How on point is your nutrition? Many of you have asked the question; “what supplements should I take before and after my workout?” While there is no one universal formula to satisfy everyone’s varying needs, the pre and post workout nutrition plan recommended below will steer you on the right path for improved performance and greater muscle gains.
An Hour Before Your Workout
Try to consume 5 grams of L-glutamine and 3 to 5 grams of arginine on an empty stomach.
The glutamine will help energize your workout and assist with recovery, while the arginine will help with nitric oxide production for greater blood flow to the muscles.
30 Minutes Before Your Workout
This is where you would consume a low-glycemic snack such as a bowl of oatmeal, or whole grain bread or rice. 40 grams should be sufficient to help sustain your energy throughout the workout. Along with this you’ll want approximately 25-50 grams of whey protein. Pre-workout protein helps boost your blood amino acid levels to a point where it stays at a high level throughout your training.
Right After Your Workout
As soon ad you are finished go with 5 grams of l-glutamine, 5-10 grams of leucine and some BCAAs.
The glutamine helps restore levels that were depleted during the workout, and the leucine is a BCAA, which serves to stimulate muscle growth. It also helps the release of insulin into the bloodstream. Insulin also helps promote muscle growth due to it’s anabolic properties.
30-60 Minutes After Your Workout
You now need to ingest some whey protein and fast absorbing carbs. Take 2 scoops of whey protein powder, and try to mix dextrose with this (for the fast absorbing carbs). If you cannot obtain dextrose, a good alternative would be waxy maize/vitargo. As a last resort you can also mix some table sugar into your whey protein or you can consume some white bread with your whey if sugar isn’t an option for you. The rise in blood sugar levels that are linked to fast carb ingestion also prevents the release of muscle wasting hormone cortisol.
