After a grueling workout it is essential to re-fuel your body using the best post workout supplement you can get your hands on so you can maximize the effectiveness of you training routine. Supplements are a big part of any bodybuilder or other athlete’s workout routine. These products are designed to improve fitness results in one way or another, from protecting the body against damage to boosting health in general. Just as supplements are taken for a variety of reasons, they’re also taken at different times.
It’s not unusual to consume a daily protein shake as a breakfast replacement, or take a performance-enhancing supplement just before a workout. Post workout supplements are also an important part of the exercise process, as these help the body recover.
How Post Workout Supplements Work
When you lift weights, the body takes damage. The muscles break down during exercise, forming microscopic tears that need to be repaired before being worked again. This is part of the process that builds healthy muscle, as those fibers that tear are older, less healthy muscle fibers. As the body heals, it creates new and healthier fibers that repair and grow the muscle after training. This process is why muscles feel sore and fatigued after a workout, and why most sources recommend a downtime of at least a day before exercising the same muscle group. Though the body will naturally heal itself, the best results for repairing and building muscle require the use of post workout supplements.
These supplements will provide the body with the proteins and other helpful nutrients it needs to build strong, healthy muscle. Supplements can offset the process of catabolism, which basically results in the body eating its own muscle due to insignificant nutrition or caloric deficit. Many bodybuilders try to stave off catabolism, but ruin their potential gains by eating after a workout. The body needs carbohydrates and proteins to repair itself after lifting weights, but fat can inhibit muscle growth. Fat slows down the digestion process, meaning that the muscles will need to wait longer to receive the carbohydrates and proteins they need. Since most foods that contain both carbohydrates and proteins also contain fat, eating a meal after a workout is inefficient. Post workout supplements give the body the nutrition it needs without also introducing fats that can ruin your results.
Proper Post Workout Supplement Use
The first 90 minutes following an intense workout are considered the “post workout window,” during which the body not only needs nutrients to repair itself but also has an increased capability to absorb those nutrients. This is another reason to use post workout supplements, since using the right supplements during this crucial time can improve results. Bigger and more impressive gains are possible by utilizing the post workout window with supplements, and muscle recovery time can be greatly decreased. Many professional bodybuilders use post workout supplements when trying to train and gain quickly in preparation for a competition.
Among the nutrients frequently included in these supplements are creatine, compounds that aid glucose replenishment such as waxy maize and vanadyl sulfate, and proteins and amino acid compounds. Whey protein is a popular choice due to its fast digestion properties, as is creatine. Regardless of which ingredients you choose, adding the best post workout supplement to your fitness routine can make a huge impact on your results.
Key Post Workout Supplement Components
So now its time to select the best post workout supplement that is currently available online. This was a difficult task to take on because there are hundreds and hundreds of good supplements to choose from and most of which contain nearly the same core components, however after careful inspection, the best post workout supplement slowly began to emerge from the rest of the bunch. So what do I look for in choosing the best one?
1. Whey Protein – Whey protein is preferred because of the faster absorption rate into the body. I prefer a Hydrolyzed whey because of the faster absorption rates. Hydrolyized basically means that the protein chains have been hyrolyzed or broken down into smaller segments that are easier for the body to absorb and process. This is particularly important to us because we need to capitalize on our 90 minute window when the body is primed for nutrient absorption.
2. Glutamine – All through out your workout your muscle burned up most of the available glutamine in your body so it is very important to replenish your depleted supply as quick as possible so you can avoid turning catabolic and burn up valuable muscle in your body.
3. Carbohydrates – It is just as important to consume carbs post workout as it is to consume protein itself because the carbohydrates will effectively raise your insulin levels so your body can avoid going into a catabolic (muscle break-down) state due to a lack of nutrients. Many reports have shown that spiking your insulin by taking dextrose powder before consuming your shake helps to stop catabolism.
4. Amino Acids – Amino acids are the basic building blocks of muscle synthesis and although protein is the chemical compound of amino acids, consuming a higher dose of amino’s can greatly increase muscle repair, thus speeding up recovery while capitalizing on building muscle.
5. Creatine – We should all understand the importance of creatine and the benefits that it carries to bodybuilders. Creatine is used by the body to create ATP (adenosine triphosphate) which powers the entire body. Being that you just depleted your ATP in your body, you should probably stack up on some creatine so you can recharge your muscles.
