Here are my latest thoughts re how best to structure pre/during/post workout nutrition.
If you're following the Blueprint, you'll know when to incorporate (and no, it's not for every workout in The Blueprint!):
PRE: 90 min to 1 hour before training consume 50g of slow burining carbs (oatmeal), a bit of fat (natural peanut butter) and a scoop of MassPro (24g of protein). There's your 2:1 ratio that'll set you up for an even blood sugar level going into the workout.
PERI-DURING: Begin sipping on about 25g BCAA, 12g MASS PRO and 75g of sugar/fast acting carbs 15 min prior and throughout the workout.
IMMEDIATELY POST: Finish by downing a scoop and a half of MASS PRO 37g + 75g of sugar/fast acting carb.
1.5 HOURS POST: Keep the insulin pump going by consuming another 50g of lower glycemic carbs + MASS PRO in that 2:1 ratio. This can be a whole food meal.
The whole key to this is glycogen synthase. GS is the enzyme exercise stimulates that opens up the window to enhanced glycogen storage. It allows us to pack in up to 250+g of carbs during this time. This is the research proven upper level in athletes and it's important to get this done. Why? Because you can't just top up your carbs before a workout by downing some quick sugar.
STORED muscle glycogen can be converted into ATP quickly. Not so for carbs just entering the bloodstream. It takes time for your body to store carbs as glycogen. What I'm saying is, by following the above you're really setting the table for your NEXT workout, loading your glycogen tanks to full capacity.
As mentioned prior, Kre Anabolyn can assist in packing up to 60% more glycogen during this time so it makes sense to consume around the workout on training days with this protocol. Likewise, if targeting your MASS PRO consumption this is the place to do it as it's hydrolyzed down to the 250-300 dalton level and the di-tri peptides found in the formula offer a significant advantage over whatever cheap whey you may consume outside of the workout. Research proven to stimulate more muscle growth vs. intact whey or even isolated amino mixtures.
https://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=6662795
This is an old study from 1989 on rats. While there have been even more impressive studies done on humans since then, I like to cite this one. Why? Because if you read carefully you'll notice: "The three diets had the same caloric, nitrogen, vitamin, and mineral contents. No differences in steatorrhea and fecal nitrogen were observed. The absorption rate was over 95% on the three diets. In contrast, weight gain was statistically better on WPH
What does this tell us? Whey di and tri-peptides stimulate IGF-1 release from the liver, and it makes all the difference.
Check your 5lb jug of whey. It's a safe bet there are no di or tri peptides in it, nor is it cold processed to preserve other important whey fractions. MASS doesn't brag on MASS PRO enough and truthfully, the entire product line is laced with quality like this.
Worth it if you're looking for the best possible results.