The BodyBlog of Patrick Hitches

Post Workout Nutrition - The Essentials

Reading Level:  Beginner/Intermediate

“I need my protein!” … You’ll hear this line time and again as the the buzz on getting lean spreads through the country, into the hearts and minds of every Harry, Joe and Sally watching late night infomercials on the latest “waistline zapper” ab belt.  Hopefully you’re not Harry, Joe or Sally, and you have a rough grasp on the idea that magical, electrictro magnetic impulses or scientifically formulated pills aren’t the answer to results.  Getting real with the reality of where you’re at and putting the time and attention into proper weight training and cardiovascular activity, coupled with proper nutrition and appropriate supplementation is the only way to go.  As the path to getting everything else in line continues, it’s vital to understand and implement proper post workout nutrition.  With each meal being the utmost of importance, the post workout meal is one you won’t want to let slip through your fingers.  So let’s dive in and not only understand what should be consumed, but also as to the why.

The basics behind post workout nutrition goes something like this: A lot of us are familiar with the concept that nutrient timing is just as critical as the actual nutrients themselves.  It comes down to the fact that it’s not just what you’re eating, but when you’re eating that creates an environment for optimal results.  Coupling the two concepts together and bringing in the right foods at the right time will undoubtedly yield the best results of increased muscle mass and decreased body fat.  You have roughly a 45 minute “anabolic window” post workout in which you’ll need to apply the following concepts I’m about to discuss.

I will continue to stress and preach that the three components of decreasing body fat and increasing lean body mass starts with the diet, followed by proper weight training tactics, and third of which includes low intensity cardio activity.  With the latter two being discussed in other articles, we’ll stay focused here on the dietary aspect, and further focus on just post workout nutrition supplementation.

2 components of the post workout shake:

1:  Whey (Protein)
2:  Waxy Maize (Carbohydrate)

As you push weights around at the gym, many things are happening, two of which we’ll concern ourselves with at this time.  Your body’s muscle tissue is literally being broken down.  Muscle fibers are being torn to shreds and it’s in the repair process of rest and proper nutrition that the body is able to repair and grow in strength and size.  Second of which is the depletion of your body’s main energy source for weight training; glycogen, or “stored Carbs”.  When you consume carbohydrates such as oats, sweet potatoes and whole wheat grains, your body breaks these carbohydrates down into it’s simplest form “glucose”, for storage in the liver and muscle tissue.  Through weight training, your body will eat through this energy source and you’re left “depleted” of the number one energy source your body strives to utilize.

That being said, it is utmost of importance to refill your body’s glycogen levels so that the whey protein will be “spared” and able to work in the repair process for your muscle fibers.  Further, the quality that this carbohydrate is quickly and easily digested helps in the utilization process and again, “sparing” the protein to do it’s job and function.  Remember that increased muscle mass equates to an increased metabolic expenditure (or increased need for calories on a daily basis).  Which means you can eat more and create an engine to help in burning fat from the body.

Next comes the whey protein aspect of the post workout shake.  Protein is digested and broken down into amino acids (the “building blocks” of your muscle).  Amino acids are further categorized into “essential” and “nonessential”.  The body is able to make non-essential amino acids from other amino acids in the body.  However, essential amino acids must be consumed with high quality foods in the diet.  Whey protein is considered “complete” and contains all the essential amino acids for protein synthesis.  Protein synthesis is simply the process of gathering amino acids to create the protein strands for bodily functions such as hormone production, hair and nail growth, and of course muscle repair and growth. 

When it comes to portion sizes of the post workout protein shake, there are many variables to consider with caloric intake.  A general rule for someone incorporating proper weight training tactics into their workout regimen would be to follow the 1g of protein/lb of body weight.  So to give a blanket answer, I would recommend roughly 2 scoops of whey protein (40g Protein) and 2 scoops of Waxy Maize (60g Carbohydrates) for the average male.  Being that females are roughly half the size and require roughly half the calories on a "typical" basis, I would simply cut those portions in half and do 1 scoop of each for females.  Again, this is very general and portion sizes can vary greatly from person to person.  So pack the shake with you before you leave for the gym and start sipping it down during your walk back to your car.

I hope this shines a little light into not only the what, but the why behind post workout nutrition and supplementation.  I can’t stress enough how important the combination of BOTH the protein and the carbs are.  One without the other is like Romeo without his Juliet.  Dive in… say it, mean it, know it.  Make the decision to do what is right and necessary for results and believe in the end result.  Your lean waistline can and will be accomplished.  Remain driven and focused.  Your time is now.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 20th, 2009 at 4:25 pm and is filed under Training. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.