Optimal Nutrient Timing Windows - Luke Holstead

Nutrient ~ is a chemical that an organism needs to live and grow or a substance used in an organism's metabolism which must be taken in from its environment. They are used to build and repair tissues, regulate body processes and are converted to and used as energy.

Timing ~ the time when something happens or the spacing of events in time.

Nutrient timing ~ a sports dieting concept that incorporates time as the missing dimension in superior muscular development. Proper nutrient timing takes into account two dimensions that directly correlate to performance: 1) the consumption of the substrates in ideal proportions and 2) the timing between exogenous fuelling and exercise. When the right substrates are present at the ideal times, the result is superior performance and growth.

With all schools of thought changing faster than ever regarding diets to bulk, cut, perform and wellbeing. One thing that will always remain the same are macro nutrients; protein, carbs and fat aren’t going to change and almost every aspect of them are needed by the body to perform its natural functions, unless of course you are Heston Blumenthal.

The human body as evolved as it is has the main function to survive and adapt to any situation which is thrown at it, clever thing this body.

But of course its survival mechanism can be abused and hypothetically destroyed.

The body is a complex labyrinth with plenty of twists and turns that are designed to trap you if you abuse the maze, but if you’re willing to help the maze it will reward you with gifts a plenty in terms of body composition.

Your body the machine, needs energy to perform; the simplest form of energy is glycogen. Glycogen is carbs that are stored in the muscles, there stored as sugar merely for fuel for the body. Once the tank is full up a signal is sent from the brain giving the body the nod to use all incoming carbs for energy and not for storage, as a result the body stops burning fat and starts to hoard as much of it as possible (especially if the energy is not expanded).

Fat also has its own sugar store, but with the fat stores they are able to expand with the extra flow of carbs ingested, however the glycogen stored in muscles isn’t able to expand and actually spills over. Easiest way to picture this is by imaging your body as a car, it’s a sporty 2000cc with a 60 litre petrol tank capacity, and you stand there with the highest octane fuel you can get and stick in 80 litres, which of course is spat back out of the engine and onto your high tops. Now a car is a contained unit, the body is not so what doesn’t fit in your muscle reserve will in fact spill over, causing sugar to build up in the bloodstream. Chronically high blood sugar damages your heart, brain, kidneys and eyes. In a body composition view overflow generally goes to your liver where it is then converted into a blood fat “Triglycerides”, once sugar has become a triglyceride it can then be stored as fat.

This all seems to be very negative on the body, but with certain manipulation and using the hints and tips that our labyrinth has designed into it you can reach the end save the baby and give David Bowie a SPUD on exit.

So knowing what happens when we over fill our energy reserves, we can use this aid to superior development of ourselves. Muscle glycogen levels will be low at certain times; the common 2 are after a brief fasting period of being asleep and that after training. And this is the times you can take advantage.

Your body’s insulin levels rise whenever blood sugar rises; insulins major role is to move glucose from the blood stream into the muscle cells. Once in your muscles glucose can either be burned as a fuel or stored as glycogen for later use. As soon as insulin has filled up your bodies stores your body enters an anabolic growth window for both your muscle stores and your fat stores, which is great for your guns but not amazing for your gut. The body seals a guarantee that it won’t burn either stores for energy.

With your stores all full up, if you give the body more carbs than it can actually instantly burn it will make the choice for you to convert the excess glucose to fat, diverting it away from muscle cells and into fat cells. (Remember there is no overspill from fat cells they just expand).

Knowing that insulin is geared towards growth you can trick the body into doing what you want it to do. Low glycogen levels change how your body deals with insulin. When your body is in a low glycogen state there is a change in the body’s response to insulin when carbs are inserted. The none the wiser insulin still puts your body in a growth phase but as there is no overflow so all is shuttled towards your muscle cells and the insulin no longer blocks the body’s ability to burn fat. Insulin prioritises refilling your glycogen stores as number 1 priority. (Again protecting itself in case of any emergency energy expenditure.) This is an important window for optimal body composition, ignored and fat takes the old adage of “you save it faster if you don’t spend it”…

To get your body in the perfect position to grow muscle and destroy fat you need “well timed carbs”, if you eat carbs when the glycogen is full you will stop burning fat and start to store it, however if you consume carbs when glycogen is low you will build muscle and burn fat simultaneously. Muscle cells lack the enzyme “glucose-6-phosphatase” which is required to pass glucose into the blood, so what they store they keep unlike the liver (ultimately what shares the glycogen out) that breaks it down and sends it to the brain and bloodstream.

To be in a negative glycogen balance or at least empty you need to expend the storage you already have. Sowindow number one will be upon waking up, you’ve been fasting for around 8 hours without consumption of any macronutrients but your bodily functions have still required energy to function, so your first meal will need to contain carbs, protein and fats. Protein and fats should remain constant in any diet or lifestyle you have, which will be dependent upon goal. For fat loss terms I'd aim for 48% or your basal metabolic rate plus activity multiplier from protein, fat should be around 20% and carbs will be the remaining 32%. proteins and fats will stay constant in every meal. If you have 6 meals then each meal will contain the same amount of protein and fats. Carbs are adjusted to when they are needed the most. Like I’ve said anything not used is stored so is senseless in consuming too much throughout the day.

The carbs you take in will be around windows of opportunity when glycogen is low, so that they are utilised and not stored. Your brain itself needs around 30g of carbs to function and stay healthy as well as setting you up for the day; from your allowance you need 95% of those carbs at the appropriate windows daily. For breakfast aim to have 15% of your daily carb intake, this will be suffienct for the brain to remain functional and for insulin to carry to your muscle reserve.

The next important window is around training, whether its weight training or cardio vascular training your body is going to expend energy and leave your fuel tanks empty. Spiking your body here is the most important window you have. From your 32% daily intake of carbs take 35% of them 1 hour to half an hour before you start to train, during your training aim to take another 20% of your carbs and finally post workout (within one hour) a good spike of insulin can be the difference maker in your body composition so aim for 25%.

Glycogen again is carbs, which are turned to sugar as an energy source, if you’re not expending energy you don’t need them. But on energy burning activities you do need them to keep you from entering a catabolic state.

Meal options again dependant on the windows that are open for you, upon waking its advisable to take in slow acting carbs such as oats, they will fill the muscle stores and give you the energy you need to take on the day ahead. Mixing up a protein shake and pouring this on the dry oats instead of water makes this quite an easy window to take advantage off.


You pre training window is slightly more complex in terms of foods, again you want foods that substane their energy for longer periods of time so a wholemeal rice or sweet potato option is suited again with your choice of protein from meats, fish or eggs. During your workout there are carb loading drinks which you can drink whilst you train or perhaps an easier option is to nibble bananas throughout your workout. Post workout you want to get the glycogen stores to fill rapidily with insulins help, again can be a hearty meal of rice/sweet potatoes and meat/fish, a mass gainer protein shake (purely for the carb intake), or if you used a intra workout blend then save your bananas for post workout with your shake.

Straight after your workout I would purposely give yourself a spike from an energy drink or fruit flavoured drink, insulin will come rushing to find its new friends and when it gets there it will be confronted by your post workout meal which it will guide right to your muscle stores. Post workout meals can be faster acting foods as they will be more readily used by the body to fill muscle glycogen stores.

For optimal gains in fat reduction, muscle building and body composition take advantage of what body you’re is doing and telling you, your best guide is your body. Use the windows and make the body work for you. Remember the labyrinth always has an exit!

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