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Post Workout Drink Carbohydrates
All trainees (ages 6 and up), regardless of their chosen mode of exercise, must take
their post workout drink seriously in order to provide the
muscle with the raw materials it needs. As all types of workouts
use carbohydrates for energy, muscle carbohydrate depletion is
inevitable. Therefore a post workout drink high in carbohydrates
is required to refill muscle carbohydrate / energy stores.
However any kind of carbohydrates will not do. Post workout you
need to consume complex carbohydrates to promote a metered insulin
release. Insulin is the hormone responsible for shuttling
carbohydrates and amino acids into the muscle. In doing this,
carbohydrate resynthesis is accelerated and protein balance
becomes positive, leading to rapid repair of the muscle tissue.
Therefore, by consuming complex carbohydrates, you
will promote a metered insulin release, increase glycogen storage,
and increase protein repair. Research has shown that a
nutritious post workout drink maximizes glycogen synthesis and
accelerates protein repair.
Post Workout Drink Protein
In addition, since muscle protein is degraded during exercise,
the addition of protein to your
post workout drink is necessary to help rebuild the structural
aspects of the muscle. Post workout, the body decreases its
rate of protein synthesis and increases its rate of protein
breakdown. However, a post workout drink with protein and amino acid
solutions has been shown to reverse this trend, increasing
protein synthesis and decreasing protein breakdown.
Researchers have demonstrated the effectiveness of
adding protein and other essential
vitamins to a post workout drink.
While your post workout drink should be rich in protein and
carbohydrate, this drink should also be fat free. Although the consumption of
essential fats is one of the most overlooked areas of daily
nutritional intake but during the post
workout period, consuming
fat can actually decrease the effectiveness of your post workout
beverage. Since fat slows down transit through the stomach,
during the post workout period fat may slow the digestion
and absorption of carbohydrates and proteins.
As your post workout drink should be designed to promote the
most rapid delivery of carbohydrates and protein to your
depleted muscles, fats should be avoided during this time.
Post Workout Drink Timing
Finally, another important factor to consider is the timing of
your post workout drink. It is absolutely crucial that you consume your
post workout drink immediately after working out. As indicated
above, after exercise, the muscles are depleted and require an
abundance of protein and carbohydrate. In addition, during this
time, the muscles are biochemically "primed" for nutrient
uptake.
This phenomenon is commonly known as the "window of
opportunity". Over the course of the recovery period, this
window gradually closes and by failing to drink immediately after
exercise, you diminish your chances of promoting full recovery.
To illustrate how quickly this window closes, research has shown
that consuming a post workout drink immediately after exercising is superior to consuming one only 1 hour later.
In conclusion, when you decided to start working out you decided
to give up a specific amount of time per week in the interest of
getting better, physically. However, if you haven't spent the
necessary time thinking about your post workout drink nutrition, you're
missing much of the benefit that comes with exercising.
(Check out the benefits of using Kul Fuel as your
pre workout drink too)
I assure you that once you start paying attention to this
variable in the recovery equation, your time in the gym will be
much better invested. Make the wise choice for a
healthy
energy drink next time. Choose Kul Fuel.
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