post-workout MEAL question

[GhettoSmurf]

Ok, well next week I will be working full-time, and I have a couple options on when i can workout.

My shift is from 8:30am-5:00pm.

My gym opens ~6am and closes ~8pm

Im leaning more towards working out after work, mainly becuase I will have more time to get my 8 hours of sleep in, and I will be in less of a "rush" to get to the gym, and then to work. I dont think I'll be to worn out after work to the point of not being able to work-out. Anyone have any opinions on what what would do? Either workout EARLY in the morning before work. Or later in the afternoon after work.

Also, if i workout after work, and have my post-workout shake, should my next meal be a p/c mix? or is it alright if it be a p/f mix and have no carbs. In other words, are carbs in your post-workout MEAL inmportant? Or can I do without them for a week.

[Khar]

I work at 8am and my gym opens at 5 I try to get there around 5:10ish or so. I don't get my 8 hours of sleep regardless. Thats the downside of having a girlfriend that lives 900 miles away
Anyways going early works for me the best, it wakes me up for the day and then at the end of the day I'm tired as hell.

[aka23]

Originally posted by GhettoSmurf
Also, if i workout after work, and have my post-workout shake, should my next meal be a p/c mix? or is it alright if it be a p/f mix and have no carbs. In other words, are carbs in your post-workout MEAL inmportant? Or can I do without them for a week.

I am not quite sure why you would want to avoid carbs in the evening. If I understand the avoid late night carb theory correctly, the idea is that if you eat carbs at night, they will get converted to fat. Glyogen stores will spillover because glycogen is not being burned while sleeping.

This is not accuracte for many reasons. The body does not convert significant amounts of carbs to fat, excluding certain unusual situations (very low fat diet, very high fructose/sucrose consumption, medical conditions, ...). The study at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...&dopt=Abstract found that when subjects ate a diet with a 50% caloric surplus of carbohydrates, less than 5g of fat per day was created via DNL (converting carbs or protein to fat).

The body burns a mixture of fat and carbs (glycogen/glucose) all day and while resting. During low intensity activities, fat is usually the primary fuel source. As intensity increases, more glucose/glycogen is used. Instead of converting carbs to fat, the body likes to save energy and change its fuel mix to burn more carbs (glucose/glycogen) and less fat. In this way caloric balance over a long period becomes a much more important factor in fat balance than fat/carb ratios or times foods are eaten.

One of the times when it is most important to eat carbs is after a workout. The carbs help restore glycogen levels and promote an anabolic response. Skipping carbs in your postworkout meal could easily interfere with your gains. In my opinion there is a significant benefit to eating carbs after your nighttime workout, and little risk of a significantly increased fat gain, assuming calories are kept constant.

I also workout at night. I eat my highest % carb meal before I go to bed, and I often eat carb-based snacks in the middle of the night. I have had no problems maintaining a body fat under 5% while following this approach.

[IronDaddy]

All I can say is I have to be fully awake and well rested to get a good workout in. There's no way I could lift in the morning. Even lifting in the afternoon if I haven't had enough sleep my workouts aren't as good as they could be. I recommend getting your rest and working out after work.

[Fenway]

my issue as well, the gym is right across the street from me...but even so i feel so rushed working out in the morning...

i just bought a new place with a mini gym in it...might do an hour of cadio in the morning to wake up ...and lift at night after work...

only problem with that is its now a 20min drive to my nearest gym......

[eatdirt40]

i say you should workout in the morning if you dont have a problem gettin enough sleep and you dont have a probelm lifting in the morning. personally i cant lift in the morning eather b/c it feels my muscles arenet warmed up and im all stiff, but anyhow if you want to workout after work i feel thats better and when ur done u will know u can just go home and relax and u will be really tired and get a good night sleep. but whatever way u wants up to u this is just my opinion.