THE TRUTH ABOUT POST-WORKOUT NUTRITION

Workout nutrition is an incredibly controversial subject these days. There are many experts that preach the importance of post-workout shakes/meals as soon as your workout is done, in order to take advantage of the “anabolic window.” Others, however, insist that the post-workout window lasts much longer than many believe.

So when it comes to maximizing muscle gain, which perspective do you listen to?

Is a post-workout shake truly necessary to build muscle?

Does speed of ingestion actually matter?

We will dive into all of these questions in this article so make sure to keep reading!

The Truth

Numerous experts have spent a lot of time convincing people that in order to build any amount of muscle, you MUST consume a fast-digesting protein shake with carbohydrates immediately post-workout. If you don’t consume the shake within 30-60 minutes, they say you’ll miss your opportunity to make gains.

That information as a blanket statement is simply not true (1).

However, that is not to say your post-workout nutrition is not important. The truth is that it really depends on what you eat (or don’t eat) the rest of the day.

In other words, before worrying about the timing of each meal, you want to first focus on making sure you hit your total daily macro goals (2). Some people focus on timing their post-workout meals but don’t end up hitting their daily totals. If you don’t hit your daily totals, it makes any emphasis you put on a specific meal irrelevant.

Once you are hitting your daily macros, you can then start to look at when you are consuming each meal. In general, you are going to digest your meals within 1-3 hours of eating, and it is widely recommended that you should eat every 2-3 hours for optimal results.

Your post-workout meal can in fact be important, but its timing is largely based on when you ate your pre-workout meal. Your pre-workout meal will also determine how fast you need to get nutrients into your body and whether or not a protein supplement would be most useful.

Fasted Workouts

The first scenario that affects your post-workout nutrition is if you prefer to perform your workouts fasted. This is quite common among people who workout first thing in the morning and are not hungry for a meal beforehand.

In this case, your body is going to be in even more of a catabolic state during your workout since you have not eaten at all, and protein breakdown will be higher.

Therefore, you’ll definitely want to consume a post-workout shake with both protein and carbohydrates as soon as possible after your workout.

Doing so will help stop protein breakdown and put your body back into an anabolic state. That will also allow your body to begin the recovery process as soon as possible.

To take it one step further, you could also opt to have an intra-workout shake during your training session. This is normally recommended with exercise lasting longer than 2 hours (3), but in the case of a fasted workout, it could also be very helpful.

A shake containing both protein and carbohydrates will help give you more energy and slow protein breakdown during your workout. This will in turn help improve the muscle building process (3). It can also help give you a better pump throughout your training.

The reason for drinking a shake during your workout is the following: It usually takes about 60 to 90 minutes for whey protein to hit your blood stream, so even if you are consuming it post-workout, there will still be a delay before it actually gets used by your body.

By drinking it during your workout instead, the idea is that it will hit your bloodstream closer to the end of your training and create less of a delay in getting your body the nutrients it needs. It will also give you more time to go home and cook a whole food meal.

Pre-Workout Meal Consumed 1-2 Hours Prior

In this scenario, you have eaten 1-2 hours prior to training so it is not a fasted workout. We will also assume your workout lasts about 1 hour.

Given this situation, there is less of an immediate need to consume your post-workout meal because your body is likely still digesting your pre-workout meal. According to the International Society of Sports Nutrition, you have up to 2 hours post-workout to consume adequate high-quality protein (4). Again, that assumes the workout was not fasted.

While there is sufficient evidence to say that you will probably be alright if you wait an hour or two after your workout to eat (4), doing so will delay your body from entering into recovery mode until you do eat.

The question is, does the delay matter?

As mentioned earlier, the main argument for having an immediate post-workout shake was because of the short (30-60 minute) anabolic window that some believed to exist.

However, studies show that your workout will actually put your body into a muscle building state for up to 24 hours and sometimes even 48 hours after training (5). The ability of your body to properly recover in that window will diminish as time goes by, but the 30-60 minute window theory seems to have been debunked.

In other words, studies show that getting in your daily macro goals are most important regardless of when you eat them. If you have a pre-workout meal prior to lifting, there is less urgency to consume your post-workout meal right away. If you don’t consume a pre-workout meal prior to training, or you consume it 2-3 hours prior, the need for a fast post-workout meal increases.

Carbohydrates Post-Workout

It has also been stated that consuming carbohydrates immediately post-workout can help you restore glycogen levels prior to your next workout. That is certainly true, but you technically have until your next workout to restore your glycogen levels for optimal performance.

If you are getting adequate carbohydrates throughout your day and you workout once per day, the need to add fast-digesting carbohydrates in a post-workout shake is less important.

However, there are three instances where a carbohydrate product like Ignition (you can learn more about it here) as part of a post-workout shake could be very helpful:

1. If you are performing multiple intensive workouts per day, because you likely won’t be able to fully restore your glycogen levels fast enough without it.
2. If you trained fasted and have not eaten anything prior to your workout.
3. If you are not getting enough carbohydrates in throughout your day. Technically a post-workout shake containing fast-digesting protein and carbohydrates could definitely help you achieve your daily intake. In this situation, your main focus should be on achieving your daily goals first, but if having a shake makes it possible for you to meet your daily totals, then by all means do it.

