What To Include In Your Post Workout Shake
What you put into your post workout shake, and hence into your body immediately post workout, can play a major part in how quickly your body repairs and recovers ready for your next session. This in hand leads to new muscle growth, therefore the more you neglect post workout nutrition, the more you hinder your gains. If you train regularly with the intention of improving your power and strength, or stacking on some serious new muscle, then you need to be consuming certain nutrients post workout for optimum muscle repair and recovery. Think of it like we do , after we've put our body through its paces, our muscles are sore and all we want to do is rest, we feel it deserves the below ingredients and if we do not provide them, we start to feel guilty!
1. Whey Protein
By now, the majority of people who know at least a little bit about sports nutrition are starting to realise the importance of whey protein post-training. Whey is the fastest absorbing protein that exists, and is extremely effective at getting to your starved muscles quickly to begin immediate repair. This is why you should be aiming to consume whey as soon as you finish in the gym and no longer than 45 minutes after. This length of times known as the protein window, as within this period consuming the right nutrition plays a bigger part in your gains than any other time of day. According to studies carried out at the University of Texas and also published at many fitness & health website, your body is able to absorb 50% more protein within this window.
2. Carbohydrates
There is much debate over the use of carbohydrates post workout these days. Personally, we feel it is down to the individual. Some people can recover without the intake of carbs, whereas some struggle to recover properly and can still feel lethargic or sore by the time their next session comes along. One thing carbs are good for is speeding up protein and other nutrient absorption within your body. Research performed at Maastricht University proved that high GI carbs drastically increase insulin levels within your body, which leads to more protein absorption, combine that with whey protein and your muscles are having a feast! If you are going to have carbs post workout (which is recommendable perhaps unless you are dieting) aim for high GI carbs such as dextrose or maltodextrin, split evenly with protein (50/50).
3. HMB (Beta-hydroxy beta-methylbutyrate)
Proven to delay muscle breakdown and encourage new muscle growth, adding a small amount of HMB in your post workout shake will help reduce the onset of muscle soreness, meaning you will recover a lot quicker in time for your next session. Studies performed at the University of New York provided a number of male participants with 3 grams of HMB per day over a three-week period of intense resistance training before comparing the results with the same number of participants who consumed none however performed the same training routine. The results showed those participants that took no HMB increased muscle mass by on average less than one pound, whereas those who consumed HMB increased muscle mass by an average 2.6 pounds.
4. Leucine
Like carbohydrates, adding leucine to your post workout shake will also increase the speed of nutrient absorption and hence how fast protein synthesis occurs in your muscles. Participants who consumed leucine following sixty minutes of intense training increased protein synthesis by 33%, according to studies published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The study also stated leucine acts as an anti-catabolic agent as it prevented muscle breakdown throughout the participants, meaning faster muscle gains.
The Best Protein Sources For Faster Fat Loss Results
Want to crank your fat los up into high gear? If so, you must be paying attention to your diet and making absolutely sure that you are taking in enough lean protein each and every day.
Protein is the most critical nutrient to be consumed in the fat loss dieting process because it's the nutrient that will help to keep your metabolic rate higher, prevent lean muscle mass loss, keep hunger levels down lower, and also help you experience stable blood glucose levels, so you won't ever suffer an energy high followed by a crash shortly thereafter.
Some people still aren't quite certain however which are the best protein sources that they should be using in their diet plan, so let's walk you through the basics right now free your wild that you must know.
If you aren't eating the right protein, you aren't going to see optimal success, so it's important that you have a firm understanding of the best protein rich foods to be eating.
Here's the ones to know or go to free your wild website for complete list.
1. Chicken Breast
The first great source of protein is chicken breast meat. Chicken breast is excellent since it can be prepared in so many different ways, so it's hard to get bored of it.
In addition to that, it's also very low in fat and carb free, so you'll get high quality protein without those additional macronutrients.
2. Egg Whites
Next up on the list are egg whites. This is another fat-free, carb-free source of protein that's especially good for starting your day off right. They're incredibly fast to cook, so good for those mornings when you're in a rush to get out the door.
In addition to this, egg whites are one of the more cost effective forms of protein out there, so for those of you on a budget, a great choice to consume.
Try some with some salsa rather than adding cheese to keep the calorie count down.
3. Cottage Cheese
Moving along, cottage cheese is the next lean protein source that you should make sure that you're getting in with your diet program. Cottage cheese is especially good because it's a form of casein protein, meaning that it will take longer to break down and digest in the body than other protein will.
This makes it ideal if you plan to go for an extended period of time without eating. You'll be providing your muscles with a steady stream of amino acids over an extended period of time.
Cottage cheese is also a good source of calcium, so good for promoting strong bones, reducing the chances of muscular cramps, and for helping to shed excess weight from the stomach region.
Those who consume more dairy products that are in high in calcium in their diet show superior rates of abdominal fat loss, so this is something that will definitely work well to your advantage.
4. Salmon
Salmon is the next good protein source to be eating on your diet plan. Salmon is high in protein as well as a very good source of omega fats, which are required to help support a healthy brain, improve insulin sensitivity, and ward off many diseases.
Getting enough omega fats in your diet is critical to your overall health, so not something that you can forget about – even when on a fat loss plan.
If there's one source of fat that you do need to be consuming, this would definitely be it.
5. Venison
If you're someone who just can't get enough red meat, start turning to venison to fill the void.
Venison is great because it's lower in fat than regular beef is and it's still going to provide the iron that's important for maintaining high energy levels.
For anyone who is planning on keeping up with an intense workout program, this will be incredibly important.
Many people who are on fat loss diets do often run the risk of becoming anemic, so if you aren't careful this could come to impact you at some point in time.
6. Whey Isolate Protein Powder
Finally, the last good source of protein to consider adding into your diet plan is a high quality whey isolate protein powder.
These are going to be most ideal for consuming immediately after the workout period because they are designed to be digested as fast as possible, so that you they can reach the muscle tissues immediately as needed.
Those who aren't providing their body with the amino acids to rebuild and repair muscle tissues aren't going to see the recovery rates that they otherwise would, so having this whey protein isolate powder is critical to success.
Whey isolate protein powders are typically often fat free and carb free as well, for the most part, so it's a very low calorie way to meet your protein needs.
If you are going to be using protein powder at any other point during the day however, then you'll likely be better off to opt for a casein protein powder as this one is digested much more slowly in the body.
So there you have the primary sources of protein that you should be considering as you move through your fat loss diet plan. In an ideal world, you would take in some form of lean protein with each meal and snack that you consumed to make sure that you are reaching your daily requirements and to also ensure that you are not going to experience the typical blood glucose spike that you get from eating carbs only.
Carb-only meals tend to really increase your risk of feeling hungry shortly after you eat them, but when protein is added to the picture, you'll notice your hunger becomes more normalized and you are able to stick with that diet plan.
So have a good look over your current diet program. Are you making good use of all of these high quality protein sources?
