7 Quick Post Workout Meal Ideas for Serious Muscle Gain

You already know you have to eat enough quality food to gain muscle. But there’s one meal you should pay special attention to…

Your post-workout meal!

The most crucial time to get quality nutrients is right after your workout. In fact, there are some specific nutrients that you need (it’s not just protein powder).

So I’m going to give you some awesome post workout ideas so that you can pack on some serious muscle! You’ll also learn how to supercharge your post workout meal.

1 – Post-Workout Shake

This may turn into your favorite post-workout meal. And it’s super easy to make!

You can quickly blend up these ingredients as soon as you get home from the gym, so it’s extremely convenient.

• 8 ounces of almond milk
• 2 scoops of whey protein (or about 50 grams)
• 1 banana
• 1/3 cup of frozen blueberries
• 1 tablespoon of peanut butter
• 7 grams of creatine monohydrate

Make sure you buy organic fruits, especially organic blueberries. It’s been noted that pesticides cancel out some of the nutrients.

There’s an article on the Living Young Center called ‘Pesticides and Processed Foods Rob the Body of Nutrients’ that goes more in to depth. You can read that here.

2 – Post Workout Breakfast Meal

Now I’d like to give you a whole food post-workout meal. You’re going to get plenty of protein, healthy fats, and some good sources of carbs.

As I mention in the video, you can also use this as a 2nd post workout meal, about an hour after your shake.

• 3 whole eggs (you can mix a little almond milk or regular organic milk if you’re scrambling them)
• 3 red potatoes
• 1 serving of regular grits (cheese on top is optional!)
• 1/2 serving of steamed broccoli
• 1/2 serving of steamed cauliflower

In the video I encourage free-range eggs. These are far healthier (and humane) than regular eggs.

If you don’t care for grits, eat them anyway! I’m kidding…you can substitute grits with oatmeal if you wish.

3 – On-the-Go- Post Workout Meal

Here is a post workout meal idea if you don’t have time to go home and blend a protein shake or cook a meal: pre-made protein shake and a protein bar.

The cool thing about this meal is most gyms have these items. If not, you could swing by any convenient store and pick up something similar.

*If that’s the case, I would recommend ordering these items in bulk and taking them with you to the gym; this will save you money!

• Pre-made protein shake (Muscle Milk is shown above)
• Protein bar (Protein Builder is shown above)

Make sure you pay attention to the label and ingredients on these items. Some protein bars have unhealthy ingredients, so be conscious of that.

4 – Protein Pancakes for Post Workout

If you’re like me you love some pancakes. The problem is that most pancakes are packed full of carbs. Not to mention, they must-have syrup.

Fortunately, there are other options known as ‘protein pancakes.’ This particular recipe calls for the Kodiak Power Cakes (dark chocolate is pretty awesome-tasting).

• 1/2 cup of Kodiak power cakes mix
• 1/2 cup of almond milk (or regular organic milk)
• 1 whole egg

Although these pancakes have far more protein than regular pancakes, 14-21 grams isn’t enough for most bodybuilders and weightlifters.

You could always slam down a scoop of whey protein powder to get an extra 20 grams or so. Or eat these with eggs.

5 – Protein Powder and Cereal Post Workout

Alright, so this is a stretch for sure. And I realize I may catch some crap for this.

However, the 2 things you want in your post workout meal is a fast-digesting protein with some simple carbohydrates. And what you see above is exactly that!

• 8 ounces of almond milk (for the protein powder)
• 2 scoops of whey protein
• 2 servings of cereal
• 6 ounces of almond milk or regular organic milk (for your cereal)

You may notice ‘2 servings’ of cereal above. We all know that 1 serving isn’t going to cut it for us meatheads!

6 – Science-Based Bodybuilder Post Workout Meal

This post-workout meal idea aims to help you replenish glycogen while preventing muscle breakdown (by increase protein synthesis).

The specific meal below is from Jeremy Ethier (publisher of the above video). And you may notice what he’s doing

• Protein: Any type of protein equalling up 40 grams (whey protein, eggs, meat)
• Carbs: 40-60 grams of a mixture of simple and complex carbs (ex: oatmeal with fruit)
• Fats: Minimal fats, such as small amount of peanut butter or almond butter

This post workout meal idea is not my own but clearly from the video above from Jeremy Ethier.

I found it to be interesting so I decided to share. But it’s basically the typical bodybuilder post workout meal. And he does a great job of explaining the nutritional aspect.

7- Hardgainer Post Workout Meal

Alright, this last post workout meal idea is somewhat of a joke. However, if you’re a hardgainer this post workout meal idea is for you!

You can throw all of this stuff into a blender. Or if you want to eat the ice cream separately, that works too.

• 8 ounces of whole organic milk
• 2 scoops of whey protein powder
• 2 tablespoons of peanut butter
• 1 banana
• 2 servings of ice cream

One thing I want to be clear on – this is not something you should eat everyday or even after every workout. Do this maybe 2-3 times a week.

And you may want to opt for ‘no sugar added’ ice cream. Even though you’re training mass and want to gain weight, eating too much sugar will eventually catch up to you.

Supercharge Your Post Workout Meals (3 Simple Ways)

I’m going to show you a few simple ways to make your post workout meals even more effective. This is going to hold you pack on more muscle by boosting your recovery.

1 – Add Creatine Monohydrate

This is really easy to do if you’re making a protein shake. You just add a heaping teaspoon of creatine monohydrate to your shake and press the blend button!

If you’re eating a whole food meal after your workouts just add some creatine to a glass of water. Or go old school and mix it with a little grape juice.

Why creatine monohydrate? If there’s one supplement that’s guaranteed to work (for most people), it’s creatine. It’s also the cheapest yet most effective muscle builder you can get! So it’s a no-brainer to add this to your post workout meal.

2 – Take Your Fat-Soluble Vitamins

This is a great time to take your vitamins, specifically the ones that are fat-soluble. High-calorie meals with some healthy fats will help these vitamins absorb as they’re intended to.

Or if you just take a multivitamin, this is a great time to take it as there are fat-soluble vitamins included in multis.

*You could also take your fish oil or omega-3 with your post workout meal.

3 – Take Your Testosterone Booster Post-Workout

Lastly, this is one of the meals you’ll want to take a natural testosterone booster. Most reputable test boosters (that actually work) should be taken with meals for absorption.

Typically, test boosters are taken at least 2x per day, like TestoFuel. So in that case, you’d take it with your post workout meal and the other times would be with another meal several hours apart.

**Click the button below to learn more about TestoFuel.

This has been one of my top recommended muscle builders for serious gains for many years now.

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Making Gains With Your Post Workout Meals

Now you have some post workout meal ideas for serious muscle gain! You can choose your favorite one above and stick to that.

Or you could alternate them. One of the things I do is add a few more carbs to my post workout meal on leg day and heavy back days. Training those muscles require more effort so you’re working harder.

Adding more carbs to your post workout meal is also ideal if you’re bulking. For example, you could do an extra serving of oatmeal, or add fruit to your oatmeal (fruit is an awesome natural sweetener!).

If your goal is to lean out you can always cut some of the carbs. For example, in the protein shake meal maybe eliminate the banana (but keep the blueberries for the antioxidants).

I hope you enjoy these meals!

Feel free to share this post on your social media and let everyone know which post-workout meal above that like the best!

Excuses Don’t Build Muscle,

Jason