Post- Training Nutrition

Hi Everyone,
Today I have a great guest blog for you from one of the top personal trainers in our industry. Michelle Adams recently did a presentation during our "Master Level" personal trainer course on nutrient timing. It was such an amazing presentation that I really wanted to share a portion of it with you. So I asked Michelle if she could write this blog about post-training nutrition. I know you will enjoy this blog and find it extremely useful........ so, enjoy!

Scott

So you just left all you had on the gym floor—a really intense all out effort aimed toward reaching your ultimate physical goals. Whether it is to lose weight (body fat), gain muscle or bring the biggest, fastest, strongest body to your field of competition. You feel certain that you accomplished this in your training. Well, I hate to rain on your parade, but you are wrong. Your training and your efforts in the gym are actually breaking your body down almost heading you 180 degrees from where you want to be! BUT before you throw your hands up in desperation, let’s look at a way that we can make all of that effort work FOR you….3 words…
post workout nutrition.

Taking in the right nutrients as soon as your training session is complete is the key to turning the environment in your body around- from breaking things down (catabolic) to building and repairing (anabolic). In a post training state (in a healthy body) - muscle cells are very sensitive to insulin and its anabolic effects. Knowing this, we can make the most of this time by providing our body with nutrients we want to immediately supply to your muscle cells. High Glycemic index carbohydrates in conjunction with 100% whey isolate (or whey hydrolysate), branch chain amino acids and anti oxidants can help to guarantee that all of your hard work in the gym actually DOES get you where you want to go. What happens if we DON’T provide those nutrients ?? Great question! Well, the catabolic state created during training continues on. Meaning that you are not rebuilding and repairing the damage to the muscle cells. Even delaying the ingestion of these nutrients by an hour will markedly affect your body’s ability to initiate repair.

To maximize your efforts the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) recommends high glycemic index carbohydrates (such as glucose, sucrose and maltodextrin) whey isolate protein, vitamin C, E and electrolytes (sodium, potassium, and magnesium) be present in a post workout shake.

Michelle Adams MPH, CSCS, is a Master Level Personal Trainer and Head Team Leader at Gainesville Health & Fitness. Michelle is also an IFBB Professional Figure competitor. Michelle specializes in Bodybuilding, Fitness, and Figure Contest Prep and off-season training, Weight loss, and increasing lean muscle mass. Michelle has extensive knowledge in sports nutrition among other things. Learn more about Michelle at http://www.ghfc.com/personal_training/trainers/Michelle_Adams/ or http://www.michelleadams.net/