Post Workout Nutrition: Following the Right Regime

Everyone in the bodybuilding world knows that nutrition has a very powerful impact on the workout itself and the results of working out. How many times have you heard “you are what you eat” phrase? Hundreds of times, thousand times? Still don’t believe it? Well I guess it is about time that you take it seriously, and understand once and for all that what you eat before, during and post workout defines the outcome of the exercises, and helps you meet your goals faster, or prevents you from reaching them. Here it is what it is all about.

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Post Workout Nutrition – Carbs before the exercise, carbs after the exercise

Before

There are many questions regarding carbs, among which are concerns about carbs making people fat, carbs being useless and similar claims. Few things which everyone should know are: Carbohydrates are body’s main and preferred fuel source. This means that in order for the body to survive the day filled with exercising, it needs the energy for it, and this is where carbs come in. They are best when taken in the morning, and while being slowly digested, they continuously provide you with the required energy. It is also important to know to manage the amount of carbs eaten. This means that you don’t want extra carbs to get stored as fat, instead want to use them as fuel immediately. So try to eat just enough, and try to aim your second meal around 1 hour before exercising. This will result in the best possible usage of carbs, and your body will remain fit and strong, utilizing its full potential and energy.

After

All that is to be known is that taking carbs after an intense workout stimulates the protein synthesis, since it decreases the rate at which the proteins breakdown. Also, since glycogen stores are depleted, carbs will not be stored as fat which is a great thing to know.

Proteins are most efficient when consumed after workout

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Post workout food intake is something every person should pay more attention to. Instead of eating tons of proteins during pauses and breaks, it is most effective to take proteins right after your workout. This will stimulate your muscle protein synthesis for about 30 to 100% more than when proteins are taken during a pause or before exercise. Studies have shown that muscle synthesis done in this way improves immensely, and that more and more people have turned towards this method. This method then asks yet another question – how much protein is enough to be consumed right after an exercise? A recent guide showed that young men need no more than 20 grams of proteins to achieve maximum muscle synthesis. Of course, this doesn’t apply to everyone, since protein metabolism is affected by how much muscles a person has, how active he or she is, and finally how old he or she is (age and hormone stimulation both affect the amount of proteins required for a maximum muscle synthesis).

Post-workout supplements

There are plenty of supplements which can be used in a post workout meal, and they come in the form of pills and powder. They are used to speed up the recovery, and to improve one’s tissue regeneration while speeding the metabolism. The most common are whey protein, creatine, Vitamin D, fish oil, and many other recovery supplements that are used worldwide. If taken in a moderate dose, all of these are super-efficient.

Having said it all, there is but one conclusion – post-workout protein and carb intake is very important and should be included in every diet.

Guest Author’s Bio

Peter Minkoff is a lifestyle writer for HighStyleLife magazine living in Brisbane, Australia. He is dedicated to healthy living, exercising and spending time outdoors as much as possible. A firm believer in healthy diet, natural smoothies and energy healthy drinks for overall health benefits, Peter is powered by true motivation in all aspects of yoga and fitness-ing. He hopes to run his own yoga and fitness center someday. You can follow Peter on Twitter.