Why You Shouldn’t Eat a Big Mac after Today’s Workout

The headlines are stupid enough to make your eyes burn.
“Fast Food or Vitamins After a Workout? It’s a Tossup, Study Says.”
“Need to Recover After a Workout? Eat a Cheeseburger.”
“Burgers and Fries Might Actually Be Healthy for Your Muscles.”
They’re all based on a small study in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, which involved neither vitamins nor cheeseburgers.
Researchers at the University of Montana set out to study a real problem: how to replenish your body’s supply of glycogen, the storage form of carbohydrate, after a long run, ride, or hike.
Our bodies use a mix of fat and glycogen for energy, and most of us could go days without running out of fat. But glycogen is more precious. You have about 500 grams in your muscles and 100 grams in your liver, along with a tiny amount of glucose in your blood. That’s about 2,400 calories’ worth of energy, and it can be drained during long, exhausting exercise. (Speaking of exhausting exercise, check out 10 Exercises That Burn More Calories Than Running.)
Now, if you’ve ever seen a Gatorade commercial, or stepped inside a GNC, or seen the ads in a magazine like Men’s Health or Runner’s World, you know that a lot of companies create and market a lot of products designed to facilitate this process.
That’s where the study started: Their 11 subjects, all recreational athletes, fasted for 12 hours, then pedaled bikes for 90 minutes, with the goal of using up about 75 percent of their glycogen stores.
They were then given two meals in the next two hours. Some got a mix of commercial sports-nutrition products. Others got fast food from McDonald’s. They ended up with equal calories and the same mix of macronutrients—carbs (about 70 percent of total calories), fat, and protein. (See box.)

The study’s headline finding was that fast food facilitated glycogen recovery just as well as sports supplements. The subjects all performed equally well on a 20k (12.4  mile) cycling time trial four hours after they finished the first exercise bout, and two hours after eating the second meal.
The big lesson, says Brent Ruby, PhD, one of the study’s authors, is that “macronutrients are macronutrients.” Your body doesn’t know the difference between fast-acting carbs in soda, pancakes, or a hamburger bun vs. fast-acting carbs in Gatorade or a Clif Bar. Hungry muscles soak them right up.
“The same results would be likely if you provided food items from Whole Foods or any farmer’s market,” he told us in an email. “What we hope to get across is that recovery nutrition need not be overly complicated, and can include many diverse and unexpected macronutrient choices.”
Pretty straightforward, right? If you’re an endurance athlete, or an outdoorsman like Ruby, and you’re regularly depleting your glycogen stores, it’s useful to know you have a lot of ways to refuel. Sports drinks and bars work fine, but so does anything that’s relatively high in carbs and low in protein, fat, and fiber, which would slow down digestion.
But that’s not how the study has been covered in the media.
Consider this paragraph from the Washington Post:
“[The study] casts doubt on a multi-billion-dollar industry of sports supplements. Imagine Michael Jordan chugging Cheez Whiz instead of Gatorade in commercials. Or cyclists chowing down on cheeseburgers during the Tour de France.”
Except Cheez Whiz is two-thirds fat, and doesn’t resemble any of the high-carb foods in the study.
Then there’s this, from vice.com:
“So the next time you come home sweat-drenched and cursing the name of the person who invented the kettlebell, take solace in the fact that eating a burger might be no worse for you than a pea protein shake.”
As Ruby told us, “These results are specific to glycogen recovery.” Protein synthesis following a strength workout is a completely different issue, which this study didn’t address.
But the biggest head-scratcher was the first sentence of a Thrillist article (with the headline “Science Insists Fast Food Is the Perfect Post-Workout Meal”), illustrated with a photo of a McDouble cheeseburger: “The overly eager cashier at GNC will probably tell you that MuscleFreak Alpha capsules are the best thing for you after a visit to the gym, but a new study suggests a Big Mac might be just as good.”
In one sentence, the writer managed to mischaracterize every aspect of the study. It was specific to long-distance endurance training, not a gym workout. It didn’t compare amino-acid pills to fast food. And it didn’t include a Big Mac, which all by itself has as much protein as the two meals combined, along with about three-quarters of the fat. It’s a terrible choice for anyone, in any context, unless you happen to stumble across one while on the brink of starvation.
The other implication from media reports is that supplements are more expensive than fast food, and that supplement companies are bigger and thus greedier than other food companies.
The cost is a wash. I added up the price of the supplements in the first meal and compared them to the breakfast items at McDonald’s. (I used average McDonald’s prices in Pennsylvania, where I live.) The supplements were $5.24, vs. $5.46 for the fast food.
The biggest difference is that the supplements are less convenient. You’d have to buy them in bigger quantities, and if you got them online, you’d probably have to factor in shipping costs.
As for the size factor, it’s true that Gatorade is a billion-dollar brand. It’s owned by PepsiCo, which has a market cap north of $140 billion. Other massive companies, like Coca-Cola and GlaxoSmithKline, sell sports-nutrition products. But it’s hard to cast McDonald’s, with a market cap over $90 billion, as the little guy.
They’re all huge, and when it comes to nutrition, they’re all in the same business: convincing you to buy and consume their products.
The new study shows one simple fact: When you need to refuel in a hurry after a long, draining workout, it doesn’t matter if the carbs come in a sleek plastic bottle or a cheap paper bag. You have lots of ways to get what you need, when you need it. And even more ways to get more than you need.

