Are you lethargic in the gym?  Do you find yourself dreading workouts and finding excuses to back out of exercise whenever possible?

 

Well, chances are you simply aren’t recovering properly between workouts.  Getting fitter and leaner is supposed to leave you with more energy and enthusiasm, not less!

 

Eating for recovery has important implications for your fat loss.  By recovering more effectively between workouts, you’ll be able to perform more workouts with higher quality efforts.  You’ll build more muscle and lose more fat, and hopefully enjoy the process more.

 

During the post-workout (recovery) phase, your role is mostly to flood the system with protein and carbs.  Why protein and carbs? 

 

Well, protein (as previously discussed) plays a major role in muscle rebuilding post-workout.  The components of protein, amino acids, are the raw material from which new muscle tissue is built. 

 

Three amino acids in particular, called BCAAs (branched-chain amino acids) are particularly important, as they have been shown in research to speed muscle rebuilding after an exercise session.

 

Luckily for you, most quality protein sources contain significant amounts of BCAAs (for example, an egg contains roughly 6 grams of protein, 1.5 grams of which are BCAAs).  The BCAAs work their magic best when consumed either right before a workout or immediately after.

 

I’m not going to bore you by retyping Mike’s great article about why you should have starchy carbs after a workout.  Do yourself a favor and go read it, then come back and finish this.

 

Or, read this two sentence summary statement:

 

Protein needs an escort to more effectively get into the cells to be utilized.  Carbohydrate (glucose) acts as that escort.

 

I’m going to assume you want to do this whole recovery thing in the best possible way, for optimal results, so I’m going to give you the whole shebang.  Of course, I realize you have a busy life and schedule and gosh darn it, you simply can’t possibly schedule a feeding 30 minutes after the workout and 90 minutes after that and BCAAs and leucine and… and…

 

Look, it’s ok.  If you don’t have the timing perfect, no one’s going to come out and arrest you.  Take a deep breath, take what you can from the following, and relax – it’s not as complicated or involved as it seems.  Just hear me out for now.  Let’s break this up into 3 post-workout phases: Immediate, Short-term, and Long-term:

 

I.              Immediate – within 30 minutes of the workout

 

Remember that scene in the terrible movie The Matrix Reloaded when Neo, Trinity, and Morpheus return to Zion?  The HUGE metal doors guarding Zion slowly open, and they are enveloped in a warm, welcoming haze of bright light.

 

That’s what happens to your cells after a good workout.  Your body’s depleted cells open up to be replenished.  It is at this time that your body is primed to absorb the most from whatever you feed it; all nutrients, macro or micro, are absorbed maximally.

 

You want to take advantage of this window of opportunity by shuttling in as much protein as possible for the repair and rebuilding of muscle tissue.  And how can you get the biggest protein bang for the buck?  By consuming it in liquid form.

 

Liquids are absorbed faster than solids; there’s simply no comparison when you’re talking quick delivery to the cells. 

 

Additionally, if your workout involved any degree of difficulty and effort, it’s likely you won’t be in the mood to chow down right away.  In this case, drinking 20 oz or so of fluid is a great deal easier and more palatable (not to mention much more convenient)

 

Remember that we want carbs for their “escort effect?”  It’s a good idea (although not required) to put a little bit of carbohydrate (such as glucose, available at your supermarket or online) in your post-workout drink to further assist in protein absorption and assimilation. 

 

For your convenience and reference, I’ve listed here three different post-workout drinks you can pattern your own after:

 

1) Prepared protein shake of your choice – if you can’t be bothered, head over to your local GNC and buy them prepackaged; no muss, no fuss.

 

2) “Collins’ Choice” - 25 oz. of water with 50 g. VP2 Whey Isolate and 30 g. glucose – if you want to be like Mike.

 

3) “Berardi’s Homebrew” – 1 serving whey protein (of choice) in 2 servings of Gatorade – for all you DIYers (myself included)

 

II.            Short-term – within 2 hours of the workout

 

Okay, you’ve cooled off, you’ve taken a shower, and you’re starting to get hungry.  “What do I eat?”

 

We’re still aiming for recovery here and looking to optimize our response.  It’s best not to eat everything in sight and fall over 15 minutes later, a sleepy, bloated mess. 

 

What you’ll want to eat at this point is a small meal with a portion of protein and a small portion of starchy carbs.  Some quick examples:

• A SMALL bagel with tuna

• Chicken breast with a small potato or two

• Some slices of turkey and sweet potato

• A small portion of lean sirloin and a ½ cup of brown rice

Now, I’d like to point out some similarities between all of these meals.  They all contain protein.  They all contain a smallish portion of a starchy carbohydrate to enhance protein absorption.  But what are they all missing?

 

That’s right – FAT.

 

Eat a minimal amount of fat with this meal.  Don’t get me wrong – fat is good for you – but in this meal, having fat will slow down digestion, which slows absorption of the amino acids.  Since this situation is the opposite of what we want, keep the meal lean and small. 

 

You want the food digested and ready to go into the cells as quickly as possible.  Remember, you’ve only got a limited window available for optimal absorption; you’ve got to make the most of it!

 

III.           Long-term – roughly 4-6 hours post workout

 

So it’s dinnertime (or lunchtime, depending on your workout time) – now what?

 

Back to basics – you now return to your regularly scheduled fat-burning fare.  Emphasize quality protein sources (grass-fed beef, free-range chicken, wild fish, etc.), quality fats (fish oil, flaxseeds, olive oil, butter, etc.), fibrous vegetables (essentially, anything except potatoes and corn), and low-sugar, high-fiber fruits (berries come immediately to mind) 

 

In other words, go back to the way you should be eating 95% of the time to create and sustain a fat-burning environment.  Meals are all back to “normal size.”

  

Some people want me to give them the specific “magic” ratios and nutrient breakdowns reserved for the pros (like telling them 4:1 in Phase II with a 0.75 gram per pound bodyweight per hour for the first 90 minutes post), but unless you’re running in Beijing in 2009 for the gold, going to that level of scrutiny is overkill. 

 

Let’s make things simple here, folks.  Simple translates into “easy to follow”, which means that it actually will be followed.

 

In a nutshell, I want you to:

 

• Drink a protein shake right after your workout

• Eat a small meal, maybe chicken and a potato, within 2 hours

• Go back to eating the way you should be for fat loss anyway after that.

 

Now why didn’t I just say that at the beginning?

 

See you all in the weight room.