Post Workout Recovery Supplements

Sports nutritionists like Dan Benardot, PhD, recommend that serious strength-training athletes utilize the post-workout period to maximize strength and muscle gains. The most important way to do this is to consume nutrients that will ensure maximum muscle growth. Athletes who consume certain key supplements in this 60-minute window will ensure that they obtain the maximum benefit from intense strength-training workouts.

Creatine

Creatine is a substance that naturally occurs in muscle. It is created by the body to ensure adequate energy for short bursts of exertion. Creatine is also the single most researched supplement in history, according to Benardot. According to the Mayo Clinic, there is also evidence that oral supplementation of creatine may enhance intramuscular creatine levels, leading to larger muscles as well. Taking a standard dose of 5 g of creatine immediately after a workout can lead to positive recovery results in serious strength-training athletes.

Whey Protein

Protein is the single most important nutrient for muscle and strength building. Protein is composed of amino acids, the same building blocks of human muscle. In a post-workout nutrition window, consuming 35 to 50 g of whey protein powder, with twice that amount of simple carbohydrates, to ensure rapid delivery to the muscles will provide a better return on your investment in weight training. While whey protein is a useful supplement as a meal replacement, it is critical in the post-workout period, because it can be consumed quickly and is particularly digestible for most athletes. The faster the protein is in your bloodstream, the better the results will be.

L-Glutamine

Glutamine is an amino acid. In addition to its importance as a component of protein, glutamine has been shown to improve muscle recovery following strength training. According to bodybuilding.com, at least one research study has shown that as little as 2 g of L-glutamine per day can create a measurable increase in human growth hormone levels. This is of obvious benefit to the strength trainer. According to Dan Benardot, the benefit of glutamine in a post-workout recovery stack is that it reduces post-exercise muscle soreness and increases muscle synthesis.