Eating foods containing carbs and protein may help support your muscles after exercise. Experts recommend eating shortly after your workout for the most benefit. Consuming the right nutrients after exercise can help you optimize your fitness goals. During exercise, your muscles use up their glycogen, which is the body’s preferred fuel source. This results in your muscles being partially depleted of glycogen. Some of the proteins in your muscles can also be broken down and enhance size damaged during exercise. After your workout, your body rebuilds glycogen stores and regrows those muscle proteins. However, research suggests that eating the right nutrients soon after exercising can help your body do this faster. Keep reading to learn more about nutrition after workouts. Macronutrients are a group of nutrients your body needs in large quantities to provide the necessary energy it needs to function. The three macronutrients are protein, carbs, and fat. These may each play a role in your body’s post-workout recovery process.
Exercise triggers the breakdown of muscle protein. The rate at which this happens depends on several factors, such as training volume, intensity, and frequency. Consuming an adequate amount of protein throughout the day gives your body the amino acids it needs to repair and rebuild these proteins. It also gives you the building blocks required to build new muscle tissue. The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) recommends consuming 20 to 40 grams (g) of protein every 3 to 4 hours. This may help improve your exercise performance, muscle recovery, and body composition. It’s also important to consume protein before and after exercise. A 2017 study found that eating protein pre-workout and post-workout has a similar effect on muscle strength, hypertrophy, and body composition changes. Eating protein before exercise may also decrease the amount you need to eat after without affecting recovery. However, if you’re specifically aiming to build muscle, the ISSN recommends eating high quality protein within the first 2 hours after working out to stimulate the building blocks for new muscle tissue.
Your body’s glycogen stores are used as fuel during exercise, and consuming carbs after your workout helps replenish them. The rate at which your glycogen stores are used depends on the activity. For example, endurance sports cause your body to use more glycogen than resistance training. For this reason, if you participate in endurance sports like cycling and running, you might need to consume more carbs than someone engaging in weightlifting. Furthermore, insulin secretion, which promotes glycogen synthesis, may be better stimulated when carbs and protein are consumed at the same time. Within the first 4 hours after working out, the ISSN recommends consuming 0.4 g of carbs per pound of body weight (0.8 g of carbs per kg) with 0.1 to 0.2 g of protein per pound of body weight (0.2 to 0.4 g of protein per kg) during each hour to help restore glycogen faster. That said, these recommendations are targeted to the needs of endurance athletes. You may need less if you’re focusing on resistance training.
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According to the ISSN, not enough evidence suggests whether you should limit fat intake after a workout. Many people think that eating fat after a workout slows digestion and inhibits the absorption of nutrients. While fat might slow down the absorption of your post-workout meal, it may not reduce its benefits. For example, Prime Boosts a 2006 study showed that whole milk was more effective at promoting muscle growth after a workout than skim milk. Similarly, a 2017 study found that eating whole eggs instead of egg whites was more effective at promoting muscle protein synthesis post-workout. Having some fat in your post-workout meal may not affect your recovery. But more studies are needed on this topic. The timing of your meals is important to maximize recovery and Prime Boosts Official muscle growth because your body’s ability to rebuild glycogen and protein is enhanced after exercise. Sports nutrition researchers have been studying nutrient timing for more than 40 years.
In the past, experts recommended eating your post-workout meal within 45 to 60 minutes. It was believed that delaying carb consumption by as little as 2 hours after a workout could lead to as much as 50% lower rates of glycogen synthesis. However, more recent research suggests the post-exercise window to maximize the muscular response to eating protein is wider than initially thought, up to as many as several hours. Consuming a meal rich in whole carbs and protein before exercising may also increase your post-workout food intake window, as you may still feel some of the benefits of the pre-workout meal. The primary goal of your post-workout meal is to supply your body with the right nutrients for Prime Boosts adequate recovery and maximize your workout’s benefits. Choosing easily digested foods will promote faster nutrient absorption. Combinations of the foods above can create great meals that give you all the nutrients you need after exercise. Staying properly hydrated before and after your workout ensures the optimal internal environment for your body to maximize results.