What should you eat after a workout?

Food

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Strength training involves a huge expenditure of energy. On average, about 600-800 calories are spent per hour in the gym. This creates a strong energy deficit, and catabolic processes in the body begin to prevail over anabolic ones. Catabolism begins the breakdown of muscle tissue. To prevent this, after training, it is imperative to follow a meal rich in all the macro and micronutrients necessary for recovery and growth. It can be both, and natural products. Of course, food should be healthy and healthy, because only in this way you can achieve a sporty and aesthetic physique. In today's article, we will figure out what to eat after a workout, which foods are best suited for this.

Post workout nutrition for weight loss

The secret to losing weight is simple: spend more energy during the day than you get from food. A calorie deficit is created through strength and cardio training. Therefore, eating after training should follow two principles:

1. Give you enough energy to recover and function normally;
2. Do not take you out of energy deficit.

Energy deficiency is also achieved through a balanced diet - here in detail about. Daily calorie content is reduced by reducing the consumed fats and carbohydrates. Most of the carbohydrates during the diet are eaten in the morning and / or shortly before training so that the body is more efficient. After that, most of the diet is protein food. The amount of protein at the same time reaches two to three grams per kilogram of body weight to improve recovery and satisfy hunger.

What should you eat after a workout to lose weight? Of course, muscles need amino acids to repair, so it's important to get quality protein. There are many sources of protein: white and red fish, seafood, chicken, egg whites, low-fat dairy products and protein shakes.

Fiber is essential for proper protein absorption. It is found in large quantities in green vegetables: cucumbers, broccoli, spinach and others. The calorie content of these vegetables is minimal, there are almost no carbohydrates in them, and you can eat them almost without restrictions. Celery is generally considered a "negative" calorie food - you will spend more calories chewing and digesting it than it contains.

When it comes to sports nutrition, it is best to use whey protein isolate or hydrolyzate. This type of protein is the fastest digested, does not contain excess fats and carbohydrates, and gives saturation for several hours. To further protect muscle tissue from breakdown, complex amino acids or BCAAs can be used immediately after training.

Below are a few options for a tasty and healthy meal after a workout during weight loss:

What to eat after a workout to gain mass?

If your muscle gain is in full swing, you need to supply the body with energy as much as possible so that your workouts are more productive and the working weights are constantly growing. Remember that the principle of load progression is the basis of mass gain. For all this, you need carbohydrates. Therefore, the answer to the question - do you need to eat after a workout - definitely yes.

Of course, if your goal is maximum muscle tone with minimal subcutaneous fat, it will be better if the basis of the post-workout meal is complex carbohydrates with a low glycemic index. It can be pasta from durum wheat, rice, oatmeal, and other cereals. Traditionally, cereals are measured dry to make it easier to calculate the amount of nutrients consumed. The protein part is also important for recovery and growth, so do not forget about meat, eggs, fish or protein shakes. The meal itself turns out to be quite plentiful and satisfies the feeling of hunger for at least 2-3 hours.

If you have a fast metabolism and an ectomorphic body type, fast carbohydrates with a high glycemic index are also suitable for quick recovery after a workout. It will be better if you get them not from confectionery, but from fresh fruits or. Especially for ectomorphs who want to gain weight, such a sports nutrition product as a gainer was developed. It is a mixture of whey protein and simple carbohydrates (sugar, maltodextrin, dextrose or amylopectin). However, the expediency of buying a gainer is doubtful, because you can easily make it yourself: a portion of whey protein and two bananas or a bag of dried fruits will cover the need for “fast” energy just as well.

If you have a slow enough metabolism, then it is better to refrain from taking simple carbohydrates after a workout. This greatly stresses the pancreas and increases the production of insulin, which promotes the formation of adipose tissue. In addition, appetite is greatly worsened from simple carbohydrates, and after that it will no longer be possible to eat the amount of food necessary for gaining muscle mass.

No need to make a post-workout meal rich in fat. This will make it harder to digest. Fats, of course, must be present in the diet during a set of muscle mass, this is important for the synthesis of hormones and the normal functioning of all body systems. Especially useful are the so-called unsaturated fatty acids. They are found in linseed and other vegetable oils, red fish, seafood, nuts,. But it is advisable not to consume more than 25-35 grams of fat at a time after training.

