Eating foods containing carbs and protein may help support your muscles after exercise. Experts recommend eating shortly after your workout for the most benefit. Consuming the right nutrients after exercise can help you optimize your fitness goals. During exercise, Prime Boosts Official your muscles use up their glycogen, which is the body’s preferred fuel source. This results in your muscles being partially depleted of glycogen. Some of the proteins in your muscles can also be broken down and damaged during exercise. After your workout, your body rebuilds glycogen stores and regrows those muscle proteins. However, research suggests that eating the right nutrients soon after exercising can help your body do this faster. Keep reading to learn more about nutrition after workouts. Macronutrients are a group of nutrients your body needs in large quantities to provide the necessary energy it needs to function. The three macronutrients are protein, carbs, and fat. These may each play a role in your body’s post-workout recovery process.
Exercise triggers the breakdown of muscle protein. The rate at which this happens depends on several factors, Prime Boosts Official such as training volume, intensity, Prime Boosts Official and frequency. Consuming an adequate amount of protein throughout the day gives your body the amino acids it needs to repair and rebuild these proteins. It also gives you the building blocks required to build new muscle tissue. The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) recommends consuming 20 to 40 grams (g) of protein every 3 to 4 hours. This may help improve your exercise performance, muscle recovery, and body composition. It’s also important to consume protein before and after exercise. A 2017 study found that eating protein pre-workout and post-workout has a similar effect on muscle strength, hypertrophy, and body composition changes. Eating protein before exercise may also decrease the amount you need to eat after without affecting recovery. However, if you’re specifically aiming to build muscle, the ISSN recommends eating high quality protein within the first 2 hours after working out to stimulate the building blocks for new muscle tissue.
Your body’s glycogen stores are used as fuel during exercise, and consuming carbs after your workout helps replenish them. The rate at which your glycogen stores are used depends on the activity. For example, endurance sports cause your body to use more glycogen than resistance training. For this reason, if you participate in endurance sports like cycling and Prime Boosts Official running, you might need to consume more carbs than someone engaging in weightlifting. Furthermore, Prime Boosts Official insulin secretion, which promotes glycogen synthesis, may be better stimulated when carbs and protein are consumed at the same time. Within the first 4 hours after working out, the ISSN recommends consuming 0.4 g of carbs per pound of body weight (0.8 g of carbs per kg) with 0.1 to 0.2 g of protein per pound of body weight (0.2 to 0.