The post-workout meal

By definition, the post-workout meal is whatever an athlete consumes after exercising. The main purpose of this meal is to help with repair and recovery.

The post-workout meal

The purpose of the post-exercise meal is to replenish:

1. liver and muscle glycogen
2. muscle protein
3. fluid and electrolytes

Timing

Out of the 3 goals of the post-workout meal, the most pressing is rehydration. Replenishing fluids and electrolytes lost via sweat should be as quickly as possible after training or competition to prevent detrimental health consequences.

The replenishment of both glycogen and muscle protein happens in the several hours after exercise. For example, the “anabolic window”, i.e. the period of time in which protein turnover is maximised in the muscles after exercise is actually larger than once thought, 24 to 48 hours rather than 30 minutes. Similarly, glycogen is resynthesised over the 24 hours following exercise.

However, both glycogen and muscle protein synthesis are optimal in the few hours after exercise. Moreover, digestion takes a few hours. Finally, many athletes do not have a full day to recover before their next training session or competition. Therefore, the post-workout meal should be consumed soon after exercise, ideally within 2-3 hours.

Composition

• Carbohydrate: Carbohydrate consumed in the post-exercise meal will replenish the glycogen used during exercise. Moderate to high glycaemic index carbohydrates seem to be more effective (1). Carbohydrate also works synergistically with protein to improve net protein balance (2).
• Protein: The post-workout meal should contain sufficient protein to enhance protein synthesis. In general, proteins that contain all essential amino acids, especially leucine, are better at enhancing muscle protein synthesis and net protein balance. Protein also works synergistically with carbohydrate to enhance glycogen resynthesis when carbohydrate is not sufficient (2, 3).
• Fluid: The post-workout meal should ideally restore the fluid and electrolytes lost via sweat. This means that the exact amount is highly individual and cannot be determined in advance. This is because no athlete knows exactly how much fluid they will lose in a particular event. Besides genetics, other factors such as climate, physical exertion and clothing will have an effect on how much sweat an athlete will produce.

Quantity

The size of the meal depends on the size of the athlete, their appetite (which is often suppressed after intense exercise), habits, digestive status, availability, etc.

The ballpark targets to shoot for are:

• Carbohydrate: If glycogen stores have been depleted by high intensity and/or long duration, the post-workout meal should contain 1-1.2 grams of carbohydrate per kg of bodyweight (followed by the same amount of carbohydrate per hour for the first 4 hours after exercise) (2, 3). This amount should be adjusted down according to the intensity and duration of exercise
• Protein: The target range cited in the literature is very wide: 0.25-0.55g protein per kg bodyweight (2, 3, 4) of high quality, leucine-rich protein. Because of variations in protein quality within a mixed meal, protein digestibility and athlete’s rate of muscle protein synthesis are variable, it is safer to shoot toward the higher end of the range (i.e., 0.4-0.5g/kg) as a minimum.
• Fluid and electrolytes:
  • It is recommended that athletes consume 1.25 to 1.5 times the amount of fluid they lost via sweat. The most accurate way of determining fluid losses is to use this formula: Body weight pre-exercise + weight of fluids consumed – body weight post-exercise
  • It is important that the body weight pre- and post-exercise is measured either in underwear or naked and that the athlete is towelled off dry before measuring post-exercise weight.
  • Athletes carrying their own fluids can accurately measure how much they consumed by weighing their bottle(s) before and after exercise. In the case where the athlete does not retain their drinking vessels (e.g. during a race where they are handed disposable cups), they or their team should do their best in estimating how much fluid they took in.
  • In addition to water, sweat also contains electrolytes. To make things more complicated, the exact composition of sweat varies depending on many factors including genetics, exercise intensity and diet (5). The main electrolytes present in sweat are sodium, chloride, potassium, calcium and magnesium (5), therefore they should be replenished in the post-exercise period either via food (e.g. milk, salty foods) or a formulated electrolyte product.

