carbs or no carbs, that is the question.

I would always go with the protein option if you want to grow muscle. I think this article referred more to distance runners who are doing two or three sessions a day, focussing on stamina and endurance not muscle growth.

More protein you can force down you the better.

Rich: Probably the best answer would be 'to each his own'. I would think that someone who is weight training to increase muscle mass would take recovery over increasing growth hormone during the initial stages of their program. Once the maximum mass is achieved by those methods, then switch to encouraging growth hormone if the desired mass has not been achieved. But then again that's just me. :D

Jenn

thanks jenn and dadsa,

dadsa,.... i will always take protein afetr training, but should i combine it with simple carbs?

I definitely would - I think carbs are generally getting a bad press. I saw Jonny Wilkinson in the airport lounge at Newcastle Airport before the world cup and for breakfast he had a bowl of special K and two granny smiths apples. If it works for him!!!

Your right carbs are getting bad press. Too many people eat far too many carbs for their lifestyle, and that's the problem. Most don't realize that carbs are for energy and repair of active working muscle. The simple fact that high protein, low carb diets are a success, it tells you that most people were eating too many carbs to begin with. Now if we could only get them off the couch.

Jenn

After a work out, if you consume only protien then some of that protien will be used for replenishing muscle glycogen supplies rather than purely for repair. You should consume some carbs with your protien.

Thats what I was taught and it seems to work for me, but like d'coach said. Whatever works for you.

For body building and endurance athletes, it is recommended to have a high glycemic carb and a protein in 4:1 ratio of carbs to protein and then a regular meal about an hour later. The carbs are used to replace the glycogen lost during the workout.

if you are training daily or every other day then you've got to take the carbs straight after training to replace the glycogen stores in the muscle or you wont be able to train as hard next time.
taking the carbs with protien after training will increase glycogen storage by about a third more than taking simple carbs alone.
pete

Why not go for the best of both worlds!

Take your carbs after traing with the protein to increase recovery rate and take ZMA before going to bed to increase growth hormone and testosterone levals to. result more muscle!

sorry if this is a silly question but what is ZMA?