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The Importance
of Post Exercise Nutrition
During a hardcore workout nutrients are drained from your body, and
muscle wasting hormones are off the charts! Both of these factors are
destructive to your dreams of massive muscle growth. The goal of a post
workout shake is to replenish the fuels lost from your workout and to
stop muscle breakdown. Most importantly to provide the fuel you need
for freaky muscle growth.
This
paper is based on several articles composed in JHR, including
The Window of Opportunity
(semi-technical)
and
A Scientific Investigation into the Rationality of Post Workout
Carbohydrate Consumption.
Water and
Electrolyte Replenishment
A
dehydrated muscle is a weak muscle. Your ability to crank out heavy
weight will severely suffer if you are dehydrated. Proper hydration is
critical to gaining size.
Another vital variable is electrolyte replenishment. Of particular
interest is replenishment of the electrolyte sodium.
If
your post workout shake is lacking sodium, rehydration is dramatically
delayed.
This
is obviously not conducive for growth, or performance. Your post-workout
shake must contain both proper amounts of water and sodium.
Glycogen
Replenishment
Glycogen is the storage form of the carbohydrate glucose. As exercise
intensity increases, your body has a greater reliance on carbohydrates;
particularly, muscle glycogen.
Resistance training is highly dependent on glycogen stores. This is why
glycogen replenishment is an essential component of post exercise
nutrition. You need to consume both carbohydrates and proteins post
exercise to optimize glycogen replenishment.
Concerning which carbohydrates to consume, a 50/50 combination of
Dextrose and
Maltodextrin is optimal for glycogen replenishment. For the rational
behind this recommendation refer to,
Dextrose, Maltodextrin, and Sodium an In Depth Analysis
as
well as,
Pre Contest Week - An In Depth Analysis
You
need to consume your carbohydrates along with
Whey Protein for maximum results.
Reducing
Catabolic Hormones
All body builders
have a sworn mortal enemy—cortisol. This hormone acts to breakdown
muscle tissue, and creates a catabolic environment, contrary to growth.
The most effective
way to decrease these catabolic hormones is:
-
To consume an easily digested carbohydrate
-
Stack it with an easily digested source of protein
Protein
Synthesis and Degradation
Skeletal muscle protein synthesis can be defined as the formation of
whole muscle proteins, from individual amino acids.
Protein degradation can be defined as the breakdown of proteins, into
individual amino acids and peptides.
Muscle growth is ultimately the difference between protein degradation
and protein synthesis. Therefore, we want to both minimize protein
degradation, and maximize protein synthesis.
Consuming protein is generally responsible for enhancing protein
synthesis; while carbohydrates play an intricate role in decreasing
protein degradation. The role carbohydrates play in protein synthesis is
in debate. However, it appears that when easily digested carbohydrates
are accompanied with proteins, the enhanced effect from these nutrients
increases muscle growth.
For
more information on protein, and relevant references, refer to
The Ultimate Protein Guide! You can also read our peer reviewed
manuscript on protein here,
http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/proteinaccepted.php
Nutrient
Timing—The Window of Opportunity
There is a short window of opportunity post exercise, in which glycogen
replenishment and protein synthesis is optimized. If you wait to long to
consume your post workout shake, this window of opportunity will be
gone.
-
If
carbohydrates are not consumed in a timely manner post exercise,
glycogen replenishment is hindered.
-
If you do not
consume protein immediately after a workout, performance, protein
synthesis, and ultimately, muscular hypertrophy, will be delayed.
-
You must taper
the post workout solution over
45-60 minutes.
This will maximize nutrient absorption and decrease fat gain
For
more information on this and references, refer to
Pre Contest Week - An In Depth Analysis.
Protein Intake
Post
workout, you must consume 0.22 grams of protein per pound of body
weight no matter if you are cutting or bulking.
Optimal Carbohydrate
Intake
Bulk-up:
-
5 grams of carbohydrates per every 10 pounds of lean body
bodyweight.
Cut-up:
-
2.5 grams of carbohydrates per 10 pounds of lean body weight.
Lean body fat is
your bodyweight after you have subtracted your body fat percentage.
