Post-Workout Meals and Their Importance
You’ve just had a great workout -- you’ve gotten through your cardio or weight session, or perhaps both, and you’re ready to get on with your day. However, there’s something you need in this equation to help make all of that hard work pay off toward maximizing your intended goal(s), and that’s to ensure you get a proper, restorative, post-workout meal.
Why is a post-workout meal so important? I get this question a lot. Here are some great reasons:
1. The Need to Refuel Your Muscles:
After a workout, your muscles are depleted and have used up their energy reserves, which mainly come from stored carbohydrates called glycogen. Ingesting simple (fast-acting) carbs after exercise will refuel these stores, and quickly.
2. Imperative for Muscle Repair and Growth:
Exercise, particularly weightlifting, causes microtears in the fibers of your muscles. This is what makes them stronger and larger, which is the goal. During repair, those muscles are filling in these microtears, making that muscle belly plump and shapely, which in turn makes that muscle stronger, and therefore better prepared to manage that heavy weight load the next time it’s put under that strain. A post-workout meal with protein provides the essential amino acids necessary to adequately repair and grow those muscles. Absent this component, where would your muscles pull amino acids from to heal? Your existing muscles, through catabolic action. That’s correct -- when an organism needs fuel to repair itself, and it doesn’t come from an extraneous source, it will do what it must to locate it from within itself.
Beware the overachiever who tears up the same muscle groups day after day, or worse, does intense cardio ad nauseam, and then is not eating enough, or properly, to build their bodies back up. You will tear down that muscle when your body needs to repair. As a result, the body hangs onto body fat and catabolizes muscle; the exact opposite of why most people do so much cardio work. Sure, you will see that scale tip left, but it’s not the type of weight you’re wanting to lose. Permit rest, provide proper nutrition, and allow the body to repair itself, because that’s where the magic happens.
Fasted Exercise: I meet many gym goers and athletes who tend to cut daily caloric load because they want to drop weight or are in the ‘cutting’ phase of their training, particularly with an early morning session. Ideally, having a light snack with protein and carbs at least an hour before your work out will permit you to perform optimally without your blood sugar tanking, your muscles cramping, and without messing up your goals. Fasting has adverse effects on the endocrine system -- it affects thyroid function and tanks your metabolism. The other concern is depleted reserve glycogen, which may lead to dizziness or fainting, risking injury. If this is not feasible, toss some aminos, Celtic salt, and a simple sugar (more on that later) into your water and sip away during your session, then ensure you have a timely post-workout meal.
3. Improves and Speeds Up System Recovery:
The right nutrients help you to recover faster, reduce delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), and will help to prepare your body for the next workout. Marathon runners and biathlon or triathlon athletes understand this concept well. They carb load 1-3 days before a race to store glycogen, which boosts performance, then grab simple carbs and some protein post-race to stave off muscle cramping due to perspiration and low levels of glycogen.
4. Rehydrates and Restores:
When you work out you sweat, causing a loss of vital electrolytes. Proper post-workout nutrition and hydration are imperative to refuel, rehydrate, and rejuvenate the cells.
‘Best’ Practices and Post-Workout Nutrition:
For decades the research showed that the best practice was to consume your post-workout meal within 30-60 minutes after the workout. This was known as the “anabolic window," where muscles were believed to be most receptive to nutrients (like protein and carbohydrates) for rebuilding and repair. Research is now indicating that the 'window' is not as rigid as it was once believed. The Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition studied a group whose previous meal was finished 3 hours or more prior to exercising and found that they warranted a post-exercise nutritional intervention in order to reverse the catabolic state, which could expedite muscular recovery and growth. Due to the transient anabolic impact of a protein-rich meal and its potential synergy with the trained state, the study indicates that pre- and post-exercise meals should not be separated by more than approximately 3–4 hours, given a typical training bout lasting 45–90 minutes.
How Much Protein?
This is a very complex question, as meal plans and workout needs are unique based upon the goal(s) of the individual, preexisting condition(s), body mass, physical limitations, activity level, lifestyle, and age. There are so many schools of thought out there about how much protein is best, but one thing is consistent -- unless your kidneys are compromised, protein is an absolute staple to maintaining and growing muscle. Muscle is a life-enhancing savings account because you need it to maintain strength, balance, stability, and overall wellness. Considering you can’t maintain muscle without proper nutrition, protein is a staple combined with lifting heavy s!#*!
There are 4 calories in every gram of protein.
The ideal daily protein intake for the average healthy individual spaced out over 4 or more meals per day with at least 30-40 gms at the post-workout meal:
.6 – 1 gm per pound of their current body weight
Those who are significantly overweight should use their goal body weight rather than their current body weight when doing this calculation. Keep in mind, however: if you have a large amount of fat to shed, this needs to be done incrementally, and wisely, so you don’t compromise muscle and bone. Believe it or not, you need to eat to lose fat -- it's what you eat, how often, and how you're training. You must eat for your caloric needs, activity level, your unique health portfolio, and goal(s). Since your body responds best to an even protein distribution throughout the day, try to get 30 gms at each meal, 15-20 gms with your snacks, and your biggest protein hit of 30-40 gms right after you train.
For most individuals, 20-40 grams of protein is adequate. These needs can be met by consuming one serving of whey protein, four ounces of animal protein, or one cup of mixed plant proteins, such as rice and beans. There are great advantages to quick-acting proteins for your post-workout meal, rather than complex animal or fibrous proteins, and we will cover that next.
The Glucose Need in the Post-Workout Meal:
According to most current research, you should aim to consume around 0.5 grams of carbohydrate per pound of body weight to effectively replenish glycogen stores in your muscles after a workout. Those who are significantly overweight should use their goal body weight rather than their current body weight when doing this calculation.