Anything else? Sure, your body is complex and after your workout it will need a full spectrum of nutrients including your daily vitamins and minerals which you should be getting from a multi-vitamin and your diet. You will probably be dehydrated so drink plenty of water as well as consume plenty of fiber to properly digest your high protein diet. Aside from that, be sure to get plenty of sleep (8 hrs) to give your body time to heal.
The Best Post Workout Supplement
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Hello,
Did you ever try BSN cellmass? I heard its one of the best?
Thank You
Matthew
Hi
Im new to all these pre work put and post workout supplements ,
Im currently using the Bsn N.O 2 Explode as my pre work out and the Bsn Hydroxy Burn Pro as my post workout .
Is this a good combo ? Or can you advise a better combination . My main aim is burn far and tone my muscles..
Any advice would be appreciated
thanks
i think you should consider creatine one of the main ingredients os post workout.. creatine is proven to work better post than pre..
Hey Vitor,
The second list on this page has post workout supplements with creatine. Thanks!
Have you consider HydroBuilder from ON..
Very good protein quality..creatine is creapure..good profile on BCAAS and some extras..and good carbs..for me..personal opinion..is the best.
I did and it is a great whey protein. I included it on my best protein supplement page before this last update and didn’t include it due to price, however the price on hydro wheys have dropped so on my next update you might see them again!
Have you ever tried Myonova’s cytofuse? Is there any difference between it and the supplements on this list?
I havent tried it but looking at the ingredients, it is different in that it is a whey protein supplement with Glucose Polymers and Maltodextrin which can spike the insulin. These supplements on this list are intended to be absorbed very quickly and can be taken at anytime. Plus they do not fill you up like a protein supplement would. These supplements do have some more nutrients in them, but cytofuse looks like a decent post workout protein so its really just a matter of preference. These supplements are meant to be stacked with a protein supplement, not necessarily intended to replace them.
What is the difference between post workout drinks like these and a calorie replacement protein shake containing every amino acid? Also, which is better for building lean muscle and muscle recovery?
Good question.
The answer is that post workout supplements like these are absorbed much faster than a protein supplement, have little to no calories (unless there are simple carbs. added to spike insulin), and can be consumed pre, intra, or post workout without feeling full or bloated. Protein supplements need to be broken down in order for the body to utilize the amino acids in them which can take some time depending on the type of protein. Many people will take a post workout supplement immediately after a workout and follow up with a protein supplement 20-30 minutes afterwards to continue muscle feeding.
also what about bulletproof by MusclePharm?
Hi,
I just wanted to know if Muscle Pharms Amino1 is better than their Recon? Because You havent reviewed Amino 1
Thank You
Many thanks for the quick answer, Rick!
Awesome job you did! Since last year, I choose my supplementation with your opinions!
Best regards
This is for me the best site of supplemente analysis. Only two questions, why don’t you maintain the review before this one? asking because in this one you don’t consider 2:1:1 recovery from Optimum nutrition. It was best considered than Xtend. Isn’t any more?
Best regards from Portugal
Hello Paulo,
I do try hard to rank these supplements as best as I can however there are certain changes that will effect the ranks.
The reasons why the ranks change are because:
1. New supplements hit the market so I have to recalculate the stats.
2. Other supplements that have been missed or overlooked that have been reviewed will effect the stats.
3. Newer and better ingredients will effect the stats. A good example of this is Creatine with all the variations or others such as Arginine, or even Glutamine and the various forms of each.
4. Factors that were missed or overlooked will effect the stats.
All of my best of lists will change quite frequently because of these factors, but because there are thousands of supplements I really do try to focus on only the best and that’s a small # so if you decided to buy a supplement from any of my list, it will be one of the best you can buy at that time.
I will be updating this list with post workout supplements with creatine in the next few days so come back and check it out to see the results!
Hey thanks for the info on post workout sups, I’m with Vitor tired of the indigestion and belching. But I would have to say pill form maybe easier to take, but powder or liquid sups get into the system quicker.
You may want to consider moving Muscle Pharm’s Re-Con up to the “Complete” category, as it contains a considerable amount of muscle-building protein in the form of amino acids in its formula.
