Post-workout meal: What to eat after exercise?

While in the last article we took a closer look at pre-workout food, in this article, we're going to look at post-workout food for a change . The post-workout meal is, not only in my opinion, one of the most important meals of the day. In this article I will try to explain why this is so, how to time such a meal and what foods to choose. You will learn basically everything you need to know about post-workout diet.

Even with post-workout meals, of course, a number of factors matterfrom the speed of your digestion to the intensity of your workout to your somatotype. Still, there is a generally known recommendation on what and when to eat after training, and that is that you shouldt approximately one to two hours after training a full meal, mainly rich in protein and carbohydrates. Such a meal should be easily digestible and full of good quality sources of all three macronutrients.

If that's enough of an answer for you, you don't really need to read any further. However, if you are interested in this topic a little more and want to understand why eating after training is so importantor what the importance of individual macronutrients after training is, you should definitely continue reading.

Why is post-workout food so important?

First, let's discuss the fundamental question of why post-workout food is so important. During an intense workout, our main concern is to tear as many muscle fibres as possible. To do this, however, we also need a sufficient amount of energy. In addition to tearing muscle fibers, during training, we also need more energy.of glycogen stores, which our muscles use as a source of energy.

A properly chosen post-workout diet can help us not only to rebuild these glycogen stores, but also to get our bodiesbody from a catabolic state to an anabolic state, kick-start muscle proteosynthesis and thus promote recovery and muscle growth.

However, as with pre-workout meals, I can't tell you exactly what to eat or at what time after your workout. As it is the case in such matters, it is a very individual matter. In general, I would stick to the rule mentioned above, which is to have a full meal of protein and carbohydrates about an hour or two after training. You don't have to avoid fats completely, but on the other hand I wouldn't go overboard with them.

However, it is also necessary to add that this rule is most often recommended in connection with drinking quality whey protein after training. But what should people who don't drink protein after training do? The answer to this question is quite simple. Since a full meal will be the first nutrients you get into your body after your workout, you definitely don't have to wait an hour or two. So if you happen to be one of these people, just have your post-workout meal at a time that is most convenient for you.

Don't overlook: The best proteins on the market this year

What to keep in mind?

The importance of the post-workout meal is more or less behind us, but as I mentioned aboveIt's still very much an individual thing, which can be influenced by a number of other factors. So in this paragraph we will look at the things that are good to keep in mind at all times.

Total daily intake

With the above in mind, you might think that the morewe get some of these nutrients into us, the better, as it is only logicalthat the sooner we eat after a workout, the sooner we can support muscle proteosynthesis and all the recovery processes associated with it. On the one hand you are right, of course, but on the other hand it is not that important. Increased proteosynthesis in the muscles takes place 24 to 48 hours after training. So it is still most important to have the right diet throughout the day.

Unfortunately, I've seen quite a few cases where people have been on a diet all dayand after the workout they had a protein or finally a proper meal and thought that's enough. Believe me, it is not enough. If you don't have your diet figured out, or you just don't give a crap about it, that one full meal after your workout just won't save you. So, before you even decide to focus on what and when to eat after training, you need to have things like training, diet and recovery sorted out. Because without them, nothing will work for you anyway.

Anabolic window

Related to this topic, the often mentioned phenomenon of the so-called "anabolic window" is also on most people's minds. This phenomenon has been completely disproved many times. So you certainly don't have to be stressed about getting the maximum amount of nutrients into you immediately after your workout.

While it is recommended to have a protein a few minutes after your workout, if you have it after you get home from the gym or even skip it altogether and reach for a full meal instead, you won't go wrong.

And if you happen to feel guilty or nervous despite the above about not having had anything to eat after your workout, think of Frank Zane. This three-time winner of the Mr. Olympia routinely ate four hours after finishing his workout and we all know how extremely good he looked. I know that's a bit of an exaggerated example, but it's still absolutely perfect to illustrate the lack of an "anabolic window".

Protein after training

Then as for the post-workout protein itself, if you've been training fasted or for a really long time before your workoutI would definitely recommend it a few minutes after your workout, along with some fast-absorbing carbohydrates. On the other hand, if you ate a reasonable amount of time before your workout, you have adequate intake of all the nutrients you need, or you're even taking the actualm workout, you can skip drinking protein after the workout, arrive home in peace and then have a proper full meal.

From my point of view, however, drinking protein after a workout, regardless of your total daily intake, is clearly beneficial. As I mentioned in this article about proper protein dosage, post-workout protein is a good way tom can help to get our body from a catabolic state to an anabolic one quickly and thus boost muscle protein synthesis.

Those who still consider post-workout protein unnecessary, of course, do not need to take it. On the other hand, I think it definitely doesn't hurt and since we work so hard to get our muscles sufficiently destroyed during training, why not support their recovery and growth to the max.

Our Tip: In terms of post-workout protein, if you know you're going to be eating a full meal within an hour or two of your workout meal, you can definitely reach for a classic whey concentrate or isolate. However, if you know that you won't be eating in the next few hours, I would recommend that youm to reach for a multi-ingredient protein that contains both slow and fast absorbing protein sources.

