Nutrition
The Best Post-Workout Meals
For Recovery And Building Muscle
Why Post Workout Nutrition Is Important
1. Restore Muscle Glycogen
When we exercise, especially if the workout is a HIIT workout or a high intensity resistance training workout, our body is using muscle glycogen for energy.
Let’s break down what muscle glycogen is.
Carbohydrates are what you eat.
Your body turns those carbs into glucose in the bloodstream.
Glucose in the bloodstream is what is readily available for your body to use for energy.
Whatever your body needs right now for energy, it will use in the form of that glucose, whatever excess glucose it doesn’t need will be stored in the muscles as muscle glycogen.
Once those muscle glycogen stores are filled up, the remaining excess glucose gets stored as fat.
When you begin to exercise, your body will convert the stored muscle glycogen back into glucose and bring it into the bloodstream to be used for energy.
Your body then uses the glucose in the bloodstream and the muscle glycogen to fuel you particularly for HIIT workouts or high intensity resistance training workouts.
After an intense workout, your muscle glycogen will be severely depleted. You’ll want to restore these muscle glycogen stores so that your muscles are able to recover and you’re able to have energy to carry out activities throughout the rest of your day - especially if you still have an active day ahead of you.
So, refueling your muscle with carbohydrates after your muscle glycogen stores have been depleted is key.
2. Induce Muscle Protein Synthesis
The second reason why post workout nutrition is important is to help prevent muscle breakdown and to increase muscle protein synthesis.
Resistance training is the act of damaging muscle fibers with the goal that it will provide the stimulus to grow the muscles back bigger and stronger.
Muscle protein synthesis - the process of producing new muscle protein - is induced with strength training, it’s induced with protein intake and with carbohydrate intake.
Muscle protein synthesis can occur if you do any of these individually but it’s optimized if you do them in tandem.
Optimizing the quality, the quantity, and the timing of your post workout nutrition assists in making that happen.
How Much Protein To Eat After Your Workout
To induce muscle protein synthesis, eat protein.
How much?
Eat 20-50g of protein in your post workout meal depending on your workout goals and your body size.
If you’re looking to simply maintain muscle mass, be sure that your daily protein intake is around 0.6-1.0g of protein per 1 lb. of your ideal body weight.
If you’re looking to put on muscle mass, eat around 0.8-1.2g of protein per 1 lb. of your ideal body weight.
Great post workout protein options are:
- Whey Protein Powders - this one is my favorite
- Eggs
- Egg Whites
- Organic Chicken
- Ground Turkey
- Ground Bison
- Grass-Fed Ground Beef
- Wild-Caught Salmon
How Many Carbs To Eat After Your Workout
To replenish muscle glycogen stores post workout, eat carbs.
For carbohydrates, it’s very similar to protein, consume 20-60g of carbs post workout to restore muscle glycogen. This number should go up or down based on how long your workout is, how high intensity it was, your body composition goals, and your carb tolerance.
The type of carbohydrates that you should have are starchy carbohydrates. Fruit is a type of sugar called fructose which doesn’t do the job of replenishing muscle glycogen. That doesn’t make it bad to eat after your workout, it just won’t accomplish the goal of replenishing muscle glycogen.
You’ll want to do that with the following great post workout carbohydrate options:
- Rice
- White Potatoes
- Red Potatoes
- Sweet Potatoes
- Quinoa
- Lentils
- Rice Cakes
- Steel Cut Oats
When Should You Eat Your Post Workout Meal
When it comes to your protein intake, timing is less important. Total protein consumption throughout the day is what’s most important in order to optimize muscle protein synthesis.
For carbohydrates, timing is a little more important. If your muscles have been exhausted of their muscle glycogen post workout, and you go a long time without eating food, then your body may start to catabolize (breakdown) its own muscle tissue.
If you don’t eat before your workout and are working out fasted, then have your post workout carbs as soon as possible.
If you eat carbohydrates before your workout, then be sure to have your post workout meal within 2-3 hours after your workout.
My 5 Favorite Post-Workout Meal Options
1. Greek Yogurt, Protein Powder, Walnuts, Chia Seeds, Blueberries
2. Steel Cut Oats, Almond Butter, Blueberries and a Protein Shake
3. Diced Sweet Potatoes, Egg and Egg White Blend, Turkey Bacon
4. Quinoa, Ground Turkey, Brussels Sprouts
5. Rice, Chicken, Broccoli
Conclusion
Nick
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