Honey or maple syrup are great, clean, quick-acting glucose sources.
Bonus if it’s a local product sourced from flowers and trees in your area. Good old table sugar also works. While fructose (fruit sugars) can be part of a post-workout recovery plan, it's generally not considered the best choice compared to glucose because it is less effective at replenishing muscle glycogen, the primary goal after exercise; however, combining fructose with glucose can be beneficial for maximizing carbohydrate absorption and liver glycogen replenishment in certain situations, especially for endurance athletes.
Great Suggestions for Post-Workout Nutrition
Whole and real foods are always the most nutritious for you. The closer to the source, the better, i.e. farm to table. The more ‘in-season' you eat, the better. What does 'in season' mean? It means eating things that are currently being harvested in your area. For example, in summer: melons, berries, and tomatoes are in season; in the winter: squash, root vegetables, etc. This enables the food to be fresher because it hasn’t come from off-shore, allowing it to retain much more nutritive value. However, for that post-workout protein and carb hit, it’s best to have something that gets in quickly and efficiently, because those muscles are depleted and we want to avoid being in a catabolic state. Here are my favorites:
The Shake:
Fast acting (hydrolyzed) protein mixed with a simple glucose-based carb creates a quick-access, rejuvenating, glycogen-restoring concoction that will adequately provide the muscles protein/amino acids for building blocks and glucose to replace glycogen. This can easily be placed into a shaker bottle for an on-the-go post-workout drink. While gyms may have this on hand, it’s important to know what protein you’re getting; you want it to be quickly bioavailable in a form that has been broken down into smaller peptides and amino acids. All protein powders are not created equal and there are myriad products from many different food bases to meet the nutritional preferences of the athlete. You’ll want to avoid adding whole fruits (fiber), peanut butter (fat), and keep it simple for proper and QUICK assimilation. You can better plan for your success by simply bringing your own with you, which takes the guess work out of it.
The Incredible, Edible Egg:
If time is on your side and you can cook, and you have the budget for it (because egg prices have gotten a little chicken coop crazy) or, if there’s a place that you trust to cook them to your specifications, egg whites will offer a clean, fast-acting, and complete protein. If you’re ambitious, you can cook them before your session and take them with you. Add a glucose-based beverage for your carbohydrate, and this is by far the cleaner of the two. Why just the whites? The fat from the yoke will slow down metabolic breakdown. I’m not a fan of the egg whites you can purchase in a container because of all the preservatives, but based on your budget and time, it’s better than having nothing, or a garbage meal, which will not provide what your muscles require. There’s also a company called MuscleEgg that sells bulk powdered and frozen plain or flavored egg whites, delivered right to your door. In my experience, the flavored items had a chemical aftertaste, and the products have flavor additives and preservatives to maintain freshness and shelf life. Again -- budget, time, and planning.
Raw versus Cooked: Raw eggs can pose a salmonella risk as there is no way of knowing how the eggs have been harvested, processed, and stored. In addition, raw form takes longer for the body to break down and utilize the amino acids.
Premade Protein Drinks:
As with anything ultra processed, these are not the best choice for your post-workout meal. Here’s one from Optimum Nutrition, a leading sports-based company (please note the plethora of ingredients used to preserve shelf life, enhance flavor, and improve texture):
If You Fail to Plan, You Plan to Fail
Preparation is key to achieving any goal you set your sights on if you want to be successful, right? It’s no different in the world of wellness. Food prep requires you to plan your grocery list in order to be in control of what you’re eating. Food prep allows you to parcel out what you need when you leave the house so you’re not left in the middle of the afternoon having to run to the vending machine, or the closest fast food chain to grab a bite before you gnaw off a limb, which you are basically doing when you fast for long periods of time. What you eat, and how often is key to fat loss, muscle retention, and/or growth, and physical wellness. My gym bag always contains a shaker bottle that has a fast-acting protein, or a meal replacement, just in case. I am a Girl Scout, ever prepared, when it comes to ensuring I get what I need. It’s just that important, like anything in our lives we place as a priority.
A little perspective when it comes to physical wellness. By the time we reach 30 years old, we begin to lose between 3-5 percent of our muscle mass per decade. Increasing our protein, and placing regular stress on the muscles and bones, helps to both maintain and restore a healthy amount of muscle mass and bone density. Studies continue to show how movement that is taxing to the body not only improves physical wellness, but it is also medicine for the brain and improves mood and emotional stability – it’s a natural antidepressant. If Josh Allen, the 2024 National Football League MVP, were to coin a wellness phrase, he might say, “Lift Often, Eat Well, Rest, and Go Bills.”
Please do not ruminate over every macro nutrient or morsel you put into your mouth unless you plan on competing. If you focus on making a concerted effort, every day, to eat better (cleaner), drink more water, move purposely, get in some resistance training, and rest, you’re winning. This is meant to be a guide to help you understand the importance of things that your body, as a very primitive organism, needs to function optimally and stave off disease. Resting really is rusting. A person who spent a great deal of money on a Lamborghini wouldn’t ruin the engine by putting bad fuel into it, or letting it sit for years in a garage; it won’t run well, and neither will you under those same circumstances.
If this seems confusing, work with a professional so you are able to amply understand how to get to where you’d like to be, and to do so safely and correctly. You can Google® anything, but we all know that while the information superhighway has a plethora of information, it is not tailored to an individual’s unique needs. This is not a one-size-fits-all equation; remember, you’re building your house, not the neighbors’. Your health is your most prized possession. If you don’t agree, you may change your mind once your health condition changes irrevocably.
Always check with your provider before beginning a fitness or diet regimen. The information contained herein is designed as a resource and is not intended to take the place of medical advice.
