Maximum recovery after your workout

Recovery is where training really starts to pay off. You can do a very solid workout in the gym, but if your muscle glycogen stores stay empty and your body gets no building material for repair, progress slows down. Here is a practical look at what to eat and when, so you get more out of your training.

Why recovery determines the quality of your next workout

After a hard workout, your body isn’t just tired. Some of the fuel in your muscles has been used up, minor muscle damage has occurred and the nervous system needs to calm down. If you train frequently, for example several times a week or even several times a day, the speed of recovery becomes very important.

Muscle glycogen is one of the main energy sources during intense effort, especially when the work lasts about 3-4 minutes. In strength training, a large share of the quick energy does come from creatine phosphate, but a fair amount of muscle glycogen is used too. That’s why full glycogen stores affect both sets in the gym and intervals run on the track.

A simple truth: the harder you train, the less you should leave to chance after your workout. Three things decide the outcome: the amount, quality and timing of nutrients. Protein and carbohydrates are especially important.

Carbohydrate timing is an old topic, but it is still a practical one. Glycogen is stored in the muscles faster when carbohydrates are eaten immediately after training. If you wait too long, this effect can drop by as much as 50%, especially if the first proper serving of carbohydrates only comes two hours after the workout.

How to kick-start recovery with carbohydrates

How many carbohydrates do you need? It depends on your body weight and how hard the workout was. After glycogen-depleting workouts, studies have used very different amounts, from 0.18 to 3.0 g per kg of body weight. That doesn’t mean more is always better.

In one comparison, the amounts were 0.18 g, 0.35 g, 0.7 g and 1.4 g per kg of body weight. These servings were taken immediately after the workout and then again two and four hours later. The results showed that 0.35 g per kg of body weight increased glycogen storage by as much as 170%, but larger amounts gave no clear extra benefit in the same trial.

In another trial, 0.7 g of carbohydrates per kg of body weight was used right after training and repeated every other hour. There, muscle glycogen stores peaked after about 4-6 hours. Some results also support larger amounts, for example 1.0-1.2 g per kg of body weight, but for the average trainee it doesn’t make sense to keep piling on carbohydrates after every workout.

If the goal is to lose fat while maintaining or building muscle, you need to handle your carbohydrate intake wisely. A serving that is too big can make the energy balance harder to manage. This is where protein helps, since carbohydrates together with protein can support glycogen storage, especially when the amount of carbohydrates isn’t already very high.

Frequency matters too. If you consume carbohydrates often, for example every 15-30 minutes, about 30% more glycogen can be stored than when the gaps stretch beyond one hour. In practice, 0.7 g per kg of body weight right after the workout and the same amount two hours later can be replaced with smaller servings: 0.35 g per kg of body weight every 30 minutes for 2-3 hours.

Honestly, this kind of snacking strategy doesn’t suit everyone. Work, school and commuting make it complicated. It’s easier to try on a weekend or when preparing for a competition. On a normal day, it is often enough to have the first proper serving right after the workout and the next about two hours later.

Protein, leucine and muscle recovery

Protein isn’t just a post-workout buzzword for muscle growth. It helps repair muscle cells damaged during training and supports muscle protein synthesis. The first study to show the combined effect of protein and carbohydrates on increasing muscle glycogen stores was published in 1992. The topic has since been examined from different angles, and not all the results have been the same.

In one more recent comparison, participants were given either 80 g of carbohydrates + 28 g of protein, 80 g of carbohydrates, or 108 g of carbohydrates after training. The drinks were taken immediately after the workout and again two hours later. After four hours of recovery, glycogen stores had refilled better in those who received the carbohydrate-protein drink.

Within the carbohydrate-drink groups, 108 g of carbohydrates was better than 80 g, but the most interesting difference came during the first 40 minutes of recovery. With the combined drink, muscle glycogen storage was two times greater than with the carbohydrate drink of the same calorie content and four times greater than with the other carbohydrate drink. The same trend was visible after the second drink, taken two hours later.

So what actually happens? Carbohydrates help restore glycogen, protein provides material for muscle repair, and together they may work better than separately in some situations. This is especially useful for those who don’t want to take a very large serving of carbohydrates after every workout.

