http://alwyncosgrove.blogspot.com/20...d-up-post.html
Pre-Workout Nutrition to Speed up post workout metabolism
Timing Protein Intake Increases Energy Expenditure 24 Hours Post-Resistance Training.
Hackney KJ, Bruenger AJ, Lemmer JT.
Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009 Dec 4. [Epub ahead of print]
This study took a small group of trained individuals in a double blind (ie neither the researchers nor the participants knew what they were getting) crossover design to compare a pre-workout protein supplement to a pre-workout carbohydrate supplement.
Both groups then completed a heavy resistance training workout (4 sets of 9 exercises at 70-75% of max weight)
Both groups showed a significant increase in resting energy expenditure for up to 48 hours post workout (as we would expect from the afterburn effect of weight training), however the protein group had a significantly higher increase than the carbohydrate group for up to 24 hours.
The researchers concluded that timing a protein supplement prior to weight training may be a simple and effective strategy to increase energy expenditure by elevating the post workout "afterburn effect" which in turn could facilitate reductions in body fat mass and improve body
composition if nutritional intake is stable.
Obviously this is a small study - but it's nice to see this type of work being done. This has been a standard recommendation at Results Fitness for some time (never train on an empty stomach).
Bottom line - adding a pre-workout protein supplement will increase the afterburn effect of a basic weight training program significantly when compared to a carbohydrate supplement.