Should I Take 1st Phorm's Phormula-1 & Ignition After Cardio?

Cardio is typically a tool most people use to get leaner and lose weight. With that, though, we have to differentiate "losing weight" from "losing fat".

Our goal should be to optimize fat loss, not just looking at a number on the scale. If you are looking at getting lean ... putting on muscle should be a priority, not an afterthought.

If you want to be lean and you do just cardio, you aren’t going to get there. Cardio burns both muscle and fat, not just fat, like most people think.

If you aren’t training your muscles at the same time ... you’re going to end up a skinnier, smaller, and just an overall softer version of your current self.

Do you like the muscle tone you have right now when you look in the mirror naked? Because if you do just cardio ... the scale will change, but your look will not.

Muscle is the most metabolically active tissue in the body, which means it needs calories to sustain itself all throughout the day. To get the lean look you are after, it will be extremely important for you to be sure to incorporate a fair amount of resistance training.

It’s mandatory, not optional. Lean muscle controls your metabolism; think of it like your own internal fat-burning machine. The more lean muscle you have, the stronger your base metabolism will be.

Even right now, while you’re reading this article, your lean muscle tissue is burning calories. Think of how much stronger your metabolism would be if it had an extra 5 pounds of muscle on there … or ten … or more!

I think you get where I’m going here.

I should also mention, you don't need to worry about “bulking up” or putting on “too much muscle". You would have to train and eat in a very specific and deliberate fashion to do this.

Trust me, you aren't going to turn into Arnold Schwarzenegger. Get that idea out of your head right now … because it just isn’t going to happen.

This thought process is how most women think about training with weights, and it is completely inaccurate.

The idea that you are going to magically turn into a world-class bodybuilder overnight by lifting weights is a lot like saying, "I don’t want to go on a bike ride because I might win the Tour de France."

Muscle is your friend … accept it, embrace it, love it!

Now that you realize that weight training and gaining muscle are the quickest/only way to achieve your goal of getting lean, let's move on to your original question.

You are correct in your understanding of not using Ignition & Phormula-1 after your cardio workouts.

Here is why…

What Does Ignition Do?

Glycogen is glucose that is stored within the muscle cell, acting as an immediate energy source and serving as “power on demand.”

Because resistance training relies on these glycogen stores during intense training, it's important to provide your body with a source of glucose, such as Ignition, to begin the replenishment process as soon as you can after your training.

During intense training, you aren't only depleting glycogen stores ... you are creating microscopic tears in the muscle, called micro traumas. The repair of these microtraumas is what causes your muscle to grow back bigger and stronger.

You tear it down, and it builds back stronger every time. This is what the whole concept of training with weights revolves around.

Ignition is designed to be taken post-workout (weights) to begin the glycogen replenishment process (it can also be taken pre-workout, which I will explain in a minute).

The most important function of Ignition is that it floods your body with glucose, but along with the large amount of glucose comes an extremely high insulin spike that serves two purposes:

1. To stop the catabolic breakdown of muscle tissue.

2. To deliver nutrients where they need to go: glucose to the depleted glycogen stores and amino acids (Phormula-1) to the micro traumas for repair.

Research has been done that shows this concept (glycogen, insulin & amino acids together) is the most efficient way to begin recovery from an intense weight lifting workout, and begin building bigger, stronger muscles.

Why You Don't Need Ignition After Cardio

The most important concept to understand here, in regard to what you are asking about, is the word insulin.

Insulin is a nutrient delivery hormone that helps transport nutrients wherever they need to go. It also tells the cells at those locations to accept and store the nutrients upon arrival.

The thing about insulin is that it drastically inhibits lipolysis (fat loss). You cannot burn fat with high insulin levels. It's physiologically impossible.

In very simple terms, insulin turns off your ability to burn fat temporarily (it’s a storage hormone).

Since much of the fat calories burned during cardio actually happen after you are finished with your cardio session ... it doesn’t make much sense to turn off your body’s ability to burn fat directly after your cardio exercise, does it?

Especially because your body didn't use glycogen as a main energy source, so it does not have the glycogen stores to refill. Simply put, it doesn't need to put gas back in the tank.

This is the answer to your original question as to why not to use Ignition pre/post cardio. It basically jacks your insulin up too high, and your body can't burn fat.

