In today’s article, we’re gonna be talking about post-workout nutrition. Now, there’s obviously going to be two types of post-workout nutrition.

One for when you’re trying to lose weight and one for when you’re trying to GAIN WEIGHT.

For our purposes, the things I’m about to tell you here are for those who are looking to build muscle and gain weight.

So if you’re dieting and you’re following these rules and you find yourself 5 pounds heavier two weeks later, don’t come crying to me. It’s you who couldn’t follow the damn rules…

When considering post-workout nutrition, there are two important points to keep in mind. The first is opportunity and the second is balance. Let me explain.

Right after your workout, if you’ve put in enough effort and haven’t cheated yourself (something we’ll get to at some point), your body should be starving for food and your metabolism should be running like crazy.

This is because almost all of your body’s energy sources are depleted at this point and you’re running on all cylinders. So there’s no time to lose!!

Your body has burned through all of its carbohydrate stores and the next thing it’s looking to devour is fat and protein.

DON’T LET IT!!

Protein = Muscle so if you’re body’s consuming protein to feed itself because your stomach is empty… THAT’S BAD.

Instead, this is the perfect opportunity for you to stuff your face and get in as many calories as you can!!! That means McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy’s and KFC right? W.R.O.N.G. Here’s where the second point comes into play.

When I say that your post-workout meal should be balanced, I mean that it should contain a healthy mix of protein, carbohydrates, and fats.

The key word here is HEALTHY. Even though you might be starving and just want something to curb that growling stomach, don’t just reach for the nearest burger and fries.

Here’s a sample post-workout (bulking) meal:

• 2 6oz. Chicken Breast (562 cal., 70g prot., 0g carb., 6g fat)
• 2 slices whole wheat bread (138 cal., 8g prot., 24g carb., 2g fat)
• 1 cup garden salad (11 cal., 0g prot., 2g carb., 0g fat)

TOTAL: 711 calories, 78g. protein, 24g. carbohydrates, 8g fat

Now I know that this might seem like a lot of food to a lot of you right now, but trust me, if you take it slow and work up to it, you’ll be eating this after your workouts no problem after about 2 weeks.

One final point before we finish. DRINK LOTS OF WATER. Water helps you get food down. Water helps you digest food.

Water adds no unwanted calories, protein, carbohydrates, or fats. Water does your taxes. And water will help you get that hot date you’ve always wanted.

Ok, maybe not the last two but my point is water does everything that you want and need it to do. So drink it!!! Up to a gallon a day.

Until Next Time,
Jim