I have these powerbars and I was wondering if I should use them before or after I work out?
Both,eat 30-60 min. before working out or right after.
I find after a race Powerbars are the only thing i can keep down up to an hour after.
If I recall correctly, Powerbars contain some protein. This will slow down your digestive processes and your absorprtion of the carbs and water. Powerbars, and other energy bars of this ilk, are made to be eaten after the work-out. There are energy gels, which contain only carbs, to be used while running. They have to be ingested with water. I would not ingest anything other than carbs or water before a work-out, except for bananas. I find that I can digest bananas even before a race with no problem. YMMV.
BTW, the protein in these energy bars are very helpful after a work-out. It was once thought that all you needed after a work-out were carbs and water, but it has been found that protein also aids recovery.
Depends what kind of workout and how long. If I go on a long bike ride I have no problem eating one during the ride. Try different variations and see what works best.
Personally I’d go with Cliff bars instead, taste a hell of a lot better.
Generally, if you are sticking to a fairly well balanced diet, it doesn’t matter when you eat the power bar, unless it bothers your digestion at particular times.
Some people avoid eating 30-90 mins before strenuous exercise, because it works for them - makes them feel better.
If you work out in the evening, what you had much earlier in the day might have more impact that something you ate just a few hours earlier.
So, recovery shouldn’t be such a big deal when you are eating balanced meals regularly…you’re body will hardly need the Powerbar immediately.
Some things that are most time-sensitive are food the body breaks down rapidly and doesn’t store well, and they include things like ‘simple refined sugars’, like fructose - the processed sugars found in candy and fruit drinks. You body breaks them down so fast that you shouldn’t eat them when you anticipate being sedintary for the next 2-4 hours.
If your diet consists of food broken down in accordance with the ‘food pyramid’, you don’t have to worry about timing your carb intake versus your fat/protein intake, because complex carbs from veggies/pastas/grains/etc (and to a lesser extent, the natural sugars in fruits) will be stored efficiently and hang around for you to make use of them. Protein and Fat will hang around too, so post-work out time isn’t the only time you can get nutrition to repair and recover. The bulk of those supplies will be from food you ate much earlier in the day and the day before…maybe even the day before that as well.
Fructose is not a simple sugar. It is composed of two sugars. It takes longer for the body to break it down, to use the glucose it contains. That is why this is not supposed to be as bad a sugar as glucose for diabetics. I know that many sports drinks contain fructose, but to the extent that they do, they are not that beneficial for quick energy.
Further, studies have demonstrated that a ration of 1:4 protein to glucose after a run hastens recovery. Your diet is immaterial to that consideration.
The best tasting ones are they Luna bars. They are “made for women,” but what the hell does that mean? I’ll lose my facial hair after eating a few dozen over the course of the year?
:o This is wrong. It is a simple sugar. Nonetheless, it does take longer to digest, according to some sources. Dr. Mirkin says, based on studies, that it doesn’t take longer to absorb since it is immediately converted into glucose. http://www.drmirkin.com/fitness/9062.html
No matter when you eat your Power Bar, make sure to drink plenty of water with it. Otherwise it’ll feel like a brick in your stomach. Those things take a lot of water to digest.
Clif Bars are better.