The problem with most workouts and the nutrition surrounding said workouts is that they're essentially wasted, or they're not "maximized". When I say maximized I'm referring to the 15-minute window after a workout where your insulin sensitivity is at its height and your muscles are craving nutrients. This is when you want to use supplements for their intended use (and yes, this will go against most of the "recommended use" guidelines on the backs of bottles, but this is the TRUTH about post workout nutrition). The name of the game in post workout nutrition (I mean RIGHT after your workout) is bringing your hormones back to where you want them to be and starting the recovery process IMMEDIATELY. In regards to both tasks you want to stop the rise of cortisol that occurs during a workout, as well as the muscle breakdown that really picks up steam for 3 hours after a workout. Now, the questions:

Is protein important after a workout?

Yes. For a number of reasons, one being "proteolysis" or the breaking down of muscle which occurs during training  and then only gets worse in the hours after a hard workout, which also hurts protein synthesis (your body's ability to break down proteins and use them to repair tissue).

The goal of post workout nutrition (including the post workout shake, of which I'll give you the best post workout shake recipe - supplements included - you can possibly have on Thursday) is to minimize this proteolysis and improve protein synthesis.

The thing about a workout is that protein consumed post workout promotes more protein synthesis than it does during rest. So just when you need protein most, your body absorbs it even better - a win win if I've ever heard of one. So yes, protein is important after your workout. Very important.

How much protein should you have?

Studies are showing that the body can absorb more protein in one sitting than previously thought and this number only increases as you become healthier and you carry more muscle mass. So the answer will change depending on your body type, but basically have a lot.

Anywhere from 40-80 grams of protein will suffice - keep in mind that yes, you can have too much, so if you go for the 80 gram route, you may have to dock it down a bit in your other meals. Personally, I have around 40 grams of protein in my post workout meal and 50-60 grams in my post workout shake.

Do you really need carbs with your post workout proteins?

First, every good study that's been done shows that a post workout meal within 1-2 hours of training has a very positive effect on lean muscle mass and recovery.

So how do carbs fit into this picture?

Insulin, and not simply carbs, fit into your post workout meal in that carbs increase insulin and insulin stops the protein and muscle breakdown that occurs after a workout.

Keep in mind that this post workout meal that's high in healthy proteins and carbs also stops the rise of post workout cortisol levels, and cortisol negatively impacts protein synthesis all the while making you burn muscle and store fat.

Bonus tip: have vitamin C with your post workout shake to stop cortisol in its tracks.

What Should You Have in the Post Workout Shake?

1. Protein Powder.

The best protein isn't whey or casein or isolate, but all 3. A tri-blend offers a 3-phase release to make sure you get the most protein to your muscles as humanly possible.

Bio Trust Low Carb Protein (click here) is the protein I use and recommend because it is a tri-blend of the highest quality, but you shouldn't just stop at protein powder.

While whey increases insulin - it actually does a great job of increasing insulin and lowering cortisol and the muscle breakdown that occurs during a workout and after a workout - BCAA's do an even better job at preventing this muscle loss or breakdown and starting the repairing process.

2. BCAA's

So have BCAA's (click here) before your workout and during your workout IF you want to see something from your training. These guys are possibly the most important supplement you can have in your pantry.

Dosage: 8 grams before workout. 12 grams half way through your workout.

But there are others...

So you have your protein powder and your BCAA's in your post workout shake, as well as your carbs (power-aide or assorted berries or other fruits/carbs), but you also need this stuff to make the best post workout shake on the planet.

a. Vitamin C - stop your body's natural release of cortisol by consuming 1,000 mg of vitamin C right after your workout.

b. Vitamin D3 (find the best source here) - vitamin D3 is one of the most important nutrients you can have, and having it after a workout is a great time to fire up your immune system, getting it working on repairing your broken muscle tissue as fast as possible.

Dosage: Take 1 drop of Athletic Greens D3 post workout as well as before bed. Athletic Greens D3 has 4,000 IU's per drop of the highest quality D3 on the market. Most d3's offer a mere 400IU's per tablet. AG is in another world with their D3. It's awesome.

3. Creatine - studies show that post workout creatine is much more effective than preworkout creatine. I just bought another order of Micronized Creatine - which is my favorite source of high-quality, fast-absorbing creatine.

Creatine is GREAT for recovery and building lean, metabolic and anabolic muscle. It's one of those supplements that, for some reason, has been demonized as a drug, but it's completely natural and very healthy and effective at helping you see better results from your training.

Here are those links again:

===> BioTrust Low Carb (protein)

===> BCAA

===> Vitamin D3 

===> Micronized Creatine

Here's your Man Diet 1-time 20% off discount code: MANDIET (use it upon checking out of all Bluestar pill-form products).

If you're going to see results from your training, your post workout meal and your postworkout shakes have to be on point.

The supplements we've mentioned in this newsletter are INCREDIBLY important. I have all of them (all of the ones mentioned here are ones that I use and put my name behind, they're awesome, high quality, and effective), and use all of them after every workout.

If your post workout shake and meal are the most important meal, then these supplements MUST be the most important supplements if you want to see something for the work you're doing in the gym.

Again, the post workout meal and shake are all about giving you something to show for your training. If you're not taking care of your post workout nutrition, then you can't really complain about not seeing any results IF (big if) you're training correctly and training hard.

So stop wasting your workouts and get your post workout nutrition in order.

P.S. There's one more I'd add to that list but the benefits are too long to talk about in this article. We'll cover that in a few days.

Hint: it tastes like crap.