The best athletes don’t just train hard—they also recover smart. And a big part of effective recovery is the post-workout meal.
A good after-exercise nutrition plan can help an athlete replace the energy they burned during a workout, repair and rebuild muscles, and provide the fuel they need to crush their next training session, according to Jordan Hill, a Colorado-based registered dietitian and certified specialist in sports dietetics with Top Nutrition Coaching. The resulting gains can be significant.
Just ask Lea Davison. When the two-time Olympic mountain biker worked with a nutritionist some 10 years ago to dial in her post-workout fueling plan, she “really noticed the difference,” describing a reduction in rabid hunger and a feeling of being “stronger all around.”
When curating a post-workout snack or meal, folks should look for two main things: carbs and protein, says Hill. Carbs help reduce inflammation, boost immunity, and stimulate the release of insulin, a muscle-building hormone that also helps refill your body’s glycogen stores (your muscles energy source). Protein helps refill your…
