you do that, it triggers insulin to use the glucose and other nutrients in your shake to replenish and repair the bod.
Insulin is a hormone that acts like an Uber driver for nutrients. It takes them from your blood to your muscles to help repair, rebuild and recover.
Since dextrose spikes blood sugar due to its quick absorption by the body, insulin responds like a money driver Uber driver pulling an all nighter on New Year’s Eve. This gets more nutrients to their destination more quickly. It’s the beautiful science of nutrient timing.
In addition to replenishing energy stores, dextrose also reduces muscle protein breakdown after training.
When insulin is spiked, its anabolic response is an induction of muscle protein synthesis rather than muscle breakdown.
A fast digesting carb /sugar as a post-workout shake effectively spikes insulin because of how quickly the body absorbs it.
Studies show post-workout supplement ingredients that have a high glycemic index like dextrose, are more effective as they spike insulin more rapidly to begin fighting catabolic responses and trigger muscle protein synthesis.
Dextrose as a Post-Training Carbohydrate/Sugar
Dextrose is a simple sugar that is chemically identical to glucose. It is quickly absorbed by the body to aid in energy availability, spiking insulin, replenishing glycogen stores, triggering protein synthesis and reducing muscle protein breakdown.
Made from corn, wheat or grains, it is the only naturally occurring form of glucose and the fastest acting sugar aside from its chemical twin, glucose, to use post-workout.
The biggest concern about dextrose is the number of calories it has. But because your hungry muscles are provided with VIP access by your body thanks to the spike in insulin, they gobble up dextrose to restore glycogen and energy and start the muscle healing process.
So, there you have it. High-glycemic index possessing dextrose is definitely the way to go with your post-workout shake to stave off muscle protein breakdown and boost muscle building and recovery. Now…where to get such a perfect post-training supp…..Here, of course!
Now, go do something that makes you sweat.