Muscle protein synthesis needs protein after strength training. Carbohydrates alone aren’t enough, because they tend to help reduce muscle protein breakdown instead. Muscle growth happens when muscle protein synthesis exceeds muscle protein breakdown. That’s why the combination of protein and carbohydrates is a better choice than either one alone in many situations.

Leucine deserves special attention. If you add leucine to a combination of protein and carbohydrates and take it right after training, the muscle growth signal may get stronger. Leucine acts like a nutrient signal, telling the body that now is the time to repair and build.

Timing matters too. Muscle protein synthesis has been shown to be threefold higher when a supplement containing 10 g of protein, 8 g of carbohydrates and 3 g of fat was taken immediately after training, compared with taking the same thing only three hours later. It has also been reported that 10 g of essential amino acids and 35 g of carbohydrates taken right before strength training stimulated muscle protein synthesis.

In some cases you can sip a protein-and-carbohydrate drink during training. This may support hormone function: testosterone and insulin levels rise, while cortisol falls. For the average exerciser it doesn’t have to become a mandatory ritual, but for long, hard workouts the idea makes sense.

Practical recovery: amounts and options

Should you choose a drink or solid food? It makes no difference as long as you get enough protein, leucine and carbohydrates. A shake is simply faster and more precise. Solid food works too, if your stomach tolerates it well after a workout.

With protein powders, it’s worth checking whether they contain enough leucine. If needed, you can add BCAAs, or branched-chain amino acids, which include leucine. If the powder also contains carbohydrates, find out what type they are. The Vitargo mentioned in the original article is a macromolecular carbohydrate that has been compared with glucose and maltodextrin.

The amounts below are a practical base dose per hour, taken over the 2-3 hours after training. Calculate them from your own body weight, not your neighbor’s or your training partner’s.

• Whey: 0.5 g per kg of body weight.
• Leucine: 100 mg, or 0.1 g, per kg of body weight.
• Carbohydrates: 0.7 g per kg of body weight.

If you train rarely and lightly, you don’t need to push these amounts higher. If you train often and intensely, larger amounts may make sense, but start with the base dose and see how your well-being, body weight and training results develop.

Option 1

• Take the first base dose right away, about 10-15 min after training.
• Take the second base dose one hour after training.
• Take the third base dose two hours after training.

Option 2

If you can’t manage to eat three times within a couple of hours after your workout, a simpler split may work better.

• Take two base doses right away, about 15-20 min after training.
• Take one base dose two hours after training.

Option 3

If you train several times a day or are preparing for competitions, you can try a more frequent snacking strategy. Multiply the base dose by three, since that is enough for three hours. Divide the result into seven smaller portions.

• Take the first mini-dose right away, about 5-15 min after training.
• Take the remaining mini-doses every 30 min over the following three hours.

The calculations make this clearer. For a 90 kg man the base dose is 468 kcal, while for a 55 kg woman it is 268 kcal. Man, 90 kg: whey 0.5 g per kg of body weight = 90*0.5 = 45 g. Leucine 0.1 g per kg of body weight = 90*0.1 = 9 g. Carbohydrates 0.7 g per kg of body weight = 90*0.7 = 63 g. Total amount: 45 + 9 + 63 = 117 g. Calories in the base dose: 117*4 = 468 kcal.

In short: eat protein and carbohydrates after training, don’t push the first portion too far back, and use leucine when the goal is to strengthen the muscle growth signal. The exact form can be a drink or food. What matters is that your body gets what it is actually short of at the right time.

FAQ

Does recovery start right after a workout?

Yes, in practical terms it does. The body starts recovering right away, but nutrient availability determines how well glycogen stores are refilled and how quickly muscles get the material for repair.

Do you absolutely have to drink a shake after a workout?

No. A shake is convenient because the amounts are easy to measure and it goes down quickly. Solid food works too, as long as it contains enough protein and carbohydrates.

Can you get too many carbohydrates after a workout?

You can, especially if the goal is to reduce fat mass. With a high training load the need is greater, but the average exerciser should start with moderate amounts and monitor the results.

Translated from Body magazine, written by Monica Mollica

Author: Greta

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