Here we are in the final chapter of our 3 part series on the Ultimate Post Workout shake. With this final chapter we are going to reveal two amazing supplements that have recently been revealed to work wonders for weight training athletes. We’ll also show you how to combine all of this and send your body into a super anabolic state.
The final two ingredients: Beta-Alanine and L-Carnitine. Think of these two as the salt and pepper to your PWO shake. Yes, you could make a smoothie without them, but it would be very bland.
Beta-alanine has recently been revealed to be an incredible builder of strength and muscle mass, possibly more effective than creatine in these areas. Beta-alanine is actually another amino acid and a precursor to carnosine by binding to the amino acid histidine. Carnosine itself helps your muscles work more efficiently and longer, giving you more stamina and a better mind-muscle connection. While you can supplement with carnosine directly, the effects are not as prominent as BA supplements, an effect that is still unclear to researchers. So while scientists strive to better understand why beta-alanine works so well on muscle mass, get ahead of the game and add 2-3 grams to your PWO shake.
L-Carnitine is the final piece of this puzzle and another critical piece. Carnitine helps increase blood flow, which in turn increases the circulation of all of these nutrients in your PWO shake directly where they are needed most – your muscles! It also helps with the removal of waste products like lactic acid from the muscles. And if you forgot the biology lessons above, lactic acid is highly catabolic, so it’s a good idea to remove it from your muscles as soon as you’re done exercising.
Second, carnitine has been shown to increase the number of androgen receptors in muscles. You know what that means, more receptors equals more places for that amazing muscle-building hormone testosterone to attach to and build your muscles. Your goal here is to get 1-3 grams in your post-workout shake.
One final note on L-Carnitine: You’re going to want to go for the Acetyl L-Carnitine or ALC version. This type has been broken down, allowing it to be more easily absorbed and pass the blood-brain barrier. There are a ton of studies on the positive effect carnitine has on the brain, but I’ll leave that up to you to investigate.
Now is the time for us to put all this together. It may seem like you’re going to need a gigantic blender to fit all of this into your smoothie, but it really isn’t that hard if you have the right ingredients. In fact, I can fit the whole thing into a standard size Magic Bullet cup or 16oz personal blender. Once again, the trick is to use the correct fonts for all of these components.
One of the best products I have found to make your PWO shake is 2:1:1 Recovery from Optimum Nutrition. It’s got your protein, BCAAs, and carbs, all in two average-sized scoops. Two scoops contain 70 grams of carbohydrates from multiple sources and 35 grams of protein from multiple sources along with its BCAAS. This one takes care of 3 birds with 1 stone and the raspberry or vanilla flavors are so tasty!
As for the remaining supplements, just look for pure powder forms of each and add them. Most will be 1 teaspoon in size or less to meet your required PWO shake needs so you don’t need huge jugs.
And here is my final advice, don’t forget to rest! Your body can’t grow if you’re still demanding it, so take a day or two off and get a good night’s sleep where your body does most of its muscle building and central nervous system repair.
I hope you enjoyed this article and remember, stay satisfied, stay sexy… stay Swexy!