A Healthier You

Maybe you’re new to the fitness world or maybe you’re not and just don’t get why everyone walks around with a shaker cup when they are done at the gym! Well, wherever it is that you stand in the fitness world, I’m here to tell you why and what to have post workout!

What?

Fast digesting carbohydrates and isolate proteins; these two products together are crucial to achieving the results you are working so hard for in the gym!

Carbs: fast digesting carbohydrates called Ignition.

Protein: whey protein isolate called phormula-1. There are two kinds of whey protein, isolate or concentrate. The main difference between the two is the amount of protein contained per scoop of protein powder. Isolate protein contains about 90 % of protein per scoop and a little amount of fat and lactose. On the other hand, protein concentrates contain 25 – 89 % protein (depending on the brand you buy).

Why?

This is the only time that a supplement is better than a whole food. You can’t walk into the grocery store or go to your fridge to get foods that your body can digest and process fast enough to spike insulin levels, replenish glycogen and shuttle protein directly into your muscles! That is what your body needs in the post-workout setting.

Breaking this into 2 parts…

Part One Carbs (Ignition):

When we are doing a high intensity workout and/or using heavy resistance, our body uses carbohydrates in the form of muscle glycogen as fuel. So, after an intense training session, our body is low on the fuel and our glycogen stores need to be refilled as quickly as possible. When it comes to recovery, our bodies are amazing machines that will recover regardless of what we do. If we don’t provide our bodies with the right fuel, our body will compensate for that. Since our body’s primary goal is to survive, we need energy to survive. Its number one priority is to restore those glycogen reserves.

If we only give our body proton, which most people do if they are using a post workout shake, our body won’t actually use that protein to rebuild muscle tissue. It will take that protein and turn it into glycogen via a process called gluconeogenesis to refill those glycogen stores. After that, whatever protein is left can be used to rebuild muscle tissue. Muscle tissue is broken down when you exercise; nutrition, supplements and recovery help build it back up.

By taking ignition, (fast digesting carbs), this gives your body the carbohydrates it needs to replenish the glycogen stores. This will allow the protein to repair muscle tissue faster and more efficiently, leading to better fat loss and muscle gain results.

Secondly, when our workout is over, internally our body doesn’t know that we are done training. It is at a catabolic state for muscle tissue, essentially breaking down muscle state. If this state continues, we will forfeit some lean muscle repair. It takes an extended period of time for our body to reverse this state on its own. Ignition corrects this issue by spiking insulin which shuts down the catabolic state of exercise.

I know that was a lot but that’s not all; ignition is so important for recovery. When we work out, we sweat out a lot and lose those key electrolytes. Ignition also has an added multi vitamin blend to replenish those key micronutrients that our body has lost during training.

When combined with Phormula-1 (whey protein isolate protein powder) or Vegan Power Pro (dairy free protein powder), it ignites a powerful anabolic response! This insulin spike serves as a carrier for the amino acids, bringing them to muscle cells and igniting that anabolic muscle building response. This is important because the less time in a catabolic state the better; anabolic state= more fat burning and muscle building = better results.

Part Two Protein (Phormula-1): an ultra-bio-available, low temperature processed, hydrolyzed whey protein isolate.

Low temperature processing is so important. Let’s think about cooking chicken breast. If you throw it on the grill at the highest temp setting, it will cook fast. However, it will be dried out, lack taste, have a bad texture, lose some nutritional value or even be burnt! If you cook it low and slow, it will keep the nutrients your body needs and remain delicious and juicy! The same thing applies to the protein powder; you don’t want a cheaper powder that is processed at higher temp because it will break down the protein bonds and become less valuable to your body!

What is hydrolyzed whey protein isolate and why is that important?

When we are resistance training, we are breaking down muscle tissue by creating small micro trauma tears in the muscle. This sounds bad, however when the proper nutrients are delivered to the muscle, it can lead to growth and the strengthening of our lean muscle tissue. Speed is king in the post-workout setting because the faster we can stop the break down and begin the repair, the better the recovery process and overall results will be. This is because your body will have the nutrients it needs to repair and build lean muscle tissue. This is important whether your goal is to build muscle, increase performance or simply looking and feeling your best!

So what does that have to do with Phormula-1 being a hydrolyzed protein powder?

During the manufacturing process, the whey protein isolate has been exposed to natural digestive enzymes that help break down the protein chains into smaller protein chains and individual amino acids. That is important because it allows your body able to digest your Phormula-1 even faster than a regular protein isolate, which once again in the post-workout setting is very beneficial because speed is king. A protein that has not been hydrolyzed will take longer to digest. The faster your body can break down and utilized your Phormula-1, the better your recovery and long term results will be when used consistently.

Part B of part Two, Vegan Power Pro:

Don’t think there isn’t an option if you are dairy free or vegan! I searched for 5 years trying to find a good tasting, non-chalky vegan protein powder that didn’t bother my stomach and this is it! It is important to have a vegan protein powder that has all 9 essential amino acid profiles. That is why this one is blended with pea and rice protein together to make up all 9. Vegan Power Pro is also gluten free with zero artificial sweeteners. You can learn more about it here. This can be paired with ignition post-workout or through the day by itself as a snack.

FAQ: Ignition

Q: Can I just eat fruit, gummy bears or pixie sticks post workout instead of Ignition?

