What to Eat After a Workout to Gain Muscle?

While all areas of nutrition are important, post-workout nutrition is critical if you wish to gain muscle. Immediately after your workout you have a window of opportunity to replace many of the nutrients you have lost while training, and this can significantly enhance your ability to build muscle. Consult your physician before beginning any diet or exercise program.

Glycogen

Your muscles burn glycogen, or sugar, while training. This is one of the primary sources of fuel for energy when you are engaged in intense exercise. You can restore the sugar you have lost immediately after a workout by consuming a quickly digesting carbohydrate. Simple sugars work best, such as dextrose. Other than honey, not many foods are high in dextrose, so purchasing dextrose from a supplement or health food store is a good idea.

Amino Acids

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. When you train, amino acids are scavenged by your system as you inflict trauma on your muscle fibers. There are amino acids that are required by your body as you cannot produce them on your own, and the only place to get these essential amino acids is via dietary protein intake. Good sources of protein include beef, chicken, fish, milk and eggs. Various protein supplements such as whey and micellar casein, which is a milk protein, are good post workout choices as they are quickly utilized by your body. As an active person, you may need twice as much protein as an inactive individual.

Optimal Nutrients

There is no exact ratio, but a combination of carbohydrates and protein has been shown to not only increase recovery, but improve muscle growth. A combination of whey and dextrose or a blend of simple proteins can help you add muscle, and the carbohydrates will be used to replaced depleted stores instead of being stored as fat. You may wish to add some branched chain amino acids as 35 percent of the amino acids in your muscles are composed of leucine, isoleucine and valine, which can also significantly enhance recovery.

What to Avoid

Avoid large quantities of fat, as this can delay the rate at which your stomach empties, which can slow down the absorption of other nutrients, including the protein and carbohydrates you need. Do not eat fruits such as strawberries or blueberries, as these are composed of almost entirely fructose, which is primarily converted and used by the liver. Fructose does a very poor job of refilling depleted muscle glycogen stores, so you are better off consume a different carbohydrate source.

References

• "Journal of the American College of Nutrition"; Beyond the Zone: Protein Needs of Active Individuals; Peter W.R. Lemon, Ph.D.; October 2000
• "Journal of Applied Physiology"; Early Postexercise Muscle Glycogen Recovery is Enhanced with a Carbohydrate-protein Supplement.; John L. Ivy et al., October 2002.
• "Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise"; Ingestion of Casein and Whey Proteins Result in Muscle Anabolism After Resistance Exercise.; Kevin Tipton et al., December 2004.
• "Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research"; Amino Acid Supplements and Recovery from High-intensity Resistance Training; Charles P. Sharp and David R. Pearson; April 2010