How important is carbs after a workout?

[kloan]

Reason I ask is cuz I'm trying to follow the 'no carbs after 6pm' thing, but some days I do my work outs later in the day.... well passed the cut off. So I always have a PWO shake, then a meal... but if I'm cuttin carbs after 6pm, is it ok to not have carbs after my workout?

[gustavo77]

Yes it is ok. Carbs taken immediately post workout will be used to replenish glycogen stores in the muscle and liver. Very little if any will be turned into fat but you will want to keep the carbs reasonable. Like 40-50g of high-glycemic carbs, max.

[5151]

Reason I ask is cuz I'm trying to follow the 'no carbs after 6pm' thing, but some days I do my work outs later in the day.... well passed the cut off. So I always have a PWO shake, then a meal... but if I'm cuttin carbs after 6pm, is it ok to not have carbs after my workout?

Carbs in your pwo shake are fine and recommended if you are not going to be eating carbs again until you wake up the next day. Carbs after 6pm only has legitimacy if you don't count calories in which case it could be a good preventative measure from over eating in the evenings, something which is very common for those who don't have their meals planned out or aren't accounting for calories.

[kloan]

Cool, thanks guys! :)