As I’ve stated before, your body is a machine that needs fuel and the type of fuel you put in this machine will determine what results you will get. Have you ever been shaky, or even hangry shortly after an intense workout because you didn’t re-fuel quickly enough or at all?
Not only is eating properly before working out important but eating immediately afterward is as well. You will need to replenish the energy that you just burned, and you want to make sure that you get the most out of your workout so you can see the results.
Muscle tissue is more sensitive to certain hormones and nutrients due to the breakdown of muscle tissue during training. This means muscles are most responsive to nutrient intake during the first 30-90 minutes after training. However this doesn’t need to be complicated, I’m going to give you something simple to remember for your post workout meal and routine.
The three R’s
Rehydrate:
- Drink plenty of liquids immediately following intense exercise. Not sugary sports drinks, but water or some sort of electrolyte replacement drink works best.
Repair:
- Try to drink Protein that has amino acids in it so that you will get the most from your post workout drink. Amino acids help with the repair process faster.
Refuel:
- Let’s talk about the “C word’’ (Carbohydrates) you will need to refuel the gas tank or glycogen stores that you just burned up.
- No, you’re not allowed a gallon of ice cream. However, you can get some carbs in you like Maltodextrin. It is a complex carbohydrate made from either corn, rice or potato starch, but its molecular chain is shorter than other complex carbs and raises the blood sugar and insulin levels, but is absorbed much quicker throughout the body.
Post workout meals are just as important as pre workout meals. You don’t want to skip this! While missing a post workout meal every now and then isn’t a big deal, if this becomes a habit it will start to have negative results on your workouts and start to diminish the work that you just put in. When it comes to post workout meals, think lean. (Eggs, Nuts, Meats, legumes, tofu and reduced fat dairy).
As always, train hard, be a beast!