The Post Workout Meal – What is the Post Workout Meal?
The post workout meal is the meal you consume directly after your workout. Many bodybuilders and athletes will tell you that the post workout meal is the most important meal of the day but let's not get too carried away with that. The post workout meal is in fact extremely important at the time as your body and muscles are screaming out for the necessary nutrients it needs to start carrying out the healing process and replenish energy stores.
The Post Workout Meal – How long after a workout should I consume my post workout meal?
In order to take advantage of this small window of opportunity, you should look to consume your post workout meal as soon as you can. This doesn’t necessarily mean cramming in a shake the second you put that last dumbbell down but be smart and prepare your post workout meal as swiftly as you can. As a rough guide you should look to consume your post workout meal within 20 minutes after your workout finishes.
The Post Workout Meal – What should my post workout meal consist of?
Although the post workout meal is one of the most important meals to an athlete, it wont be effective unless you consume the correct nutrients. Therefore your post workout meal needs to consist of a good dose of carbohydrates and protein. Ideally we want the carbs and protein to be fast absorbing so they are able to get into the blood stream and into your muscles as quickly as possible. The reason protein and carbohydrates need to be included in your post workout meal is because after a workout, protein breakdown is increased. Protein breakdown basically means that body tissues made up of protein (i.e. muscle) are being broken down. If this is continually allowed to happen you will lose muscle mass which is not what you want. The carbs will help to shuttle any protein and nutrients into the bloodstream so your body can begin absorbing them as quickly as possible. By consuming protein and carbohydrates post workout, you are focusing on bringing your body back into a positive state where it can start to recover and rebuild as quickly as possible.
The Post Workout Meal – what foods should I eat in my post workout meal?
The simple answer to this question is none. Whole foods such as eggs chicken and milk are all great sources of protein and should be consumed in your diet on a regular basis. However, whole foods still take time to be digested by your body and are therefore not the ideal choice for your post workout meal. Some sort of liquid mixture on the other hand will be far more easily digested by your body. In the previous paragraph we touched upon consuming fast absorbing carbohydrates and protein in your post workout meal so they are passed into the bloodstream and your muscles as quickly as possible. To ensure this happens, your post workout meal should therefore be made up of both simple carbohydrates and whey protein.
Simple carbohydrates should rarely be used in your diet except for your post workout meal. The reason for this is because they are absorbed extremely quickly by the body and will rapidly help to replenish energy stores. When taken with protein it can also help transport and carry the protein into the bloodstream and into the muscles. Good types of simple carbs can come from dextrose, malto-dextrin and grape juice. If your using dextrose or malto-dextrin in your post workout meal, firstly add around 200ml of water into your blender, chuck in one scoop of whey protein, one scoop of dextrose and one scoop of malto-dextrin. This is personally my favourite post workout meal. If on the other hand your using a simple carb such as grape juice replace the water with the desired amount of grape juice.
The Post Workout Meal – how much carbs and protein should I be consuming in my post workout meal?
The answer to this question will differ from person to person depending on weight and size. However a good rule of thumb is to go by a 1:2 ratio of protein to carbohydrates. For example, if you consume 30 grams of protein in your post workout meal, you should look to consume 60 grams of carbs with it. Deciding upon the amount of protein and carbohydrates to consume for your post workout meal is a rather grey area and is regularly discussed in the world of fitness.
However, after a workout your muscles can take in and absorb higher amounts of protein than at any other time of the day. This therefore allows us to make certain judgments on the post workout meal and can tweak it to get optimal results. Shoot for a number between 25-50 grams worth of protein and see what works best for you. Remember, once you have decided upon how much protein you need, you then automatically have the amount of carbs you need as well. I personally consume 30 grams of 100% optimum whey protein with 30 grams of dextrose and 30 grams of malto-dextrin as this seems to work well for me. Its also worth mentioning that during your post workout meal you should not be consuming fats. Fats will slow down the digestion of protein and carbohydrates which is the exact opposite of what we want happening. So, avoid all fats both good and bad post workout and take your carbs and protein.
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