What are post-workout complexes, and are they necessary?

Author: Timko Ilya - master of the whole project and fitness trainer.
2015-03-10

If anyone doesn't know, post-workout complexes are a mixture of various sports nutrition products that manufacturers create for consumption right after training.

This type of sports nutrition is less common than pre-workout complexes and appeared later, but nevertheless, many leading companies produce such blends: MHP, BSN, MuscleTech, Optimum Nutrition, Weider, and others. Personally, for me, these complexes are nothing more than a marketing ploy aimed at selling more of their products. But let's take everything step by step.

Composition of Post-Workout Complexes

All such complexes typically include:

• Carbohydrates
• Protein
• Creatine
• Glutamine

Moreover, the ratio of protein to carbohydrates is usually similar to that of a gainer, with a significant advantage in favor of carbohydrates. In this regard, only After Max from ON and Anabolic Window from Nutrabolics have an approximately 50/50 ratio. Additionally, not all but many of these complexes also contain:

• BCAAs
• A group of vitamins and minerals (often B vitamins and magnesium)

In simpler terms, a post-workout complex is essentially a gainer with some added creatine, glutamine, and BCAAs (if you're lucky).

What is the Purpose of Such a Complex?

The main objective of a post-workout complex is to help the body recover quicker overall and specifically aid the muscles:

• Carbohydrates replenish glycogen stores in the muscles.
• Protein and BCAAs assist in muscle structure recovery.
• Creatine replenishes creatine reserves in the muscles.
• Glutamine and B vitamins support overall recovery of the body.

Thus, by taking such a complex, you significantly speed up the recovery process of your body after each workout. Furthermore, you do this in a comprehensive manner.

Is It Necessary to Buy It?

It turns out that this product seems to be necessary. And this is indeed the case. However, as I mentioned earlier, the overwhelming majority of such complexes are just gainers with the addition of various substances.

At the time of writing this article, the price of a good gainer is approximately 1000 rubles for 1 kg. The price of a post-workout complex, however, ranges from 1500 to 2000 rubles for 1 kg. This means that such a complex is approximately 1.5 to 2 times more expensive than a good gainer. And this is considering that most of these complexes contain relatively little protein.

Additionally, the price of creatine and glutamine currently stands at about 1500 and 3000 rubles for 1 kg, respectively (if in powder form). BCAAs are even more expensive: 4000 to 5000 rubles for 1 kg of pure BCAAs. But it’s important to understand that the content of all these substances in a post-workout complex is low. Therefore, it will not significantly raise the production costs.

This means that by purchasing all these ingredients separately (which are available in every sports nutrition store), you can create your own post-workout complex for approximately 1500 rubles for 1 kg. But! You will have a good protein-to-carbohydrate ratio and a good concentration of creatine, BCAAs, and glutamine. This means you can be sure that it is a quality blend. Many manufacturers, however, do not disclose the content of all these substances. Typically, they only specify the exact amount of proteins and carbohydrates. Therefore, they may include all the other ingredients in minimal amounts and state that they are included, and no one will hold them accountable.

Conclusions

A post-workout complex is a good and beneficial product, but I do not recommend buying ready-made complexes. If you want to "mix" a superior and relatively inexpensive complex for yourself, go to the store and buy:

• A high-protein gainer: any one from this list.
• BCAAs in powder form: any one from this list.
• Glutamine in powder form: any one from this list.
• Cretine in powder form: any one from this list.

Then, for 1 kg of such gainer, add 100 grams of creatine, BCAAs, and glutamine each. Mix it all together and you’ll get an excellent post-workout complex. You can also measure it out separately by portions. For 100 grams of gainer, use 2 teaspoons of each of these substances. Then, take it right after your workout.

For comparison, in the same post-workout complex After Max from ON, there are only 5 grams of creatine and glutamine per 100 grams, and absolutely no BCAAs. Instead, there are vitamins, which are much cheaper than BCAAs. And keep in mind that this complex is one of the best in its class. So, draw your own conclusions. Good luck!