Workout Recovery Strategies

Posted on 29. Sep, 2009 by yuri in Fitness Training

Whether you’re working out in the gym or running outside, one thing remains the same…

You need have some solid workout recovery strategies in place so that all the hard work you put during your exercise session doesn’t go to waste.

In this post, I’m going to share a number of different nutrition-based recovery techniques that will help you recover from your runs or workouts and get you coming back stronger than ever before.

Strength training exercise is known to increase muscle protein synthesis after exercise. One study in the American Journal of Physiology, Endocrinology, and Metabolism showed that showed that lifting weights increased muscle protein synthesis by 112% while muscle breakdown was only 31% higher than resting levels.

This and many other studies tell us that even though muscle is broken down post-workout, it is muscle synthesis (ie. muscle building) which is more pronounced up to 3 hours after you workout – regardless of whether or not you consume any post-workout drink or meal.

However, this does not mean that you should avoid replenishing your muscles as soon as possible after your workout.

Let’s look at why.

Pre-Workout Nutrition

Although muscle synthesis increases after working out, research has shown that the timing of nutrient ingestion is important.

First, let’s consider protein or amino acid ingestion before a workout.

More research is now showing that drinking an amino acid + carbohydrate drink before working out has a greater impact on muscle synthesis than the same combination after a workout.

For instance, a 2001 study out of the American Journal of Physiology, Endocrinology, and Metabolism showed that a carbohydrate + essential amino acid drink prior to working out increased muscle amino acid uptake (and thus synthesis) 46% by the end of the workout and was elevated even further (86% above resting levels) an hour after exercise. 3 hours after exercise, muscle synthesis was still 65% higher than rest.

This same study showed that ingesting this carb + essential amino acid drink BEFORE exercise yielded a 160% greater increase in amino acid uptake into the muscles over the 3-hour post-workout period compared to drinking the same drink immediately AFTER the workout!

More and more research is showing that what you drink before your workout is probably just as important (if not more) as what you ingest immediately after your workout.

Whether you are running or lifting weights, the same principles apply. Supplying your working muscles with nutrients to help them produce energy (ie. carbs) and repair themselves (ie. amino acids) can give the edge you are looking for from your workouts.

Post-Workout Nutrition

Traditionally, the emphasis for workout recovery has been placed on what to after your workout or exercise session.

In my case, as the strength & conditioning coach for the men’s soccer team at the University of Toronto, I place a lot of importance on this element. Especially, since we play 2 games each weekend.

Recovering from an intense bout of exercise needs to focus on several elements:

• energy replenishment (ie. carbohydrates)
• recovery of electrolytes and proper hydration status
• muscle repair
• immune and adrenal system recovery (ie. stress reduction)

When you exercise, your body predominantly uses blood sugar and muscle glycogen (stored sugars) to supply the needed energy for movement. Whether you are lifting weights or running for 90 minutes playing soccer, the same rules apply.

That’s why the absolute first thing that needs to be done IMMEDIATELY upon completing your workout is to get some SIMPLE SUGARS into your body. 

This is one of the only times that you actually want to ingest high glycemic index drinks/foods, as they will stimulate a greater release of insulin and thus sugar uptake into your muscles.

And there is a critical window of opportunity to get this done. Debate still lingers as to the exact amount of window of time you have but I believe that the sooner the better. Thus, you should have a simple carbohydrate solution (ie. sports drink, fruit juice, etc..) as soon as you are done – and no more than 30 minutes after completing your workout.

Although, as we mentioned above, muscle protein synthesis increases even in a fasted state after exercise, muscle glycogen repletion is a different story.

The longer you wait to replenish your muscle glycogen stores, the less efficient that repletion will be. This means that the longer you wait to ingest those simple sugars after your workout, the less your muscles will be able to build back their energy-giving glycogen stores.

This is of prime importance especially if you are training or competing on a daily basis. Insufficient energy replenishment leads to performance decrements and can increase your risk of overtraining injuries due to improper execution of physical movements.

Alongside the simple sugar replenishment should be water consumption – and electrolyte replacement is profuse sweating has occurred. 

One of the easiest ways to get both is simply to grab a sports drink right after your exercise session and chase it with a bottle of water. Sports drinks are important because they not only provide adequate simple sugars but also much needed electrolytes that have been lost through sweat.

Drinking water after a workout can further dilute your body’s internal fluids and can lead to a condition known as hyponatremia if the water to sodium balance within your body becomes far too elevated.

Aside from losing liters of water, when you sweat you lose sodium, chloride, potassium, and other important electrolytes. It is important to replenish these as soon as possible upon completing an intense workout.

When it comes to rehydration and checking your body hydration status, a simple rule of thumb is to check the colour of your urine. If it isn’t clear, then you are dehydrated. The darker the colour, the worse off you are.