This makes it worthy of a side by side comparison BioRhythm’s Afterglow, as they are both top “10″ products, with each containing protein and a mix of different nutrients in their formulas.
According to one of the reps responding on one of the forums I was just reviewing, the Re-Con formula originally contained Whey protein, but they thought they could further improve the effectiveness of the product by changing to free form amino acids (the building blocks of proteins). This saves the body from having to break down the whey protein into its amino acid components during the digestion process, and thereby provides a faster and more efficient nutrient delivery system while more accurately tailoring the protein profile to those components most required by the protein-depleted/protein-hungry muscles.
While the protein/muscle-building blend is listed on the label at 40gms, the rep stated that part of this blend is made up of carbs and other components (approx. 10 – 15 gms). He specifically stated that the protein component itself, the amino acids, would be equivalent to about 25 – 30 gms of whey protein.
From the label -
Re-Con® Muscle Rebuilding Proprietary Blend 40,000mg *
Carb Max™ 3 Stage Delivery System *
Glucose Polymers, Dextrose, Inulin
Anabolic Primer Matrix *
3:1:2 BCAA Blend
L-Leucine, L-Isoleucine, L-Valine
EAA Complex
Glycine, L-Threonine, L-Lysine HCL, L-Phenylalanine, L-Methionine, L-Tryptophan
Recovery Accelerator *
L-Glutamine, Taurine, L-Arginine, L-Pyroglutamic Acid
Anti-Stress & Adaptogen Matrix *
Ascorbic Acid, Dimethylglycine HCL (DMG), Phosphatidyl Lecithin Complex, L-Cystine, Gynostemna Pentaphyllum
While your categorization of nutrients places amino acids (other than Branched Chain) in the “other” nutrients category, it seems as though this particular item should be reconsidered.
Having such a high number of amino acids, including all of the essential amino acids which the body cannot produce on its own, along with a hefty dose of many others, providing the “muscle building” nutrients which are far better tailored to hungry muscles needs and in a far easier and faster form to digest and assimilate, equivalent to 25 – 30 gms of whey protein, should certainly push this item into the “complete” category of post workout supplements one would think.
In any case, Thanks for the great comparison of post-workout supplements altogether, nice work…!
Hey Glenn,
First off, thanks for writing in!
I think that initially when I created this page, I wanted to try to categorize post workout supplements by certain characteristics so that people could differentiate between the types of post workout products. I think that I accomplished that, but at the same time, I see that some of the wording and definitions may be confusing and a bit misleading as your example with “Recon” clearly demonstrates. BCAAs should be in the muscle building column because that’s what they do – build muscle, but if I did it that way, it was more difficult to group the supplements so I opted for this way. I see the obvious confusion this has caused and I apologize for that.
I find that the more I research these supplements and the more supplements like these hit the market, the more blended they become and the more difficult it becomes to properly group these supplements together in specific categories. I’m actually going to be doing away with the rating characteristics all together and going with a more straight forward type of system where I will be picking the top 10 based on preliminary research, however everyone including myself can only rate each one once so that we can get everyone’s opinion about which ones stand out from the others. The reason for this is simple- These supplements will effect you differently than me. Workouts, age, diet, rest, consistency, and supplementation all have a baring on the effectiveness of a product. Plus, I think that its just more interesting to see everyone vote instead of just mine!
hey man. i know im being annoying but can you do a review of best suplements pills.
im getting a little sick and tired and burping a lot with shakes.
powder has more effectiveness but pills is easier to digest…no taste no burp..no nothing..
so i want to know if there are any solutions..for example to buy protein or pre or post workout supplement pills instead of powder.
I want to know the best ones..that make my money worthy
Thanks in advance
Hey Vitor –
I know what you mean regarding the powder drink form of supplements give you more indigestion. I have gotten it as well, and I have found that if my diet and water intake is off, then my body tends to respond more negatively. As far as supplement pills instead of drinks, I can think of musclespeed right off the top of my head, and as far as protein, you can always eat a protein bar or those wafer bars.
how about as update in this category like you did in pre workout. That would be awsome. Thanks in advance
Hey Vitor,
You bet! Updates for this page and others are currently in progress. Thanks for writing in.