What foods to choose after training?

As I mentioned above, you need to choose a complete meal full of quality protein, carbohydrates and fats. You also need to remember that you need to get the most out of your post-workoutm easily digestible nutrients, which are much needed at the moment to support our recovery.

So a meal like this should contain all three macronutrients. I would recommend foods such as chicken, cottage cheese, Greek yoghurt, eggs or tuna as a source of protein. On the other hand, a great source of carbohydrates could be cereals, rice, couscous, potatoes, sweet potatoes, wholemeal bread or fruit. Peanut butter, nuts, avocados or chia seeds could be a great source of fat.

And that you don't know how to put such a meal together? It doesn't matter at all, just for inspiration, here are at least a few of my personal favourites that I always love to indulge in after a workout. So definitely feel free to give them a try and if for some reason any of these options don't suit you, just try another one.

• Scrambled eggs with ham, whole wheat toast and porridge with fruit
• Chicken with couscous and vegetables
• Tuna with vegetables and pasta
• Cottage with wholemeal bread, nuts and fruit
• Greek yoghurt with protein, cocoa, cinnamon, honey, dark chocolate and porridge with apple
• Mozzarella cheese with ham, wholemeal toast and vegetables
• Turkey with rice and vegetables
• Chicken with roasted sweet potatoes/potatoes and vegetables
• Beef burger with vegetables

Importance of individual macronutrients after training

So now we know why the right post-workout meal is so importantand we've even shown you which specific foods and combinations you can eventually try. What we haven't covered yet, however, is what the importance of individual macronutrients after a workout actually is. Why is it so important that such a post-workout meal contains protein, carbohydrates and fats? After reading this paragraph, you should already be clear on that.

Protein

As you can probably tell from the above, protein is the most important nutrient to take in after a workout. During training, we try to absolutely destroy our muscles. These damaged muscle fibres then have to be regenerated in some way after the workout. And it is protein that provides us with the amino acids so necessary for this regeneration and overall restoration of muscle fibres. And of course, muscle growth is also closely related to the support of regeneration.

Some studies recommend taking in about 0.3 to 0.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight as soon as possible after training. So if you weigh 100 kg, you should take in about 30 to 50 grams of protein after training, according to these values. Another study gives a universal value of somewhere between 20 and 40 grams of protein after training.

However, this is of course very individual. It still depends on your total daily protein intake.your total daily protein intake, the intensity and duration of your workout, or how long before your workout you last ate.

I personally, for example, at a body weight of 90 kg, have 30 grams of whey concentrate with fruit some 10 to 20 minutes after training. And about an hour or two after the workout I then indulge in some of the full meals I mentioned above.

Carbohydrates

In addition to destroying muscle during a workout, we also use up all of our energy sources. However, these need to be replenished again. This is exactly what carbohydrates are for , which allow us to replenish the energy stores, i.e. glycogen, in our muscles after training.

Research then recommends that we take a glycogen replenishment supplement for maximum support.approximately 1 to 1.5 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight about 30 minutes after training. If we then train regularly, the glycogen replenishment requirements may of course bethan in the case of intermittent exercise.

In the case of carbohydrates, it is also important to remember that fibre slows down the digestion of nutrients. So if you have been exercising fasted or have not eaten anything for a long time before training, I would reach to be your sleepingYou'd be sleepy if you were looking for a source of fast digesting carbohydrates such as fruit, white rice or couscous. However, if you had such carbohydrates immediately after your workout along with protein or have sufficient daily intake, don't be afraidOn the other hand, I would be afraid of slower digesting, high-fibre carbohydrate sources such as cereals, wholemeal bread or vegetables.

Fats

It is well known that fats are the slowest to digest of the three macronutrients. Therefore, it is possible that the vast majority of you will want to avoid them completely after your workout. But fats themselves are not so bad. In fact, some studies even report that fatty foods have no significant negative effect on post-workout energy replenishment.

So you can definitely have some of that fat after your workout. On the other hand, I wouldn't go overboard with them and still focus on protein and carbs first and foremost.

Conclusion

To sum up, the first thing to focus on is the total daily intake of all the necessary nutrients, sufficient recovery and intense training. This is because, in my opinion, these are the three pillars on which it all stands and falls.

Only when you have all three of these pillars sorted out can you startmore concerned with the details, which might be post-workout food. In fact, while I still consider the post-workout meal to be one of the most important meals of the day, as I've mentioned several timest above, if you don't have the rest of your diet figured out, such a meal or even a protein after a workout simply won't save you.

However, if you already have your diet set up properly, paying attention to what you eat after your workout is clearly in order. Above all, keep in mind that such a meal should be rich mainly in whiteIt should be high in protein and carbohydrates, not extremely fatty, and on the contrary, it should be easily digestible. And just for the record, of course, don't forget to ensure sufficient fluid intake. Drinking is also a very important component of a healthy lifestyle.

And that's really it for now, I hope you enjoyed the article and if you have any questions, definitely don't be afraid to ask in the comments.