There is a hypothesis called the "anabolic window". Its essence lies in the fact that any food that you eat within 30-60 minutes after a workout goes to replenish glycogen stores in the muscles and liver and to repair damaged muscle tissue. Studies do not support this hypothesis, but many athletes quite successfully adhere to it during the period of gaining muscle mass. However, many interpret it too literally: “after a workout, you can eat anything and not get fat.” With these thoughts, they go to the nearest fast food restaurant and close this "anabolic window". So it doesn't work.

Of the sports nutrition products, it is best to opt for regular whey protein. This is the best product in terms of "price-quality". Each serving contains 20-25 grams of easily digestible protein and several grams of carbohydrates and fats.

The table below contains some sample post-workout meal options during muscle building:

What to eat after training for muscle growth?

If your goal is the most lean muscle mass, then there is no question of any simple carbohydrates after training. You do not need insulin, but growth hormone, the production of which increases during training. And the intake of carbohydrates will reduce its production to zero.

Therefore, there is no need to rush to immediately load with carbohydrates, this is not necessary. Your task is to prolong the production of growth hormone. It is best to drink protein isolate or hydrolyzate, as they do not contain carbohydrates. Egg whites or chicken fillet are also suitable. It is better to postpone carbohydrate intake for an hour or two, unless, of course, you train late in the evening. The main thing is not to exceed the total daily calorie content, then you will not gain excess fat.

Growth hormone has many beneficial properties, including: increased growth of muscle mass, improvement of the condition of joints and ligaments, rapid recovery of microtraumas, increased fat burning, general anti-aging effect. Agree, it's stupid to refuse all this.

Differences in nutrition after morning and evening workouts

If you visit the gym early in the morning, this is already a kind of test for the body. Not everyone is capable of it. In order not to introduce the body into a stressful state, after a morning workout, it is recommended to immediately consume a sufficient amount of proteins and carbohydrates. This will give strength for further work or study and start the recovery processes. The ideal option is oatmeal steamed in water, with fruit and chicken eggs. There is no special need for sports nutrition at this time, since during the day you will eat enough food to restore. It is better to train on a relatively empty stomach, drinking a protein shake before training or eating some fruit, then the post-workout meal will be absorbed much better.

With evening training, the situation is completely opposite. Most nutritionists generally do not recommend eating carbohydrates after 6-7 p.m. Meals after a late workout should be all protein. Almost any source of protein will do. If your workout ends very late, and immediately after it you go to bed, then you need a slow-digesting protein (casein). It will support anabolic processes in the body when you sleep. This will prevent the breakdown of muscle tissue. In large quantities, casein is found in cottage cheese, and is also sold in the form of sports nutrition. If casein is not available, you can get by with a multicomponent protein - it is a mixture of various proteins with different absorption rates.

Can I eat at night after a workout?

Of course, you can eat at night, but the food should be as “clean” as possible and meet your goals. In addition to cottage cheese or a protein shake, egg whites with fresh vegetable salad can be used as the last meal before bed. This is a light and healthy food that will saturate the body with high-quality protein and fiber without overloading the gastrointestinal tract.

Eating before bed should never be heavy. Overeating worsens, due to which the quality of sleep decreases, therefore, recovery also worsens. And without proper recovery, there will be no growth.

Protein food after a workout

Protein intake after training is an important element for further recovery and growth. However, it should be borne in mind that each protein source has a different absorption rate. After a morning workout, we need a "fast" protein, after an evening workout - a "slow", after a daytime - something in between.

• Fast digesting protein foods include: eggs and egg whites, milk, kefir, and whey protein.
• Protein foods with an average absorption rate include: chicken fillet, turkey, lean, lean pork, fish, seafood, whey protein.
• Protein products with a slow digestion rate include: cottage cheese, casein, multicomponent protein.

Protein products should be of the highest quality and freshest. Use products only from reliable manufacturers. The fact is that the quality of the protein is no less important than its quantity. In most cases, both cheap and low-quality products, the amino acid composition is rather poor, and the body does not receive the necessary micronutrients from them.