Protein synthesis... who on this site doesn't know this term? Hardly none... AAS's lend us a hand in accerlerating this process, no doubt. But as I hope you know, the gains are made in the kitchen not the gym. So, I want to give a different spin on this process as it relates to nutritional timing so that people can better understand this process and harness its full potential.

In each training manual published by the National Federation of Professional Trainers (NFPT), there is a concept known as the “force feeding concept” that will jumpstart your muscles' anabolic processes. All it takes is some fast-digesting protein such as whey protein, some fast-digesting carbs such as honey or sugar, and some form of light cardio after you hit the weights. Before I explain the application of this concept, allow me to give a brief explanation of the various processes that are affected inside the body so that you will understand why each step is so important.

Our body’s desired source of energy is carbohydrates. All of the carbs that we ingest are digested and broken down into a form of sugar, known as glucose, which is then released into the bloodstream to be used for energy purposes or to be stored for later use. Our bloodstream, however, only has the capacity to sustain a glucose level of approximately 20-25 g, which is 80-100 calories worth of carbs. Once this limit has been surpassed, the body responds by releasing the hormone insulin to regulate the increasing level of blood glucose.

Insulin’s primary function is to make blood glucose accessible to the body’s cells. There are three places that glucose can be stored. The first is inside the muscle. The second is inside the liver. The third is inside body fat. However, when glucose is stored in the fat cells, it’s stored as fat rather than as a form of carbohydrates.

Every cell in our body has what’s known as receptor sites. These receptor sites act as doorways that allow for the passage of certain molecules, but these doorways, so to speak, must be ‘unlocked’ in order for them to open. Insulin holds the key to the receptor sites located on the muscle cells, the liver cells, and the fat cells allowing for the uptake of cirulating glucose molecules.

Ideally, regardless of your fitness goals, you should strive to promote muscle growth while disallowing the accumulation of body fat. Now that we know what happens with the carbs that we consume, how can we control these processes so that we avoid storing them up in the fat cells? It’s actually very simple.

We now know that insulin is charged with the task of delivering blood glucose to the muscle, liver, and fat cells. The thing about the fat cells, though, is that they cannot release and store energy (glucose) at the same time. To avoid the storage of body fat while insulin is present, simply perform some type of light cardio for 15-20 minutes. During this time period, your metabolism will switch to a predominately fat-burning state.

When you lift weights, your muscles are expending the glucose that has been stored within the muscle’s cells. At the end of your workout, those stores are mostly depleted. This causes the receptor sites on the muscle’s cells to open up and allow for the uptake of glucose to replace the energy that has been expended. Insulin will actually bind to these receptor sites, making blood glucose more accessible to the muscles when they need it the most.

When we lift weights, we are actually tearing down our muscle fibers to the extent that they must be repaired. This repair process uses proteins to rebuild the broken-down muscle tissues, resulting in a larger and stronger muscle. However, this repair process does not begin immediately. After a strength training session, the muscle’s number one priority is to replace the energy that it expended during the training session. Until that priority has been met, the muscle-building processes will not take place.

That’s where your diet comes into play. This force feeding concept is designed to speed up these processes, so that you can tap into your body’s natural ability to build muscle much quicker, resulting in faster recovery and greater gains.

Now let’s take this information and put it into practical use.

Before your workout, prepare a protein shake that consists of at least 60 grams of fast-digesting protein and 60 grams of fast-digesting carbs (I like a 2:1 ratio). I prefer to use honey for the carbs because it contains some B vitamins, which are essential for energy metabolism, and I prefer to use whey protein because it digests very quickly. Depending on the bees, honey contains approximately 17 grams of simple sugars per tablespoon. It only takes 20-25 grams of fast-digesting carbs to stimulate the release of insulin; therefore, you want to provide slightly more than that to reap the benefits of force feeding.

Once you complete your weight-lifting session, drink the shake that you prepared beforehand. Then perform some type of light cardio for approximately 15-20 minutes; i.e, brisk walking or slow jogging. Nothing too intense because you want to initiate the oxidative, or aerobic, pathways to stimulate the fat cells to begin releasing their stored energy.

By the time insulin has begun to do its job, the fat cells will already be releasing their energy. This means that all the insulin-carried glucose has only two places to go: the muscle and the liver. Since you've mostly depleted your muscle glycogen stores during your workout, their cells will take up the majority of the insulin-carried glucose. This glucose will be used to meet the first priority of energy replacement.

The second priority in line is called protein synthesis (repairing/rebuilding muscle tissue). Because we chose to use a fast-digesting protein, such as whey, the protein entered the bloodstream at about the same time the glucose did, which means that it will be injected into the muscles’ cells almost immediately. You are literally ‘force feeding’ your muscles at this point.

If you were to consume a traditional meal after your workout, no matter how healthy that meal is, it will take some time for your digestive system to breakdown and absorb the solid foods. You have about a 60-90 minute window to replace the energy spent during your workout before your body begins to feed off itself (catabolism). By following the recommendations in this post, you’re consuming fast-digesting nutrients and you’re timing them perfectly so that you initiate the recovery and repair processes almost immediately.

Remember, no matter what your fitness goals are, always strive to improve your performance. The faster you recover, the stronger you become. The stronger you become, the more you can push yourself. The more you can push yourself, the better your performance.