PWO fueling blog

How are you fueling PWO?

I can’t help but ask this out loud, because I think it’s so important to have an appropriate post-workout (PWO) protocol.  I am suspicious that maybe a lot of people either have no idea on what is appropriate to be putting in your body PWO, or otherwise aren’t very consistent about it.

Everyone here works hard.  REALLY hard.  It’s tough to get away with slacking at CFD.  Every time you’re pushing yourself, standing up that last squat that you WANT to bail, but you won’t because you’ve got half the class watching you and cheering you on, you’re breaking down muscle and putting yourself through stress.  Great work!  BUT….that’s only 1/2 the battle (arguably, not even 1/2, but I digress…).  Are you putting the things in your body the other 23 hours of the day in order to repair the damage you did and come out the other end of your training day stronger?  You wouldn’t knock out a wall in your home with the hopes of remodeling and then not go to the store to buy new material to rebuild with, would you?  THEN STOP DOING IT TO YOUR BODY!

Truth is, there’s a very important window of opportunity to replenish and refuel your body after giving it a beating.  Too many people work way too hard and then don’t appropriately re-fuel after a session, and it regularly results in slow (or sometimes seemingly stagnant) progress.  Ask yourself: what do you do after a workout?

Do you go on about your day and not think twice about it?

Do you have a shake?

Is it a quality shake, or is it a cherry-berry smoothie and you’re trying to fool yourself?  Do you NEED a shake PWO, or would a good meal be more appropriate for you?

Do you eat a meal?

What exactly is in that shake or meal?

Are you purposefully giving yourself a certain volume and ratio of micro and macro nutrients, or are you just having whatever is in front of you?

Would you cheat your reps, depth, or times in your workout?  Then don’t cheat yourself of the building blocks that make all that hard work pay off!

I’ll be following up on this subject regarding PWO fueling with the upcoming Strength Gain Challenge that will be ready in just a few short weeks.  However, it’s important to know that, if you remember what I had covered last time, that PWO protocol shouldn’t end with your last strength cycle!  Give your body what it needs after you’ve worked so hard.  After all, the hard part is the work—the easy part is eating and sleeping.  Don’t slack there of all places!

–Coach Phil