What I drink after a workout

“What should I drink or take after a workout?” We get that question in the support email inbox A LOT. So, I’ve taken it upon myself to jump down the rabbit hole with both feet to figure out what works.  What doesn’t.  And what is total BS. Not surprisingly, after 15+ years in the fitness industry, there is never a shortage of BS products, services and advice. In the interest of setting a good knowledge foundation, we need to first understand the problem that is occurring during our training (or a golf round), which is this… When we are doing resistance training, we are actually breaking down our muscles. And creating micro-tears. Which sounds like a bad thing, but that is exactly what leads to growth and strengthening of our lean muscle tissue… The reason is that our bodies are so friggin’ smart and resilient. In the interest of survival, we need to build back our muscles stronger to prepare for the next workout.   It’s kinda like fairways (or any grass really). The more they are mowed, the stronger they come back. Somehow, the grass knows that the mower is coming back for more, so it keeps the party going by deepening it roots, and multiplying.  (You can thank our co-founder Ryan for that tidbit – he is a grass nut) Now, the kicker with our muscles is that we also have to deliver the proper nutrients to move the recovery process along as soon as possible. Speed is king in the post-workout setting because the faster we stop the breakdown and begin the repair, and recovery process… The better our overall results can be.  It doesn’t matter if our goal is fat loss, muscle growth, performance, or simply feeling our best, we need to feed the beast the nutrients it needs to recover, so we can get back to work. Think about Neosporin – my wife swears by it. Yes, a cut will naturally heal on it’s own.  But, putting the ointment on it speeds up the recovery process. I’m still not convinced Neosporin works, but I do know that drinking my protein shake helps me recover from workouts much faster. And I notice I’m able to build muscle faster. For example, I rotate my workouts, so for a period, I won’t do dumbbell curls.  So, when I do restart, I may start with 8 reps per set using 25 lbs.  If I’m not consistently drinking my protein shake, I notice that it takes me longer to progress to 30 lbs, then 35 lbs, and so on. I can’t tell you what works for everyone, just what works for me and our Crew. And that has been our experience. STAY STRONG, Jeff PS – Right now, I’ve been crushing the Chocolate Mint Cookie flavor from 1st Phorm (tastes just like a Girl Scout Thin Mint). I just add water.  And it’s delicious.