At the beginning of the athletic path, athletes often encounter many unknown concepts, for example - the carbohydrate window after training. What is it, why does it arise, should you be afraid of it, how to close it and what will happen if you ignore it? In order for the training to be of the highest quality, with full dedication, it is important to be well versed in terms.
Today - an educational program on the carbohydrate window. In a simple and understandable form, we will tell you what kind of animal it is and how to tame it!
What is a carbohydrate window?
In simple terms, this is the period of time after training when the body most urgently needs a source of additional energy. He receives the latter from carbohydrates, which is why the period is called the carbohydrate window. During this conditional interval, the assimilation of nutrients and metabolism work in an enhanced mode, therefore, the food eaten is almost completely spent on muscle recovery and growth.
Properly organized nutrition plays the lion's share of success in losing weight or building muscle. And the daily calorie intake is not even in the first place here. The correct schedule is of great importance - understanding what you can and should eat before training, and what after it.
Some sources refer to the post-workout carbohydrate window for weight loss as the anabolic window.
Anabolism is the process of recovering from stress. If you think about it, from the point of view of this definition, the concepts of "anabolic" and "carbohydrate" can really be considered synonymous.
What processes occur with the body at the end of the training?
The carbohydrate window after exercise for weight loss must be closed. Do not be afraid that you will cross out all the work spent in the hall. Now we will explain everything:
- You have trained hard, spent a lot of energy. The body is exhausted;
- In order to restore muscle fibers, the body needs nutrients and energy;
- If the forces are not replenished, the body enters a stage of overwork, and defense mechanisms are activated, similar to the power saving mode in a smartphone. Absolutely all processes slow down, including metabolism, and therefore fat burning. As a result, the weight does not go away, despite vigorous training and subsequent fasting. All work goes down the drain.
Of course, you should be interested in how long the post-workout carbohydrate window lasts. The average interval is 35-45 minutes. During this period, absolutely all carbohydrates, both simple and complex, are absorbed 100%, which means that they do not go into subcutaneous fat. The situation is similar with proteins - the entire volume is spent on recovery and growth of muscles.
Thus, we conclude: the protein-carbohydrate window after training for weight loss or mass gain must be closed.
What will happen if you don't close it?
First, let's define what it means to “close the carbohydrate window” after a workout. This means you need to take a source of carbohydrates - food, gainer, protein shake, carbohydrate bars.
Let's say you decide not to eat. What will happen thanks to such a hunger strike?
- The destroyed muscle fibers will not be restored, which means that the muscles will not increase in volume;
- After a power load, stress hormones will be released, which will begin to destroy muscles. At this point, only insulin can help, but without carbohydrates, which increase sugar levels, it will not be produced. It turns out that if you do not compensate for the carbohydrate window after training for gaining mass, this very set simply will not happen.
- Metabolic processes will slow down, and the fat will not break down. As a result, it will be possible to assume that a woman who did not close the carbohydrate window, after training for weight loss, wasted her energy.
Please note that if you are losing weight, the amount of carbohydrates eaten should be minimal - exactly as much as needed to eliminate the deficiency that has arisen. In this case, we recommend focusing on foods rich in protein.
How to close the protein-carbohydrate deficiency?
Let's move on to the rules for closing the protein-carbohydrate window after training.
Carbohydrates are classified into simple and complex carbohydrates.
- The former cause a sharp spike in glucose, and therefore the production of insulin, which quickly lowers its level. Such carbohydrates are absorbed very quickly, which is important for gaining mass.
- The latter are absorbed much longer, they satisfy hunger for a long time, while, eaten in our interval, do not harm the figure at all.
Simple carbohydrates: bread, rolls, pastries, sugary drinks, fruits, fresh juices. Complex - cereals, pasta from durum wheat, vegetables without starch
How else do you think you can close the post-workout carbohydrate window? Proteins, of course. They are useful for both weight loss and weight gain. Protein is the main building block for muscles, and its excess does not go into fat stores.
You can close the protein window after training for weight loss with lean boiled meat - chicken, turkey, veal, fish, as well as dairy products: kefir, natural yogurt, cottage cheese, white cheese. And also, you can always eat an egg.
Not every athlete wants to lug containers of food with them into the gym. An even more inconvenient experience is eating in a smelly locker room. This problem was solved by manufacturers of sports nutrition. The assortment of different supplements allows you to close the carbohydrate window after running, strength, fitness and any other type of physical activity without worrying about the composition of the product.
In a ready-made protein shake or gainer, everything is so balanced. It contains the ideal concentration of carbohydrates and proteins, so each gram of a special product will benefit your goal.
In the world of sports, there is a constant debate over whether a protein or carbohydrate window really opens up after training for muscle growth or weight loss. From a physiological point of view, the process is not fully proven. However, numerous experiments have shown that this system actually works. At the very least, the results after hunger strikes are significantly worse than with a moderate diet. That is why we recommend that you familiarize yourself with what is allowed to close the protein window after training, and be sure to practice this algorithm. The result will not be long in coming!