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4 Ways to Become a Pullup Powerhouse

The pullup is 

one of the best training movements you can do. It’s unparalleled for building grip, upper-body, and core strength, and should be a staple in your routine.

Your goal: five pullups with perfect form. That’s a solid standard for most men. Once you can perform five, load up the movement instead of increasing the number of reps. The reason: After a certain age, the pullup can cause elbow pain when you perform a high number of them. We refer to it as Middle Age Pullup Syndrome or MAPS.

Not at five yet? Let’s get you there. Add the following four things to your workout routine to help you conquer the move once and for all. (Oh, and when I ask if you’re at 5 yet, I’m talking about 5 serious pullups.)

Master the Bottom of the Pullup
Gray Cook, P.T., founder of the Functional Movement System, told me that if you own the bottom of the pullup (the straight-arm hang) and if you own the top of the pullup (the bent-arm hold), then your body will figure out the middle part.

You need to be able to hang from a bar long enough to perform 5 pullups. So grab the bar and hang. If you can’t do this for at least 30 seconds, your grip isn’t strong enough.

Do this every day. In fact, do this every day until the Angel of Death visits you. Then work your way up to hanging for a minute. The extra time will help you reach your pullup goal. Once you can hang from both arms for a minute, hang from only one arm.

Master the Top of the Pullup
Now jump up and hold your chin above the pullup bar as long as you can. You can use any grip you want—palms facing you or palms facing away from you. Practice this until you can hold it for a minute with no wiggling.

(From top to bottom, here’s The Right Way to Do a Pullup.)

Roll Out Your Abs
If there’s one “secret” to the pullup, it’s to show up with an amazing set of abs.

In my gym, we mix in reps of the ab wheel rollout with the pullup. You’ll notice that the rollout looks like a pullup on the floor. It mimics the same feeling in your core—tight, braced abs—that you get when you perform a pullup on the bar.

Plus, the ab wheel rollout is easy on your elbows. Switching between the ab wheel and the pullup will decrease your risk of injury.

Practice the Pullup
Once you become proficient in the three things above, it’s time to start practicing pullups. The following routine is based on the idea of the Russian Fighters’ Pullup Program from Pavel Tsatsouline, cofounder of StrongFirst, Inc., which involves sneaking up your number of reps.

Do it: Perform the designated sets of pullups throughout your workout for each day. I suggest doing a couple sets after your warmup, and then a couple more after your hip and leg session. You don’t have to do the days consecutively. Start with three a week. It should take you about a month to complete.

At the end of the program, rest for a few days and then test your max. I guarantee you’ll blow past 5 reps. When you do, add more load and repeat the program again. (Remember, we want to protect those elbows.)

Day 1: 3 pullups, 2 pullups, 1 pullup, 1pullup
Day 2: 3, 2, 1, 1
Day 3: 3, 2, 2, 1
Day 4: 3, 3, 2, 1
Day 5: 4, 3, 2, 1
Day 6: Off
Day 7: 4, 3, 2, 1, 1
Day 8: 4, 3, 2, 2, 1
Day 9: 4, 3, 3, 2, 1
Day 10: 4, 4, 3, 2, 1
Day 11: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Day 12: Off

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Find the Right Workout for Your Mood

