Training & Nutrition - A bit confused on recovery period

So very un-scientific version: there is a window of 15-30 minutes where carbohydrates that you consume will be absorbed by muscles without any additional insulin being produced, or something like that. My point is, it takes some time for what you consume to be digested/processed. So if you have a recovery drink right after the work out, you are still missing that "prime" window. There is still a benefit, but not as much. So my question is, isn't it better to have that "recovery" drink thirty or so minutes before you actually finish a work out, or am I missing something?

Good question. Maybe that's the whole Accelerade premise.

You should be consuming some carbs while exercising anyway, which would make this a non issue.

As for post ride food, the sooner the better, during cool down is probably best. Basically as soon as you can stomach it after very hard sets. I doesn’t help you much if you puke it up!

I always had the same question but rationalized with recovery in liquid form. It absorbs very quickly.

As a type 1 diabetic, I have measured rapid changes (<5-15min) in blood glucose after consuming higher GI solid foods. For recovery, anything liquid is going to be taken up far faster than any solid food, provided it is low in fat, and therefore the absorption is going to be well within that 15-30 min "magic" window.

So very un-scientific version: there is a window of 15-30 minutes where carbohydrates that you consume will be absorbed by muscles without any additional insulin being produced, or something like that. My point is, it takes some time for what you consume to be digested/processed. So if you have a recovery drink right after the work out, you are still missing that "prime" window. There is still a benefit, but not as much. So my question is, isn't it better to have that "recovery" drink thirty or so minutes before you actually finish a work out, or am I missing something?

The window is based on the time when you ingest the calories, not when they are absorbed. And simple sugars are absorbed quite quickly anyway.

It is better to have calories during the workout, but that doesn't reduce the need for recovery nutrition.

i heard landis say that if he was just in the bunch at the end of a tour stage he took on loads of food in the last 20k to get recovery going.
















then loads of drugs a bit later but that's a different story.....