Maximize Your Progress With The Right Post-Workout Meal

After giving 100% of your effort in the gym, you need to make sure you're doing everything possible to turn that effort into success. You've put in the hard work and broken those muscle tissues down, so now you want to provide them with the essential nutrients they need to get stronger again.

If you fail to feed your body properly immediately after the workout, you won't recover as quickly nor will you build muscle at the rate you could. A good post-workout meal will take your results to a whole new level, so it's something that must not be missed.

Here is what you must know about your post-workout meal.

Combine Simple With Complex Carbohydrates

One mistake that some people make with their post-workout meal for building muscle is only utilizing simple carbohydrates. It's true that these are the primary type of carbohydrates you want as they will boost your insulin levels, which then drives the nutrients immediately into the muscle cells where they will be converted and stored as muscle glycogen.

The problem with only including simple carbohydrates however is that right after these carbohydrates are sucked up into the muscles, you're going to be left with very low blood sugar levels. A better approach is to add a few slower digesting carbohydrates into the shake so that you get a slower decline in your blood sugar levels as these take longer to digest.

For example, in your post-workout shake you could combine dextrose, which is one of the most common simple carbohydrates to use, along with a quarter to half a cup of raw oats. These mix up nicely in a shake and will release over a longer period of time.

Use A Whey Isolate Powder

The next important thing you should be doing as you prepare your post-workout shake is make sure that you're using the right protein powder. Many people invest in a protein powder thinking that should do the trick perfectly.

What they fail to realize is that not all protein powders are created equally. Some protein powders are specifically designed to be released in the body over a very long period of time, so these will not be at all ideal.

Similar to the carbohydrate content, you want the protein in your post-workout meal to be digesting rapidly as well so those hungry muscles will get the amino acids they need immediately for maximal recovery.

Whey isolate (also sometimes referred to as hydrosolate) powders will be taken up by the muscle cells almost instantly upon consumption, so that's what you must go with here. The protein powder that should be avoided is the casein variety as that's the one that has a slower release formula.

Getting this protein powder correct can make a significant difference in your recovery rates, so it's not something to overlook. Usually you can find isolates in a variety of price ranges, so there should be no reason to use an incorrect protein powder.

Avoid Dietary Fat

Finally, it's important that you make a solid effort to avoid taking in any dietary fat during the post-workout period. Since dietary fat is the slowest macronutrient to be digested in the body, it's going to directly oppose the exact process we're going for with the above two points.

You want your post workout meal to get digested immediately upon consumption, so if dietary fat is included, you're halting the process. Even as few as five grams of fat in this meal can have an impact, so really be careful.

There are plenty of carbohydrate choices available that are completely fat free such as dextrose, maltodextrine, waxy maize, white rice, or high glycemic cereals, so it's quite easy to avoid taking in fat. Waxy maize is one carbohydrate that's especially easy on the stomach as well, so if you've had issues in the past with feeling unwell after taking your post-workout shake, that's one source you should strongly consider.

Be sure to also check your protein powder too as some of those can get slightly higher in fat content depending on the brand. Try and find a powder that keeps the total fat per serving to under two grams.

Carbohydrate Load During This Period

Finally, the last piece of advice is to make sure that you're really loading up on carbohydrates. Don't be scared to put a good 100 grams or more during this period. Remember, it's the total calorie level you take in at the end of the day that determines whether you stay lean while building muscle, so as long as that's in line, all those carbohydrates during the post-workout meal will not turn into body fat.

More importantly, since your body is in its most anabolic state immediately after a workout since it's rapidly trying to recover and build new muscle tissue, it only makes sense to really push the carbohydrate intake high at this time.

Utilizing that 'post-workout window of opportunity' can take your results to a whole new level so make certain you're not holding back here because of fear of fat gain. This window will last for approximately thirty to sixty minutes immediately after the workout is completed, so that's when to get this shake or meal in.

So be sure you're keeping all of these points in mind as you create your post-workout meal to fill this time period. Remember, while a shake does tend to be preferable as these are digested more quickly in the body, it's not absolutely necessary. If you're someone who prefers not to use protein powder, consider another fast digesting, fat-free protein source such as egg whites or white fish and combine that with your carbohydrate sources for your meal. You'll still get all the benefits and ensure that you come back to your next workout stronger than you were at your last.