Having an effective strength training routine in place is important to leaning out and gaining muscle, but have you ever thought that what you're eating after your workouts is almost just as important? The post-workout snacks and meals are the basic building blocks to what your body can achieve. You can rip your muscle fibers to shreds but not get as far as you'd like gain-wise simply because you are not eating the right type of foods at the right times.
Hands down, the best post-workout snack is a protein shake. Taken as a liquid form, the protein source will be able to penetrate your bloodstream faster thus being able to be transported directly to the muscles very quickly. This will help in the recovery process, both by providing the fuel to rebuild the muscle faster but also helping prevent extreme delayed muscle soreness. Here are a variety of different types of protein shakes with differing ingredients based upon your individual goals.
Banana-Chocolate treat:
1 banana
1 scoop whey protein powder, chocolate flavored
8 oz. skim milk
Optional: 1 tbsp peanut butter
Green Tea Protein Shake:
1 oz. cup of chilled green tea
1 scoop whey protein powder, unflavored
Half of a tsp cinnamon
Half of a cup of applesauce
Optional: 1 tbsp flaxseed
Berry Blast:
8 oz. of skim milk
1 - 2 cups of berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries)
1 scoop of whey protein powder, unflavored
Peaches and Cream:
8 oz. of skim milk
1 cup of sliced peaches
1 tsp vanilla extract
Half of a cup of vanilla yogurt, sugar free
Splash of orange juice
1 scoop of protein powder, unflavored
Pina Colada:
8 oz. skim milk
Half of a cup of pineapple chunks
1 tbsp coconut extract, or ? cup coconut milk
1 scoop of whey protein powder, unflavored
Chocolate Raspberry:
8 oz. skim milk
1 cup of raspberries
2 tsp cocoa powder
1 scoop of whey protein powder, unflavored or chocolate flavored
Optional: 1 tbsp peanut butter
When making any of these protein shakes, be sure to add the liquid first into the blender and then the other ingredients on top to ensure proper and consistent blending.
Make sure to have your protein shake immediately after your workout and no longer than 45 minutes after your final set. It is important to get the protein into your body as soon as possible because there is a small window of opportunity for roughly 45 minutes after you finished your last set which helps and maximizes recovery time.
Author Resource:
Wes likes to write on a mixture of topics and has been doing so for some years. His newest internet site is http://cottonblankets.org which supplies folks with information on cotton blankets .
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