This topic was sparked by a friend of mine who is somewhat of an excessive exerciser/wt loss junky. (Sorry, dude). Anywho, we were talking today about recovery nutrition. This is the fluid or food that you consume within the hour after a workout. It is usually forgotten about, which can be detrimental to your body! And, it can actually work against muscle growth after an endurance or resistance training session.
Two of the main reasons people work out is to get stronger and to increase endurance abilities. In order to do this, recovery nutrition is vital. During an endurance workout (cardio), you are using up all the glycogen (sugar) stores in your muscles. The more glycogen your muscles can hold, the longer you can work out without burning out. The way you increase these stores is to consume carbohydrates (sugar) when your muscles have been completely stripped of their stores - which would be right after a cardio workout. (Think of a sponge) So, a recovery snack has to include carbohydrates.
Secondly, during a cardio or a resistance training session, your muscle fibers are breaking down. Once they are torn, they re-build larger and stronger. In order for your muscles to re-build, you have to consume protein.
So, a perfect recovery snack includes both carbohydrates and protein.
Examples:
Fruit and peanut butter
Yogurt (Natural)
Milk
Turkey Sandwich
Gatorade and string cheese
- the amount of food is dependent on gender, body wt., and workout intensity
So, grab a lunch box, and head to the gym!!!
Two of the main reasons people work out is to get stronger and to increase endurance abilities. In order to do this, recovery nutrition is vital. During an endurance workout (cardio), you are using up all the glycogen (sugar) stores in your muscles. The more glycogen your muscles can hold, the longer you can work out without burning out. The way you increase these stores is to consume carbohydrates (sugar) when your muscles have been completely stripped of their stores - which would be right after a cardio workout. (Think of a sponge) So, a recovery snack has to include carbohydrates.
Secondly, during a cardio or a resistance training session, your muscle fibers are breaking down. Once they are torn, they re-build larger and stronger. In order for your muscles to re-build, you have to consume protein.
So, a perfect recovery snack includes both carbohydrates and protein.
Examples:
Fruit and peanut butter
Yogurt (Natural)
Milk
Turkey Sandwich
Gatorade and string cheese
- the amount of food is dependent on gender, body wt., and workout intensity
So, grab a lunch box, and head to the gym!!!
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