Other considerations

Alcohol

Alcohol can impair the body’s ability to resynthesise muscle protein (3). In addition, it can hinder glycogen resynthesis mainly due to its association with poor food choices (1, 3). The ideal time to drink alcohol is when it does not interfere with recovery, sleep and subsequent performance. The bad news is that for most athletes this means never!

Food choice

The actual foods you choose for your post-exercise meal are highly individual. Ideally you want to choose foods that your body digests easily to make the nutrients of interest available asap.

Liquid vs solid

• The decision to choose an entirely liquid vs a mixed meal depends on personal preference and a few other factors. Liquid meals are easier to consume, which can be helpful for athletes who lose their appetite after intense exercise, those exercising very late at night and those who might experience digestive distress when eating a solid meal. On the other hand, solid meals are better for athletes with larger requirements or who will not be consuming another meal in the following few hours.
• Remember that all fluids taken will need to be taken into account in the context of your overall hydration plan.

Sample meals

Below are some example post-workout meals for an athlete who weighs 70kg and has performed intense exercise. This athlete will require about 70g carbohydrate (1g/kg) and 28g protein (0.4g/kg). If the athlete has lost 1 kg of bodyweight in sweat, they will also require 1.25-1.5 litres of total fluid consumed soon after exercise.

Sample meal 1

2 chicken & bean burritos with salsa, guacamole and salad

2495 kJ, 71.06g carbohydrate, 31.48g protein, 6.17g fat, 10.79g fibre

Sample meal 2

Stir-fry and rice

• 1 cup chicken and vegetable stir-fry
• 1 cup cooked white rice

2418 kJ, 75.26g carbohydrate, 30.37g protein, 15.64g fat, 5.21g fibre

Sample meal 3

Sushi and sashimi

• 4 pieces cooked tuna and avocado sushi roll
• 4 pieces salmon sushi roll
• 4 small pieces tuna sashimi
• 4 small pieces salmon sashimi

2211 kJ, 71.31g carbohydrate, 28.76g protein, 13.40g fat, 3.29g fibre

Sample meal 4

Tropical protein smoothie

• 1 scoop (30g) whey protein isolate
• 1 large banana
• 1 cup chopped pineapple
• 2 cups coconut water

1788 kJ, 70.57g carbohydrate, 30.68g protein, 1.01g fat, 5.83g fibre

Sample meal 5

Spag bol and OJ

• 1 serving (421g) homemade spaghetti bolognese with vegetables
• 1 cup orange juice

2607 kJ, 72.67g carbohydrate, 41.63g protein, 15.80g fat, 7.66g fibre

References

1. Burke LM, van Loon LJC, Hawley JA. Postexercise muscle glycogen resynthesis in humans. J Appl Physiol. 2016/11/01. 2017;122(5):1055–67.
2. Bonilla DA, Pérez-Idárraga A, Odriozola-Martínez A, Kreider RB. The 4r’s framework of nutritional strategies for post-exercise recovery: A review with emphasis on new generation of carbohydrates. Vol. 18, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. MDPI AG; 2021. p. 1–19.
3. Heaton LE, Davis JK, Rawson ES, Nuccio RP, Witard OC, Stein KW, et al. Selected In-Season Nutritional Strategies to Enhance Recovery for Team Sport Athletes: A Practical Overview. Sport Med. 2017/07/14. 2017;47(11):2201–18.
4. Kerksick CM, Wilborn CD, Roberts MD, Smith-Ryan A, Kleiner SM, Jäger R, et al. ISSN exercise & sports nutrition review update: research & recommendations. J Int Soc Sport Nutr. 2018/08/03. 2018;15(1):38.
5. Baker LB. Physiology of sweat gland function: The roles of sweating and sweat composition in human health. Temperature [Internet]. 2019 Jul 3;6(3):211–59. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1080/23328940.2019.1632145