Post workout Shake
Supplementation Summary
Follow these
supplement guidelines post exercise. We’ve divided up the supplements in
two categories; absolutely vital and vital. While taking all of
these supplements post-workout is optimal, we understand that not all
athletes can afford such expenses. If this is your situation, we
recommend the following:
Absolutely vital:
-
A 92% water
solution mixed with sodium
-
5 grams of
carbohydrates per every 10 pounds of lean body bodyweight on a bulk
and 2.5 grams of carbohydrates per every 10 pounds of lean
bodyweight on a cut. Your carbohydrates must come from a 50/50
combination of Dextrose and
Maltodextrin
-
.22 grams of
protein per pound of body weight or 0.48 grams of whey protein
per kg of bodyweight. Your protein must come from
Whey Protein and the solution needs to be tapered over 45-60
minutes.
Vital (Supplements
rank ordered):
-
A
multi-anti-oxidant formula
Where you can
Purchase These Supplements
Purchase
glutamine, creatine, whey protein, shaker bottles, and maltodextrin in
our online store,
http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/championsups.php?id=21&subId=60
Post Workout
Calculator
Need help
calculating your ratios?
No problem! Just
use our quick and easy to use Post Workout shake calculator, created by
Adam “Old School” Knowlden. Simply plug in your weight, LBM, whether you
are cutting or bulking, and a formula will pop up for how much water,
carbohydrates, sodium, and protein you should consume post exercise.
Post Workout Shake
Calculator
Are These
Recommendations Set in Stone?
One thing we want
to stress is that these recommendations are not set in
stone.
Try different
methods, or slight modifications to this protocol, to see what works
best for your body.
For instance, you
might begin your cut by maintaining a bulking post workout shake, and
then later on, tapering your shake down to a cutting protocol to
increase fat metabolism. Also, on a bulk, you would obviously not want
to have as many carbohydrates post exercise after a calve workout,
compared to training a much larger muscle group, such as thighs.
Therefore, if you just train a small muscle group such as calves, or if
your volume is very low; it may be advisable to use a cutting post
workout shake, rather than a bulking formula, even if you are bulking.
Conversely, if you are on a cut, and perform a very high volume workout,
such as a full body routine, you may want to try a bulking post workout
shake, because your glycogen stores will be severely depleted.
Because of all
these variables, we strongly recommend you start a post-workout section
of your bodybuilding journal in which you list various ratios and the
effect they have on your performance, recovery, gains, and body fat
levels. This process requires patience but will produce the best
individual ratios.
Split Training
Training twice a
day is an excellent protocol for stimulating muscle growth and gaining
strength (see,
Specificity Part VI for a review). However, because we tend to be
less active later in the day, our insulin sensitivity (our capacity to
take in and store glucose in the musculature) is typically not as high
at night. Therefore, we advise having a smaller post workout shake for
your second post workout shake. For instance, if you are bulking, you
may use a bulking post workout shake during your first routine, and a
cutting post workout shake during your second routine.
How to Taper
the Post Workout Shake
One important
aspect we advise is spacing out the timing of the ingredients of your
post-workout meal.
To better
explain, here is a two phase outline of the post workout shake:
Phase one:
Immediately:
1.
A
combination of 50% of your carbohydrates coming from Dextrose and
50 % of
your carbohydrates coming from Maltodextrin with the proper grams
of whey protein, along with the appropriate amount of water and sodium.
2.
Shake or
blend all the ingredients well.
3.
Dish out
and consume your creatine. Consume one half of the shake, directly
following your workout. Allow this solution to settle in your stomach
for approximately 10-15 minutes.
Phase two:
10-15
minutes later:
1.
Scoop out
and consume 5-10 grams of L-Glutamine.
2.
Ingest any
anti oxidants with your shake at this time, along with Chromium.
3.
Continue tapering your post-workout meal for the duration of the time
remaining from the initial 45-60 minute period.
Summary
Part 1:
Drink half the elixir over a five-minute time frame; allow settling of
solution for 15 minutes. Total Time for Part 1= 20 minutes
Part 2:
Taper the remaining solution for the allotted time. Total Time for Part
2= 40 minutes
Total Time for ingestion of post workout
meal= 60 minutes.
Keep it Hardcore,
Venom
Vice President of
ABCbodybuilding.com
Venom@abcbodybuilding.com
And
Adam “Old School”
Knowlden
oldschoolabcbbing@gmail.com
President of Biomechanical Engineering/
Editor and Writer, The Journal of Hyperplasia Research
© ABC
Bodybuilding Company. All rights reserved. Disclaimer
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