Importance of carbohydrates post workout? page

[AMonkey]

I do Muay Thai late night, twice a week and its very cardio intensive. For a while I was doing lean gains as well which meant on lifting days I would eat up to 200g of carbohydrates. I've stopped LG just now, and I'm not really sure if carbs are necessary anymore. I was on a low very carbohydrate diet/ketosis out of convience for a few months before that, and I didn't notice any performance drops in Muay Thai. From what I've read of ketosis, there are no major exercise performance drops with it.

So is there any reason for me to be consuming any carbohydrate rich sources if I'm doing heavy cardio twice a week?

[Richard Seekins]

I'm by no means an expert on this, but IMHO if you feel like you lack energy after a workout other than the normal feel of being tired, consider some sweet potato or a portion of rice.

A lot depends on your current weight, what you want to achieve etc.

[Neckhammer]

Nope. If your talking twice a week your cumulative diet is all that matters. There is no inherent benefit to changing things specifically for right after your workout.

[Ollie]

By 'heavy' I assume you mean 'intense'?

If so then I would take some carbs PRE workout and if its prolonged endurance cardio then i would consume some during the workout also.

As for post exercise you don't technically need any carbs at all but you do need some protein. Whey is generally a good option followed by a meal.

The only time you will need to stock back up on the carbs is pre your next intense exercise session.

[paul119]

Do a self-experiment and try to figure out what's best for YOUR body. If you feel great on LC, do LC. If your body is lagging after a couple weeks, try throwing in some starch or whole milk and see if that helps.