How To Make The Most Of The Post-Workout Window

By Russ Howe


In the topic of how to build muscle people often look for unnecessarily complicated answers when the basic principles still work just fine. Today we shall examine one of those proven principles, the post-workout nutrition window. We are going to explain it for you step-by-step and get rid of some of the general myths surrounding it for you.

Despite the often over complicated world of health and fitness this is very easy to do once you have learnt the basic principles, much like the rules to building a leaner physique in general.

If you are a regular exercise enthusiast or trainer you may or may not have already heard people at your local fitness center or health spa talking about this. For a while it was simply a rumor, an almost mythical 'golden period' after a training session where your body would be able to make fantastic strides forward if you used the time wisely. It has since been proven to be a fact, of course, and today we're going to answer the most commonly asked questions. These include:

* What length of time does the window stay open for?

* Are some foods superior to others after a workout?

* What is the reason this actually exists?

* What should you expect if you fail to hit the golden window?

Don't worry, folks. In today's post we will be answering all of the questions above. First of all let's take a look at the golden window itself and explain what it actually exists for. When you have exercised at a high intensity, i.e. you've just completed a workout in the gym, your body is literally starving to replace the nutrients it lost during the exercise session.

Your muscles are starving and they want to eat immediately. Whatever you decide to eat in this short period will be consumed as quickly as possible by your body. Try providing it with an already nutritious option and you'll notice that your body is able to make the absolute most of it.

The magic muscle building window closes after just forty five minutes so we want to be trying to provide it with all the nutrition it needs within that time.

Using your own common sense you'll be able to now see that it wouldn't make be a great idea to start eating a source of complex carbohydrates because the window will have slammed shut before your body was able to break the food down...

Try combining some whey protein with a bowl of cereal or some fruits in your post-workout meal. Despite being a very light meal, it's packed full of the nutrients your body is calling our for after a gym session and, most importantly, we are able to break down these meals and process them well before the window closes.

During this small post-workout period our body will work to make the most of absolutely any food we provide it with. But if you make an effort to provide it with only options which are healthy in the first place you practically double your success rate here in one easy move.

Don't worry so much about what would happen if you didn't take advantage of this important post-workout period, because the fact is over 90% of gym members fail to do this so the answer to your question is staring you in the face every time you walk into your local gymnasium.

Knowing how to build muscle or how to lose weight effectively is one thing, of course. Doing it is another thing entirely. You're now the proud owner of the information many people in the gym never discover. Use it wisely and it can push your own results to the next level.




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