The post-workout
period is without a doubt the most critical
time to take advantage of proper muscle-building
nutrition. We’ll define the post
workout period as the 3 hours that immediately
follows an intense workout. It is during
this time when the body is most primed
for nutrient absorption and the muscles
will literally act like a sponge, soaking
up everything you present them with.
By feeding your body
with the proper nutrients from both
whole foods and supplements during this
all-too important time frame you will
greatly increase your muscle gains and
improve your recovery time.
Let’s take a quick
look at what needs to be accomplished
after an intense workout:
1) Muscle breakdown
must be minimized and the body must
be put back into an anabolic, muscle-building
state.
2) Blood sugar and glycogen
levels must be restored.
3) Free radicals must
be neutralized.
4) The muscles must
be fed with proper nutrients to facilitate
recovery and growth.
This can be accomplished
by consuming 2 special “post-workout
meals”.
The first meal should
be consumed entirely in liquid form.
Your body is in a high state of stress,
literally starving for nutrients, and
you need to replenish this imbalance
in the fastest way possible. A liquid
meal will be digested quicker than any
other and will allow your body to start
rebuilding itself immediately.
This post-workout shake
should ideally contain the following:
1) 30-40 grams of whey
protein.
2) 70-80 grams of simple sugar. (Dextrose
is a great sugar to use)
3) 5 grams of creatine.
4) 5 grams of glutamine.
All of these ingredients
should be mixed in water and consumed
within half an hour of completing your
workout. I would also suggest taking
a high-potency multivitamin along with
the shake. This simple liquid meal will
go a long way in accelerating the muscle
growth process and helping you to recover.
About 45 minutes to
an hour after your post-workout shake,
you should consume your second post-workout
meal, which should come from whole foods.
This meal should be rich in protein
and high glycemic carbohydrates.
High glycemic carbohydrates
are those that are broken down rapidly
into the bloodstream. Some examples
include, potatoes, white rice or rice
cakes. Here are a couple of examples
of what your second post-workout meal
might look like:
1) 6oz steak, 1 potato,
1 glass of orange juice
2) 1 can of tuna, 100g rice cakes, 1
glass of grapefruit juice
This meal will continue
to provide your starving muscles with
the nutrients they require in order
to synthesize new muscle tissue and
restore glycogen levels. After this
second meal there is still about 2 hours
or so to take advantage of as best you
can.Your goal in this 3-hour window
is to consume as much high quality protein
and high glycemic carbohydrates as you
can.
Most lifters highly
underestimate the value of the post-workout
period and hinder their gains as a result.
One of the biggest mistakes you could
possibly make would be to ignore the
value of this 3-hour period and to slack
off on your protein and carb intake.
Treat the post-workout
period with respect and prepare for
a noticeable boost in your muscle size
and strength gains.
There are also 3 other
highly important times throughout the
day to pay special attention to the
foods and supplements that you consume.
Visit my website by clicking the link
below to find out what they are, and
how to properly approach these periods
for the best possible results...