How important is the post-workout meal?

We have all been led to believe that it's the most important 'meal' of the day.

Some say breakfast is the most important but it depends on who you listen to.

What gives?

No meal is most important. You can make progress with your strength training program without chugging a protein shake immediately after your last set of bicep curls. 

You won't lose all your gains!

The totality of your meals each day and each week is much more important than any one meal in particular.

If you are a high-level bodybuilder then that's a different story but you aren't. So don't do what they do in this regard.

Same goes for how athletes train/eat. They are high-level professionals and you don't need to copy what they do either.

So if you can't get your hands on whey protein powder with some quick-digesting carbs immediately after your workout, don't worry about it.

Have a meal in an hour or so. The whole 'post-workout window' is overrated for most of us.

If you are starving and you just trained your ass off then yes, you should try to get some good food in your body. But the post-workout window is not only 30 minutes. Our bodies don't work that way.

If you train hard and often, you are constantly in a state of post-workout where each and every meal is important as a part of the whole diet.

So don't be that guy who walks around the gym with the big jug of pink water. You don't really need those extra bcaa's.

I know the magazines and the supplement companies want youto believe you need to drink that before workouts, during and right after. But the truth is, you don't. You can make plenty of progress (GAINS) with normal food and no supplements.