Key Takeaway

Regardless of the fact that waiting to have your post-workout meal may not hurt you, in my opinion and experience I’m not sure why you would purposely wait to have a post-workout meal if your main goal is to build muscle.

If you’re trying to gain as much muscle as possible, it seems to make the most sense to eat as soon as you are done and then continue on your regular eating schedule. This is confirmed in this study, which stated that there are no added benefits to purposely waiting to eat.

Long story short, I suggest following these guidelines for post-workout nutrition:

1. If You Train Fasted: Consume a shake with fast-digesting protein and carbohydrates during your training or immediately post-workout followed by a whole food meal about an hour later.  The main reason for the carbohydrates is just to help reach your daily totals, since your eating window is smaller when you fast.
2. If You Eat 2-3 Hours Prior to Training: Consume a fast-digesting protein and carbohydrate shake during your training or as soon as possible post-workout, and consume a whole food meal about an hour later. The main reason for the carbohydrates is just to help reach your daily totals, since your eating window is smaller when you fast.
3. If You Eat 1-2 Hours Prior to Training: Consume a post-workout meal within 1-2 hours after. If your stomach prefers a shake or you are unable to eat a whole food meal, a post-workout shake with protein and carbohydrates is fine too.

When To Use A Supplement

The next question that usually comes up is whether or not you should drink a shake as a post-workout meal or opt for a whole food meal that will digest slower.

Whole food is always going to be your best option in general. Based on the studies at hand, I do not think the fact that whole food digests slower than a protein powder would be enough to trump the value it has for your body.

However, there are many cases where a whole food meal isn’t possible and in that case, you should opt to use a protein supplement instead.

Examples of when to use a protein powder would be if you go straight to work after training and don’t have time for a whole food meal, if you are going on a long drive and won’t be able to eat for several hours, if you’re traveling, or you tend to get an upset stomach from eating after a workout, etc.

Any time you use a protein supplement, I would suggest using a high-quality protein isolate, such as Phormula-1, right after your workout. This is also the best option for an intra-workout shake.

Phormula – 1 is a hydrolyzed protein isolate. It is comprised of 90% protein and only 10% carbohydrates and fats, which helps my body digest it faster. It is also processed in low heat and filtered using cross flow micro-filtration.

The reason those things are important is many protein powders that are made with high heat or chemicals become denatured to the point where your body can’t process it, which makes them much less effective.

All of 1st Phorm’s products are made with low heat and micro-filtration to ensure your body can actually use it to build more muscle, which I love. After being filtered, it is then hydrolyzed (i.e. pre-broken down) so that your body can absorb it even fasterthan normal isolates.

I never feel bloated, nauseous, or gassy with it which is likely due to the higher quality ingredients. One of the worst parts about most protein powders I’ve had in the past is the not-so-great taste and chalkiness they usually have. I can’t tell you how many times I have just held my breath and chugged shakes because I hated the taste. Not to mention, I can’t drink them if they are chunky. I just can’t.

Phormula-1 solves both of those issues because I love the tastes (I drink chocolate milkshake) and it mixes super easily in my shaker cup so there are never any chunks. Trust me when I say I definitely do not miss having to hold my breath and chug shakes like in the past.

You can learn more and get free shipping here!

Wrapping Up

As you can see, the timing and importance of your post-workout meal really depends on the timing of your pre-workout meal. Some people eat right before their workout, which makes their post-workout meal less urgent. Some people feel sick if they eat before their workout, so they prefer to train on an empty stomach. In that case, a post-workout meal should be prioritized after training. 

If your #1 goal is to pack on every ounce of muscle you can, you’ll probably want to get a good post-workout meal or shake in soon after your workout just to be safe. On the other hand, if your goal is to just be in generally good shape, timing is less of a priority. Just make sure to pay attention to the big picture and don’t be afraid to experiment with different methods and meal times to find what works best for you.

P.S. This is a very common topic of confusion so if you have any questions you are welcome to email me at info@behungrystayhumble.com!

References

1. Schoenfeld, B. J., Aragon, A., Wilborn, C., Urbina, S. L., Hayward, S. E., & Krieger, J. (2017). Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5214805/
2. Schoenfeld, B. J., Aragon, A. A., & Krieger, J. W. (2013, December 03). The effect of protein timing on muscle strength and hypertrophy: A meta-analysis. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24299050
3. St. Pierre, B. (2018, April 30). Workout nutrition explained. What to eat before, during, and after exercise. Retrieved from https://www.precisionnutrition.com/workout-nutrition-explained
4.  Kerksick, C. M., Arent, S., Schoenfeld, B. J., Stout, J. R., Campbell, B., Wilborn, C. D., . . . Antonio, J. (2017). Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5596471/
5. Phillips, S. M., Tipton, K. D., Aarsland, A., Wolf, S. E., & Wolfe, R. R. (1997, July). Mixed muscle protein synthesis and breakdown after resistance exercise in humans. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9252485