So be sure to get plenty of water before, during, and after your workouts to ensure that your urine is CLEAR.

Before we move onto the whether or not proteins need to be added to your post-workout drinks/meals, let’s look at some aspects of hydration and re-hydration strategies.

Hydration and Performance

Total body water has a critical influence on your body’s ability to regulate its temperature (thermoregulation) and exercise performance – especially in the heat.

Hypohydration (total body water below normal) has been attributed to high sweat rates, and therefore fluid loss, compounded by inadequate rehydration, or simply an initial pre-exercise water deficit.

Sweat rates, in athletes performing vigorous exercise in the heat, have been known to reach 1 – 2 L/h. During soccer matches, sweat rates have been found to reach 1.5 litres per game under cool conditions (10-15°C) and 3.5 to 4 litres per game under hot conditions (30-38°C).

With increasing sweat loss athletic performance is significantly disturbed. Studies have shown performance and cognitive impairments to occur with fluid deficits as low as 1.8% and 2% of body mass.

In order to prevent hypohydration during exercise, proper rehydration strategies need to be implemented.

Although much research has been done in this field, coaches, athletes, and recreational exercisers still negate the importance of proper hydration before, during, and after exercise.  

Researchers have identified the need to replace each litre of fluid lost with a subsequent litre of ingested fluid to maintain a euhydrated (normal) status; thus, 1 litre of sweat needs to be replaced by at least 1 litre of fluids.

Having said that, ad libitum fluid intake during exercise does not fully prevent a fluid deficit either. Several studies have shown that athletes typically only replace 30-70% of the sweat losses they incur during exercise.

Therefore, athletes and recreational exercisers should take several extra gulps beyond what satisfies their thirst. Remember that when it comes to thirst “If you’re thirsty it’s already too late!”

Hydration Protocols

Here are a few guidelines to help you stay hydrated before, during, and after workouts that last 1 hour or less:

• Before exercise (1-2 hrs) – 16 oz cold water
• Before exercise (15-30 minutes) – 16 oz cold water + sports drink (5-8% sugar solution)
• During exercise (every 10-15 minutes) – 6-8 oz cold water
• After exercise – adequate water + sports drink to replace body weight losses (ie. 1 kg lost = 1 L of fluid to drink)

Post-Workout Protein Requirements

Now that we’ve covered the importance of water, electrolyte, and sugar replacement after an exercise bout, let’s look at some protein considerations.

If your goal is to build strength and muscle, then this element may be more important for you.

Earlier, we mentioned that pre-workout amino acid (not whole protein) was more effective for longer term muscle building. 

But after a workout, the research shows that whole protein consumption may be more effective for sustained muscle protein synthesis. 

Much of the research has looked at the effectiveness of whey and casein protein in post-workout solutions. And the consensus seems to be that whey protein may provide a greater immediate increase in muscle protein synthesis, while casein protein may provide a more prolonged elevation in protein synthesis.

The difference between the two proteins is mainly due to their relative digestion and absorption rates.

Having said that, I’m not a huge proponent of protein supplements, especially if you are eating a well balanced whole foods diet. But if you do want to build and maintain your muscle mass you may want to consider adding a source of protein to your post-workout meals.

Dietary Recovery Example

To sum everything up, this is how I would advise someone who trains at least 4-5 times with the goal of maintain strength and muscle mass (while burning fat) to recover through good nutrition – this also applies to athletes:

Pre-workout:

• Plenty of water
• Simple carbohydrate solution with essential amino acids (ie. gatorade w/ essential amino acid powder)

Post-workout: 

• STEP 1: Plenty of water to account for body weight loss (from sweat)
• STEP 2: Sports drink or fruit juice (+ sea salt)
• STEP 3: Post-workout fruit smoothie with protein (ie. banana, shredded coconut, peanut butter, hemp seeds, and water)
• STEP 4: More substantial whole foods meal with lots of greens, starchy vegetable (ie. yams, sweet potato), and vegetarian (ie. legumes, beans) or lean animal protein (ie. chicken or fish)

The above post-workout sequence should begin as soon as the workout is done and finish no more than 3 hours post-exercise.

Related posts:

1. 6-Tips for Race-Day Fueling
2. Hello Home Workouts!
3. Best Post-Workout Drink
4. Why Do Muscles Get Sore After A Workout?
5. 3 Ways to Avoid Hitting a Workout Plateau

Tags: amino acids, blood sugar, carbohydrates, diet, electrolytes, exercise, gatorade, high glycemic index foods, lifting weights, muscle building, muscle glycogen, nutrition, pre-workout nutrition, protein, protein synthesis, running, salt, sodium, sports drinks, strength training, water, working out, workout, workout recovery