Supplements needed after intense workouts

Intense workouts leave the body exhausted. Its protein and energy stores are depleted. The muscles need repairs. Post-workout supplements promote muscle recovery, repair and growth, restock the energy stores and cut down on muscle breakdown. After a workout, people need protein, carbohydrates, and creatine. Proteins are vital as they contain the amino acids, which build muscles. Carbohydrates supply energy for all activities. They restock the energy store. Creatine acts as a fuel during low-oxygen phases and strengthens muscle cells. It also helps cells to retain more water. 

Needs quantified

Men need 50 grams of good protein after a workout. Muscle repair and growth are impossible such an intake. The protein intake has to continue throughout the day. Men require 50 grams of carbohydrates after a workout. The carbohydrate store has to be filled again to optimize the density of muscles and store glycogen. Men need 2-10 grams of creatine. Creatine moves easily with proteins and carbohydrates to its destination and speeds up muscle formation.  Branched-chain amino acids added to water are consumed in the last 30 minutes of the workout. After the workout, 25-45 grams of whey protein/ whey isolate are taken. Then the normal food plus some creatine in warm water. The meals may include steak, burritos, bacon, and chicken.

 Online availability

Best post-workout supplements for men are easily available online. There are hundreds of brands and each brand offers innumerable products. There is keen competition among the brands to capture a huge chunk of the big global market of diet supplements. The 2014 global sales of the dietary supplements are estimated to be $50 billion. The brands try to offer the lowest prices, promise best quality, claim that their products are the purest and the most effective and also come up with festival offers and the usual incentives like discounts from 10 percent to as high as 70 percent.

Protein supplements

Various types of proteins are being marketed. They include whey, soy, casein and isolate proteins, protein blends and protein bars. They can be in the form of powder, liquid, syrup, tablets or capsules. There can be many popular flavours of these supplements, including apple, strawberry, lemon, mango and vanilla. 

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates supplements include dextrose and maltodextrin. They digest fast. Dextrose is glucose. Maltodextrin digests fast but is not sweet nor has any flavour. Waxy maize has no sugar. It is absorbed quickly. It replenishes the glycogen store. Carbohydrates may be taken immediately after a workout or one or two hours later. 

The case of creatine

Creatine is available in powder, pills and liquid form and can be taken with water or any other beverage. Creatine helps the body to carry out high-intensity work, improves brain functioning, aids bone healing, promotes muscle recovery and growth. But it can have certain side effects. Many experts warn against its potential ill effects. 

Get expert opinion

The supplements to be taken before or after a workout vary greatly with individuals. Each person’s needs, doses and timing have to be decided correctly. So, it is always better to have a consultant to help in selecting and monitoring the effects of the supplements.

When whatever you eat turns into muscle

For bodybuilders, the one-hour period after an intense workout is crucial. The tired muscles need rich nutrients to recover and grow. The muscles grow at their fastest in this period. What the bodybuilder consumes in this period decides whether the workout would add to the muscles and strengthen them or whether the effort goes waste. Bodybuilders must ingest the following supplements immediately after workouts. 

The post-workout supplement

A post workout supplement can comprise liquid, tablets, or a shake. These will be a mix of proteins, carbohydrates, amino acids, and vitamins. Protein is necessary immediately after workouts. Muscles need amino acids to grow bigger and stronger. Protein has amino acids, which build the muscles. The proteins should be digested quickly. Casein, a slow and steady protein that prolongs the muscle making, is also required. Fast and slow-digesting protein powders increase the muscle gain.

  

Replenish the lost body resources

During workouts, the body burns up muscle glycogen, stored as carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are the energy source for all activities. They have to be replenished after a workout. If that is not done, the amount of glycogen stored gets reduced. Creatine uptake also promotes greater cellular hydration.

Creatine supplements

Creatine intake is mandatory in the hour after a workout. It acts as a fuel source during times of low oxygen.  Creatine intake during this critical period increases lean-mass gains and muscle strength by 10 percent. It strengthens and rebuilds muscle cells. Amino acids leucine, isoleucine, and valine promote muscle growth. Leucine switches on the muscle protein synthesis and raises insulin levels, thus facilitating conversion of carbs, creatine, and amino acids into muscle cells.  Glutamine raises the body’s ability to recovery naturally.

Self-made supplement

It will be a good idea for bodybuilders to prepare a mix of post-workout supplements for themselves on their own. But they can go in for readymade mixes available in online portals, as well. These are convenient and comparatively cheap. These supplements allow muscles to grow and store more energy for the next workout.

The timing

Drinking branched-chain amino acid supplements mixed with water during the last 20 minutes of the workout, 25-45 grams of whey protein or whey isolate just after the workout ends, a chicken or other food after a few minutes and some creatine in warm water make a good post-workout supplement. But this can be modified by following the examples of renowned bodybuilders.

Many claims

Many brands claim to offer the most effective postworkout supplement. Many organizations come out with ten best supplements of the year. While it is not easy to assess the correctness of these claims, bodybuilders can go by their own experience and follow a trial and error method to finally converge on the post-workout supplements best for them.  All that they have to ensure is that they get a good mix of proteins, carbohydrates, amino acids, and vitamins. 

Let an expert be the guide

Online portals offer great many options in post-workout supplements. They offer supporting survey findings and expert opinions in their favor. They offer added incentives like discounts. They claim that the bodybuilders are getting them cheap. It will always be better for bodybuilders to consult an expert in the field, and then, reach a decision.