BLOG

If you’re doing your due diligence in the gym, but you’re not getting the physique results you want, then chances are your fault lies in your diet, not your exercise regimen. The truth is, the vast majority of sufficiently trained fitness-conscious people are short-changing themselves every day when it comes to nutrition. Either they're simply not consuming enough muscle-supportive calories or they're falling prey to all-too-common myths about proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. This is particularly true when it comes to post-workout nutrition.

Let's start with proteins. Do you believe that you're consuming enough grams of high-quality protein to increase muscle mass? Many dedicated gym-goers believe they are, but they are mistaken. The U.S. government’s recommended daily allowance (RDA) of protein for a 180-lb adult male is 56 grams. While this might be enough for an untrained individual with no particular physique goal in mind, it is woefully insufficient for anyone trying to add significant muscle mass. In fact, sports nutrition experts suggest that highly trained athletes should consume about 0.75 grams of daily protein per pound of body weight. That’s 135 grams for a 180-lb person.

And then of course there's the matter of protein quality. Most top-selling, big-brand protein formulas will tout protein contents of 20 to 25 grams per serving. But a closer look at their labels reveals that a surprising amount of that consists of lower-quality whey concentrates, soy or wheat proteins, and worse. If pure whey protein isolate and hydrolyzed whey aren't featured near or at the top of the ingredients list, you're holding an inferior protein product.

Whey protein isolate and whey protein hydrolysate contain more than 90% protein, virtually no lactose or fat, and are superior in generating increased protein synthesis and muscle recovery response. Whey contains an abundance of leucine, the branched chain amino acid responsible for unleashing protein synthesis in muscle tissue. Consumed after vigorous resistance exercise, leucine is essential to maximizing total muscle protein synthesis response, which in turn helps damaged muscle tissue repair, recover, and eventually grow.

Whey concentrates often get a bad rap, but the truth is, a wide spectrum of quality exists within this category. Whey protein has a good potential to support your training and physique goals, but it is important to find a whey concentrate product that is 100% whey protein, formulated via advanced low-temperature, ultra-filtration processing, with no cheap fillers or unproven blends, as found in many "bargain" whey products sold by less scrupulous manufacturers.

There's also the matter of protein timing. It's important to spread out your protein consumption to maintain a positive anabolic state throughout the day. A 25-gram serving of protein will support an increase in protein synthesis activity that will last approximately three hours. Thus, consuming most of your protein at a single meal, like dinner, will provide a narrow peak for growth potential in terms of your entire day. Your goal should be to make sure that each of your three main meals includes an ample-sized portion of protein from whole-food sources (beef, chicken, fish, etc), while you utilize supplemental protein formulas to fill in the nutritional gaps in your regimen.

The Myth of the "Bad" Carbohydrate

Has any dietary fad wreaked more havoc on the physiques of fitness-conscious Americans than the demonization of the carbohydrate? For decades, we've been told to restrict or eliminate carbs from our diet. A whole ketone diet culture has grown up around this philosophy. And while a low-carb diet may make sense for individuals focused exclusively on fat loss and slimming down, for athletes looking to add muscle mass, carbs are essential. Indeed, without carbs you're never going to grow the muscle mass you desire.

At the most basic level, carbohydrates provide the energy necessary for a productive workout. They support intense workouts more efficiently than any other energy source. Depriving your body of carbohydrates during and after periods of intense exercise will result in depleted glycogen reserves that in turn will cause your body to use proteins scavenged from muscle tissue as an energy source.

Protein literally needs carbohydrates to repair damaged muscle tissue. Carbohydrates raise blood glucose levels, potentiating insulin release, which in turn plays a key role in skeletal muscle protein synthesis by activating ribosomal activity and growth initiation factors within skeletal muscle. Elevated insulin levels also appear to prevent muscle protein breakdown, which contributes to the overall anabolic effect of not only insulin but insulin-like growth factors as well. Higher insulin levels will help keep skeletal muscle in a state of positive protein balance before and after a training session if carbohydrates are ingested.

So as we can see, underestimating the quantity and quality of your protein intake, while depriving yourself of energy-providing, protein-synthesis-triggering carbohydrates, is a worst-case scenario for muscle growth after exercise. What to do about this state of affairs? Supplement with a wide-spectrum protein-and-carbs post-workout infusion.

After Mass: Potent Post-Workout Anabolic Fuel

The good news is, you don't have to break the bank to derive maximum muscle-building power from every bout of high-intensity resistance training you complete. After Mass post-workout formula from ProSource checks all the boxes of your anabolic nutritional requirements.

After Mass was and is one of the pioneering supplement products in the field of hydrolysate proteins. These proteins, formulated via a process of extensive hydrolysis (or pre-digestion) that yields extremely low di- and tri-peptide aminos, are absorbed directly into the bloodstream, resulting in more efficient utilization for muscle synthesis. The ingestion of premium hydrolyzed whey protein immediately after exercise potentiates the highest levels of blood amino acids, which are associated with augmented nitrogen utilization, protein synthesis and a greatly elevated anabolic state. After Mass was the first post-workout formula to incorporate this advanced hydrolyzed whey technology and make it not just palatable, but genuinely delicious.

In addition to its hydrolyzed whey content, After Mass's tri-phasic protein complex also features ultra-quick absorbing whey protein concentrate and casein hydrolysate. These proteins are present in the exact same ratios found in mother's milk and provide both fast-release protein for immediate synthesis, plus premium-grade, slower releasing proteins to keep a steady stream of aminos flowing into your system for extended benefits.

You want invaluable carbohydrate content to up-regulate insulin release and support protein synthesis? After Mass has you covered here too, in the form of 48 grams of precision-targeted, high-glycemic carbs. Finally, After Mass provides numerous, full value vitamins and minerals including vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B-12, thiamin, pantothenic acid, along with calcium, phosphorus and others, plus medium chain triglycerides as an energy source.

Real Physique Results at an Affordable Price

All of the advanced growth factors in After Mass have established this mass-building powerhouse as a staple in the supplement regimens of serious athletes for years. Another aspect of After Mass that has made it an enduring favorite is its price. In an era in which prices in the post-workout category have been soaring, ProSource has continued to utilize its direct-to-consumer retailing model and supply chain expertise to keep the price of After Mass affordable to its countless fans. After Mass continues to be one the most powerful, most comprehensive, and most affordable post-workout mass-building options available!



Use as directed with a sensible nutrition and exercise program. Read and follow all product label instructions and warnings thoroughly before use. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

The articles featured herein are for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Specific medical advice should only be obtained from a licensed health care professional. No liability is assumed by ProSource for any information herein.