Far to often you find people complaining about their fitness efforts: 'I can't lose any more weight', 'I can't gain any muscle' – on and on. Well, for the majority of these concerned people, they're skipping out on the most important part of any fitness regime – diet. Which leads me to a more specific concern: the post workout diet.

Why is a post-workout diet so important? We're all after that hard lean body, and you'll make it a hell of a lot easier if you take your post-workout nutrition seriously. The reason? It's simple - after an intense workout your body enters a catabolic state where it depletes your muscle glycogen. This is a destructive state where your muscle and tissues are breaking down. If you take anything from this, know that catabolism is not a state you want to avoid at all costs.. Our goal is to stop this catabolic state as quickly as we can. The way we counter this state is by creating an anabolic state: a state which promotes cell, muscle, and tissue growth. The second thing you need to take from this is that anabolism is the state you want your body in, all the freakin' time! I talk more about this in my fitness e-newsletter. For us to achieve an anabolic state we need to synthesize complex molecules – we are going to get these molecules from our post-workout diet. To summarize, your body only develops and promotes healthy recovery if you achieve an anabolic state.

Now that you have some groundwork underneath you, let's take a look at what a post-workout diet should contain. We need to focus on 2 sources for quality nutrition after a workout. The first being carbs and the second being protein. I'm going to say this now, and again later: a post workout meal has the reverse effect compared to all our meals during the deal. The main difference is digestibility. A post-workout meal needs to digest quickly, while your other meals should all be slow digesting. OK, back to the topic. Quick digestible carbs allow us to quickly replenish the muscle glycogen levels that we lost during our workout. This needs to be a main component in your post-workout diet. After carbs we have protein, quick digestible proteins provide us with the necessary amino acids to promote muscle tissue repair. On a molecular level, consuming quick carbs and amino acids creates an insulin rise in our bodies which allows the transport of much needed nutrients into our muscle cells. I'm going to tell you something that's going to piss a lot of people off. Anyone who tells you to avoid carbs for a post-workout meal is smoking something illegal....to often you hear people trashing carbs for no reason. The important thing to remember is you want quick digestible carbs.

Now we run into another problem. This kicked me straight in the face when I was on a muscle-maximizing diet. Over-consumption. I got caught in an unhealthy cycle of throwing as much protein in my body as I could manage: 50-60 grams of protein at once complimented with a 1000-1200 calorie shake! Don't do this – please! There is a fine line between repairing and diminishing the effect on our bodies from a workout. A post-workout meal should typically contain 300-500 calories. With the best response coming from a 2:1 to 4:1 carb:protein ratio. Our post-workout diet shouldn't contain fats. Fats regress the speed of absorption for a meal, this is why we prefer to stay away from them after workouts.

Another piece of advice: all this commercialized supplement crap is a waste of your time. We want as much natural occurring nutrition as we can get – and the same stands true for our post-workout diet. We'll start with carbs – a few examples of quality, quick digestible carbs are honey, raisins, pineapples, and organic maple syrup are all bang on choices when promoting an insulin reaction to achieve that beloved anabolic state. The best source of protein to regenerate and repair muscle tissue is non-denatured whey protein isolate, low-fat yogurt (fat free if possible), as well as ricotta cheese which has a high source of whey protein which causes fast digestion. Below I've give you a common but delicious shake that goes down easy after a workout:

Pineapple Vanilla - blend together 1 cup water, ½ cup vanilla yogurt, one cup frozen pineapples, 2 tbsp honey (preferably raw), and 30 grams vanilla whey protein powder – 35 g prot, 71 g carb, 0.5 g fat, 425 calories.

I need to reiterate what I promised I would: the most important thing to know about a post-workout diet, whether stripping fat or bulking up, is that it has the reverse effect compared to all our other meals during the day. Our post-workout meals contain quick high glycemic index carbs, quickly digested proteins, and minimal fat. All other meals throughout the day should be comprised of low glycemic index, slowly digested carbs, slow release proteins, and ample healthy fats. These are strategies that are proven towards developing a lean, muscular, fit body.

Now that you understand how important post workout nutrition is, head over to http://www.real6packabs.com and grab your free lean body ebook and e-newsletter. Post workout nutrition is imperative in reaching your fitness goals. Along with proper diet and effective exercise. Understanding how to reverse the natural occurring catabolic states we have throughout the day, and taking advantage of the anabolic states you can achieve are essential for getting that hard lean body.

You're ahead of most people just by reading this article. Now take action. The first step you need to do is transform your diet so you can kick your metabolism into high gear. http://www.real6packabs.com free e-newsletter sends you a complete kitchen makeover as well as fat-shredding and muscle gaining workouts and other nutritional advice. Start your body transformation today.