- List of the Best Post-Workout Supplements:
- What is a post-workout supplement?
- Is Post Workout Supplement Important?
- What Are the Benefits of a Post Workout Supplement?
- Who can use the Post Workout Supplement?
- Post Workout Supplements Side effects
- What Is the Best Formula of the Post-Workout Supplement Overall?
- How to Choose a Post Workout Supplement?
- Bottom line
Usually, we think about what we should be taken before our workout. We want to be sure that we will be full of energy and will be able to have a productive workout. The food or supplements we are consuming before can be directly related to how we will feel in the gym during our workout. So, we know what we have to take before, but did you ever think about what should you consume after? Also, why do we forget about what post-workout supplements or the food we should be taking after our workout?
In this article, we want to explain to you all the necessary facts about post-workout supplements with all the pros and cons, what post-workout means and how to recover better.
How big Arni (Arnold Schwarzenegger) was saying, “The best activities for your health are pumping and humping.” Well if we believe this is true, to see progress after a good workout you need to have a proper recovery. So, here are the best post-workout supplements on the market:
CoreSeries BCAA Glutamine is one of well known Transparent Labs products, it was created to repair and recover your muscles after a workout. The big benefit of Transparent Labs product is that they all are backed by clinical research, and doesn’t contain colored dyes, unnecessary fillers, or any harmful additives.
Pros & Cons
- 8g BCAAs in a 2:1:1
- 5g glutamine
- Big choice of tastes
- Doesn't contain colored dyes
- Gluten-free, NON-GMO, No artificial preservatives
- Well, it doesn't have any!
One serving contains:
- BCAA 2:1:1 8 mg
- Glutamine 5 mg
- Coconut Water Powder 1 mg
Transparent Labs, was founded not so long time ago, also it is one of the industry pioneers that has become a global leader in the sports nutrition industry which is not using any GMO, artificial sweeteners, coloring and preservatives. And also this fat burner is doing amazing work for their reputation. It is growing very fast, and we can say that this company is the best player if we are talking about healthy nutrition.
Bottom line: As we wrote above, Transparent Labs Supplement Science proved themself as one of the big players and they produce one of the top products on the market. It contains balanced and clinically proven ingredients to help enhance your athletic performance. This supplement will make your recovery faster and increase your strength and durability!
Recover Mode by Evlution Nutrition as all products here are created and designed to help your body to recover faster. You will be able to make your recovery shorter and to rebuild your muscles faster during your workout. Also, you will improve strength and endurance which makes it even better. It also contains BCAAs with recovery and energy boosters what will make you feel full of energy even after your workout.
Pros & Cons
- BCAAs in 2:1:1 ratio
- Natural energizers
- Zero calories
- Contains creatine
- Could contain more electrolytes
One serving contains:
- Vitamins C, D, E
- 5g BCAAs (2.5g Leucine, 1.25g Isoleucine, 1.25g Valine)
- 3g L-Glutamine
- 25g Creatine Monohydrate
- 5g Betaine Anhydrous
- 1g L-Carnitine L-Tartrate
- 750mg Patented Creatine HCI
- 1g L-Taurine
- 6g CarnoSyn Beta-Alanine
- 1g Calci-K (Calcium Potassium Phosphate Citrate)
- 180mg Calcium
- 90mg Phosphorous
- 3mg Black Pepper Extract
- 150mg Chloride
- 170mg Sodium
- 150mg Potassium
Producer: EVL Nutrition is quite a new company on the market founded in 2013, but it already won awards of Bodybuilding.com as a “Breakout Brand of the Year”. After such a short period they made their name really known on the market. You can be sure that their products are the highest quality!
Bottom line: As always, EVL Nutrition makes good quality products, also it will make you feel recovered and full of energy after your workout. It includes BCAAs, glutamine, and creatine like most post-workout supplements, but also it provides nice amounts of vitamins that are so necessary when you are working out. If you will review comments on Amazon, you will see that people feel real effects also it really works!
Cellucor is a Texas-based supplement company it is about 15 years old. Also, it is better known for their pre-workouts. Cellucor Alpha Amino is a highly effective and popular post workout on the market. Also, there are 5 grams of BCAAs with a 2:1:1 ratio of leucine, isoleucine, and valine in it + 3.75 grams of extra amino acids, what have to help your body to recover. Also, it contains 200mg of electrolytes like phosphorus, potassium, magnesium etc.
Pros & Cons
- BCAAs in 2:1:1 ratio
- Plus 14 powerful amino acids
- High quality ingredients
- 5 good tastes
- Contains electrolytes
- Could be little bit cheaper
One serving contains:
- Phosphorous 65mg
- Magnesium 13mg
- Sodium 30mg
- Potassium 70mg
- BCAA 2:1:1 Blend 5,000mg
- Essential Performance Amino Acid Complex 3,750mg
- Alpha Amino™ Hydration Blend 1,750mg
Producer: Alpha Amino is manufactured by Cellucor. The company exists since 2002 and it is a big player in the fitness supplements market. As we told above, this company is more known for its pre-workout which is one of the most popular in the world. So, Cellucor is making good quality products, and this one is not an exception, it will help you when you will need it!
