Great Post-Workout options

When it comes to post-workout nutrition, you'll find that there's a huge variety of opinions: should you fast? consume protein? consume carbs? how about creatine, BCAA, EEA's, carnitine, fish oil, magnesium, vitamins, etc? Googling the subject is like trying to navigate through a jungle without direction. Before I get into the PWO options that I use regularly and periodically, i'd start out by recommending a few people who's by far the most knowledgable on PWO nutrition. They've also been a great source of inspiration for me: Charles Poliquin / Poliquin Institute, Philip Chubb, Robb Wolf, Wolfgang Ünsold, owners of ATP-labs, Ido Portal and Ben Greenfield.

Now, it's important to note, that I personally train under a gymnastic/bodyweight-regime while using weights/olympic lifts for my lower body. My overall program changes every 6th workout so my body doesn't get into an adaptive state, thus hindering my progress. This means, that my PWO-nutrition changes as well, depending on the type of workout I do: neurologic, hypertrophy, glycogen depleting, etc. Another factor is your BF-percentage and how much muscle mass there's involved in your workouts. As a rule of thumb, based on Poliquin, if your BF% is more than 10%, don't even think about carbs PWO. Another example regarding the workouts: a strictly neural, low volume workout will raise your cortisol levels and therefore, increasing your insulin PWO will improve the ratio between testosterone and cortisol. PWO solution for reducing cortisol? Magnesium, taurine, Vitamin C, glutamine, etc.

If you use the same PWO-nutrition for all types of workout, then your progress will stagnate in the long run. Your PWO-nutrition has to be dictated by the type of workout you're performing. I'm not going to cover the different PWO solutions for all the different kinds of workouts, however I'm going to present some basic PWO supplements that I use for the majority of my workouts and they've been working fantastic for me. This is another crucial point: the PWO options that i'm going to present works well for me, but they doesn't necessarily work for you. You might be sensitive to dairy, meaning you cannot digest whey protein. You might have to look for other solutions such as beef protein powder, egg protein powder, etc.

Here's a handfuld of supplements, that I use for the majority of my workouts as a PWO solution: I) Whey Protein

Whey Protein contains all the essential amino acids and a handful of non-essential amino acids as well. It's easily digested (for most people) and quickly absorbed. There's a lot of poor quality whey protein on the market, so make sure it's GMO-free, hormone-free, grass-fed cows. A tip from Ido Portal: the New Zealand cows are the best options when you're looking for whey protein (and dairy protein in general). I use between 40-60g of whey protein PWO depending on the workout. Brand example: ATP labs or Deigns For Health.

II) Glutamine

I add between 15-20g of glutamine PWO for glycogen resynthesis. Since I don't add any carbs PWO, glutamine is my go-to when it comes to restoring my glycogen levels. Glutamine is also a great way to enhance your immune system and improve your gut health. I personally use the glutamine from ATP labs, since it's made under pharmaceutical standards and it's fermented.

III) BCAA

I don't use BCAA's PWO, but intra-workout. I follow Poliquin's guideline of 20-40g of BCAA intra-workout, once again dependant on the type of workout I do. BCAA's trigger muscle synthesis and reduces your chance to get into a catabolic state - which is something you want to avoid PWO at all cost. From my experience, BCAA's reduce my soreness and generally improve my recovery. I use the no-taste BCAA from Bulk Powders. It tastes absolutely horrendous, but the quality is good and it has the proper ratio (2:1:1).

IIII) Magnesium

I use chelated magnesium PWO to reduce oxidative stress and calm the nervous system - especially post a hard neurologic workout. From my experience, chelated magnesium is the way to go. I wouldn't recommend oxidised magnesium or magnesium citrate to anyone. Now, there's a variety of different chelates. The best options PWO are by far: glycinate and fumarate. I take between 1000mg-1.500mg magnesium PWO. (Pro tip: adding topical magnesium to your muscles will greatly benefit your recovery as well)

IIIII) Taurine Taurine is another supplement that I use primarily for calming the nervous system and reducing cortisol. It's a great relaxant and it'll also aid your sleep (just like magnesium). Adding taurine and magnesium PWO is a great combination. It'll reduce muscle soreness like nothing else and you'll feel much more recuperated the day after.

I do experiment with curcumin, Vitamin C and fish oil PWO as well, to reduce inflammation and aid my joints. It's been working very well thus far and i'll make a post about it in the near future.