Best protein powders for muscle gain?

What exactly do you mean when you say glucose?
By the way, I already know what glucose is, just so we’re clear here—don't call me an idiot.

What actually happens when you consume different types of sugars? Depending on the glycemic index, they trigger varying levels of insulin release. For any elite athlete, the goal is to minimize those insulin spikes as much as possible. But why is that?
The reason is that an intense surge of that specific hormone causes your body to burn through energy incredibly fast, draining your reserves almost immediately and triggering a whole chain reaction in your metabolism.
Think of it like a matchstick. If you light it in open air, it burns at a steady pace. If you thrust it into a pure oxygen environment, it flares up instantly; however, if you place it in a space with limited oxygen, it burns with a much smaller flame but lasts significantly longer.
If you want to sustain that "burn" over a long period, you need to fuel yourself for a slower, more controlled release. Therefore, glucose—which carries a glycemic index of 100—"burns" far too quickly. This causes a massive spike in insulin, making it somewhat impractical unless used for specific training disciplines or carefully balanced with other carbohydrates.

I just saw this on a cooking blog and it got me thinking, so I wanted to ask.

If it hasn't been said a hundred times, it hasn't been said at all...

Nicholas Kern90 said:If it isn't written down a hundred times, it didn't happen once...

Are you familiar with the Glycemic Index?
If I remember correctly, glucose might not be the best choice after an aerobic workout that wasn't particularly intense...
From what I've gathered on other forums, glucose is mostly used for bodybuilding...
Well, if I'm mistaken, my bad, but logically any other type of sugar seems like a better way to go.

melloweagle30 said:Are you even familiar with GI?
If I'm not mistaken, glucose isn't exactly the best call after an aerobic session that wasn't even that intense...
From what I've gathered on other forums, glucose is mostly for bodybuilding...
Well, damn, if I'm wrong, but logically any other kind of sugar would be a better choice.

You need more carbs after cardio than you do after lifting... though, then again, I don't know how you define "aerobic" training.

melloweagle30 said:Are you even familiar with the Glycemic Index?!?
If I'm not mistaken, glucose isn't exactly the best choice after an aerobic workout—especially one that isn't even that intense...
From what I've gathered on other forums, glucose is mostly for bodybuilders...
Well, damn, if I'm wrong. But logically speaking, any other type of sugar would be a better pick.

What do you mean by "aerobic training that isn't even that intense"?! After an hour of boxing, I'm absolutely spent. Glucose works in tandem with Whey; it spikes insulin, which helps the Whey drive into the muscles faster. Basically, using Whey without glucose is pretty pointless... And no, no other kind of sugar is a better option.

silverfox41 said:What do you mean "aerobic training isn't that intense"?! I’m gasping for air after an hour of boxing. Glucose paired with Whey protein spikes insulin, which helps that Whey hit the muscles fast. Basically, without glucose, the Whey doesn't do much... And no, no other type of sugar is a better choice.

if we're really going to nitpick, a 50/50 dextrose and maltodextrin split or Vitargo would be better choices😛 😁

Speaking of which, has anyone actually heard of Future Line? It’s an Italian outfit. I spotted their whey and maltodextrin mix at my local gym, but they’re a total mystery to me.

Do I really need to take whey with glucose just after cardio, or does it matter if I do it after weight training too? (Say, an hour on the elliptical, or some brisk walking, etc.)

Using an elliptical or doing some brisk walking counts as aerobic exercise, which means you aren't really going to see much difference by slamming down glucose and Whey right after. That kind of nutritional timing is much more relevant if you're hitting anaerobic stuff, like heavy lifting or similar resistance training.

jadetiger962 said:Ellipticals and power walking are aerobic workouts where glucose and Whey aren't really a big deal. That stuff matters more for anaerobic training (lifting weights and things like that).

I'll say it again... you actually need glucose even more after aerobic training!

Nicholas Kern90 said:I’ll say it again just to be clear... glucose is actually even more essential following aerobic workouts!

It would probably help if you backed that up with some actual reasoning, though. Why specifically glucose? As far as I can tell, slower-digesting carbs could work just as well here, especially if we're talking about a lower-intensity cardio session.

Yeah, my bad. I mixed up aerobic and anaerobic. But hey, you caught me.🙂
I’m also thinking you don't really need glucose after low-intensity cardio. Muscles aren't burning through that much fuel, right?
I get what you mean about weightlifting and all that.

jadetiger962 said:It’d be great if you actually backed that up with some logic. Why glucose specifically? As far as I know, slower carbs work just fine, especially if we're talking about low-intensity aerobic training.

I definitely wasn't talking about low-intensity cardio. I mean actual aerobic sports—soccer, cycling, stuff like that.

Yeah, I get that. My brother’s a handball player—plays for a major college team—and he always hits the whey and glucose combo right after practice.
But honestly, when I'm just hitting the treadmill in the fat-burning zone, I don't think I really need the glucose. That's more for the guys crushing it in the weight room.

Nicholas Kern90 said:I definitely wasn't talking about low-intensity cardio; I meant actual aerobic sports like soccer, cycling, and things like that...

Then why bother editing your post when you were specifically mentioning the elliptical and brisk walking?

jadetiger962 said:Then why bother correcting a post about elliptical trainers and power walking?

I was talking about aerobic training... nutrient intake can be adjusted depending on how hard you're pushing it.

Is moderate to high-intensity aerobics "aerobic enough" to require glucose intake afterward? I’m asking about an hour-long session that includes about thirty minutes of strength and endurance training... so there are definitely some anaerobic elements involved...
I honestly don't know what else to do 🤷
There's so much noise in these threads that I can't even see the forest for the trees!!!🙂
And it kind of frustrates me how most guys—who are clearly top-tier athletes—totally underestimate aerobics🙂. I just don't get it, what have you guys tried that felt too hard😉?
There's different types of aerobics; there's the junk stuff, and then there's a real workout where you're sweating through your clothes...
Anyway, I just needed to vent a little... even though I'd love to shed a few more pounds while I'm at it...🙂

I mean, just try doing a full 500-meter dolphin kick sprint—honestly, if people actually gave that a shot, they’d realize pretty quickly how much they're underestimating the grind 🙄

Grace Lewis6 said:Is moderate to high-intensity aerobics "aerobic enough" to require glucose intake afterward? I’m asking about an hour of aerobics that includes roughly thirty minutes of strength and endurance training—so there are some anaerobic elements involved...
I honestly don't know what else to do 🤷
There is so much noise in these threads that I can't even see the forest for the trees!!!🙂
And it kind of irritates me how most guys—who are clearly top-tier athletes—completely underestimate aerobics🙂? I don't get it, what have you actually tried that was too hard for you😉?
There's aerobic, and then there's *actual* aerobic—real training where sweat gets in your eyes and you're soaking through your clothes, if you catch my drift...
Anyway, just needed to vent a little... though I'd rather be venting some extra pounds instead...🙂

🤣🙏
legend🙂

Yeah, it's starting to get on my nerves too. Over the last few days, I've heard a dozen different opinions on glucose, fructose, blah blah blah. And most of them come from people who *should* be experts and actually know what they're talking about, but aren't.
🤷 Back to searching for the forest...