I have always been under the idea that a shake (protein and carbs) is good post workout. Recently I have spoken with a trainer (trains olympic athelets and has a phd in the field as well), who said that its best to not have anything other than water for the first 45 minutes after a workout. Said that your body can only produce IGH or something twice a day, one being after a workout and the other being when your in a deep sleep. It has something to do with the meal/shake post workout creating an insulin spike which inturn will hurt your gains.

Anyone ever heard of this?? Know where I can find more on it?

TIA

never heard that. it definitely goes against all other conventional wisdom, studies, etc.

I'd ask that trainer to cite his sources/studies.

This is all I have found thus far. I will ask him for sources next time I see him.

Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Fu-Jen Catholic University, Taipei, Taiwan 242, ROC.

We previously found that the exercise-induced elevation in GLUT4 mRNA of rat muscle can be rapidly down-regulated when glucose is given immediately following exercise. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of postexercise carbohydrate diet on GLUT4 and hexokinase (HK) II mRNA levels in the human skeletal muscle. Eight untrained male subjects (age, 20.7+/-3.1 years) exercised for 60 min on a cycle ergometer at a 70-75% maximal oxygen consumption. The postexercise dietary treatment was performed in a crossover design. Immediately after the exercise, a diet with 70% carbohydrate content (1 g per kilogram of body weight; 356+/-19.8 kcal) was given to half of the subjects (eaten in 10 min) followed by a 3-h recovery, while the control subjects remained unfed for 3 h. Biopsies were performed on the deep portion of the vastus lateralis muscle of all subjects immediately after the exercise and 3 h after the carbohydrate ingestion. Blood glucose and serum insulin concentrations were measured every 30 min for 3 h. At the end of the 3-h recovery, blood glucose and serum insulin levels were not different from control levels, indicating that the oral carbohydrate was mostly disposed in the body within 3 h. In addition, GLUT4 and HK II mRNA levels were significantly lowered in the exercised human skeletal muscle in subjects receiving the carbohydrate diet. In conclusion, the present study demonstrates that GLUT4 mRNA and HK II mRNA in the exercised human skeletal muscle were significantly lowered by a high-carbohydrate diet.

If I understand that study right, then it means 3 hours after training, with or without post workout supplement your glucose/insulin will be the same. If you do have a post workout carbohydrate then your natural growth hormone wont be as high as not having nothing at all.