Q:  Is it important to take in sugar after a workout?

A:  Important, no – critical, yes. In fact, sugar at this stage of your nutritional cycle is far more important than protein. Without it your body will simply break down that hard earned muscle that you’ve already built, leaving you smaller and weaker. After a workout, insulin secretion drives the body from a catabolic to an anabolic state. The amount of sugar you ingest immediately after your training session will dictate the speed with which this process occurs. In so doing, it will kick start the anabolic process of protein synthesis.

None of this, of course, is meant to imply that you should begin downing spoonfuls of table sugar when you get home from the gym. Immediately after the workout your body is craving high Glycemic index carbohydrates. A liquid supplement formulation that has three times more carbs than protein will do the job nicely. Glucose or dextrose is the sugars of choice. Being monosaccharides, they are digested and absorbed into the bloodstream, very quickly.

The intensity of your training session will dictate how much sugar you need immediately post workout. For a hard and heavy session of about an hour, you’ll want to consume about 0.6 grams of high Glycemic index carbs for every pound of body weight. So, if you weigh 200 pounds, you’ll want to take in 120 grams of carbohydrate immediately after your workout. That means the minute you rack your final bar, while you’re still in the weight room, you should get this stuff into your body. And you should do it after every workout. If you’re using such advanced intensity techniques as negatives, drop sets and forced reps in your work out, you should up the carb levels to 0.8 grams per pound of bodyweight, or 160 grams for a 200-pound guy.

Taking in a small amount of glucose or dextrose immediately before your workout is also a smart move. This will prevent your insulin and blood glucose levels from getting too low during the workout. In turn, this will help speed up the post workout transition from catabolism to anabolism. 10-20 grams should do the job nicely.