Let’s talk about supplements.
First point – and the most important point supplements are just that … Supplements.
They are not meal replacements.
They are not a substitute for poor nutrition.
They are supplementing – or adding – to you plan for fuel and nutritional support.
Eat real food first.
Eat quality food first.
Then figure out where you need to
The first place I advise people to start is for post workout.
There is a very short window for recovery fuel after your workout.
The optimal window is 30 minutes, then it falls off to an hour, and drops precipitously after that.
You workout hard in CrossFit.
You lifted some heavy weight.
You hit that WOD with some serious intensity.
You want to benefit from that workout?
Feed your body!
Your workout has primed your body to accept and process nutrition to rebuild.
Your body is depleted, and crying out for replenishment.
In these kind of posts I don’t want to bury you in a dissertation on the science of nutrition or volumes of research.
Everyone and their brother have done that already.
Let’s cut to the chase:
During that 30 minutes post workout you need protein, amino acids, and a little bit of carbs.
This is the time for a recovery supplement shake.
I don’t know about you, but I am barely on the road within 30 minutes of my workout.
Let alone all the way through traffic and home in time to eat a real meal within that critical time window.
Let’s also admit it…
As we have gotten older, recovery is a little harder.
We need all the help we can get.
As we get older – let’s get smarter and benefit from the giants who have come before and proven this over and over.
Such an easy thing to fuel our body.
Get it ready to hit it hard again tomorrow.
This is how we improve.
Make it a habit, make it a part of your workout routine.
You are making a commitment to yourself to workout.
Make a commitment to yourself to fuel yourself for recovery.
Let’s talk about the supplement itself.
I have been doing this for a very long time.
I have tried A LOT of protein powder.
There is a lot of shit out in the market.
Read the ingredients.
Don’t just look at how many grams of protein.
Most of the protein powders out there use low quality protein and a ton of fillers.
They are trying to make it taste better with as cheap of ingredients as they can use.
You are investing in yourself through your gym membership and your time working out.
Don’t cheap out on the most critical aspect!
Would you hire a master Mason and pay him a fortune to build you a house with cheap crumbling bricks?
After your workout, your cells are sucking up everything you give them during that 30 minutes.
Give them quality.
Plan for success.
Prepare for success.
It’s really not that hard.