During a workout, your muscles are broken down and consuming the correct post-workout supplements can make the difference between progress and stagnation. According to sports nutritionist John Berardi, post-workout nutrition is considered to be the most important aspect of exercise nutrition. Knowing what supplements to take can be the missing link you need to get the results you want.
Pro-Hormones
Pro-hormones are precursors to testosterone and after ingestion have the same physiologic effects as anabolic steroids. After conversion, pro-hormones up-regulate protein synthesis in muscle and decrease catabolism, resulting in increased accretion of muscle tissue. Your post-workout muscle physiology is the same whether you use pro-hormones. Pro-hormones simply exaggerate the natural processes of protein synthesis. Providing your muscles with the correct nutrition after a workout can rapidly enhance your progress, particularly if you are using pro-hormones.
Whey Protein
Your muscle requires protein in order to recover so consuming protein post-workout is a good idea. Whey protein is the most digestible form of commercial protein and is rapidly absorbed into the blood stream. Using a high-quality whey protein after a workout is recommended in order to provide your muscles the best resources to be able to repair the broken muscular structures. A review of scientific literature published in the Proceedings of the Nutrition Society found that whey protein is the single most important supplement to use post-workout if the goal is increased muscle mass. If you do not like to take whey protein, it can be replaced with a branch-chained amino-acid product, which provides the raw building blocks for your muscles to repair themselves.
Carbohydrates
Although not normally considered a supplement, including carbohydrates in your post-workout shake is a good idea. Depending on intensity, glycogen, which is the storage form of carbohydrate in muscle, can be depleted by as much as 30 percent during a workout. Although taking carbohydrates post-workout is often an area of debate among researchers, a small amount of carbohydrate is generally a good idea, particularly if you train on consecutive days. Carbohydrates also stimulate the release of insulin, which is a hormone that speeds up the delivery of vital nutrients to the worked muscles. Low fiber choices are best, such as table sugar, sweets or fruit, as fiber tends to slow down digestion.
Creatine
While using pro-hormones you will likely be training at a high level of intensity. Being able to produce energy rapidly is essential to be able to maintain intense training. Creatine provides the raw material your muscles need to be able to produce energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate, without the need for oxygen. Supplementing with creatine post-workout might fast-track your results. Research published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning demonstrated that creatine supplementation can increase strength. Further still, research published in the journal of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise highlighted the power of creatine to increase gains in fat-free muscle.
References
- "Extreme Muscle Enhancement"; Carlon Colker, MD; 2007
- "Proceedings of the Nutrition Society"; The Science of Muscle Hypertrophy: Making Dietary Protein Count; Stuart Phillips; November 2010
- University of New Mexico; Glycogen and Resistance Training; Todd Astorino, Len Kravitz
- "Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise"; Effects of Creatine Supplementation on Body Composition, Strength, and Sprint Performance"; Kreider, R et al; Jan 1998
- "Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research"; Effects of Creatine Supplementation and Resistance Training on Muscle Strength and Weight-Lifting Performance; Rawson, E et al; Nov 2003
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