Pre-Workout

Resistance training and endurance event training are obviously different beasts. The goal would be to cover a certain amount of ground as fast as possible.

In this case, keeping glycogen levels topped off during a “cardio” exercise would be beneficial, because the main goal is performance ... not fat loss.

The best possible way to work the Ignition and Phormula-1 into your training would be to use 1/2 scoop of Ignition with 1 scoop of Phormula-1 in about 5-6 oz of water, about 15-20 minutes before you perform any resistance training.

This will give your body an immediate shot of fast-absorbing whey isolate with an ample kick of BCAAs & EAAs in there to support proper muscle function, stimulate muscle protein synthesis, and boost metabolism during your training.

Recent studies have shown that a small dose of high-quality whey isolate pre-workout will “prime the engine,” so to speak, to further optimize post-workout protein assimilation/absorption.

In addition, the included Ignition gives you a nice kick of rapidly absorbing carbohydrates to power you through your training.

You’ll notice an increase in your overall endurance as well as better muscle contractions and “pumps” while training.

Even more importantly, you want to be certain to use these same two products post-workout, but in a slightly different dose.

Immediately after training, for men, mix one full scoop of Ignition with 2 scoops of Phormula-1 in about 12 ounces of water. For Women, mix 1/2 scoop of Ignition with 1 scoop of Phormula-1 in 6-8 ounces of water.

"Can I Use Phormula-1 In Place of a Meal?"

Now, while this combination works well in both pre- and post-resistance training settings, I would not recommend Phormula-1 daily use as a meal replacement protein.

For something like that, you should look into Level-1, our slow-assimilating protein blend. It was designed with a slower digestion pattern to mimic the digestion rate closer to a whole-food protein source.

This makes it more ideal as a daily use protein replacement, as it is designed to give your body a steady feed of amino acids throughout the day to support muscle growth and repair.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What Is Ignition by 1st Phorm, and How Does It Support Post-Workout Nutrition?

Ignition by 1st Phorm is a rapid-assimilating carbohydrate designed to support recovery. Ignition can help support glycogen replenishment and aims to utilize insulin to prevent muscle breakdown and deliver nutrients directly to muscle cells for repair, growth, and recovery.

Q: When Should I Take 1st Phorm Ignition, Pre-Workout or Post Workout?

Ignition can be taken both pre- and post-workout. While its main purpose is to support post-workout recovery, it can be a great carbohydrate to fuel intense training sessions. I recommend you take Ignition in any pre- or post-workout scenario where glycogen replenishment is necessary (resistance/high-intensity training).

Q: Why Shouldn’t I Take Ignition after Cardio If My Goal Is Burning Fat?

During cardio, your body isn’t depleting glycogen stores the same way it does during weight training. Plus, since Ignition is designed to spike insulin, which shuts off fat burning temporarily, taking it after cardio isn’t ideal for any fat loss goal. Instead, use a rapid-digesting whey protein like Phormula-1 to support recovery.

Q: How Do I Mix Ignition for Best Results?

Simply mix Ignition with cold water, then combine it with your Phormula-1 protein for the ultimate post-workout recovery stack. For the best results, use water only.

"If Not Ignition, Then What?"

You’re probably asking: Well, what should I do post-cardio then, if I’m not using Ignition & Phormula-1?

Ideally, you should use Phormula-1 without Ignition within 30 minutes of cardio training and follow that up with a solid food meal containing protein and complex carbs an hour after the post-cardio protein drink ... and then, you would move on with your normal eating schedule from there.

While rapid-digesting protein, like Phormula-1, will cause a very small insulin spike, it will be small enough not to drastically inhibit lipolysis, and the resulting stimulation of muscle protein synthesis will help keep you from breaking down too much muscle.

This method helps you keep muscle catabolism to a minimum while at the same time avoiding a huge insulin spike that shuts down the fat-burning process completely right after your cardio session.

I know that was a lot of info to throw at you at once, but I wanted to give you all the information you need.

If you have additional questions, please reach out to us. We have a full team of NASM Certified Personal Trainers and Nutrition Coaches right here in St. Louis, Missouri. Just give us a call at 1-800-409-9732 or send us an email at CustomerService@1stPhorm.com any day from 6 AM to 10 PM Central. We'll be more than happy to help in any way we can!

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