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Post-Workout Nutrition: What to Eat After a Workout
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NUTRITION
u Evidence Based
Post-Workout Nutrition: What to
Eat After a Workout
Written by Arlene Semeco, MS, RD and Celia Shatzman on
April 11, 2021 — Medically reviewed by Alissa Palladino, MS,
RDN, LD, CPT, Nutrition, Personal Training
When planning for a workout, there’s a lot that goes into it to
help you reach your goals.
As part of that effort, there’s a good chance you put a lot of
thought into your pre-workout meal. But are you giving your
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same attention? If not, it’s a good
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idea to do so. It turns out that consuming the right nutrients
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after you
exercise is just as important as what More
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Post-Workout Nutrition: What to Eat After a Workout
To help you optimize nutrition after workouts, here is a
detailed guide.
Claudia Totir/Getty Images
Eating after a workout is important
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exercise, it’s important to learn how physical activity affects
your body.
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When you’re working out, your muscles use up their
glycogen — the body’s preferred fuel source especially
during high- intensity workouts. This results in your muscles
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Post-Workout Nutrition: What to Eat After a Workout
being partially depleted of glycogen. Some of the proteins in
your muscles can also be broken down and damaged (1  ,
2  , 3  ).
After your workout, your body tries to rebuild its glycogen
stores as well as repair and regrow those muscle proteins.
Eating the right nutrients soon after you exercise can help
your body get this done faster. It’s especially important to
eat carbs and protein after your workout.
Doing this helps your body:
decrease muscle protein breakdown
increase muscle protein synthesis (growth)
restore glycogen stores
enhance recovery
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Getting
in the right nutrients after exercise
caninformation
help
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you rebuild your muscle proteins and glycogen
stores. It also helps stimulate new muscle growth.
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Post-Workout Nutrition: What to Eat After a Workout
Protein, carbs, and fat
Each macronutrient — protein, carbs, and fat — is involved in
your body’s post-workout recovery process. That’s why it’s
important to have the right mix.
Protein helps repair and build muscle
Exercise triggers the breakdown of muscle protein. The rate
at which this happens depends on the exercise and your
level of training, but even well-trained athletes experience
muscle-protein breakdown (1  , 2  , 3  , 4  , 5  , 6  ).
Consuming an adequate amount of protein after a workout
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 (1  , 7  , 8  , 9  , 10  ).
It’s recommended that you consume 0.14–0.23 grams of
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protein per pound of body weight (0.3–0.5 grams/kg) very
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soon after a workout (1  ).
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However, one study found that eating protein pre-workout
and post-workout has a similar effect on muscle strength,
hypertrophy, and body composition changes (11  ).
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Post-Workout Nutrition: What to Eat After a Workout
Studies have shown that ingesting 20–40 grams of protein
seems to maximize the body’s ability to recover after
exercise (7  , 9  , 12  ).
Carbs help with recovery
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 (running,
swimming, etc.), you might need to consume more carbs
than someone engaging in weightlifting.
Consuming 0.5–0.7 grams of carbs per pound (1.1–1.5
grams/kg) of body weight within 30 minutes after training
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in
proper
glycogen
resynthesis
(1
).
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Furthermore,
glycogen
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synthesis, is better stimulated when carbs and protein are
consumed at the same time (10  , 11  , 12  , 13  ).
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Post-Workout Nutrition: What to Eat After a Workout
Therefore, consuming both carbs and protein after exercise
can maximize protein and glycogen synthesis (13  , 14  ).
Try consuming the two in a ratio of 3 to 1 (carbs to protein).
For example, that’s 40 grams of protein and 120 grams of
carbs (15  , 16  ).
Eating plenty of carbs to rebuild glycogen stores is most
important for people who exercise often, such as twice in the
same day. If you have 1 or 2 days to rest between workouts,
this becomes less important.
Fat is not that bad
Many people think that eating fat after a workout slows
down digestion and inhibits the absorption of nutrients.
While fat might slow down the absorption of your postworkout meal, it will not reduce its benefits. For example, a
study showed that whole milk was more effective at
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promoting
muscle growth after a workout than skim milk
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(17  ).
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Moreover, another study showed that even when ingesting a
high fat meal (45% energy from fat) after working out, muscle
glycogen synthesis was not affected (18  ).