A: Sure, you can but it’s not ideal. If you are putting in the work, don’t you want to do whatever you can to get the most results? On a nutrition label they will both say sugar, but they are different types of sugar; because of that they will deliver different results. Ignition is a pure form of dextrose (a monosaccharide), meaning it is a single sugar molecule. Because of this, it is already in the state your body needs it to be useful. This allows for easy digesting and for rapid assimilation into the blood stream and onto the muscle tissue. Table sugar (candy) is made of glucose and fructose (two molecules) and has to be digested then broken down into a single molecule before it can be assimilated into the blood steam. This takes more time. That timing is important because the more rapidly a carbohydrate assimilates into the blood stream, the greater the insulin response induced, which ultimately means a greater shut down in the catabolic effect of exercise. This will also help with the delivery of amino acids to muscle cells and greater recovery of lean muscle tissue. And as I brought up many times before, the faster we can recover, the more lean muscle we can hang onto which leads to more fat loss and muscle gain.

Q: Should I take Ignition after every work out?

A: You guessed it, It depends on your goals. If you are an athlete and your primary goal is recovery and performance, then I would say yes to make sure your body is getting everything it needs to recover after training. If you are like most of us with aesthetic goals, then it will depend on the type of workout you did. If it was High Intensity Interval Training cardio (HIIT) or weight resistance training, then absolutely use Ignition. If it was a low intensity walk or light jog, you aren’t depleting your glycogen so it isn’t necessary unless going very long distances like a half or full marathon.

Q: Should I always use a full serving of Ignition?

A: I want to define a full serving; follow the directions on the bottle. Women 1/2 a scoop and Men 1 full scoop. But yes, keep it simple because in most cases a full serving is recommended.

Q: If I track macros do I track Ignition into my day?

A: Yes, just like anything else that has calories.

FAQ: Phormula-1

Q: What is the difference between Phormula-1 and Level-1?

A: The difference is the rate of the digestion in the assimilation of the proteins. Level-1 was specifically formulated with a blend of whey protein concentrate and whey protein isolate so that it is a sustained assimilation protein that mimics the digestion of whole food for a meal replacement. This means it will take around 2-3 hours to fully digest. Phormula-1 was created with hydrolyzed whey protein isolate those digests as quickly as possible. The different digestion times mean they are two different proteins to use in two different settings. Phormula-1 is best for post-workout and Level-1 is best suited for really any other time you want to add protein into your nutrition plan, breakfast shake or snack.

Q: Can I use Phormula-1 at other times in the day besides post-workout?

A: You can, but it’s not going to be ideal do the digestion rate of Phormula-1 to Level-1. If you were to use Phoromula-1 during the day or before bed, it will help you hit your protein numbers. However, it won’t keep you in the muscle protein synthesis or full for as long as utilizing Level-1 would. So, in a pinch it would work but ideally we would want to eat a whole food or Level-1 or a Level-1 bar.

Q: Do I use Phormula-1 after every workout?

A: Like Ignition, it depends on the style or intensity of training you are doing. If you are doing HIIT, lifting weights, doing Cross Fit and so on, taking Phormula-1 with Ignition will be crucial to giving your body what it needs to recover. If you are just doing steady state cardio, it is not necessary unless you need to add more protein in to hit your protein goals for the day. In that situation, a whole food meal would be great because you haven’t caused a lot of muscle breakdown in that training session, so the need for a rapid delivery of nutrients is not as high.

Q: What is the difference between Phormula-1 and Phormula-1 Natural?

A: Phormula-1 Natural is still the same low temperature processed, hydrolyzed whey protein isolate, but it uses only all-natural sweeteners and flavoring agents.

Q: Is Phormula-1 gluten free?

A: Yes, all the flavors of Phomrula-1 and Phormula-1 Natural are gluten free.

Q: Is Phormula-1 lactose- free?

A: There are 3 flavors that are lactose free including Watermelon, Cherry-Lime and Fruit Punch. The other flavors of Phormula-1 have such minimal amounts of lactose that by the standards of the FDA and allowance of variation, we could call them lactose free but morally they didn’t feel that was right. I will say since there is a small amount that are sensitive to lactose or dairy are usually fine taking Phormula-1. (I am dairy free and tried the Vanilla and Orange Dreamsicle, but it did not agree with my belly. But my husband, who doesn’t have dairy often, has zero issues with Phormula-1.) If you would like to try but are worried about this, 1stPhorm does offer a 110% guarantee so you don’t have to be stuck with a protein you’re not going to use. If you need a vegan option, Vegan Power Pro is an amazing alternative!

Q: What is the best flavor?

A: This is different for everyone, our favorites are… Phormula-1: Orange Dreamsicle, Magical Charms and Vanilla. Vegan Power Pro: Iced oatmeal cookie

How?

Males: POST-WORKOUT: Use 2 scoops of Phormula-1 (or Vegan Power Pro) with 1 scoop of Ignition in 12 oz of water.

Females: POST-WORKOUT: Use 1 scoop of Phormula-1(or Vegan Power Pro) with 1/2 scoop Ignition in 6 oz of water.

FOR BEST RESULTS: Let Phormula-1® sit for 60 seconds after mixing to allow air bubbles to dissipate which will ensure the smoothest possible shake.

I like to put mine in the blender with ice but it is not necessary. If we aren’t at home, then we use the shaker cup and mix as directed above! All you need is water!! If you are looking to add in extra calories you could mix with you choice of milk and/or add frozen fruit to make it a smoothie.

When?

ASAP: literally as soon as possible after you are done training to stop the breakdown of your muscle tissue!

You can purchase here aw well as view all the flavors and nutritional Info:

Ignition

Phormula-1

Vegan Power Pro

Level-1

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I hope this was helpful to you understanding why post-workout shakes are so important! This was obviously based off of 1st Phorm’s post-workout stack and is not limited to that brand. Any post-workout protein is better than none but I want to give you the science and reasoning behind why I chose this brand and if you read it all I would say you see why!

As always if you have questions or comments feel free to leave them! If you are interested in learning more or working with a 1st Phorm adviser you can do so here on their app.

Aloha

Kat