Whether your goal is to build strength, gain lean muscle, reduce body fat, or boost athletic performance, the right supplements can make a significant difference in achieving the results you want.
Buying the right supplements is just part of the equation. To get the most benefit possible from your supplements (and thus make the most of your hard-earned money), you need to take your supplements at the right time too.
Nowhere is this more evident than with peri-workout supplements -- the supplements you take before, during, and after training.
Not only do these supplements help you to perform better, burn more calories, and complete more repetitions, they can also help you to recover faster!
Today, we’re going to give you the ultimate workout supplement timeline so you can maximize your favorite workout supplements and get the results you’ve always wanted!
1+ Hour Before Training: Drink Your Pre Workout
Pre workout supplements are among the first supplements a fitness enthusiast purchases when he/she gets “more serious” about their training. There’s just something about that ritual of mixing up a great-tasting pre workout that amplifies your motivation and excitement for the gym!
Unfortunately, most gym goers don’t time their pre workout correctly. Most people make one of two mistakes (or both).
First, they will dry scoop the powder and chase it with a small swig of water. Second, they will take it as they are walking into the gym (or right before they walk into the gym).
While this won’t “ruin” your workout, you’re certainly not getting the most benefit possible from the ingredients in your pre workout supplement.
For starters, dry scooping your pre workout deprives your taste buds of the delicious and refreshing taste of your pre workout (which we’ve gone to great lengths to make sure tastes better than any other pre workout on the market). Many of the ingredients in pre workouts, including betaine anhydrous, taurine, glycerol and electrolytes, require adequate amounts of water to be properly absorbed and offer benefits, which is to say that dry scooping and drinking 4-8 ounces of water isn’t getting the job done.
Third, “fast-acting” pre workout ingredients like caffeine and citrulline don’t even reach peak plasma levels until at least 45-60 minutes after ingestion. So if you dry scoop your pre workout and then jump right into your resistance training session, you’re not seeing those benefits until the very end of your workout!
All of this is to say that if you’re going to take a pre workout supplement, such as 1UP Pre Men or 1UP Pre Women, we strongly encourage you to take it at least 30 minutes (preferably 45-60 minutes) before your first working set.
If you train first thing in the morning, then take your pre workout as soon as you wake up. If you train after work or late in the evening, then we suggest going with 1UP Pre Stim-Free so you don’t disrupt your sleep.
Before & Immediately After Training: Sustain Performance with Carbs
Carbs power elite performance, especially during physically demanding activities, including resistance training, interval training, sprinting, group fitness classes and high-intensity interval training (HIIT).
The reason for this is that carbohydrates (e.g. glucose or “sugar”) provide a readily accessible source of high-octane fuel that our mind and muscles can utilize for intense physical activity.
As you may be aware, the more physical activity you do each day/week, the greater your body’s demand (and the more efficiently it uses/stores) carbohydrates.
So, if you’re looking to maximize your workouts, you want carbohydrates pre workout, and if your workouts last longer than one hour, you’ll want to consume some carbohydrates during your workout as well, such as 1UP Tri-Carb.
Depending on when you have your pre workout meal will determine what type of carbohydrates you eat prior to training. If you’re eating 2-3 hours before your workout, then opt for slower digesting carbohydrates like rice, potatoes, oats, etc. If you’re eating one hour before training, choose fast digesting carbs like a banana, cream of rice, or a scoop of Tri-Carb with your pre workout shake.
During and After Training: Sip Amino Acids
If you’re training first thing in the morning after waking, then you may not have time or want to consume a meal. That’s totally fine, but if your goal is to build lean muscle, then you’ll want to make sure to include some amino acids, especially essential amino acids (EAAs) in your intra workout shake.
The reason for this is that essential amino acid (EAA) supplements, such as His BCAA/EAA and Her BCAA/EAA, help prevent muscle breakdown during exercise and stimulate protein synthesis -- both of which help you actively recover!.
Post Workout: Feed Your Muscles with Whey Protein + Creatine
Intense training creates microtears in skeletal muscles and depletes glycogen (carbohydrate) stores. This means that, after a hard workout, your muscles are craving nutrients to replenish what was used/depleted during training.
At the top of the post workout supplement list is whey protein.
Clear Protein or ISO Protein offers a high-quality, fast-absorbing, complete protein source that contains all of the key building blocks (especially leucine) that your muscles need to halt muscle breakdown and fuel the recovery and growth process. Ideally, you’ll have your post workout shake within 30 minutes of finishing your workout, but if you ate an hour (or so) before your workout, then you have a bit more time to get that post-workout shake in.
If you don’t tolerate dairy well or like to vary your protein sources throughout the day, you can also opt for a Whey Protein or vegan protein powder.
Before you drink that protein shake, though, don’t forget to add in a scoop of 1UP Pure Rebuild, which contains creatine monohydrate (the most well-studied sports nutrition supplement of all time!) as well as other key ergogenics and recovery supplements, including betaine, glutamine, and electrolytes.
While you don’t “have” to consume creatine post workout, research shows that taking it after training may offer greater benefits than consuming it pre workout.
Takeaway
Supplements aren’t necessary to get great results, but using the right supplements at the right time can greatly enhance your results. If you have been using different pre, intra, and post workout supplement dosing regimens and wondering why you’re not seeing results or performance improvements, try some (or all) of the tips discussed above and let us know how it works for you!
