There's no substitute for good, old-fashioned hard effort when it comes to fitness. Working hard to lose weight implies hitting the gym, avoiding junk food, and putting in the effort to lose weight and grow muscle.
Sustaining a well-rounded body isn't simple. It often requires working out at about 4-6 sessions a week. You must train all large muscle groups, eat a well-balanced meal, and keep engaged on your health objectives.
Several gym-goers feel that what you're doing before the workout is crucial. However, the key to growing muscle and maintaining your desired results is to give your body the nutrients needed to develop and heal via a post-workout supplement- for example, an organic greens powder drink.
But aside from greens powders, here are five supplements you should take post-workout.
Creatine
Creatine is a nitrogenous organic compound that happens naturally to everyone. But through its manufactured form, creatine is a performance-enhancing chemical that aids in creating adenosine triphosphate (ATP). This chemical aids in muscle recovery and development during periods of stress.
Creatine provides loads of energy that aids in muscle regeneration throughout the workout. Moreover, it gives you the energy to run a bit faster, do one or three more repetitions, and challenge your muscles to their limits.
Scientifically proven substances could be one of the most potent supplements available for a post-workout program. However, since strength training depletes muscular creatine reserves, creatine supplements are best consumed after the workout.
Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs)
BCAAs are fantastic since they aid you not only during the workout but also after. In addition, they are best after an exercise, as BCAAs are a combination of three critical amino acids- leucine, valine, and isoleucine- required for muscle performance and recovery.
The entire purpose of BCAA is to assist the muscles to recover more quickly after an intense exercise. Taking this supplement means that you can take fewer days off of training after a rigorous gym activity since it enhances your body’s speed of recovery.
Besides assisting muscles in healing, certain amino acids not only give you the much-needed strength at the gym. They can also suppress the synthesis of hormones that work towards the body's effort to develop muscle, most notably cortisol.
Glutamine
Glutamine is also an amino acid that the body usually produces. Additionally, the muscles often use it during very stressful conditions, such as exercising. But, overall, glutamine aids in the preservation of muscular strength.
Glutamine is crucial for muscle building. When the glutamine level is depleted after a challenging workout, you must replenish it as quickly as possible after an exercise. You can take this nutrient from food since glutamine is naturally contained in nuts, salmon, beans, red meat, and other high-fat foods.
A decent glutamine supplement can keep your glutamine levels up without overloading you with excessive calories and fat. You’ll be able to maintain your muscle if more glutamine gets back in your body at a faster rate.
Whey Protein Powder
Protein powders have been one of the most popular supplements on the market. And depending on your goals, various protein powders provide different functions.
Many experts recommend one protein drink per day, especially following a workout. However, your body weight determines how much you should take in a day. Aside from that, your current diet and workout regimen are factors you should consider when taking protein shakes. Remember that protein shakes are meant to augment your regular protein consumption, not replace them.
Carbohydrates
Many people claim that you should cut off carbs from your diet when you're trying to lose weight. However, that might not be entirely true.
If you want to gain muscle and reduce body fat during the workout, you should consume simple carbs twice a day: once when you wake up and then once straight after your exercise session.
Carbohydrates in supplement form assist in eliminating all of the excess trash that you'd typically acquire from eating it. You may eat a lot of simple carbohydrates in various foods, but taking a supplement lets you balance the carbohydrate intake correctly, providing you with whatever you need to retain your muscles.
Carbs are critical to recovering the glycogen levels you lose after intense physical activity. Hence, the best time to take them is after your workout. Since insulin sensitivity is exceptionally high at this stage, your muscles are ready to retain the ingested glucose from the carbohydrates you took.
Furthermore, consuming carbohydrates, especially quickly absorbed ones, will elevate your body’s insulin levels. This will aid in transporting creatine, amino acids, and other substances straight into muscle cells.
Final Thoughts
Effective post-workout supplement drinks must be a component of any program for gaining strength, endurance, and better workout results. The key to gaining muscle and maintaining your gains after a long workout is to give your body the nutrients it needs to develop and recover. And there is no better way to do this than by taking post-workout supplement drinks.
