How To Make The Perfect Post-Workout Meal.
It’s debated what the most important meal of the day is. The most important meal is the post-workout meal if you work out and are looking to achieve a physical transformation, improve strength and muscle composition. That is the most impactful meal toward that end.
We must understand first that your muscles don’t grow in the gym. They grow from rest and recovery. Your workout creates demand for growth. Once the demand is there, it is the rest, healing, and the physical sustenance your muscles absorb that make it grow.
You go to the gym, and you kill it in your workout. You’re exhausted, and you did it right. How do you make the most out of it? When your body is in this state, it has a strong demand for sustenance and nutrition, and this is your golden opportunity to make it grow. You have 45 minutes to absorb the nourishment your body wants to use right away. Notice that I said absorb, meaning digested and absorbed into the muscle, not just eaten. I will get into how to do just that. And how to make the optimized post-workout I have seen work best.
MAKE A LIQUID MEAL
Yes, you want to make a liquid meal because solid food isn’t absorbed fast enough. As an analogy, let’s say you have construction workers who are ready to build. You must supply them with the materials before they leave. So it is with your muscles when there is demand for growth and recovery. When the muscle fibers get shredded up, you must supply them with the materials they are demanding. The sooner, the better. That is the Demand vs. Supply principle. Let’s dive into the materials you need.
WHEY PROTEIN ISOLATE
Protein is a primary component of your muscles, hair, skin, and nails. Vital for muscle repair. When it comes to the post-workout, you want to have Whey Isolate Protein powder specifically. Isolate is the fastest absorbing protein. Take 0.25 grams per pound of bodyweight because this is the maximum the body can use right after the workout. For example, if you are 200 pounds, you will use 50 grams. A typical scoop contains 25–30 grams, and you will use the number of scoops accordingly.
DEXTROSE(GLUCOSE)
The idea of taking sugar in its fastest absorbing form will go contrary to conventional wisdom, which says that you want complex carbs because those are the “good” carbs. However, post-workout is the opposite. Good is bad and bad is good because there is an immediate demand for this macronutrient. You want to use simple carbs (glucose) with Dextrose. Taking straight glucose is the fastest way to replenish your glycogen stores. The dosage is higher than your protein. You are looking at .4-.732 grams per pound of bodyweight for maximum absorption. That’s 80–146 grams for a 200lb individual. With 10 grams per tablespoon, that is roughly 8–15 tablespoons. Sixteen tablespoons make 1 cup.
CREATINE
Many people think you need to do this whole cycle with creatine where you start with a high dose and gradually decrease, but you don’t. Again it is about the supply vs. demand principle. You are timing the recommended dosage when the body has a use for it. That is up to 5 grams before the workout and 5 grams after the workout. It is more important to take a serving after the workout.
Creatine will help to bring energy to the muscles and speed the growth. Take it in powder form. Drink it as soon as you add it to your shake. The longer it sits in liquid, the less potent it becomes. Any drink you see on the market that has creatine only uses it as a gimmick because it’s completely useless.
L-GLUTAMINE
L-Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid present in your body. L-Glutamine helps with muscle building, fights inflammation, and decreases recovery time. It is also known to help strengthen your immune system, brain function, intestinal performance, bowel function, cardiac function, and much more. Take 5–10 grams as part of the post-workout.
HMB
HMB is a derivative of the amino acid L-Leucine. HMB is used to preserve muscle tissue. HMB has an anti-catabolic effect, meaning that it acts as an ozone layer keeping your body from using muscle as an energy source. Your body won’t use muscle as an energy source. It instead uses energy from elsewhere, such as fat. Take 1 gram or about a teaspoon for an adequate serving.
SUMMARY
Have the supplements listed in powder form instead of capsules. Mix them with water in either a shaker bottle or blender to ensure the fastest absorption and maximum potency. I recommend 10oz of water. Make sure you have enough water that it’s drinkable. Do not take any supplements in pill form because that will slow down the speed of digestion. The goal is for your body to maximize absorption. Delivering the formula as a liquid meal decreases absorption time, making your body work less in breaking it down.
Here is the simplified version of the formula that I believe achieves this end. Keep in mind to only take this stack after an intense workout. Otherwise, your body won’t have adequate demand. It will not be healthy because it has no use. Your blood sugar will likely spike to unhealthy levels, and the sustenance will go to fat. Talk about a waste of nutrition and money! Remember the Supply vs. Demand principle and let that be your guide.
Whey Isolate Protein: 0.25 grams per pound of body weight.
DEXTROSE(GLUCOSE) 0.4–0.732 grams per pound of body weight.
CREATINE POWDER: 5 grams before and 5 grams after the workout
L-Glutamine Powder: 5–10 grams
HMB: 1–2 grams.
OPTIONAL BONUS: 5–10 grams of Essential Amino Acids(EAA)
Just get basic ingredients and go by the supply vs. demand principle. For me, this has saved me time, effort, and money. There is a lot of misinformation in the fitness industry and a ton of companies trying to persuade you that their way or product is the best one.
In my opinion, it is a waste of time looking at all the different post-workout drinks and supplements offered on the market. I have listed all you need for muscle recovery. If you want to stack more supplements, make sure it’s in powder or liquid form. If you have capsules, I’d suggest removing the capsule and dump out the supplement it contains. You can add anything useful for recovery in the mix. But the ingredients I have mentioned should be the foundation.
Do your research instead of being hyped by the industry. I have noticed that I recover faster and seen improvements with muscle gain using this formula with my personal experience.
