You’ve reached the end of your workout, sweaty and so pumped that you can’t reach your head anymore. Life is good. Your stomach is fired up and ready for a huge meal. All you can think of is burritos! After all, you’ve just kicked your own ass for an hour in the gym, and you feel you’ve earned a big meal. Is that going to capitalize on your efforts? Not quite.

The post-workout meal is the most important meal for building lean muscle and maximizing the results you’ll get from your workouts. It’s very important to get it right.

So what does your body really need after working out to ensure that all your efforts weren’t in vain? OK, you need protein, but what else? Sugar. Yeah, I said it. Doesn’t seem right, does it? Read on and you’ll see why it is oh so right.

During a hard workout (be it cardio, weights, basketball, etc.), the primary energy source that your body uses is sugar (glucose). Sugar is a carbohydrate, and carbohydrates are your body’s preferred fuel source. Carbs are used so heavily because they are abundant in a typical diet and they can be rapidly converted into ATP (the type of energy used to contract muscle). Fat is used for energy, too, but not as effectively because it takes longer to be converted into ATP.

Since you’re using so many carbs during your workout, your blood sugar will be low afterward. If you don’t replace those blood sugars immediately (within 20-30 minutes), your body will start breaking down muscle and turning it into sugar. Your energy will also plummet. Either way, your body will get the sugar it needs.

What are good sources of sugar to use? Ideally, you need high-glycemic-index sugars – carbs that are rapidly converted to blood sugar when they hit your stomach. Some examples are honey, glucose (found in many popular sports drinks), bananas, pineapples and raisins. These ingredients can be easily mixed into a smoothie with some protein.

Most people are aware of the importance of protein in building muscle since, after all, muscle is made of what? That’s right, protein. But there are so many types of protein on the market. Which is best and how should it be taken?

Quite simply, the best protein is whey protein. If you want to get fancy, go for the ion-exchanged, ultra-filtrated whey protein isolate, which some research has shown to have an edge over basic whey protein. The reason whey is so good is because it has the highest bioavailability, which means your body wastes very little of it during digestion. It’s so good, in fact, that no whole food source of protein can compare (eggs come closest). But don’t worry, whey protein isn’t some crazy chemical concoction made in a lab alongside Twinkies and Ho Hos. Whey is actually a natural extract of milk protein.

None. If there is fat mixed in with your post-workout meal it will slow digestion. In other words, the protein you’ve eaten will not get to your muscles as quickly, and the carbs you’ve eaten will take longer to hit your bloodstream.

The best way to get all this stuff into your stomach is in liquid form. That way, the amount of effort your stomach has to put into breaking down the food is minimized. Therefore, combining these ingredients in a smoothie is the perfect method. Try to avoid taking in a lot of fiber immediately after your workout because it will also slow digestion.

You should have this shake as soon as possible after the workout (as soon as you can stomach it), but no longer than 30 minutes post-workout or you’ll be missing an important window of opportunity. Let it sit for 45-90 minutes in your stomach, then have a balanced meal.

How much? The bigger you are, the more you need. 15 grams of protein and 30 grams of carbs will take care of the smaller people (about 130 pounds or less). Muscle heads (200-plus pounds) will need as much as 40-50 grams of protein and 80-100 grams of carbs in their post-workout shake. Use your best judgment to find where you fit in on that scale. If you’re trying to gain size, you’ll need a large shake. If you’re aiming to lose body fat, don’t stuff yourself to the gills. The calories add up quickly!