WTF Should I Eat after I Lift??

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If you've been reading my stuff at all, you probably already know that I'm against using protein supplements at any time of day, including as a post workout recovery shake. While it is true that protein shakes are proven to work, these supplements are in my opinion, a HUGE waste of money. For a more detailed explanation, CLICK HERE to read my post on protein supplements.

INFB Pro Jodie Marsh claims to not use supplements
produced by the company she owns because they contain
banned substances!

The follow up question that I almost always get after making this bold statement is, "Well then what should I take after a workout, smartass?" But before I just straight up answer that question... let's break it down a bit.

First, instead of asking what you should TAKE, you should be asking what should you eat or drink for post workout nutrition. Second, as much as you care about eating and drinking the right stuff, you probably care just as much about convenience because you're busy as all hell. I could give you a ton of foods that take a lot of time to prepare for a post workout meal, but if I did that, you'd go right back to protein shakes. And finally, if you want to keep drinking your #Whey protein shakes because, through personal experience, you can't build muscle as efficiently without them, then you should absolutely keep drinking them. When it comes to working out it is my personal mantra that PERSONAL EXPERIENCE TRUMPS SCIENCE. I'm only inviting you to try something different, something more affordable. I will say though that your body can only take in .7-.9 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day (for a 170lb. person thats 120-150 grams)... after that you either piss it out or store it as fat. So that mass your gaining from drinking 5 shakes a day probably ain't lean muscle my friend. But I digress...

So here are some easy to prep, cheap post workout meals that are just as effective as protein shakes:

1. Chocolate Milk
2. Plain, non-fat Yogurt with Granola mixed in
3. Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich on 100% Whole Wheat Bread
4. Peanuts, cashews, almonds, walnuts, chesnuts, postachio nuts, nuts, nuts
5. 4-5 Hard boiled or raw eggs (if you can man up and get past the texture)
6. Oatmeal with fruit mixed in

The goal is to get 10-20 grams of protein-- that's all your body needs to take advantage of it's peeked protein synthesis levels-- and some carbohydrates into your body within an hour of completing your workout. Ladies, this goes for you too!

Again, this is all just advice...do whatever you want... as long as you lift!

Amino Acids... Explained!!

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A pretty hot topic in the fitness world right now is the importance of amino acids in building muscle. We covered this topic pretty extensively in my Nutrition class and I've done a lot of independent research on it, so I'm going to break it down for you in an easy to follow manner. This should save you the trouble of going all over the internet looking for answers...

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and protein is the main component of muscle (next to water, of course). There are 21 amino acids and they are broken down into 2 groups: essential and non-essential. In all, there are 9 essential amino acids and 12 non-essential amino acids. Essential amino acids are named as such because your body cannot create these amino acids on its own which means it is essential for them to be included in your diet. Without both essential and non-essential amino acids, your body will not be able to synthesize protein, which means less gains from the weight room... which means severe depression and an overwhelming sense of failure. Just kidding... but seriously.

So where can you get your hands on these amino acids? The best source is through animal protein because animal protein contains all 9 essential amino acids. That is why we call animal protein "complete" protein sources. Examples are beef, chicken, fish, eggs, milk, cheese, yogurt, etc. If you want to get big... eat animals.

Plant protein is called "incomplete" protein because, you guessed it, it does not contain all 9 essential amino acids. People on a plant based diet (vegetarians and vegans) must be sure to mix and match their sources of protein to ensure they are getting all their amino acids. This means eating different kinds of beans, nuts, and grains, and varied colors of vegetables. Scientists and nutritionists are not sure which plants contain which types of amino acids, but it has been proven that if you just eat a variety of plant based protein sources you will get all 9 essential amino acids from your diet. Which means that even on a vegetarian diet, you can still see big gains.

I do NOT recommend it, but a third source of amino acids is through BCAA supplements. These are expensive! but have been proven to work (I just read a double blind, placebo controlled government study that showed positive results from BCAA supplements). However, long term ingestion of BCAA supplements could result in dependency... which means your body could slowly lose the ability to process amino acids from natural sources (plants and animals). And, as with ALL supplements nowadays, YOU HAVE NO WAY OF KNOWING ALL OF THE INGREDIENTS THAT THE MANUFACTURER PUT IN THE PRODUCT. For more info on the dangers of supplements, read my post on pre-workout supplements. Again, BCAA supplements work, but are NOT necessary if you follow a proper diet.

Protein powders also claim to have amino acids in them. This is probably true, especially for Whey protein powders since Whey is made from milk, but again, not necessary if you follow a proper diet. If for some dumb ass reason your main source of protein is protein powder, I do recommend buying a powder that contains essential amino acids, or BCAAs. Before you buy your next jug of powder though, watch my YouTube video on Protein Powders (and subscribe to my channel!) to find out why this is a bonehead decision.

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Protein Supplements: a Complete WASTE of Money

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Before I dive into why protein supplements are a waste of money, I’m going to explain a couple of things first. Your body draws energy from 3 sources:

1.       Primary source is carbs (stored in your body as glycogen)

2.       Next is Fat (stored in your body as glycerol)

3.       Last is Protein (you only use protein for energy in extreme situations such as running marathons)

During weight lifting your body rapidly burns through its glycogen stores.

Also during weight lifting, you create tiny tears or abrasions in your muscles that require protein to repair. During this process, you build muscle.

So, after a good weight lifting session you need 2 thing:

1.       Carbs to restore your depleted glycogen stores and

2.       Protein to repair and build your muscles.

After a workout, your glycogen and protein synthesis levels are spiked. Therefore, you must take in protein following your exercise session.

How much protein do you need though to satisfy this peaked level of protein synthesis? Ask most muscle heads at the gym and they will tell you to take in as much as possible as soon as possible. I’ve heard guys swearing that if you don’t take in half your body weight in grams of protein within 10 minutes of working out, you might as well have not lifted at all.

This is totally false!!! Studies have shown that the human body only needs 10-20g of protein to satisfy its peaked protein synthesis levels after a lift. That’s all… 10-20g within 45 minutes of finishing your workout.

What’s the best/cheapest way to get this protein in your system? A simple glass of chocolate milk. That’s all. Protein supplements are completely unnecessary and a huge waste of money. Other good sources are yogurt with some granola mixed in, a peanut butter and banana sandwich, or a bowl of oatmeal.

Alright so there you have it… Don’t fall for the advertisements and the advice of the huge guys at the gym…they’re huge not because they waste money on protein supplements, they’re huge from genetics and hard work along with the large amount of carbs and calories they’re most likely eating throughout the day. Listen to the science and save a shit ton of money. 10-20g of protein is all you need.

 I’ll talk about restoring your glycogen stores (which might be even more important than taking in protein after a workout!) in a future post.

Deuces.