Bottom line: Alpha Amino has BCAA in 2:1:1 ratio what is good, plus it has extra ingredients like magnesium, sodium and potassium which helps to avoid muscle soreness, makes your sleep better and recover faster. The company proved that they are trusted one! The only con of this supplement is that it is a little more expensive, but not drastically than competitors, but the taste is excellent. So, possibly this will be the criteria where you wish to pay a little more.
If you are searching for good post workout with a nice amount of BCAAs, TSP is your product. It also contains some extra essential amino acids and energy supplement, which will make you feel perfect after your workouts and will help you to build and maintain your muscle. Most of the products contain just BCAA, but in this one, you can get a variety of extra amino acids!
Pros & Cons
- 5g of BCAAs
- No sugar and no calories
- Affordable
- Contains caffeine
- Promotes fat burning
- Some tastes can be too sweet
- Mixing could be better
One serving contains:
- Amino Acid Blend 5,000mg
- L-Taurine, Beta Alanine (CarnoSyn®), L-Leucine, L-Isoleucine, L-Valine, L-Glutamine, L-Citrulline, L-Arginine, L-Tyrosine, L-Histidine, L-Lysine Hydrochloride, L-Phenylalanine, L-Threonine, L-Methionine
- Weight Management 1,500mg
- Conjugated Linoleic Acid Powder, L-Carnitine L-Tartrate, Green Tea Extract (Camellia Sinensis) (Leaf) (Standardized for 50% EGCG), Green Coffee Extract (Bean)
- Natural Energy and Focus Blend 130mg
- Caffeine (from green tea), Theobromine
Producer: RSP handles itself like a well-oiled sports team. They want to prove to you that if you will try their products, you will stay loyal and will stay with them for long. That means that their main goal is quality, and make you feel the effect of their supplements as soon as possible. That means you will not disappointed with their products.
Bottom line: So, if you want to try something new and different, Amino Lean is for you. It will recover you fast and will give you energy for a full day. Also, the reviews on Amazon are really good, so you will not miss this product if you will decide to try it!
Essential AmiN.O. Energy is a strong and effective post-workout supplement, which is made by Optimum Nutrition. It contains amino acids with green tea extract, beta-alanine and much more. So, this product is an excellent post-workout shake, recovering you faster and giving you energy, but also it can be used during your workout as well, which will make your workout easier and increase your durability.
Pros & Cons
- Contains 5g micronized free-form amino acids
- No sugar
- Contains Bete Alanine
- Includes green tea extract and green coffee
- Big choice of flavors
- No information about dosages and ratios
- Very high in caffeine
One serving contains:
- 5g amino acid blend,
- Taurine, arginine, leucine, beta-alanine, valine etc.
- 160mg energy blend
- Green tea extract and green coffee extract.
- 50mg caffeine per serving
Producer: Optimum Nutrition Essential AmiN.O. Energy is manufactured by Optimum Nutrition, one of the biggest companies in the sports nutrition industry that showed amazing results for years. Above all, it is developing the most powerful and effective products that satisfy costumers in the whole world. ON is best known for the Gold Standard 100% Whey protein, the best-selling and known protein powder on the market.
Bottom line: Optimum Nutrition is one of the most known supplements companies in the world. All their products really high quality and this one is not an exception. So, Optimum Nutrition Essential AmiN.O. Energy is a really strong post-workout supplement, which you can use it as a pre-workout as well, which makes it good for you if you don’t want to have two supplements instead of one. The only minus is that it doesn’t provide information about dosages and ratios in it, but people definitely love it!
What is a post-workout supplement?
The post-workout supplement is a supplement you are taking soon after your workout. It makes your recovery faster and ensures you with energy for the rest of your day. Usually, they include different types of amino acids which are good for recovery, and also other ingredients like vitamins, minerals, caffeine, etc.
So, post workouts usually are in the form of a powder that is mixed with water or just added to your shakes. They also are designed to absorb faster, so you could feel the effect almost immediately. Also, you can be able to find some post-workout supplements in the form of pills or capsules. It can be more convenient sometimes, but powder usually starts to work faster.
Is Post Workout Supplement Important?
During your workout, your body is under stress, it burns a huge amount of calories, you are using water to cool your body down. So, during your workout, your body starts to protect itself by building muscles and it stores amino acids together with other nutrients.
So, the reason you need the post-workout supplements is to replace those lost nutrients immediately after a workout.
After a workout, you need to restore your muscle, rehydrate with fluids, and eat a meal with lots of protein. But, usually, you are not able to do that immediately, so usually, you are taking whey protein to give your body what it needs to rebuild your muscle, and post-workout which works instantly and supports you during the day.
What Are the Benefits of a Post Workout Supplement?
Post-workout supplements are designed to help your body recover after a workout. Usually, they are a mix of ingredients that includes amino acids, BCAAs, creatine, etc.
Usually, a formula in every supplement might be different, but they all have basically the same goal, to recover your body faster.
