Bodybuilding what should i eat after a workout

High-performance race cars rely on the finest equipment and premium grades of fuel to run fastest and most efficiently, so why would your internal bodily mechanisms be any different? You can fuel your muscle- and strength-building efforts with clean, high-quality foods and supplements to maximize your performance and gains, or gunk up your insides with greasy and sugary foods that add more to your waistline than your bench press.

Bodybuilding nutrition has been refined over the years but the basic tenets remain. You should eat:. Complex carbs , which are nothing more than a bunch of sugar molecules chained together, take longer to digest than simple sugars, so they are ideal to consume throughout the day to control blood sugar levels. Simple sugars, on the other hand, quickly enter the blood and elevate blood sugar, spiking insulin release.

Insulin drives those circulating sugars into storage tanks—namely muscle tissue and the liver first to replace any that's spent—but then the excess is driven into fat cells. Hence, controlling insulin by consuming complex carbs over simple ones is a smart way to watch your body fat. However, sometimes you actually want to elevate your blood sugar and use the resulting insulin surge to your advantage.

That's where pre- and post-workout nutrition begin to differ from the bodybuilding diet you follow the rest of the day. Eat a heavy meal before your workout and it'll still be in your stomach on that heavy set of squats—and you'll know it. To ensure you're not hungry halfway through your workout and you have plenty of fuel to train intensely, your best bet is to consume a small pre-workout meal minutes before your training session.

The nutrients will be readily available to fuel your workout and even give you a head start on the post-workout recovery process.

Though your metabolism and body type help determine the exact quantity of nutrients you may need from that meal, you want to consume a pre-workout meal that's equal parts fast-digesting carbs and protein to fuel your muscles and jump-start muscle growth and repair.

Starchy carbs like low-fiber white bagels and white rice and other fast-digesting sugars—sugar, dextrose, maltodextrin—combined with a fast-digesting protein like whey protein isolate or egg whites if you prefer a whole food are quickly digested.

As such, there is a point at which blood glucose levels available energy and glycogen levels stored energy get so low that intense exercise can't continue. There just isn't enough available energy for your muscles to use. So what happens is that the hormone cortisol is secreted, this is your body's "stress" hormone and it has very catabolic effects.

What cortisol does is eat up muscle tissue for protein and convert it into glucose. A process called gluconeogenesis ensues, producing glucose from these amino acids in the liver. The net result is a loss of muscle tissue. The post-workout shake prevents this. It also allows insulin to be released, this is, as most of you know, one of several anabolic hormones in the body if you are a natural trainer especially, you want to maximize the release of all your body's anabolic hormones through all available methods.

So, whey protein is your best protein source at this time because it is absorbed quickly, what is the best carbohydrate source? Well, we want a high glycemic carbohydrate source.

This term refers to carbs that are high on the glycemic index 70 and above rates as high. The glycemic index is a measure of how quickly a food raises blood sugar and hence insulin levels. Normally, it is best to eat lower glycemic foods so as not to initiate an insulin spike 55 and under rates as low.

But post-workout, the exact opposite is true. It is critical to get the carbs and protein to the muscle cells as fast as possible. As well, the elevated insulin levels will help to drive nutrients into the muscle cells. And again, high-glycemic carbs are best for this purpose. Simple carbs are naturally present as simple sugars, occurring in mainly fruits and milk, as well as some other foods. The two main types of sugars are:. Fructose —fruit sugar. You might think this would be a great source, but the glycemic index is only 11 for a 25 gram portion.

This means then that it is not digested quickly and does not raise insulin levels to any great degree. What this means is that fruit sources are not a good source of carbs for the post-workout drink.

Dextrose —also known as glucose. Exercising regularly has many benefits for your body and brain. This article explores the top 10 benefits of regular exercise, all based on science. Exercise burns calories, but many people claim it doesn't help you lose weight. This article explores whether exercise really helps with weight loss. When it comes to eating foods to fuel your exercise performance, it's not as simple as choosing vegetables over doughnuts.

Learn how to choose foods…. Caffeine is a powerful substance that improves exercise performance. Here is an evidence-based review of how it works. While diet is essential for reversing or managing type 2 diabetes, exercise plays an important role as well. Here's how. Low-carb and ketogenic diets have many health benefits. However, their effects on exercise performance are less clear. This article reviews the…. Sodium bicarbonate baking soda has benefits for physical performance.

It can increase strength, coordination and high-intensity exercise performance. Nutrient timing involves eating foods at strategic times in order to achieve certain outcomes. This article reviews the research behind nutrient…. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Eating after a workout is important. Protein, carbs, and fat. The timing of your post-workout meal matters. Foods to eat after you work out. Sample post-workout meals and snacks.

Make sure to drink plenty of water. The bottom line. Read this next. The Top 10 Benefits of Regular Exercise. Exercise and Weight Loss.