Get your Post meal right....right!

Loads of athletes can get this wrong as well as the weekend warrior. A post meal is what you ingest immediately after training. Depending on what studies you read you have a window of opportunity after training where you can maximise your workout by what you take after it. My experience tells me taking in a post meal straight after a workout works a treat!

When you train with intensity many changes take place in the body, one of which is the depleting of glycogen stores (stored energy). Depending on intensity & time period of a workout your body once low in these stores will start to break down muscle tissue to convert into energy. We call this catabolism or catabolic which basically means tear'n down of muscle.

In my last post I mentioned how important muscle is and vital we maintain it. So to combat this effect the post meal hits the front line. I always pick a liquid meal or shake over a solid for quick absorption. There are two vital ingredients the shake needs 1. sugars 2. protein. You need the sugars to replenish your glycogen stores but they also release a hormone called insulin which becomes the carrier for the  protein. The broken down form of protein is amino acids and these are taken to the cells for uptake to start the repair work. Once this process starts you enter a state of anabolism (full state when you sleep) which means building up of muscle.

If you leave your post shake too long your body will stay in a state of catabolism and continue to break down muscle into amino acids to repair the damage you've done in a workout. Continue down this road and you'll end up hitting a plateau in results whether that be speed, strength, power or fat loss.

Ever wondered why some people get results super quick and others never seem to change shape? Post shakes can be one of the missing ingredients.....so get it right....right!.....#YaasuuChe!!

Comments

[Jen]

Hey Nath - was only wondering this on Friday after the boxing smashing! Can you recommend a shake brand in particular?

[Daz]

Isn't natural still the best option where possible in front of shakes etc? Do you have any recommendations of natural, or non-processed options?

[The Zuu]

Hey Jen, sometimes I use Musashi P30's which has both sugars & protein in it. Usually though I have my own protein shake which is high protein low carbs. I'm using Redbak Sustain Whey at the moment. After a workout I'll get a gatorade into me and then I have my shake. I need the gatorade for my sugars because my shake is low in carbs.

It can get a little confusing especially when you walk into a supplement shop and they start bla bla bla'n with alll the latest products. I'm holding a nutrition night this month where I'll cut through the confusion out there and teach you the principles I use with athletes. Try and get along if you can.

Cheers NateChe!

[The Zuu]

Hey Daz,
Define 'natural'? Solid or liquid?
If it's liquid then we're usually talking about powder. As far as processing goes their all processed in some shape or form, different filtrations etc..
As a coach I only look for complete chains of amino acidis for very specific reasons. There are many 'natural' proteins out there champ but whether they'll do the job is a different matter all together. See if you can get along to the nutrition night and we'll sort it.
It's later this month, I'll post the date on the website.

Cheers NateChe!