Basically your post workout meal should include both protein and carbs, and should not include fat.  Although Fat is NOT the enemy and should be eaten in your diet, eating fat post workout defeats of purpose of your post workout meal.  This is because fat is slow digesting.  This is not something you want to happen with your post workout shake.  The protein and carbs you eat need to be digested quickly so your body can take advantage of the “Window of Opportunity” that your body has within 1 hour post workout.  This time is when it’s the most beneficial for your body to get protein and carbs so it can help to rebuild and repair your muscles quickly.

Post Workout Protein

So, know you know you need both protein and carbs post workout.  But which type of protein is best?  There is a reason why people have shakes post workout instead of full meals.  Liquid digests more quickly.  The point of your post workout nutrition is to get those amino acids to your muscles as quickly as possible.  The best way to do this is to use a Whey protein powder.  Whey Protein is the fastest digesting protein that you can get.  This is why whey is the first choice for most people looking for a good post workout protein (Vegans tend to gravitate toward brown rice protein and pea protein). During your resistance days, you should be adding 1/2 – 1 scoop of whey protein powder to your post workout shake, depending on your goals.  If your looking to build muscle you will want to get 0.15-0.25 grams of protein per your desired body weight.  The P90X recovery drink has enough whey protein in it for your  cardio days.

Post Workout Carbs

As important as post workout protein is post workout carbs.  Typically you will hear me say to always stay away from sugar and simple carbs.  You should be eating complex carbs because they digest slowly and don’t spike your blood sugar.  They are better for weight loss and will help to regulate your energy levels throughout the whole day.  Well, this changes post workout.  Post workout you want to have Sugar in the form of Glucose (dextrose).  Let me explain…

When you workout at a high intensity you deplete Glycogen that is stored in your muscles.  Glycogen serves as energy that your muscles use to function and it’s what fuels your workouts.  Once it depletes, it needs to be restored as quickly as possible.  If it doesn’t get restored then your body realeases a hormone called Cortisol, which is your body’s stress hormone.  That creates a catabolic effect, that causes your body to eat up muscle tissue for protein and convert it to glucose.  The results is a loss of muscle tissue…kinda defeats the purpose of working out doesn’t it?  The good news is that a post workout shake consisting of dextrose, like the P90X recovery drink, helps to stop this from happening, keeping your body in an anabolic state.

Your muscles soak up the glucose sugar like a sponge, restoring the glycogen lost.  At the same time the whey protein shuttles into the muscles as well providing them with the amino acids they need to recover and repair as quickly as possible.

I Highly recommend the P90X Recovery drink for this exact purpose.  It contains both Dextrose (a rating of 96 on the glycemic index) and Maltodextrin (like dextrose, maltodextrin is absorbed directly through the gut. So it raises blood sugar and insulin levels as much as dextrose does).  The P90X recovery drink also contains whey protein.  This is why I recommend that you use the P90X recovery drink after your resistance and cardio workouts.  Beachbody made sure they put a lot of thought into improving the recovery drink so they made sure that it has everything your body needs to help recovery, repair and build new muscle.

My Post Workout Recommendations

For those trying to gain muscle than I recommend having a post workout shake consisting of 1 scoop of whey protein + 2 scoops of P90X recovery drink after all of your resistance workouts and 2 scoops of P90X recovery drink post cardio.

For those trying to lose body fat than I recommend having a post workout shake consisting of 1-2 – 1 scoop whey protein and 1 scoop P90X recovery drink for resistance workouts and 1-2 scoops P90X recovery drink post cardio.

You can also add additions like creatine and glutamine to your post workout shake.  Both are beneficial in muscle repair and growth.

Please let me know if this helps you or if you have any questions on what is right for you!  Comment below

Recovery

-Ryan C.

One of the most overlooked and in fact the most important concept relating to muscle building and fitness is recovery. I decided to write about this topic as each day I hear more and more about people skipping Yoga and rest days in exchange for an additional cardio blast.  Sure this may seem beneficial at the time; however it can actually be a step backwards away from your fitness goals of achieving that lean, mean and strong body you’ve always wanted.  Our muscles grow in response to our accomplishments in the gym; however, this does not mean they grow in the gym.

When you work out, you are signaling to your body to begin to start muscle building. But the actual growth of your muscles takes place when you are finished with your workout, while you’re eating, resting, and going about your day. Super intense workouts such as P90x place a large amount of stress on your body and without proper recovery and nutrients your body will be physically unable to build muscle working so hard to build.

It’s as simple as this: when it comes to building new lean muscle, recovery is EVERYTHING. In fact, the real gains are made while you’re lying on the couch, messing around on facebook, or eating a nice healthy P90x friendly lunch or dinner.  Overtraining is one of the biggest issues P90xer’s typically experience, myself included. Just remember, more isn’t always better!

Along with rest comes the other crucial component of recovery, nutrition. It is absolutely crucial that you feed your body with the proper nutrients needed to facilitate growth and recovery. Nutrition is probably the most overlooked aspect of the P90x program and this is the area where most people fail miserably. They press play and train their asses off, pay little or no attention to when and what they eat, and then cannot understand why they aren’t getting the results they are looking for.

You must realize that training and nutrition go hand in hand. In fact, I believe that nutrition is much more important to not only ensuring proper recovery, but also achieving those KILLER results you’re busting your ass to achieve. When you train, you train to trigger muscle growth. However, the only way to achieve muscle growth is to ensure proper recovery from your workouts by eating the right foods at the right times.  During a super intense workout like chest and back, you place the body under extreme amounts of stress, and in order to ensure growth and repair of the muscle fibers, you must fully recover between your workouts.  This means providing your body with adequate amounts of protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals and water, and all at the proper times. Do not compromise your results by ignoring the importance of proper nutrition and rest. In fact, try training without eating properly and see just how far you get. You may actually get negative results, as you’ll create a deeper and deeper nutrient deficiency within your body.

Don’t be afraid to lounge around on the couch instead of throwing in doubles, it will actually help you achieve your goals and help reduce the chances of overtraining and getting injured. You have to remember that this program may be designed for 90 days, however, your body is going to be around a lot longer than that so take care of it! Do yourself a favor, rest up and EAT!

Have questions?  Feel Free to Comment Below Or Contact Me!