There is a list of benefits the post-workout supplement can give you:
- Faster recovery after your workout: So, post workout supplements are providing the nutrients that you basically used during your workout. Also, it supplies specific ingredients which you need for faster recovery. It can include such things as branched-chain amino acids and BCAAs and it can stimulate protein synthesis which is helping you to grow muscle. (1)
- Reduce muscle soreness: Post workouts may help you to get rid of muscle soreness. Usually, after an intense workout, you are feeling muscle soreness the next day and day after. So, supplements like post-workout might help you in with this issue. If you will start to use it you will notice that soreness is going away faster. So, what helps to get rid of soreness in the post-workout supplement? BCAAs are the main supporter of it. Studies confirm that athletes who use BCAAs feel much less muscle soreness that athletes who are not using BCAAs. (2)
- Supports muscle growth: as you know, with post-workout you are recovering faster. As a result, you can be more productive during your workout, which definitely gives you more results (muscle growth). Also, studies have shown, that BCAAs are really useful if you are trying to build lean muscle mass (whey protein might help to achieve this goal too).
Who can use the Post Workout Supplement?
Post Workout Supplements are the harmless one, so the specter of people who can use it and can benefit from it is quite wide. But, we will try to mention the main one, so you could understand if you can use it:
- Men and Women: the current supplement is not made for a specific group, so both men and women can use it. Any active athlete can benefit from a post-workout supplement. Usually, there is no need to search for a “gender-specific” product, but also it is true that there are few products on the market designed just for women.
- Bodybuilders and other weight lifters: If you are lifting weights, a post-workout supplement is a good choice for you. Usually, weightlifters are giving huge stress for their bodies, so it is really important for them to recover faster, and replace lost nutrients. And the main benefit, if you are struggling with muscle soreness and you don’t like it, so post-workout is your product must be!
- All types of athletes: The main point of the post-workout supplement is a faster recovery for people who are physically active. Also, they can help you to increase your endurance, which is perfect for athletes like cross-fitters, runners, etc. Cross fitters, usually consume a huge amount of post-workout supplements or just BCAA as their body has a tremendous amount of stress. Also, long-distance runners are a perfect example. Post-workout for them has a double benefit, recovery faster after the long run and also increases their endurance.
- People who are on low carb diet: most of the post-workout supplements include not much calories in it or just no calories at all. Plus, post workouts provide you a good energy boost after or during your workout. Also, we will repeat ourselves, recovery is one of the main benefits, as when you have low carbohydrates in your diet, it is much more difficult for your body to recover.
Post Workout Supplements Side effects:
As we already told above, post-workout supplements are harmless supplements, and usually, users do not have side effects from these supplements.
Usually, post-workout supplements nutrients can be very different and sometimes it can contain creatine, which is really good for increasing your stamina and strength, but from another point of view, it increases water retention in the muscles, leading to extra water weight.
Also, some of these post-workout supplements can be a cause of dehydration, but this happens only if you do not drink enough water. So, to avoid it, just remember to drink more!
Basically, these are all side effects, just check nutritional facts and you will already know, what you can expect from it.
What Is the Best Formula of the Post-Workout Supplement Overall?
Well, to make a good muscle recovery and help them grow the best combinations should be a mix of BCAAs, Glutamine and sometimes creatine (creatine is good only if you do not have any kidneys issues).
The amino acids (also BCAAs) from protein are critical building blocks that are synthesizing new muscle tissue. Glutamine is perfect for recovery, and Creatine is a nice guy for strength and durability increase. This should be the win-win combination for a post-workout supplements if you want to see faster results.
How to Choose a Post Workout Supplement?
- Quality of ingredients – this is one of the main factors, don’t be lazy to check nutritional facts. What it contains? How much it contains? Also, don’t forget to take in mind the supplements you are already taking.
- Check value for money – Firstly, you are spending your money, so why should you pay more? Also, on every pack you are able to see servings amount, so just divide the sum you paid for the number of servings. The lowest price will win. Also, pay attention that for bigger packs, one serving is usually cheaper.
- Brand – Reputation of the brand is a pretty valuable thing. It shows status, customer satisfaction and also the quality of products. Check customer reviews, what people are saying, also what awards the company has, etc.
- Product reviews – All points mentioned above are really valuable, but product reviews show the real experience of people who tried this product. So, that is a good thing that all the products we are describing are available in the Amazon if you click just on them. You will be able to see what real users are saying about it.
Bottom line
So, post-workout is a useful supplement, which will help you to recover faster. Different brands propose different solutions, but we know that they all work.
Also, don’t forget, that supplements are useful supporters, but they are not doing your work for you. Remember, first what you have to do is to correct your diet (you can check some tips here), plan your workout correctly and always be consistent with points above. So, if you will do these three points, then supplements will give you much more, and sometimes more than you were expecting. Athletes know really well that to follow a diet is 70% of your result.
We hope that now you know enough about post-workout supplements and now you can buy it with understanding what do you need.
Please note – we do not recommend you take ANY supplements featured on this site without consulting a doctor first.
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