Well I came here to research biphasic sleep and it's effects on weight training and recovery, but I couldn't resist responding to this thread so here goes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Iamsuperman  Is there any way to get a lot of glucose in your blood without the insulin spike? (without drugs)
Is the insulin spike necessary for the glucose to be absorbed? |
Yes, there is. Like has been previously mentioned, it is a very debated topic among the bodybuilding community, but I take sides with what must be the minority.
The solution is Low GI carbohydrates post-workout. Carbs are essential for the insulin spike so that nutrients are shuttled into your muscles. This is important both pre-workout (so that you have energy for your workout) and post-workout (to feed nutrients into the muscles so that you grow / recover). One thing to keep in mind is that the higher GI of the carb you consume, the more pronounced "crash" you'll experience. To circumvent this, 45 minutes to an hour pre-workout I'll consume 1 cup of oats (oatmeal) with 1 scoop of whey protein and water, put it in a blender and consume it. This way I don't crash during my workout from a High GI insulin spike pre-workout. Sometimes I DO sip on gatorade throughout my workout, just for kicks, and to keep energy levels sustained. And then afterwards I'll consume the same shake I had pre-workout, except with skim milk rather than water, simply because I don't prefer drinking milk pre-workout.
I simply prefer low GI carbs to high GI carbs pre / post workout due to the lessened "crash factor" and because the high GI carbs promote fat storage moreso than the low GI carbs. When insulin is secreted, nothing gets brokedown, but rather your body is saying "go to storage mode" so that nutrients are stored in the muscle cells. When this happens, fat oxidation is put on hold. So basically, the higher GI carbohydrates you consume, the longer it takes for your body to reach homeostasis in regards to blood glucose regulation, and the longer time your body spends storing fat! However, if you are a genetic freak who has little to no insulin sensitivity, then chances are you shouldn't worry yourself with things like this. =)
May I suggest Googling 'glycemic index' and read about it if you aren't familiar with Low / High GI carbohydrates and how they affect energy levels / insulin spikes / nutrient shuttling.