Below are a few examples of nutritious, post-workout foods that can help promote recovery without slowing you down:. And, if you have a little extra time on your hands and want to whip up one of my post-workout recipes, check out the one below.

Directions: Mix together, bake at for 10 min. Allow to cool before enjoying! Skip to main content 5 Facts About Protein and Post Workout Recovery By Stephanie Howe, PhD and sports nutritionist. Recovery Recommendations:. CLIF BUILDERS Chocolate Protein Bar See Details. Quick Shop. CLIF BUILDERS Chocolate Mint Protein Bar See Details.

CLIF BUILDERS Chocolate Peanut Butter Flavor Protein Bar Minis See Details. CLIF BUILDERS Chocolate Mint Protein Bar Minis See Details. How does protein repair and rebuild muscle?

How much protein is needed for workout recovery? Why is it important to have protein right after a workout? What type of protein is best after a workout?

What foods can help repair and rebuild muscle? References Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Dietitians of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine: Nutrition and Athletic Performance. J Acad Nutr Diet.

Blom PC, Hostmark AT, Vaage O, Kardel KR, Maehlum S. Effect of different post-exercise sugar diets on the rate of muscle glycogen synthesis.

Med Sci Sports Exerc. Kerksick CM, Arent S, Schoenfeld BJ, et al. International society of sports nutrition position stand: nutrient timing. J Int Soc Sports Nutr.

Published Aug Fructose coingestion does not accelerate postexercise muscle glycogen repletion. Kerksick, C. Burd, N. et al. Enhanced amino acid sensitivity of myofibrillar protein synthesis persists for up to 24 h after resistance exercise in young men.

J Nutr. Areta, J. Timing and distribution of protein ingestion during prolonged recovery from resistance exercise alters myofibrillar protein synthesis. J Physiol. Tipton, K. After working out, gym-goers often consume protein- and carbohydrate based shakes. This can be for several reasons — to gain muscle mass in the long term and to help repair muscles and reduce pain in the short term.

Some studies have concluded that protein shakes aid the recovery of muscle function after exercise. However, the authors of the latest paper say that no research has compared the performance of the two types of protein.

The scientists, from the University of Lincoln in the United Kingdom, decided to fill this gap in current knowledge. They published their findings in the Journal of Human Kinetics. To investigate, the researchers recruited 30 males, aged 20—30, all of whom had been doing resistance training for at least 1 year.

The researchers put each participant through an intensive resistance training session. Ten minutes after exercising, the researchers gave the participants one of three drinks:.

The researchers provided all the drinks in milliliter ml servings, and they all contained the same number of calories. Participants revisited the laboratory after 24 and 48 hours. For the duration of the study, participants were asked to continue their usual dietary and lifestyle patterns but to avoid supplements.

They were also asked not to carry out any strenuous exercise for 48 hours before the study. At the and hour visits, the scientists conducted a range of assessments. Firstly, they asked participants to rate how sore their muscles were using a scale from 0 no muscle pain to pain as bad as it could be.

They also used a test of leg power called countermovement jump. In this activity, the scientists measure how high the participants can jump straight up from crouching.

Each participant threw the 3-kilogram ball, and the scientists noted the distance. Torque is a measure of rotational force. As expected, soreness scores were higher at both 24 and 48 hours compared with baseline. However, there were no differences between the three experimental groups at either 24 or 48 hours.

Similarly, the researchers identified reduced measures of power and performance at the two follow up sessions but, overall, there were no differences between the three groups. The authors conclude:. The results are interesting, mainly because they fly in the face of common understanding.

Protein shakes are popular because people believe that they help repair muscle, reduce pain, and restore performance, among other things.

However, there are numerous issues with the study. Firstly, 30 participants are not enough to produce reliable conclusions. The low number of participants appears to be a significant issue in this field of research in general. Of the studies referenced in the paper, the vast majority recruited only small numbers of people.

So, although the seemingly negative findings of this study go against previous results, it is worth noting that much of the earlier research claiming the opposite is flawed in a similar way.

It is also worth noting that not everyone uses these shakes for recovery. There is good evidence that protein supplements can help people gain muscle mass and improve strength. Also, the scientists used no true control. This means that it is not necessarily that the protein shakes are not working; it might just be that all three drinks produced similar effects.

Adding a fourth group that consumed only water or nothing might have produced more interesting results. At this stage, it is not clear whether protein shakes can speed up recovery and reduce muscle pain after exercise.

Until scientists carry out more research on a much larger scale, we will not know. A recent study in mice and humans concludes that consuming protein in the morning promotes more muscle growth than protein eaten later in the day.

Protein recommendations for a sedentary individual are 0. This equates to approximately two medium sized lean chicken fillets per day for an average 75kg male.

