During exercise, your body uses carbohydrates (carbs) for energy. Exercise also breaks down or damages the protein in your muscles. After a workout, your body needs to restore glycogen (the stored form of carbohydrates) and rebuild muscle proteins. Eating and taking the right supplements after your workout help facilitate the process of restoring energy and rebuilding proteins.
Nutrition
Carbohydrates
During exercise, carbohydrate is the main source of energy. After prolonged exercise, glycogen stores in the muscle can become depleted. Depleted glycogen stores can lead to muscle soreness. Eating carbohydrates after exercise helps to replenish your glycogen stores and provide energy.
Protein
Protein is a macronutrient important for tissue and muscle growth. It is also a source of energy, providing 4 calories per gram. During exercise, muscle protein is broken down. Consuming enough protein throughout the day provides the amino acids needed to build new muscle.
The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein is 0.8 g per kilogram (kg) of body weight per day (g/kg/day) for adults. For athletes and people who exercise, the protein recommendation is higher at 1.2–2 g/kg/day.
Fluids
Proper hydration is important before, during, and after exercise. Dehydration may delay muscle recovery.
For a 90-minute workout or less, water is usually sufficient for maintaining hydration. For longer bouts of exercise, endurance events, or athletes playing in several games per day, sports drinks or electrolyte drinks may be of benefit. These can contain carbohydrates and electrolytes to replace the electrolytes that are lost through sweat. Intense workouts may require more than just water for replenishment, such as drinks containing a small amount of sodium (salt) and electrolytes.
Supplements
Branched-Chain Amino Acids
The three branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) are leucine, isoleucine, and valine. They are not produced naturally in the body and must be obtained through diet. BCAAs have been suggested to improve performance, recovery, and body composition. BCAAs may be helpful for:
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Low-to-moderate exercise-induced muscle damage
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Reduced muscle soreness
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Post-exercise muscle recovery and function
Creatine
Creatine provides energy for the muscle. The body produces creatine, but you can also get it from food.
Creatine is found mostly in red meat and seafood. As a supplement, it is in the form of creatine monohydrate. Creatine is the most studied and most effective ergogenic (performance-enhancing) nutritional supplement available to athletes.
Creatine supplementation appears to improve muscle strength and power in some individuals. It is most useful for short, intense periods of muscle work and helps athletes in their recovery from intense training. According to the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN), creatine supplementation for athletes may:
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Enhance glycogen loading
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Reduce inflammation
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Allow for more training
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Result in fewer injuries
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is needed to produce collagen, which helps maintain the integrity of muscle and tendons.
Vitamin C is an essential nutrient you should be sure you get enough of in your diet. Vitamin C is found mostly in fruits and vegetables, such as oranges, kiwi, strawberries, broccoli, and bell peppers, and is also a common ingredient in multivitamins.
Products We Recommend
Ignition by 1st Phorm
Proper recovery from training is essential regardless if your fitness goal is to burn fat or build muscle. Ignition is a necessity for proper post workout supplementation. Ignition signals to your body to start repair by spiking insulin and replenishing glycogen stores.
BCAA+EAA’s by Muscle Force
MuscleForce BCAA+EAA is ESSENTIAL for you to include your supplement regimen if you want to get the best results from the work that you are putting in the gym and through your diet. No matter if you do Crossfit or Bodybuild, Amino Acids should be your BEST friend when training.
