Nutrition for Faster Workout Recovery

What you choose to fuel your body with immediately after your workouts, as well as the hours that follow, will dramatically influence the nature of the recovery you experience. Making sure that your post-workout nutrition is optimized can ensure that you see maximum success.

Sadly, many people don’t know what they should be eating for maximum recovery (and if they do know, they don't take the time to execute). Let’s take some time to go over this very important concept.

Get In Your Post-Workout Meal Immediately

The very first must-do if you want to maximize your recovery is to make sure that you get in a good post-workout meal immediately after the session is completed.

This is going to give your body the nutrients it needs to make that immediate recovery, allowing you to jumpstart the repair and rebuilding process.

This meal should consist of a lean source of protein along with some fast acting carbohydrates, that will then replenish lost muscle glycogen stores. For my clients, I usually recommend 20-40 grams or a protein powder (with whey isolate being one of the ingredients) mixed in Gatorade or fruit juice...or, even better, the whey protein powder mixed in water and accompanied with a piece of fruit.

Eat Every 3 Hours Post Workout

The second must-do for success is to make sure that you eat every three hours.

By eating at a higher meal frequency, you’ll ensure that your muscles get a steady stream of nutrients throughout the day, which can also improve their level of recovery.

They’re rebuilding themselves for up to 48 hours after the workout is completed, so don’t think the repair process stops after the post-workout meal/shake.

Continue to be mindful of your nutrition each and every hour after you finish that gym session.

Stay Hydrated

Finally, the last thing that’s very important to do if you want to experience solid recovery from your workout is to make sure that you are staying well hydrated.

Your muscles need plenty of water to complete the repair and rebuilding process and if you aren’t drinking enough, you could short-circuit this process.

You want to be drinking pure water as much as possible, especially in the first few hours after the workout when you are more likely to be dehydrated.

Avoid drinking anything with caffeine – coffee, alcohol, or energy drinks as this will just set you back, not move you forwards in terms of being hydrated.

So there you have the three main nutritional tips I adhere to within all of my personal training programs. Remember these after you finish a gym session to ensure that you recover from your workout and take one step forward towards your fitness goals.

Nutrition is a huge part of the game, so make sure that you are never overlooking its’ role in your plan.