Post Workout Nutrition

Post Workout Nutrition

The post workout meal is probably the most important meal of the day for anyone who cares about nutrition or wants to build muscle, lose fat or improve his/her body.  It can also be the one that confuses people the most because there are so many different recommendations for what to eat and how much to eat after a workout.  However, once you develop a basic knowledge of the science behind a post workout meal, it will probably become the simplest meal of your day.  With that said, let's clear up the confusion and talk about what you should and should not eat after your workout...

What Should I Eat After My Workout

Simply put, your post workout meal should primarily consist of two things, protein and carbs.  Why not fat you ask?  Well, "good fats" are certainly an important part of your diet, but post workout isn't the ideal time for them.  Reason being is because fat slows down digestion, thus slowing down the absorption of protein and carbohydrates.  Post workout is when your body needs the quickest uptake in nutrients possible to aid in muscle recovery.  We will get into more detail about exactly what types of carbs and proteins to eat after your workout a bit later.

How Long After My Workout Should I Eat?

As soon as possible!  How is that for an answer!  Now, that doesn't mean that on your last set you drop the weights and start ripping into a rotisserie chicken, but there is a window of time after your workout in which it is the most beneficial for your body to receive its post workout nutrition.  You typically want to try and eat something within an hour of your workout, but the sooner the better.  Ideally,  you should aim for within 30 minutes after your workout.  

Protein for Post Workout

So now that you know when you should eat after a workout! Let's delve a little deeper into the carbs and protein conundrum.  First, let's talk about protein.  Muscles need protein for recovery and growth, and as we talked about earlier, the best time to deliver protein appears to be right after exercise. Providing high-quality protein after exercise gives your muscles the fuel and the building blocks needed for both repair and for growth.

Exactly what kind of protein do you eat?  Well, while chicken, meat, fish and eggs are all great sources of lean protein, they aren't exactly the ideal types of protein for post workout.  These types of protein are solid foods, and if you have not already guessed by now, their solid forms take longer to be broken down and digested by the body.  Thus, not making them the ideal candidate for post workout consumption since time is of the essence!  

Enter whey protein powder!  Whey protein is the fastest digesting form of protein there is, and when you mix the powder with some source of liquid (liquid meals digest faster than solid meals) you've got yourself a quick and easy source of lean protein for your post workout meal.  Try to aim for .15-.25 grams of whey protein per pound of your body weight.

Post Workout Carbs

Now that we have covered protein, let's go over the last piece of the post workout meal equation.  The next equally important part of your post workout meal is carbs.  Over the last few years, the various diet fads and weight loss trends have created  a "carb phobia" among the general population.  Indeed, like most things in life, too many carbs in your diet can lead to a host of health problems.  However,  the "right" kind of carbs are essential for maintaining a healthy diet and a healthy lifestyle.   In fact, when it comes to your post workout meal, they are an extremely essential part of your after-workout nutrition and play a key role in your post workout recovery.

Why is that?  Well, carbs will be used by your body to restore muscle glycogen that was depleted while you worked out. If your post workout meal doesn’t contain carbs, your body may actually instead break down muscle tissue for this same purpose.  Carbs also create an insulin spike which helps to shuttle nutrients into your muscle tissue faster.

So, now that you know your body requires carbs after a workout, you’re probably wondering what foods they should come from.   Well, you probably already know that there are supposed “good carbs” (complex carbohydrates) and “bad carbs" (simple carbohydrates ).  As it turns out, this is actually the only time when “simple carbs” can be considered the good guys!  Meaning, typically the good carbs contain fiber and other nutrients that slow down the digestion process and create less of an insulin spike into the bloodstream.  These guys are also known as lower glycemic carbs and includes foods like brown rice, oatmeal, whole wheat bread, quinoa, etc.  Simple carbs, aka high glycemic carbs, do just the opposite as the are digested more quickly into the bloodstream and create a higher insulin spike allowing for faster absorption of nutrients into the muscle tissue.

Bingo, you guessed right!  Simple carbohydrates are where it's at for your post workout meal.  Remember, the post workout meal is all about speed. And when it comes to speed, simple/high glycemic carbs digest faster than complex/lower glycemic carbs.   However, just like protein, solid sources of simple carbohydrates may not really be the absolute BEST choice at this time.  Eating solid food after a workout can be difficult. You may find it easier to tolerate fast-acting carbohydrates in the form of a liquid, such as sports drinks or smoothies. Specially formulated sports drinks contain glucose, a fast-acting carbohydrate, along with electrolytes, which are minerals needed for proper muscle contraction and energy. Sports drinks are especially valuable after endurance workouts, such as long runs or rides, lasting longer than 90 minutes. Smoothies are another way to get your post-workout fast-acting carbohydrates in an easy-to-tolerate way.   A simple solution is to blend together some fruit, especially bananas, 100 percent fruit juice and whey protein powder.  Try to aim for .25-.4 grams of carbohydrates per pound of your body weight.

So in closing, I hope this has helped to clear some confusion you may have when deciding what to eat after your workout.  Stay tuned for more to follow...