The #1 reason you can’t recover from your workouts.

Feeling tired? Sore? Dead the day following an intense workout?

Your post workout nutrition (or lack thereof) could be to blame.

So what should you eat or drink following a workout?

Let’s start with the easy one. Protein. Most people realize that protein helps rebuild and repair muscle tissue that is broken down by resistance training. But did you know that ideally that protein needs to make it into the muscle by about 30 minutes after completion of your workout. That doesn’t mean eat within 30 minutes, it means INTO the muscle in 30 minutes. That’s ideal.

Here’s the problem, most protein sources take a long time to digest. That is why the ONLY time I will tell a client that a supplement is better than food is exactly this situation. Immediately post workout.

So what should you take? First of all it should be whey protein. Unless you’re vegan.

And those of you that are “allergic” to whey? You’re probably not, although you probably ARE allergic to all the crap that is added to cheap whey proteins.

You’re looking for a whey isolate which means it is more than 88 percent whey and you want it to be low temperature processed so the protein isn’t denatured (think burnt chicken breast.) And you want a full serving anywhere from 25-40 grams based on your body weight.

But it doesn’t stop with protein. Here is the key… you need CARBS!!! Gasp, I know the dreaded C word when it comes to nutrition.

Carbs are glycogen and this is what your muscles and liver store to give you immediate energy in case you need to fight off a lion on the plains or run from an overzealous fan like a backstreet boy in the 90s. Glycogen provides the energy for Fight or Flight.

Your body very smartly values restoring this energy after a workout over repairing the muscles so it is going to do this FIRST.

I’m gonna say it louder for the people in the back. YOUR BODY WILL REPLACE GLYCOGEN STORES BEFORE REBUILDING MUSCLE. So if you don’t give it glycogen, it is going to take whatever you do give it and turn it into……… you guessed it, GLYCOGEN.

So give it what it is looking for in it’s simplest, easiest to break down form and watch your recovery skyrocket.

Carbs and protein post workout. Within 30 minutes ideally and in the most broken down, easily digested form you can get. This is the key to jumpstarting your recovery.