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Post-Workout Nutrition: What to Eat After a Workout
It might be a good idea to limit the amount of fat you eat
after exercise, but having some fat in your post-workout
meal will not affect your recovery.
SUMMARY
A post-workout meal with both protein and carbs
will enhance glycogen storage and muscle protein
synthesis. Consuming a ratio of 3 to 1 (carbs to
protein) is a practical way to achieve this.
The timing of your post-workout meal
matters
Your body’s ability to rebuild glycogen and protein is

enhanced
after
you exercise
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For this reason, it’s recommended that you consume a
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ACCEPTof carbs and protein as soon as possible
combination
after
exercising. In the past, experts recommended eating your
post-workout meal within 45 minutes, as a delay of carb
consumption by as little as 2 hours after a workout may lead
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Post-Workout Nutrition: What to Eat After a Workout
to as much as 50% lower rates of glycogen synthesis (19  ,
20  ).
However, more recent research has found that the postexercise window to maximize the muscular response to
eating protein is wider than initially thought, up to as many
as several hours (11  ).
Additionally, if you consumed a meal rich in whole carbs and
protein perhaps an hour before exercising, it’s likely that the
benefits from that meal still apply after training (21  , 22  ,
23  ).
Additionally, recovery is not just about what you consume
directly after working out. When you exercise consistently,
the process is ongoing. It is best to continue to eat small,
well-balanced meals of carbs and protein every 3–4 hours
(24  ).
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Eat your post-workout meal soon after exercising,
ideally within a few hours. However, you can extend
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Post-Workout Nutrition: What to Eat After a Workout
this period a little longer, depending on the timing
of your pre-workout meal.
Foods to eat after you work out
The primary goal of your post-workout meal is to supply your
body with the right nutrients for adequate recovery and to
maximize the benefits of your workout. Choosing easily
digested foods will promote faster nutrient absorption.
The following lists contain examples of simple and easily
digested foods:
Carbs
sweet potatoes
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milk Policy.
quinoa
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fruits (such as pineapple, berries, banana, kiwi)
rice cakes
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Post-Workout Nutrition: What to Eat After a Workout
rice
oatmeal
potatoes
pasta
whole grain bread
edamame
Protein
animal- or plant-based protein powder
eggs
Greek yogurt
cottage cheese
salmon
chicken
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tuna
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Fats
avocado
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nuts
nut butters
seeds
trail mix (dried fruits and nuts)
Sample post-workout meals and snacks
Combinations of the foods listed above can create great
meals that provide you with all the nutrients you need after
exercise.
Here are a few examples of quick and easy meals to eat
after your workout:
grilled chicken with roasted vegetables and rice
egg omelet with avocado spread on whole grain toast
salmon with sweet potato
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tuna salad sandwich on whole grain bread
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tuna and crackers
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oatmeal, whey protein, banana and almonds
cottage cheese and fruits
pita and hummus
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Post-Workout Nutrition: What to Eat After a Workout
rice crackers and peanut butter
whole grain toast and almond butter
cereal with dairy or soy milk
Greek yogurt, berries and granola
protein shake and banana
quinoa bowl with sweet potatoes, berries, and pecans
whole grain crackers with string cheese and fruit
Make sure to drink plenty of water
It is important to drink plenty of water before and after your
workout. When you are properly hydrated, this ensures the
optimal internal environment for your body to maximize
results.
During exercise, you lose water and electrolytes through
sweat.
Replenishing these after a workout can help with
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
).
Morenext
information
ACCEPT important to replenish fluids if your
It’s especially
exercise session is within 12 hours. Depending on the
intensity of your workout, water or an electrolyte drink are
recommended to replenish fluid losses.
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Post-Workout Nutrition: What to Eat After a Workout
SUMMARY
It is important to get water and electrolytes after
exercise to replace what was lost during your
workout.
The bottom line
Consuming a proper amount of carbs and protein after
exercise is essential.
It stimulates muscle protein synthesis, improves recovery
and enhances performance during your next workout.
It is important to not go much longer than a few hours before
refueling with a meal or snack.
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Finally, replenishing
water and electrolytes can complete
the picture and help you maximize the benefits of your
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workout.
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Post-Workout Nutrition: What to Eat After a Workout
Last medically reviewed on April 11, 2021
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