By the time the first hour after the workout has elapsed you should complete steps 1 to 4. Your hunger should be satisfied by these small meals but these steps should not leave you feeling uncomfortably full. This is an important aspect of nutrient timing and your ability to capitalize on the post-workout 3-hour window of opportunity. Step-5 is the final aspect of the ANTF and your last chance to capitalize on this 3-hour window.
Just before the 3-hour post-workout window has elapsed, be sure to consume one small solid-food meal (similar to that in Step-3). To some people this last step may sound difficult to fit in but in reality it’s very easy. Convenience is a key factor to compliance. A simply strategy I recommend to people who are unaccustomed to this style of eating is to split their regular post-workout meal into two smaller but equal portions. One portion is consumed as in Step-3, the other portion is eaten just before the 3-hour nutritional window has elapsed (approximately 2 hours after Step-3).
Muscle-research tip!
- Studies have confirmed that muscle protein synthesis rates are stimulated as long as blood amino acid concentrations remain high [12]. Stimulating muscle protein synthesis is the key mechanism behind efficient recovery and big gains in lean muscle mass. Therefore, bodybuilders should attempt to maintain high blood amino acid levels for as long as possible after a workout. However, this is tough to do without specific supplementation. To maintain ultra high blood amino acid concentrations, take one serving of VP2 Whey Isolate mixed in water with the meal in Step-5.
Micronized Creatine Cycling maximizes the effects of the Anabolic Nutrient Timing Factor
Creatine cycling is an awesome, way to use Micronized Creatine. This simply strategy is particularly useful to athletes that want to bust through a training plateau in strength or muscle mass. The strategy is based on the latest research that suggests creatine’s benefits are proportional to intracellular creatine concentrations [13]. That means the best gains occur when muscle creatine concentrations are high. However, the research also shows traditional dosing protocols do not maintain high muscle creatine concentrations [14].
