Hi there, The only time i can do my weights is about 8pm. I do this 3 times a week, and always have a whey protein shake and some L-glutamine afterwards. Then i go to bed.

Is it bad to do this? Should i not be having the shake before i go right to bed?

Perhaps i should have it before the work out?

I only started taking L-glutamine 2 days ago and boy, i love the stuff, my muscles seem to rapier so fast, and i feel stronger!

But i worry about loading up with calories before i go to sleep

Any thoughts?

-jake

Jake, hi there. I've moved your post from the Exercise forum over to the "Nutrition / Supplements" forum.

When you say you workout at 8 p.m. then go to bed afteward this means you're finished around 9 p.m., correct? Having the glutamine then is not a problem - it's actually a very good idea.

Glutamine before bed helps with muscle repair and contributes to your body's production of human growth hormone. Glutamine after a workout helps muscles recover from their workout and helps to neutralize cortisol. Here's where it get's tricky

A whey shake post workout is recommended; whey protein empties from the stomach quickly, getting those amino acids to where they are needed. This is ideal for after you workout; but not ideal as your last meal of the day, for that exact reason. You want something slow burning that will stick with you overnight, like cottage cheese.

Another bend in the road, working out too late will disrupt your sleep cycle and your body's ability to repair muscle / tissue. Working out causes a rise in cortisol and makes the body catabolic (muscle wasting). Cortisol before bed interferes with the release of human growth hormone and insulin like growth factor which are used while you sleep to burn fat and repair muscle. It's a bit of a catch-22.

Is there any possibility you could workout in the morning? Perhaps get up a little earlier?

Re the calories and a late night meal; if you're lifting weights the parameters change somewhat. You should be less concerned with calories than with getting that much needed fuel to the muscles you're working so hard to build.

Nat

Thanks SO much Nat for your fast and thorough reply.

I cant workout in the morning, as I have no motivation too, plus I ADORE my nighttime workouts.

When I say I work out at 8pm, I finish at about 9, go to bed, but I read or watch tele for another 1.5 hours. So I don’t sleep until 10.30

I don’t worry about calories in fact my mind is always on making sure I get my next small meal in before 3 hours

I sleep very well, only ever waking if I drink 2+ glasses of water after 9pm
I think I’m getting deep sleep as I dream, and always feel like I get enough sleep.

Would it be beneficial to start my workouts at say 6.30pm-7pm rather than 8? This is doable.

What are the reasons for having some slow release foods for over night?

If so, is normal cheese ok? Or something fatty like salami?

Thanks Heaps!

Regards

(Your time should be subsidized by the government)


-jake

Argh, I was about to hit 'submit' and I.E. crashed on me. Here we go

Most definitely!

There are two big reasons.

1) It is believed that both protein and calorie intake may be responsible for raising IGF-1 levels. Since IGF-1 can regulate muscle growth, and since the highest levels of IGF-1 occurr overnight, a high protein intake may assist in muscular development.

2) From "The Protein Bible" by John Berardi: Immediately before bed. Before you lie down and enter dreamland, you should consider taking in a final meal in anticipation of the 6-8 hour fast ahead. You want to prevent the body from using all of its stored energy during the night. This would be a great time for a slow protein since the slow proteins release their nutrients over several hours. In fact, the studies we discussed above showed that even after 7 hours, the subjects were still in a positive protein balance and still had a slow delivery of nutrients [Boirie et al. 1997, Dangin et al. 2001]. So, before bed a milk protein, isolate/concentrate blend with whey and casein naturally in it, would be good.

I think both would be covered by #2 above. Don't like cottage cheese ?

*shhh* It is - they kinda write my paycheques

Nat

Thanks again

One thing you could do if you like to have your whey, is have it with some psyllium husks to slow absorbtion.

What I like to do is melt some peanut butter in the microwave and then add whey protein to it with a little water to the texture of fluffiness. Wouldn't this combo provide a slow release source of protein?