Post Workout Made Simple

No matter what kind of training you are doing or what kind of goals you have, one of the biggest limiting factors to progress is how well you can recover.

“I could hardly get out of bed today”

“I could barely get off of the toilet this morning”

“I can’t work out today… there is no way.”

We have all been there.

There are many aspects of recovery.

-Sleep (amount/quality)

-Nutrition (overall protein/food quality)

-Water consumption

While ALL of these are important to maximizing results from training… the single most important aspect of recovery is POST WORKOUT NUTRITION.

Because most everyone who will be reading this does Crossfit, I am going to speak in terms of what specifically helps Crossfitters the most in regards to post workout recovery.

What is happening (physiologically) when we are working out?

1. We are using glycogen as a fuel source. Glycogen is a form of glucose (carbohydrate) that is stored in our muscle tissue. Glycogen provides energy to the muscle tissue in varying amounts depending on intensity of training. Think of glycogen as the “gas” that’s keeps your muscle tissue running.

2. You are breaking down muscle tissue. This is the process that causes your body to adapt and grow bigger/stronger.

(This is overly simplified, but an easy way of thinking about the process.)

Right after you get done training your body is looking to fix these two problems.

1. Restore depleted glycogen

2. Repair muscle tissue

To restore muscle glycogen, I typically will recommend people take Dexanhydrous glucose... But what the heck is that? D-Glucose or Dexanhydrous Glucose is a monosaccharide carbohydrate (simple sugar). When you eat carbohydrates, your body goes to work breaking down those carbohydrates into glucose before eventually storing the glucose in your muscle tissue or liver as glycogen. Because of the speed at which D-Glucose restores muscle glycogen, it is a perfect carbohydrate choice for post workout!

To repair muscle tissue, I typically recommend a whey protein isolate… But what the heck is that? Well first lets talk about what whey protein is! Whey protein is a by-product of milk. It is commonly used for enhance athletic performance and recovery because it has such a strong amino acid profile. Whey protein isolate is a form of whey protein that has the lactose and fat filtered out of it. This process yields a faster absorbing protein that pairs perfectly with glucose!

In 2011, a study investigating the post workout consumption of carbohydrates (35g) with whey protein (10g) on cyclist found myofibrillar protein synthesis by 35%! Muscle protein synthesis is the driving force behind adaptive response to exercise. [1]

Increasing muscle protein synthesis post workout = Being able to get your butt to the gym the next day and maximize performance!

Hope this helps!

For those who do not yet know me, my name is Kyle Comes and I am one of the owners of Supplement Superstores! I have worked in the fitness industry and more specifically in sports nutrition for the last 8 years. Everyone that works for Supplement Superstores is a NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine) certified Personal Trainer and Sports Nutrition Specialist. If anyone has any questions they can always contact me at kcomes@supplementsuperstores.com!

~Kyle

Left to right; Kyle and Spencer

MC CrossFit is happy to partner with the Supplement Superstore to bring you the best supplements on the market today. Pick up your supplements today at MC CrossFit or stop by and visit the S2 Faction team where they are committed to the highest standards in sports nutrition and customer service.

Work Sited:

1. Breen L, et al. The influence of carbohydrate-protein co-ingestion following endurance exercise on myofibrillar and mitochondrial protein synthesis. J Physiol. (2011)