Are Post-Workout Carbohydrates Necessary?

For the large majority of the population nutrient timing is largely irrelevant and there are a number of other factors that should take priority. Despite that, there are benefits to consuming carbohydrates post workout.

Replenish Glycogen Levels

Glycogen is a form of energy, which is stored primarily in the liver and within the skeletal muscles of the human body.  

Muscle glycogen levels are directly correlated to muscle protein catabolism (breaking down).

Simply put, the lower your glycogen levels get, the more chance your body has of breaking down protein for you to use as fuel in the absence of sufficient stored glycogen. This is why it is important to replenish the glycogen levels post training when the muscles cells are primed for the uptake of glucose.

In skeletal muscle, glycogen is found in a low concentration (1–2% of the muscle mass) and the skeletal muscle of an adult weighing 70 kg stores roughly 400 grams of glycogen.

Increased Nutrient Uptake

The ingestion of post-workout carbohydrates will elevate insulin and therefore increase the nutrient uptake into cells of not only glucose, but also for amino acids for protein synthesis.

Muscle protein synthesis is a process to repair muscle damage caused by intense exercise.

Reduce Cortisol Levels

During training sessions, increased cortisol has unique performance benefits and can provide the body with the energy it requires to combat the 'stress' of a training session, how much cortisol levels are elevated will depend on the the type of training.

Endurance athletes will typically experience significantly higher exposure to cortisol. Obviously, this isn't great news from a muscle breakdown perspective; however, the body is simply trying to preserve carbohydrate stores and deliver energy when it’s needed most.

Once your training session is complete, it's now a matter of how fast you can get rid of cortisol, to switch from a catabolic state to an anabolic state. By consuming carbohydrates post workout, insulin will be increased and your body will shift from breaking down protein and glycogen to instead synthesizing it.

Do you consume carbohydrates post workout?