"Caution" In the next 20 to 30 minutes after your workout, you should eat a meal rich in protein and carbohydrates. This is the only time when it is allowed to include carbohydrates with a relatively high glycemic index, i.e. fast carbohydrates.
During this period of time, the body has an open so-called post-workout, anabolic or protein-carbohydrate window. For this reason, post-workout nutrition is essential mainly for muscle recovery and activation of muscle growth, as almost all nutrients are included in anabolic processes.
Post-workout carbohydrates are best consumed in a readily available form from simple, high-glycemic sources. You need to get your insulin levels up - this hormone has anabolic and anti-catabolic properties. Carbohydrates are needed to replenish the energy expended, and if the body does not get enough of them, the destruction of muscle tissues by catabolic processes begins.
"Caution" The required amount of carbohydrates is approximately 60-100 grams.
Carbohydrate foods
Buckwheat (buckwheat porridge);
Pearl groats (perlova porridge);
Millet (millet porridge);
Oats (oatmeal);
White rice;
Pasta (durum wheat);
Bread (bran);
Honey (in small quantities);
Bananas;
Juice (fresh juice is best).
A 2017 study shows[1] that watermelon and pomegranate juices fortified with various nutrients significantly reduce muscle soreness after strenuous exercise. Researchers believe that antioxidants, tannins and a certain type of amino acid are responsible for helping muscles recover.
Koopman et al[2] found that after full-body strength training, adding carbohydrates (0.15 or 0.6 g/kg body weight) had no effect on total body protein balance (including in muscles) for 6 hours after exercise, compared to taking protein alone. Then scientist Staples[3] published a paper where it was shown that after leg strength training, the increase in muscle protein synthesis with the consumption of 25 g of whey isolate remained exactly the same if athletes took an additional 50 g of maltodextrin in addition.
"Caution" Thus, in bodybuilding, only the total amount and quality of carbohydrates consumed per day matters, with the timing of intake being of secondary importance.
Immediately after training it is advisable to drink a protein shake with fast protein enriched with BCAA (5-8 g) or a portion of a gainer (which is a source of both protein and carbohydrates). This way you can increase the rate of protein synthesis in your muscles by at least three times (compared to not eating after a workout). Proteins also help increase the secretion of the anabolic hormone insulin and have a pronounced restorative effect on muscle tissue.
"Caution" The required amount of protein is approximately 20 to 30 g.
Protein products
Protein foods (recipes)
Poultry
lean meat
Eggs - boiled or scrambled
Fish
Cheese
Alternative view
The information that after a workout the protein/anabolic and other windows open, and during this window all the protein supposedly goes to building muscles is nothing more than a myth useful only for protein producers.
The recovery processes begin with eliminating the oxygen debt and restoring, in the first place, the energy homeostasis (constant composition of the internal environment) of the muscle spindle, which was disturbed during strength training. During the first minutes and hours after training, the body seeks to restore macroergic phosphate and ATP levels in the cell, primarily through the activation of oxidative processes. Also, during the first 12 to 48 hours after training, glycogen resynthesis occurs in muscles and liver, which further increases the energy potential of the muscle cell and the body as a whole. And until the ATP level in muscle tissue is restored, the processes of protein synthesis (i.e. anabolism) do not begin. And this means that the body's increased need for plastic material - namely protein - does not occur until at least 24 to 48 hours after an intense workout, hence the active inclusion of protein in your post-workout diet will only benefit your supplement provider.
"Warning" Studies not disproving, but also not proving the alternative view: see figure 2
"Warning" Fatty foods should not be consumed after a workout because fats inhibit the absorption of proteins and carbohydrates.
Within two hours after the gym, it is desirable to eliminate everything that contains caffeine and other stimulants: coffee, tea, cocoa and everything "chocolate". The fact is that caffeine interferes with insulin and thus prevents the loading of glycogen into muscles and liver.
As mentioned above, the timing of carbohydrate intake is of secondary importance. Thus, if the training is performed just before going to bed, then 2 hours before the start you should eat a hearty meal. Immediately after finishing, it is advisable to take 5-8 g of BCAA, and just before going to bed, drink a portion of complex protein (about 30-40 g). Instead of complex you can mix 20 g of whey protein and 20 g of casein, or 30-40 g of one kind that is available.
Protein supplements can be replaced by 150-200 g of low-fat cottage cheese.
If your goal is to lose fat mass, then the nutritional tactics change - you should not eat for 2-3 hours after the end of the exercise. This is due to the fact that energy comes with food, which eliminates the need to expend your own fats. After performing physical activity, there are large amounts of fat molecules in the blood that have been released from the fat cells, at the same time activated metabolic processes can still destroy these free fats for a long time. The nutrition that follows immediately after a workout will force your body to put all the free fat back into the tissues, and start using the energy of the food. Taking protein and BCAA amino acids is acceptable to maintain muscle mass.