We men don't think of ourselves as moody. Except maybe if our favorite sports team makes a nonsensical trade, and it feels like a personal betrayal. But of course we have more moods than that. And those moods—such as being mad, frustrated, nervous, or even ecstatic—can alter more than your mind. They can affect your muscles.
What you're feeling can make you put less into your workout, or cause you to skip it altogether. But those same moods can be used to help your lifting session.
How? Most strong emotions—anger, anxiety, frustration—cause your adrenal glands to release adrenaline and more than 30 other hormones into your system.
"This hormonal surge causes your heart to beat faster, relaxes your bronchial tubes to improve breathing, converts fat and protein into extra blood sugar, and even slows down your digestion to improve muscular energy," says Richard Marsella, Ph.D., author of Welcome to Stress Management. "Whether you feel like exercising or not, your body is already getting a temporary boost that could enhance your workouts."
No matter how you feel, you can make the most of your workout—and even use it to improve your mood. (Even something as simple as Changing the Way You Walk Can Make You Happier.) Research suggests that exercise releases neurochemicals that function as antidepressants, stress relievers, and energy stimulators.
The key is to mix and match moods with methods, so you can choose the right workout for your muscles when something else is on your mind.
When You're Angry
A chewing-out by the boss may seem like the perfect reason to drive past the gym and head straight to the bar. But you can use that anger to your advantage.
"Being mad can cause men to feel stronger than usual," says Mike Huff, C.S.C.S., coordinator of sports performance at the Michael W. Krzyzewski Human Performance Lab at Duke medical center.
Go heavy. Being angry elicits the greatest fight-or-flight response from your body, so you can use that hormonal surge for more strength.
"If you're naturally in that zone from anger, you may be able to use the same adrenaline spike that's already occurring to push your muscles to new levels," Huff says. Instead of rotating through a lot of different exercises, pick two or three compound moves like bench presses, shoulder presses, deadlifts, or squats. Add extra sets of each one, increasing the weight with each set. Just be sure to maintain good form so you don't get hurt.
When You're Happy
A bonus, a homecoming win, or the christening of your new box spring gives you the perfect excuse to raise your hands in victory—and then go to the gym.
Feeling great about something "gives most people a higher sense of self-efficacy than they usually feel," says Ted Butryn, Ph.D., an assistant professor of sports psychology and sociology at San Jose State University. It might be a good time to raise the bar even higher.
Do everything on one leg. "Being happy places you in a mindset of feeling better than average physically," says Butryn. "That makes it the ideal time to experiment with advanced exercises that may be perfect for breaking you out of an exercise rut."
So try all your upper-body dumbbell exercises standing on one leg, or perform exercises while sitting on a stability ball. It'll give your body a break from your usual moves, while helping you improve muscles you don't normally work.
When You're Frustrated
A dead-end job, your team's last-second loss, or the kids' inability to get lemonade from point A (pitcher) to point B (glass) can put your brain in a neural demolition derby.
"There's something in your life that you can't seem to accomplish because of outside factors or the limits of your own abilities," says Butryn. Taking that mood to the gym, where success is measured by numbers, can be disastrous, so try other tactics.
Switch the order. Reversing the order in which you do your exercises may seem counterproductive, but it could give you a psychological boost. (Want a workout that breaks all the rules? Try The Anarchy Workout—one guy lost 18.6 pounds of fat in just six weeks!)
"Starting your routine with isolation exercises [like dumbbell curls] that you usually do after your muscles are exhausted makes it easier to use more weight during those exercises," says Bell. "This changeup can leave you feeling stronger than usual, giving you the psychological boost you may need to keep exercising that day."
When You're Bummed
Exercising releases a fair amount of endorphins that can pull you out of a funk, but depression and mental exhaustion are the hardest moods to overcome—in terms of getting to the gym in the first place.
"You feel less interested in everything, which can make blowing off exercise that much easier to do," says Huff.
Schedule just 15 minutes. Mentally preparing yourself to do only 15 minutes can help you through long workouts.
"It takes at least that long for the endorphins to do their job," says Huff. "After 15 minutes, you'll likely feel better and go ahead and do the full workout—but you'll have the freedom to go and stretch if you want."
When You're Nervous
Men get nervous for all kinds of reasons—before a speech, a putt, or a pickup line. Depending on the situation, nervousness can come from positive or negative factors, so adjust your workouts accordingly.
Use the treadmill. If you're trying to reduce anxiety, you may want to stay away from the weights. "Research has shown that weight lifting can sometimes elevate anxiety levels for as long as 1 hour afterward," says Johnsgard, "whereas aerobic exercise can lower anxiety levels way below their baseline."
Another way it helps: clearing your mind. "Not having to be too creative about your exercise will leave you more time to think through whatever's causing you that anxiety," says Marsella.
(Here's more good news. There's growing evidence that Exercise Really Does Fight Depression.)
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