I am constantly asked what is the single most important thing an athlete can do to improve performance and recovery. The answer is always the same: drink your damn protein shake! Such a simple thing right? Maybe not. A recent survey of 100 athletes found that a whopping 58% percent did not drink a post-workout shake. Huh? I was shocked at how many superjocks didn’t even have a basic understanding of nutrient timing. It gets better…the survey found almost 85% of those same athletes didn’t drink a pre-workout shake. This group universally complained of extreme fatigue early in their workout but had no idea why. Really? No clue huh? I laughed so hard that whey protein sprayed out of my nose at terminal velocity and gave my laptop an unscheduled power wash. After wiping away the whey, I had to set the record straight: a shake before and after your workout is what you want. Read on to power up and become a leg sweeping, ass kicking, mat marauder of mass destruction.
1. Pre-Workout:
Honestly, this is where most of you screw the protein pooch. A shake 45 minutes before physical activity is vital and should not be considered optional. A quality protein will help kick-start and energize your metabolism, buffer lactic acid, reduce cortisol levels, and keep your body from slipping into a premature state of catabolism. Plus, the introduction of a small amount of complex carbs will further stoke your metabolic fires.
Your best bet for a pre-workout shake is an MRP (Meal Replacement) that will give you 30 to 40 grams of protein per serving. Look for a product that combines fast digesting whey protein isolate, slow digesting micellar casein and complex carbohydrates. Ideally, the carbs should be derived from brown rice, oats or sweet potato and the protein should have a low overall sugar content. For the average athlete, a .5-to-1 ratio of carbs-to-protein per serving is prefect. If you are hellbent on slapping on some extra mass, a 1-to-1 ratio is your best bet. This potent combination of fast/slow digesting protein coupled with complex carbs will help put you into an anabolic state while giving the body plenty of sustained energy. You’ll plow through your training session like a primordial piranha cranked up to eleven!
2. Post-Workout:
So what good is all that hard work if you don’t refuel correctly? Exactly, you have to feed the machine swiftly or miss the recovery window. The faster you consume a shake post-workout the better. Don’t buy the whole “within one hour” way of thinking; that borders on the prehistoric. Get that shake down your gullet ASAP. I usually bring mine with and drink it the moment training is complete. After a brutal session, it is important to halt catabolism, get the body back into an anabolic state, and restock glycogen levels. Stick to a fast
digesting protein and carbohydrate combination. Look for a product that is 100% whey protein isolate clocking in at between 30 to 40 grams of protein per serving. If diary gives you the screaming sewer squirts, egg white protein is an acceptable substitution. On the carb side, a simple sugar will do the trick. A cheap and effective option is to spike your shake with dextrose (glucose). It mixes easily in a protein shake and is readily available at most supplement and health food stores. For those of you that absolutely fear sugar (you know who you are) vitargo is a pricier carbohydrate alternative. Derived from barley, it will just as effectively restock glycogen levels without any excess sugar or that pesky “crash” we all know so well. Again, carb-to-protein ratios are important. If you are an athlete that is trying to maintain or stay lean, a 1-to-1 ratio is where you want to be. For all you aspiring mass monsters, a 2-to-1 ratio is perfect to help your body churn out some serious slabs of beef.
No matter what your goals, a pre/post-workout shake combo floods screaming muscles with necessary proteins, pounds your body with branched chain amino acids, and delivers a truckload of vital nutrients. In fact, a pre/post-workout combination is so potent that protein synthesis may increase by up to 200%. This is huge
and can lead to dramatic increases in lean muscle. If you are disciplined enough to be a warrior, be disciplined enough to supplement like one. Well what are you waiting for gym rat? Don’t be a slacker…drink your damn shake!
Active Nutrition Centers:
2275 Market Street
San Francisco, CA
415.255.2844
6700 Santa Rita
Pleasanton, CA
925.924.1229
27 Comments for this post
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