However, for the exercising individual, this protein requirement can increase to an approximate protein intake which equates to at least 5 ½ chicken fillets. In addition to ensuring you get the right amount of carbohydrate and fat this can lead to a lot of eating. Consequently, supplementing with high quality protein throughout the day is a good way to hit your daily protein intake.

Although food should always your first choice for consuming appropriate recovery nutrients it is not always possible after training due to the lack of desire to eat or the proximity of the kitchen to the track. Casein is an additional protein type which may be used to optimise recovery.

During the night, the body goes for long periods without food and muscle protein beings to breakdown to be used as energy. Using protein for energy and not for muscle repair and rebuilding can hamper your recovery and in some instances lead to delayed onset muscle soreness DOMS the next morning.

Casein, which breaks down more slowly, will help feed the muscles while you sleep. Studies have found that feeding 40g of casein before bedtime is an effect dietary recovery strategy to stimulate muscle repair improving the muscles ability to adapt to training.

Everyone who exercises intensely for more than 60 minutes, 3 times weekly should increase their protein intake.

Consuming high quality whey protein around exercise is a great solution to ensure delivery of protein to the muscle to support your recovery goals and training adaptations. Casein also contributes to recovery by feeding the muscle with amino acids while you sleep.

Thanks to Optimum Nutrition for the insights! To expand your nutrition knowledge and keep you in the know, here are 6 fun facts about protein All of the protein within our bodies has a function and none of it gets stored.

Fat, on the other hand, does get stored in the form of adipose tissue, as do carbs in the form of glycogen.

Start with a high protein breakfast and this will set you up for the day ahead, enabling you to reach lunch time without reaching for the office cakes and biscuits. Eggs are a great way to ensure you get a high intake of protein in your first meal of the day.

Try and keep clear of sugar in the mornings too as this is likely to raise your blood sugar early on. However if you are aiming to lose body fat then protein will most certainly help do so! Eating a high protein diet will not only help with your appetite as mentioned above but it plays a big part in retaining muscle whilst trying to lose weight.

The more muscle you can retain whilst trying to lose weight, the more calories your body will burn, making it a lot easier to achieve your goal.

If you want to lose weight, aim for a daily protein intake of around 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. Athletes and heavy exercisers should consume 2. Paired with the right training and diet, protein is the building block in helping muscles grow.

This is often why people associate protein with body builders, gyms and large biceps. If your goal is to build muscle then start aiming for protein at every meal.

Do also bear in mind that increasing protein into your diet will not instantly make you bulky and muscly — a common misconception. All foods are made up of these macronutrients and therefore energy. Carbohydrates are the same; they also have 4 calories for each gram consumed.

Fats, on the other hand, contain 9 calories per gram. The remainder comes from our diet, known as essential amino acids. Foods containing the remaining amino acids essential amino acids come in forms of complete or incomplete protein sources. References Pasiakos et al, International society of sports nutrition position stand: nutrient timing.

International society of sports nutrition position stand: Protein and exercise. Book a tour of your local club and we'll show you what we've got. Miss the minute window? While less effective, fuelling any time after activity is still important and can be beneficial.

From whole foods to supplements and animal- to plant-based proteins, there are many ways to meet your protein needs, and it can be confusing to navigate.

High-quality food sources of protein include dairy, fish, meat, eggs, and soy. Like soy, pea protein is a plant-based protein that has been found to be effective for post-workout recovery and can be used by all athletes — even those who follow a vegan diet. Just keep in mind, pea protein is an incomplete protein, meaning it delivers fewer essential amino acids, so you may have to eat more for the same recovery impact as whey or soy.

With that said, for most people, eating enough calories during the day and including a variety of plant-based foods in the diet can ensure adequate protein and amino acid intake. Below are a few examples of nutritious, post-workout foods that can help promote recovery without slowing you down:.

And if you have a little extra time on your hands and want to whip up one of my post-workout recipes, check out these cookies below. Allow to cool before enjoying! How does protein repair and rebuild muscle?

How much protein do you need for muscle recovery? Why is it important to have protein right after a workout? What type of protein is best after a workout? What foods can help repair and rebuild muscle? References Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Dietitians of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine: Nutrition and Athletic Performance.

J Acad Nutr Diet. Blom PC, Hostmark AT, Vaage O, Kardel KR, Maehlum S. Effect of different post-exercise sugar diets on the rate of muscle glycogen synthesis.

Med Sci Sports Exerc. Kerksick CM, Arent S, Schoenfeld BJ, et al. International society of sports nutrition position stand: nutrient timing.

J Int Soc Sports Nutr. Published Aug Trommelen J, et al. Fructose coingestion does not accelerate postexercise muscle glycogen repletion. Kerksick, C. Burd, N. et al. Enhanced amino acid sensitivity of myofibrillar protein synthesis persists for up to 24 h after resistance exercise in young men.

J Nutr.