Why is insulin done right after a workout?

More post workout muscle protein synthesis occurs if you take in some carbs and protein before your workout than after your workout. Timing of amino acid intake is probably more important than timing of insulin. Some choose to split their protein/carb/insulin so you take some before and after your workout. It doesn't have to be taken everyday but even on "off" days your muscle are still recovering so would still prove useful.
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Posted by: vic11385

More post workout muscle protein synthesis occurs if you take in some carbs and protein before your workout than after your workout. Timing of amino acid intake is probably more important than timing of insulin. Some choose to split their protein/carb/insulin so you take some before and after your workout. It doesn't have to be taken everyday but even on "off" days your muscle are still recovering so would still prove useful.

Good answer.

It turns out that after a strenuous workout, both cortisol and Testosterone levels climb, while the number of androgen receptors decline. The androgen receptors are thought to be degraded by the so called ubiquitin-proteasome proteolytic pathway (1).

So what good is all the extra testosterone if the AR is downregulated after a workout? It's probably some mechanism nature developed to limit body mass under constraints of limited fuel availability.

Anyway, what may have been good for cavemen isn't so great for BB's. Insulin is a potent inhibitor of the proteolytic pathway described above, so injecting insulin immediately after or during a workout will inhibit AR degradation, allowing for greater testosterone binding and anabolism.

1) MR, French DN, Vescovi JD, Silvestre R, Hatfield DL, Fleck SJ, Deschenes MR. Androgen receptor content following heavy resistance exercise in men. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2005 Jan;93(1):35-42.

why not drink carbohydrates while working out.

Influence of weight training exercise and modification of hormonal response on skeletal muscle growth.

Tarpenning K M, Wiswell R A, Hawkins S A, Marcell T J.

Department of Exercise Sciences, Uniersity of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA.

To investigate the influence of carbohydrate (CHO) consumption on the acute hormonal response, and chronic adaptation to weight lifting exercise, two studies were conducted. Following a four-hour fast, seven young men (21.3 +/- 3.5 y) performed (on two occasions) a nine-station weight lifting protocol, completing 3 sets of 10 repetitions at 75% of 1RM (series 1). Randomly assigned, one session included the ingestion of a non-caloric placebo, and the other, a 6% CHO solution. For series 2, two groups of young men (21.3 +/- 1.5 y) participated in 12 weeks of progressive resistance weight training. Training for one group included the ingestion of a non-caloric placebo, and the other, a 6% CHO solution. In series 1, weight lifting exercise with CHO ingestion significantly (p < 0.05) elevated blood glucose and plasma insulin levels above baseline, as well as that occurring with the placebo. This resulted in a significant blunting of the cortisol response (7% with CHO compared to 99% with placebo). These findings indicate that CHO consumption during weight lifting exercise can modify the acute hormonal response to exercise. With series 2, CHO consumption continued to blunt the cortisol response to exercise during the twelve weeks of training. This is in contrast to significantly elevated cortisol levels observed for the placebo control group. Corresponding with the modified response patterns were differences in muscle growth. Weight training exercise with CHO ingestion resulted in significantly greater gains in both type I (19.1%) and type II (22.5%) muscle fibre area than weight training exercise alone. The difference in the cortisol response accounted for 74% of the variance (r = 0.8579, p = 0.006) of change in type I muscle fibre area, and 52.3% of the variance (r = 0.7231, p = 0.043) of change in type II muscle fibre area. These findings suggest that the modification of the cortisol response associated with CHO ingestion can positively impact the skeletal muscle hypertrophic adaptation to weigh training.

There might be a rise in insulin as well, which as said above, inhibit the proteolytic pathway, causing additional growth.

I have been drinking carbs during workout for years now and don't need more reasons to do so, however it feels good to discover more justifications for your actions

I usually consume carbs and whey protein while I'm lifting, and after as well.

Great info...thanks guys.
Nandi, would you agree about the usefulness of taking on off days?

One other question I have regarding slin is endurance...does slin decrease endurance?

Posted by: Nandi

Anyway, what may have been good for cavemen isn't so great for BB's. Insulin is a potent inhibitor of the proteolytic pathway described above, so injecting insulin immediately after or during a workout will inhibit AR degradation, allowing for greater Testosterone binding and anabolism.

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Nandi- Have you see this demonstrated (AR degredation decreased upon insulin administration).

Andy

It was only just recently discovered that the androgen receptor is downregulated after a workout, likely as part of overall workout related protein breakdown. See my article in the latest Mind and Muscle:

There has yet, to my knowledge, been any research on how to prevent this workout related decline in AR number.

I'm theorizing that anything that can limit proteolysis (like insulin) will help maintain AR levels so a person can better benefit from the workout related increase in testosterone,

So the answer to your question, Andy, is that this is my theory, not an established "fact". I should have said something like "insulin might inhibit AR degradation".

good info guys. I've always done it before ( for the great pumps) and after to fuel the muscles.. Seems to work for me.

Posted by: Nandi

I'm theorizing that anything that can limit proteolysis (like insulin) will help maintain AR levels so a person can better benefit from the workout related increase in testosterone,

So the answer to your question, Andy, is that this is my theory, not an established "fact". I should have said something like "insulin might inhibit AR degradation".

Just curious. I agree it seems highly probable that AR degredation would be reduced upon insulin administration.

It seems like it would be a straight forward experiment to demonstrate or refute the idea. Easy paper for someone

Would insulin injections eventually make one insulin resistant or more insulin resistant?