You have just finished your workout for the day and what’s the first thing everybody is doing? That’s right, going to
grab that delicious Progenex shake. We have been preaching to you about the benefits of a post workout meal and how much it’s going to help with your recovery. So what’s the problem? Where are your carbs!? You need both protein AND carbs post workout in order to feed your body and muscles appropriately.
Let’s start from the beginning. As we know, exercise whether it is strength or endurance training, depletes the muscle’s carbohydrate stores, and muscle protein structures. I know this sounds bad for the body but it’s not at all, this is how the body adapts and gets stronger. Think about it like redesigning your kitchen, you need to break down and get rid of the old counter top and cabinets to build newer stronger ones. Now what if I told you I would give you the cabinets (Protein), but not deliver them to your house (Carbohydrate). Seems silly right. Well that’s exactly what you’re doing by just consuming protein after your workout. Carbohydrates signal the pancreas to release insulin which in turn delivers carbs and amino acids (protein) into the muscle cells.Now, eating a balance of protein, carbohydrates, and fat is essential to eating healthy throughout the day, so why no fat post workout? Remember, fat controls your ecosnoids (omega 3 and 6 balance) but also slows down the digestion process. Slowing down digestion is not what you want post workout because you’re trying to kick start your recovery process but getting protein and glucose (carbs) into your body as fast as possible.
Typically you want to eat a 2:1 ratio of carbs to protein post workout. So two scoops of Progenix has 23g of protein therefore you should be eating 46g of carbs with that. Some good options for post workout carbohydrates are sweet potato, fruit, or Gatorade if you have trouble stomaching food. You want carbs that are high is glucose content and dense so they get into your body quick. Eating green vegetables are great throughout the day because they release insulin slowly, that is not your goal post workout.
If you are following zone and wondering how you would adjust your blocks its quite simple. Right now your day would look something like this:
| Protein 30% | Carbs 40% | Fat 30% | |
| Meal 1 | 4 blocks or 28g | 4 blocks or 36g | 4 blocks or 6g |
| Meal 2 | 4 blocks or 28g | 4 blocks or 36g | 4 blocks or 6g |
| Meal 3 | 4 blocks or 28g | 4 blocks or 36g | 4 blocks or 6g |
| Meal 4 | 4 blocks or 28g | 4 blocks or 36g | 4 blocks or 6g |
Now it will look like this:
| Protein | Carbs | Fat |
| 4 blocks or 28g | 4 blocks or 36g | 4 blocks or 6 g |
|
WORKOUT |
||
| 4 blocks or 28g | 6 blocks or 54g | 0 blocks or 0g |
| 4 blocks or 28g | 2 blocks or 18g | 8 blocks or 12g |
| 4 blocks or 28g | 4 blocks or 36g | 4 blocks or 6g |
So you would still be eating 16 blocks throughout the day, just shifting them around slightly. The biggest take home I want you to get from this post is that you need both protein and carbs after your workout. Everybody in the gym has taken a good first step to helping their recovery by drinking Progenex. We believe it’s the best way to get protein into your body post workout but not nearly as effect without carbohydrates. If you have any question or want more clarification please post to comments.
Cam
