Pack On Muscle Mass With This Post-Workout Drink

For those of you out there that want to induce the most gains from your intense workout this might be exactly what you need! Developing and using this shake has helped me increase my strength and put on several pounds of muscle! If you have a hard time gaining muscle, read on!

Creatine

Found naturally throughout the body, creatine has commonly got a bad rap because it is incredibly misunderstood. All creatine essentially does is allows your muscles to perform intense exercise at a higher rate for an extended period of time. This lets you tax those muscles more which will cause greater muscle gains. Basically allowing you to gain a few pounds of muscle!

Dr. Antonio CEO of International Society of Sports Nutrition was quoted as saying regarding the effectiveness of creatine,

"To date, creatine is clearly the single most effective dietary supplement for enhancing gains in anaerobic performance as well as increasing lean body mass and muscle fiber size."

When it comes to consumption, it's easiest to remember to take between 4-6g of creatine a day for maintenance. Creatine monohydrate is one of the most highly studied supplements ever and has been found to be safe for men and women.

Whey Protein

Protein is a building block of muscle and something many of us get plenty of in our diet! But to induce more muscle growth we need to get it to our muscles after an intense workout! This protein that we are getting to our muscles needs to have at least 3-4g of leucine per serving! This is because leucine is one of the more important amino acids for synthesizing muscle! With one study even saying,

"The leucine content of a protein source has an impact on protein synthesis, and affects muscle hypertrophy. Consumption of 3-4 g of leucine is needed to promote maximum protein synthesis."

After your intense workout it has been recommended you should take anywhere from 30-40g protein (if you weigh less than 200lbs; if more consume 40-50g).

Dextrose

Dextrose (a carbohydrate) brings it all together and makes it work more effectively. Why? Consuming a carbohydrate post-workout induces an insulin spike which causes your muscles to absorb protein and creatine more efficiently and at a higher absorption rate! Likewise, dextrose allows leucine to more effectively induce protein synthesis; better muscle growth!

One simple way to remember how much dextrose to consume is to take the amount of protein (in grams) in your post-workout shake and multiply that by 1.5. So if you are consuming 35g of protein then you should add at least 52g of dextrose.

Conclusion

To induce muscle growth, a great post-workout shake should include:

Creatine: 4-6g
Whey Protein: 30-40g
Dextrose: 1.5 X grams protein
Water: 15-20oz

Try this shake and see if you achieve any results! If you are going hard during your workouts, you better get those muscles the nutrients they deserve!


To find more muscle building tips and tricks, check out Always Active Athletics. There you will find your #1 source for at-home fitness!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=J._R._Anderson