Ideas for healthy post-workout
shakes to help build muscle and enhance fat loss
by Mike Geary ,
Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer
Author of best-selling program: The Truth about
Six-Pack Abs
As you’ve probably heard before, your post-workout meal may very well be your
most important meal of the day.
The reason is that when you’re
finished with an intense workout, you’re entering a catabolic state where your
muscle glycogen is depleted and increased cortisol levels are beginning to
excessively break down muscle tissue. These conditions are not good and the
only way to reverse this catabolic state (and promote an anabolic state) is to
consume a quickly digestible post-workout meal (can be a shake or smoothie) as
soon as you can after training.
The goal is to choose a meal with
easily digestible quick carbs to replenish muscle glycogen as well as quickly
digestible protein to provide the amino acids needed to jump start muscular
repair. The surge of carbohydrates and amino acids from this quickly
digested meal promotes an insulin spike from the pancreas, which shuttles
nutrients into the muscle cells.
The post-workout meal should
generally contain between 300-500 calories to get the best response. For
example, a 120-lb female may only need a 300-calorie meal, whereas a 200-lb
male may need a 500-calorie post-workout meal. Your post-workout meal should also
contain anywhere from a 2:1 ratio of carbs:protein to a 4:1 ratio of
carbs:protein. While most of your other daily meals should contain a source of
healthy fats, keep the fat content of your post-workout meal to a bare minimum,
since fat slows the absorption of the meal, which is the opposite of what you
want after a workout.
When choosing what to make for your post-workout meal, the first thing to realize is that you DON’T need any of these expensive post-workout supplement formulations that all of the fancy ads you see everywhere will tell you that you absolutely NEED! I tend to prefer to make my own post-workout shakes from natural ingredients instead of using a commercial mixture, since many of them are low quality.
For the shakes that I make
myself, here are some things to keep in mind if you try it...
A good source of quickly
digestible natural carbs such as frozen bananas, pineapples, honey, or organic
maple syrup are perfect to elicit an insulin response that will promote muscle
glycogen replenishment and a general anabolic (muscle
building ) effect. The more you can assist the muscle repair
process, the more you increase your metabolic rate and can help your fat loss
as well.
The best source of quickly
digestible protein is a quality non-denatured whey protein and/or some fat-free
or low-fat yogurt. Here are a couple ideas for delicious post-workout smoothies
that will kick start your recovery process:
Chocolate Banana – blend together 1 cup water, ½ cup milk (I prefer
raw grass-fed milk for max health benefits), one and a half frozen bananas, 2
tbsp organic maple syrup, and 30 grams chocolate whey protein powder – 38 g
prot, 72 g carb, 1.5 g fat, 450 calories.
Pineapple Vanilla -
blend together 1 cup water, ½ cup vanilla yogurt, one cup frozen pineapples, 2
tbsp honey (preferably raw), and 30 grams vanilla whey protein powder – 35 g
prot, 71 g carb, 1 g fat, 430 calories.
When choosing a good whey
protein, it's important to note that the quality vastly differs between
brands and types. Most whey proteins are produced under high heat
processes that destroy some of the fragile nutritional components of
the whey. The best whey that I've found is this great new
grass-fed RAW whey protein ...since this is from grass-fed cows, it
also has higher levels of muscle-building and fat-burning CLA (conjugated
linoleic acid).
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When looking to lose body fat , keep in mind that post-workout meals should have the opposite characteristics of all of your other meals throughout each day. While post-workout meals should have quick high glycemic index carbs and quickly digested proteins, all of your other meals throughout the day should be comprised of low glycemic index, slowly digested carbs and slow release proteins.
These are powerful strategies
towards developing a lean muscular body with a low body fat percentage.
Another great thing about post-workout meals is that you can satisfy even the
worst sweet tooth, since this is the one time of the day where you can get away
with eating extra sugars without adding to your gut. Instead, it all goes
straight to the muscles! But ONLY if your workout was super-high intensity and
involved resistance training for large portions of the body. If all you
did was some low intensity cardio, forget about doing this type of post-workout
shake.
Enjoy!
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Good luck to you!
