4 Post-Workout Nutrition Strategies to Boost Muscle Growth and Recovery

Postworkout nutrition is important. What most people don’t realize is that not only is the the timing of the postworkout meal important, but so are the actual macronutrients that are consumed after. Here are some guidelines that might help you out along your fitness journey. 

1. Eat soon after resistance and strength training. Proper nutrition is most important in the 45-60 minutes immediately following an intense workout. You may have heard of postworkout timing referred to as the “window of opportunity.” During this window, muscles are primed and ready to accept nutrients that can help with muscle repair, growth, and strength. If nutrition isn’t supplied fast enough, muscle glycogen storage and protein synthesis is decreased. 

2. Eat protein and carbohydrates in the postworkout meal. Protein and carbohydrates together are ideal. Protein is extremely important to aid in protein synthesis. Carbohydrates are used to help replace muscle glycogen. Whole foods aren’t always a first choice because they digest slowly and your body is in need of nutrients that are accepted quickly. A liquid form of nutrition containing an isolate protein paired with a rapidly digesting carb may be your best bet. A whole food meal can be consumed an hour or two after this. 

3. Eat some of your carbohydrate calories in your postworkout meal. Eating carbohydrates after training helps restore blood sugar, suppresses cortisol, and stimulates protein synthesis. Carbohydrates also cause a spike in insulin, which helps carry amino acids to your muscles. Carbohydrates consumed after training are used to help replenish muscle gylcogen and rarely get stored as fat. 

4. Eat simple carbohydrates or high glycemic carbohydrates. Normally you would try to keep simple sugars low, but if you are going to consume them, right after an intense and exhaustive workout is a good time to do it.