Bottom Line Up Front: Immediately after an intense workout, you HAVE to feed your body a rapid assimilation protein AND a high glycemic carbohydrate for the BEST results.
Picture this: You get to the gym and have one of the best, most intense workouts of your life. Now...what you do next will determine the results you'll actually get for your effort. Don't squander your effort!
Immediately after an intense workout, your body's glycogen levels are depleted. From there, the first thing your body has to do to go from catabolic to anabolic is replenish that glycogen. Whether you're cutting or bulking, you want your body to be anabolic instead of catabolic (in an anabolic state, your body is building muscle, and burning fat, while in a catabolic state, your body is breaking down muscle and keeping fat around). Muscle recovery and growth will NOT begin until you've replenished your glycogen levels.
If you only take protein post workout, your body will actually convert that protein into glycogen. This is pretty cool that your body can do that, but you'll have less protein remaining to rebuild your muscles. and it will be a waste of money since protein is much more expensive than carbohydrates.
Carbohydrates are your body's preferred and most efficient energy source, so naturally, you should use a high glycemic carbohydrate. A high glycemic carbohydrate is one that will digest quickly and spike your insulin levels most efficiently. Some people use sugar (disaccharide [2 cell] carbohydrate) in the form of candy or fruit, which is faster than a complex carbohydrate but not the fastest carbohydrate. I recommend a monosaccharide (1 cell) carbohydrate, which will work 6 times faster than sugar.
After the high glycemic carbohydrate quickly replenishes your glycogen levels, the rapid assimilation protein will begin the muscle recovery process. The best rapid assimilation protein for post workout is a high quality, hydrolyzed, whey isolate. Let me break down what all that means:
Hydrolyzed means that the protein is already broken down into its base amino acids, allowing your body to digest it almost immediately and shuttle it to your muscles.
Isolate means that there are no carbs or fats in the protein, further speeding up the protein delivery to your muscles.Â
"High quality" refers to the manner in which the protein is processed. Most supplement companies use an extreme high heat or chemical process (much worse), which denatures the protein and makes it much less effective, although cheaper in price. You want a protein that is processed with lower heat over a longer period. Picture grilling a chicken breast at 800°F for 5 minutes vs. putting it in a crock pot at 190°F for 4 hours. Which do you think will provide the most nutrition?
When it comes to supplements, they are usually not 100% necessary, since you can get your daily required nutrition through eating whole foods. For the most part, they just make your life more convenient. The ONLY time this isn't true is for post workout nutrition. You HAVE to supplement to get the best results. Whole food simply will not digest quickly enough to get you the max results for your effort.
I only put the highest quality supplements in my body, and after years of searching and trying various products, I discovered a high quality, hydrolyzed isolate whey protein and a high glycemic, monosaccharide carbohydrates.
If you want to try what I use, please click HERE. By using my link, you'll get free shipping and be assigned to my Team, where I can give you all the fitness, nutrition, and supplement advice you want. Additionally, if you're not completely satisfied, you'll be refunded 110% of your money.
Feel free to ask any questions in the comment section below.