Studies have proven that ingesting specific micro/macronutrients immediately following your workout is the smartest thing you can do when it comes to recovery and future athletic performance.
Not only will doing so increase protein synthesis[1], it also increases strength and fat-free mass[2], replenishes energy (glycogen) depleted during your workout, and accelerates cellular anabolism (growth)[3].
The question is: what exactly should you ingest? With so many post-workout supplements, recovery drinks, and protein powders on the market, it can be difficult to know which is the MOST effective.
We took a deep dive into the world of post-workout supplements to find the most optimal choices that will deliver maximum results, bar none. We’ve ranked our top three by order of efficiency, safety, and the best balance of nutrients to accelerate recovery and muscle growth following your workout.
Best Post-Workout Supplement Overall
ADAbolic by STEEL Supplements is a must-have for professional athletes, bodybuilders, and athletes of all levels looking to better themselves through accelerating post-workout recovery and initiating serious muscle growth. STEEL’s capstone product has set a gold standard for excellence, potency, and results!
What’s in STEEL’s ADAbolic?
ADAbolic is packed with over 30 effective ingredients that provide crucial nutrients required for post-workout recovery, including:
- Glycomax – STEEL’s blend of potato and rice polysaccharides that replenishes depleted energy by providing a steady supply of carbohydrates—just enough to activate the body’s insulin response without destabilizing blood sugar levels. By activating a slight insulin response, this will allow all of the nutrients within ADAbolic to surge through your body, initiating recovery immediately. This ensures it maintains high recovery performance without risk of “crash” caused by excess sugar intake often found in more traditional “recovery drinks”.
- Vitamin/Mineral Complex – ADAbolic delivers a concentrated dose of critical micronutrients to reduce post-workout inflammation/soreness, regulate blood sugar levels, support healthy metabolic function, accelerated calorie-burning, and stabilizing blood pressure and mood.
- Betaine Anhydrous – This naturally occurring chemical derived from beets and spinach can lower homocysteine levels. By lowering homocysteine, it will improve exercise performance, enhance body composition, protect your heart, increase insulin sensitivity, and provide antioxidant benefits to shield your body from oxidative stress.
- Citrulline – This amino acid is used to produce nitric oxide, which dilates blood vessels to increase circulation and deliver a better “pump” during and after your workout. Citrulline is also a potent remover of ammonia from the body, which is a pollutant caused by exercise.
- BCAAs – ADAbolic contains leucine, valine, and isoleucine, the three critical branch chain amino acids that play the greatest role in muscle-building. By intaking BCAAs, you can quickly initiate protein synthesis and muscle repair.
- Kre-Alkalyn – This pH-buffered form of creatine delivers a more bioavailable dose of creatine that will increase cellular energy for high-intensity exercise, enhance muscle cell signaling, and stimulate muscle repair and growth.
- Beta-Alanine – Your body transforms this non-essential amino acid into carnosine, which over time helps to reduce lactic acid build-up in your muscles, decreasing soreness, improving stamina, and enhancing athletic performance.
Benefits:
- Accelerate recovery
- Increase muscle tone and hardness
- Maximize muscular endurance
- Augment power and strength during training
- Improve muscle growth and repair
- Enhance cognitive processes
- Replenish depleted energy, including muscle glycogen
Our Conclusion:
ADAbolic delivers top-of-class results utilizing science-backed ingredients and a stimulant-free formula that will give you the edge you need in your training every day!
Best Post-Workout Supplement for Overnight Muscle Recovery
Rested-AF by STEEL Supplements is a pharmacist-formulated sleep aid intended to be taken at the end of the day to accelerate overnight muscle recovery and enhance the synthesis of new proteins for muscle growth and repair. It’s also packed with ingredients that boost cognitive function, improve memory and recall, and sharpen mental acuity.
What’s in STEEL’s Rested-AF?
Rested-AF utilizes several highly effective ingredients:
- GABA – This amino acid monitors nervous system activity, which has a calming effect on your brain to help manage feelings of fear, stress, and anxiety. GABA has been linked in multiple studies[1]to better sleep quality.
- Tyrosine – Produces critical neurochemicals that improve cellular communication, regulate mood, increase memory, reduce stress, and produce dopamine, adrenaline, and thyroid hormones.
- Arginine – Enables your body to produce nitric oxide, which dilates the blood vessels and increases blood flow. Doing so allows your body to fall into a higher-quality sleep cycle. The increase in nitric oxide will allow for improved GABA partitioning.
- Valerian Root Extract – This is one of the oldest and best-known natural sleep aids. Not only does valerian root extract increase GABA’s ability to regulate brain function and the nervous system, but it increases feelings of relaxation and may counteract anxiety that could impair restfulness.
- Theanine – Antioxidant properties that can manage anxiety, relieve stress, improve focus, improve immunity, and enhance blood sugar control.
These and the many other natural sleep-inducing ingredients in Rested-AF combine to make a truly potent sleep and muscle recovery aid.
Benefits:
- Reduce post-workout soreness
- Increase muscle recovery
- Improves information retention and recall throughout the day
- Feel less fatigue after a good night of rest
- Restore healthy sleep cycles
Our Conclusion:
Rested-AF delivers a highly effective formula to aid in not only enhancing the quality and quantity of your deep sleep but aids in post-workout recovery and prevents soreness that could keep you from pushing your workout to the max the following day.
Best Post-Workout Sports Drink
HyperAde by STEEL Supplements delivers a direct dose of Cluster Dextrin and electrolytes, sustaining high levels of athletic performance through real-time glycogen and electrolyte replenishment. HyperAde is a performance-focused formulation that replenishes lost nutrients, enhances endurance, and aids in post-workout recovery.
What’s in STEEL’s HyperAde?
This supplement is chiefly formulated as a drink to replace depleted electrolytes, but also provides:
- Glutamine – This amino acid serves as an energy source for immune and intestinal cells and has been proven potentially effective at accelerating recovery and decreasing post workout soreness.
- Cluster Dextrin – This sustained-release carbohydrate provides a steady release of energy without triggering a blood sugar “spike and crash” that other concentrated sugars do. It’s easily digested but releases slowly into the bloodstream for longer-lasting energy.
- BCAAs – Leucine, Valine, and Isoleucine are the three amino acids most utilized for protein synthesis and muscle growth.
- Amino Acid Suite – HyperAde provides a broad range of essential and non-essential amino acids that are vital not just for protein synthesis, but also for the production of critical neurochemicals, red blood cells, and hemoglobin (which delivers oxygen to your body).
Benefits:
- Decreased muscle soreness
- Reduced muscle swelling and stiffness
- Replenished energy and electrolytes
- Faster rates of recovery
Our Conclusion:
HyperAde is more than just a sports drink; it delivers recovery-accelerating nutrients straight to your body to help you get back into the gym faster and perform at your highest potential.
