Post workout supplements?

Question

I have moved to a different city and joined the gym yesterday, last night my workout consisted of 15 minutes running on the treadmill at 10 mph with a 3% incline and 3 sets of leg presses, 35 repetitions per set at 110lbs where 1 set is fast push out and slow in (for power). I forgot to add that the rest time in between each set is 15 seconds, I wanted to max out my heart rate, it worked, I could hear it more than the music playing.

now the thing is I am at work and my eyes are drooping...I haven't had nutrition after working out, I have had a lot of water. But for breakfast I had oats and that is about it.

these are my questions at the moment, sorry if I have bunched too many in to one:

1. Should I take things like Coconut water post workout for electrolyte replenishment?
2. Can I take those electrolyte supplements during my workout? because I sweat very heavily and loose a lot during my workout.
3. Should I save taking things like protein supplements for the next morning or take them sometime after my workout?
4. What do I immediately need replenishing after my workout to lower fatigue, water being the obvious and minerals etc.. I know the body acts as a sponge for sometime after working out so it is better during that time to take things like protein, but I would really like to stop/lower my fatigue.

I sleep for 6 hours a day, usually no more and definitely no less.

I have read articles on these questions, but here I can describe my workouts and get a more suitable answer, thank you all in advance for your help.

Answer 1

1, 2: "Electrolytes" is just a fancier word for salts, which you will get in large amounts through your diet, especially if you eat a typical western diet. Unless you're exercising for two hours or more, the only one who's benefiting from your electrolyte drink consumption are the companies who sell them.

3,4: Total amount and distribution throughout the day is much more important when it comes to protein intake, than proximity to your workout. Some people consider EAA and BCAA (protein components) to be worth consuming before, during and/or after a workout, but afaik there isn't really much science on wether it helps or not. If you eat protein in all your meals, you will most likely always have amino acids at the ready to re-build muscle.

I would recommend eating something more than just oats (a few eggs perhaps?) for breakfast, and make sure the other meals are good as well. I would also try getting some more sleep.

Also, be critical when reading articles about fitness online, most of it is either unfounded bullshit or only applies to professional athletes. Follow the money.

We all like to think that there is some quick fix to solve our problems (feeling tired, sore, not getting the gains you hoped for, etc), or to get significantly better results, by spending money. In reality, as long as you have a gym to go to, healthy food to eat and a good bed to sleep in, you will get 90-95% of the results you could ever get.

Answer 2

1. If you enjoy coconut water, feel free to drink it after your workout. It's a nice post-workout snack, as are drinks like Gatorade and Powerade, but these can all be substituted with a small meal instead. From your description of your fatigue, it sounds like a small meal would better suit your needs. There's a wide variety of options; I'm partial to a protein drink and a small bowl of pasta, but more oats could work, or energy bars, etc.

2. If you can hold them down alright while working out, try them out and see if you feel better. Unless you're working out for substantially longer than your described workout the benefits won't hit in time, but you may find a sort of placebo effect kicks in when you eat. Generally it won't matter if you wait until after your workout though.

3. A protein supplement will be best to take in proximity to your workout, but make sure you are also eating enough protein from others foods throughout the next day, to further aid your body in recovering. Depending on your diet, you may find it useful to drink another protein shake the next day to make sure you're meeting your requirements.

4. You need to eat. As I mentioned in part 1, a small meal will be a great help in preventing your fatigue, although you'll always have a certain degree of fatigue after a tough workout.