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The Ultimate Guide to Post Workout Supplements
Post workout supplements can be an athlete/gymrat’s best friend when used properly. These bad boys help your muscles recover faster so that you can get back in the gym or on the field faster than a bodybuilder can eat a chicken breast. But what exactly are post workout supplements and what makes one better than the next? This simple guide will explain all that and more and help you pick the supplement that’s right for you.
Know everything about post workout supplements and just want to see our top choices? No worries, scroll to the bottom of the article beefcake.
What are post workout supplements and who needs them?
Post workouts are designed to help your muscles recover more quickly from tough gym sessions. Unlike simple protein powder or BCAA recovery supplements, post workout supplements typically contain a combination of the following ingredients:
- Whey protein
- Fast-digesting carbohydrates
- Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) - leucine, isoleucine, & valine
- Creatine monohydrate (and other forms of creatine)
- L-Glutamine
- Vitamin and mineral complexes
- Antioxidant complexes
So what makes a post workout better than your trusted protein powder or BCAA formula after a brutal workout? A few things. Following a workout, your body is primed to absorb muscle repairing nutrients more efficiently. [1] This 60-90 minute window following a workout is known as the “anabolic window”. You can further enhance the anabolic window by adding fast digesting carbohydrates to your post workout mix. Forget the stigma against fast digesting carbs because immediately following a workout is the perfect time to consume them. They help your body absorb the other ingredients (protein, bcaas, creatine monohydrate etc.) more efficiently thereby making it a perfect time to combine all these recovery ingredients into 1 mix instead of throughout the day. [2]
Athletes and lifters of all kinds should consider taking a post workout supplement if they want to enhance recovery and return to the field or weight room ready to compete harder and with less soreness sooner.
So we’ve established that post workout supplements are legit. Now what should you look for and what makes one better than the next? Read on to break a mental sweat.
What you should look for in your post workout supplement
As discussed in the section above, look for a formula that contains a combination of whey protein, fast digesting carbohydrates, added BCAAs (especially leucine as it has been shown to increase muscle protein synthesis), and some or all of the following: creatine, l-glutamine, vitamin/mineral complex, and an antioxidant complex. [3]
A solid post workout supplement should have a ratio of carbs to protein anywhere from 2:1 up to 4:1 (depending upon individual needs and preferences). Again, immediately following your workout is the time to enjoy fast digesting carbs since they will help to a) replace your depleted glycogen stores and b) drive the other muscle builders into the cells. Don’t use this as an excuse to go down a coke or eat a Twinkie. Opt for higher quality sources found either in your post workout supplement or a fruit juice, honey, or chocolate milk. In the absence of your ideal shake, go with chocolate milk. Several studies have found that it’s natural 4:1 carbohydrate to protein ratio helps athletes recover faster than sports drinks (Gatorade, Powerade etc.). [4] Doesn’t hurt that it’s absolutely delicious!Note that the ideal carbohydrate to protein ratio will vary depending upon your goals, primary athletic activity, and body type/metabolism. If you are an endurance athlete, you’ll definitely want to go with more carbs since you’ll be burning these bad boys as your primary energy source. If you are trying to pack on serious size and aren’t too concerned with adding a little extra bodyfat, crush some extra carbs. If you are a casual gym rat trying to get extra shredded go with fewer carbs (2:1 or even 1:1). Ultimately you should do whatever you find works best for you rather than mindlessly following a protocol that works for others but not you!
Our favorite post workout supplements
To be completely honest we haven’t found a perfect post workout supplement just yet. There are several great products, but none that fit all of the criteria we’ve listed above. Nonetheless, here are some great options for you to check out:
AfterShock Recovery by Myogenix
A comprehensive & extremely high quality product that contains 34g of protein, 30g fast digesting carbs, 8g creatine, 7.25g BCAAs, 1.5g joint repair complex, and 1.5g antioxidant complex. Pretty damn close to perfect.
Platinum Hydrobuilder by Optimum Nutrition
Contains 30g of Optimum’s highest quality protein, 5g of micronized creatine, 2.5g betaine, 13g of essential amino acids, additional 2g of micronized BCAAs, and an enzyme complex to help with absorption. We wish there were more carbs in here, but other than that it’s awesome.
Contains 20g protein, 32g combo of fast/slow digesting carbs, 10g of L-Glutamine & BCAA AKG, 1g Kre-Alkalyn, 1g of taurine, 1g of cissus quadrangularis, and 2g of an antioxidant complex. Solid ingredient profile, but very pricey.
If none of the above are good enough for you, you can always make your own exactly as you’d like it with top notch ingredients at TrueNutrition.com. Skip the fancy packaging and build a baller post workout on your own. It’s what I did for 5+ years and sometimes still do to experiment. Not that pricey either.
If you can't pick:
We recommend you try a few different ones. The JackedPack Custom Post Workout trial kit is perfect to test a different recovery formula each month until you find what you like. You can sign up for that right here.
Thanks for reading! As a bonus to anybody who read the whole thing, use the code POSTWORKOUT5 in our e-store on either AfterShock or Platinum Hydrobuilder for $5 off!
Conclusion
Post workout supplementation is critical to maximizing your gains in the gym and promoting recovery. If you are serious about getting the most out of your workouts you should pick a formula that meets your needs and stick with it for at least 6 weeks to see if it really works. Or if you are lazy, just choose one of the ones we’ve recommended above. Or drink chocolate milk. That shit is delicious!Thanks for reading! As a bonus to anybody who read the whole thing, use the code POSTWORKOUT5 in our e-store on either AfterShock or Platinum Hydrobuilder for $5 off!
You can also use it for $5 off your first month of JackedPack so you can discover the best in sports nutrition! YEAH BUDDY!
[1] Effects of supplement timing and resistance exercise on skeletal muscle hypertrophy. Cribb PJ, Hayes A. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2006 Nov;38(11):1918-25.
[2] Protein timing and its effects on muscular hypertrophy in individuals engaged in weight-training Stark M, Lukaszuk J, Prawitz A, Salacinski A. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2012 Dec 14;9(1):54. doi: 10.1186/1550-2783-9-54.
[3] Co-ingestion of protein and leucine stimulates muscle protein synthesis rates to the same extent in young and elderly lean men Koopman R, Verdijk L, Manders R, Gijsen A, Gorselink M, Pijpers E, Wagenmakers A, and van Loon L Am J Clin Nutr September 2006
[4] Postexercise carbohydrate-protein supplementation improves subsequent exercise performance and intracellular signaling for protein synthesis. Ferguson-Stegall L, McCleave EL, Ding Z, Doerner PG 3rd, Wang B, Liao YH, Kammer L, Liu Y, Hwang J, Dessard BM, Ivy JL. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2011 May;25(5):1210-24.
Comments
Posted by Alex on May 22, 2013
Hey Asif-to answer your question re pre-workouts on days you don’t train, my recommendation would be to not use them. This is simply because you shouldn’t waste product and you won’t be receiving maximum benefit from using them unless you are training since these products contain ingredients designed to help you with the workout itself (stimulants, pump products etc) that are less effective when you don’t workout. Hope that helps!
Posted by Asif on May 01, 2013
Thanks for this lads, really helped.
Quick question for anyone really, would it be ok to use these for pre-workout or days of none training?
Many thanks guys.
Posted by Diego on Feb 08, 2013
I don’t know who you wrote this for but you helped a bortehr out.
Posted by kelly on Jan 20, 2013
Thanks a lot for sharing such an knowledgeable post with us. i have learned a lot. keep on sharing good stuff with us.