If you are serious about improving your Performance then the Intra Workout drink and Post workout Meal is quite probably the most important meal of the day.
Breakfast might always have been considered King but if you are putting in hard exercise sessions and wanting a return from this then ignore this Meal at your peril.
I might be a tiny bit extreme in my mentality (??!!) but as far as I am concerned, a Big workout is a wasted workout without this meal being on point;
There are many pre-made Workout drinks that can be purchased but please ensure that you do not buy one from the shelf without knowing and understanding its content.
I do not highly recommend Workout drinks that simply supply a lot of stimulants without providing the most important ingredients.
In fact use pre workout stimulants at a minimum as they will over increase your cortisol and if this is elevated too long this will hamper your results.
In fact every good post workout meal should contain ingredients to dampen the cortisol response from strenuous exercise.
The most essential ingredients to make the perfect Intra-Workout shake in my opinion are
1
PROTEIN
Consuming a FAST ACTING Protein is of the highest importance.
Different Proteins are broken down at varying rates in the body but Whey Protein is broken down and utilised the most rapidly. This is important during a workout.
A good quality whey powder also contains in quite large amounts the BCAA’s (Branch Chain Amino Acids) Leucine, Isoleucine and valine which are the primary Amino Acids called upon and broken down during strenuous activity.
If you want to preserve your lean muscle tissue and give your body the necessary tools to repair it and gain increased lean tissue then BCAA supplementation is important.
Approximately 15grams of Protein per hour of exercise is ideal and so one general scoop should be suffice.
2
GLUTAMINE
Glutamine is considered a non-essential Amino Acid as our own body has the ability to naturally produce it. However, it is the most common amino acid found in our muscles with over 60% of skeletal muscle made up of it and after Intense exercise Glutamine levels are therefore reduced significantly.
When our bodies require more Glutamine than it can produce we are in danger of falling into Glutamine depletion.
During this phase our body might call upon our muscle tissue to be broken down to replenish the stock needed. This is not what we want and is known as a catabolic state. Everything that we do with our nutrition is to try and create the opposite Anabolic State. Glutamine levels and our ability to synthesise it also decreases with age and so if you are starting to get on in years ….. Its Imperative !!
Glutamine is also administered in some European hospitals and it plays a major role in Immune System function.
Glutamine during my Intra Workout drink and Post workout meal is A MUST
3
A CARBOHYDRATE SOURCE
Even if you are contemplating or performing a typical Low-Carb diet, this is the most important time to consider adding the appropriate carbs to your daily intake. Generally 60-80grams of carbohydrate per hour of exercise is ideal.
These carbohydrates will provide an immediate fuel source to help boost your performance and also aid recovery. Fast acting carbohydrate supplementation will also boost the release of Insulin. You will know from my articles that for a sedentary individual, or if you are at rest or are consuming a large amount of fats that this is not good. However, during exercise this shuttling, storage hormone helps to drive all of the necessary nutrients to our muscles and assist in the synthesis of protein which prevents protein and muscle tissue breakdown.
By providing the above benefits Carbohydrate supplementation during exercise will suppress Cortisol release and increase Anabolic hormones.
I like to use a quick digesting Carbohydrate powder such as Maltodextrin or Dextrose. Both are quite cheap and easy to obtain from all online sports nutrition companies.
I like to use a Scoop providing 50grams of this source of Carbohydrate.
With this I throw in a little fruit juice and maybe ½ banana. This provides us Carbohydrates in the form of Fructose which is great for replenishing liver glycogen.
Combined together I have a perfect 80grams ish for my workout needs
4
MATCHA GREEN TEA POWDER
This is a personal Bio-Hack that some advanced sports nutritionists will recommend but often goes under the radar.
Matcha Green Tea is one of the most potent forms of Green Tea.
It therefore contains a massive dosage of antioxidants which will help boost our bodies immunity and prevent muscle damage from the exercise.
It has also been shown to increase your metabolism and have mild stimulatory effects to help motivate you through your workout.
In addition to this the antioxidants and high L-Theanine content will help supress the negative excesses release of cortisol post workout and therefore help you recover faster
5
If I am going for a Really Hard workout I might sometimes throw in 5grams of Beta-Alanine. Much research has shown this supplement to buffer lactic acid build up, therefore reducing fatigue and increasing muscular endurance.
Hoping to lose Fat or to build muscle the above 5 Ingredients are Top hacks to include during your workout drink to achieve success