The Science of Recovery: Nutrition after exercise

What to eat after training

Triathletes, marathoners and other endurance athletes will know that the key to peak performance isn’t just doing hard training sessions—it’s how well you recover after a session. Nailing your nutrition after exercise is a game changer. Understanding the science behind recovery will help you stay on track for your next race. Let’s break down the research on optimal recovery foods for endurance athletes.

Endurance Exercise and Energy Demands

Triathlon training requires regular training sessions in the form of swimming, cycling, and running, often lasting well over an hour. This type of exercise relies heavily on the body’s aerobic energy system and uses glycogen for fuel. These activities will deplete the glycogen stored in your muscles and liver. Typically the human body can store enough glycogen for about two hours of moderate-intensity exercise. When the glycogen is depleted, the body is forced to rely on fats as the primary energy source. Turning fats into energy is slower. Much slower. And while the body’s ability to process fats can be improved, it’s never going to be as fast as carbs. If your body is using energy faster than it can be restored, you will slow down. Think about a time you’ve ‘hit the wall’ in training or a race. This was likely the result of your body becoming glycogen-depleted. To avoid this, endurance athletes will typically consume carb gels or similar products during long training sessions to maintain glycogen levels.

The Role of Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are broken down into glycogen to be used as fuel during moderate or high-intensity exercise. After you exercise, your muscles will be in a glycogen-depleted state. It’s crucial to refill these glycogen reserves to support recovery and prepare for your next session. Your body doesn’t only require glycogen during exercise. Your body requires glycogen for the growth and repair of your body tissues after exercise.

To maximise recovery, consume carbohydrates as soon as practical after exercising. Research indicates that the rate of muscle glycogen resynthesis is highest within the first-hour post-exercise. Eating carbohydrates within 1 hour of exercise will boost glycogen replenishment by up to 45% compared to waiting 2 hours to eat¹. Try to consume about 1 to 1.2 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight per hour. Good sources of carbohydrates include foods like bread, oatmeal, or pasta.

The Power of Protein

Protein plays a key role in muscle repair and remodelling. Proteins are a group of amino acids that combine to form functional structures of different shapes and sizes. Proteins exist in all parts of the body. For example, cells use protein tunnels to transport glycogen out of the cell and into the blood-stream. Muscle cells contain actin and myosin, the protein filaments that give us movement. Even nerves are made up of proteins. In short, we need to consume protein, so our body can use the amino acid building blocks to create other proteins for growth and repair.

Essential amino acids are amino acids that can’t be synthesised by the body and need to be consumed in food. Leucine is an essential amino acid that’s essential for muscle repair and will need to be consumed in food or drink. Taking protein after exercise is well known to improve recovery. Just ask any gym-bro. However, after endurance training, combining protein with carbohydrates greatly enhances recovery. The carbohydrates ensure energy availability, and the protein ensures the building blocks are present. Adding a mix of carbohydrates and protein to your post-exercise nutrition plan will help optimise your recovery.

Nutrition after exercise

Consuming a post-workout meal or drink containing both carbohydrates and protein is crucial. Aim for 1 gram of carbohydrate and 0.25 grams of high-quality protein per kilogram of body weight within one hour post-exercise. This combination will support both glycogen resynthesis and muscle repair. A quick reference chart is below to get you started.

Conclusion

In summary, optimising your recovery strategy involves a balanced approach to carbohydrates and protein. By understanding and applying these nutritional principles, athletes can enhance their recovery, maintain high performance, and adapt more effectively to the demands of training. Remember, the right nutrition plan isn’t just about refuelling or weight management—it’s about your body recovering in time for the next training session. So, lace up, fuel up, and get ready to perform at your best!

1. D. R. Moore (2015), ‘Nutrition to Support Recovery from Endurance Exercise: Optimal
   Carbohydrate and Protein Replacement’ ↩︎