So we talked about what happens to our body during intense exercise as well as how nutrition can help offset the stress that is incurred to our bodies.
[Source]
Tonight, I am going to talk about repairing the muscle tissue following intense exercise.
How To Rebuild Muscles After Intense Exercise
[Source]
When we engage in intense exercise and deplete our glycogen stores, our bodies often use protein in our bodies as fuel. Basically, out bodies are breaking down the muscle to get enough energy for the intense exercise.
This process is known as Catabolism.
Note: Not to be confused with Cannibalism a la Hannibal Lecter! ;)
The process of Catabolism leaves our muscles weak and in need of repair.
Large molecules (proteins) are broken down into smaller units called amino acids. The breaking down of the proteins into smaller molecules leads to a further degradation of the molecule into waste products and eventually the release of energy.
Jackpot!
While it is a good thing that our bodies can obtain energy when our glycogen stores are depleted, it is not a good thing that our muscles get broken down and weakened as a result. This means more down time and recovery!
[Source]
Athletes must act FAST following intense exercise to start the process of muscle repair!
But how does one do this effectively?
Just as there is a 2 hour window of opportunity for glycogen replenishment following exercise, there is also a window of opportunity for protein replenishment.
[Source]
How does this process work?
Well, in short form, our main hero here is Insulin.
Insulin picks up glucose (think simple carbs!) and protein and takes it to our muscles! Not surprisingly, immediately following exercise, the cells in our muscles are just begging for Insulin to come over. In other words, the muscle cells are highly receptive to insulin and any insulin that so much as ‘drives by’ the muscle cells is going to get put to good use!
[Source]
Some interesting studies have questioned how the time food is consumed affects muscle recovery.
Group 1: Ate a protein/carb supplement immediately after exercise
Group 2: Ate a protein/carb supplement 3 hours following exercise
And guess what they found out? Participants in group one demonstrated a much higher rate of muscle synthesis as compared to those who didn’t eat until 3 hours later.
The suggested combo of carbs to protein is a 4:1 ratio, however this is widely debated. Other sources suggest a 2:1 ratio.
Carbohydrates are extremely important to have along with protein as it allows for increased insulin release into the bloodstream. So eating a piece of chicken and nothing else isn’t going to do you much good. Remember what our hero insulin does! It transports the protein and carbs to our muscles for repair so you can heal faster.
So what do you eat?
What you eat post workout is going to contradict all of your healthy eating logic.
Following intense exercise you want the following:
- Low fibre
- Low fat
- fast digesting carbs (High on the glycemic index)
Why is this so?
Well, the less fibre and fat that our bodies have to digest, the quicker the insulin response will be. Normally, throughout the day, we try to eat in a way that gives us a steady blood sugar response by eating healthy fats and high fibre foods that are low on the glycemic index.
However, following a workout it is best if what you eat is rapidly digested so the insulin can get to your muscles as quickly as possible. However, that doesn’t mean that you should eat garbage after a workout by any means.
Some good foods that provide instant energy are: Dates, watermelon, pasta, potatoes, millet, wheatabix, corn chips, white bread, maple syrup, etc.
You can make a great recovery shake or juice, by using banana, maple syrup/honey, protein powder, and almond milk. The fibre content and fat content will be low enough to allow for the insulin process to take place quite quickly.
[Source]
It may also benefit you to eat any of these high glycemic foods during every hour of your workout. Many people enjoy Cliff Shots, GU gels, honey/maple syrup to prevent their glycogen stores from depleting and delaying the catabolic process.
Tonight’s Questions:
- Do you eat after your workouts?
- When do you usually workout and how do you plan your meals/snacks around them?
- Do you pay attention to carbs and protein?
- How do you define ‘intense exercise’? I struggle with this one…
I’m all over the place with my workout times, but when I workout in the morning I have a green monster before my workout and then following my workout I tend to have cereal with soy milk. I almost always eat after a workout because I tend to be quite hungry!
+++++++++++++
Have a lovely evening! I’m off to BAKE…see you tomorrow morning for another SGBC clue and all the baking pics!
I feel my best when I exercise in the morning. I have to get a little something in my stomach, usually a smoothie, before exercising or I will feel lightheaded and shaky. Then about an hour after working out, I am ravenous. I don’t usually pay attention to what I eat after exercising, but I tend to crave clean foods. However, when I exercise in the afternoon, I love to follow it with cereal and milk–the perfect carb/protein combo!
Hmm, that was a really interesting and fun read :-) My workout is a run (4-7 miles) first thing in the morning, so my post workout meal is always my breakfast. I usually eat oatmeal and greek yogurt. I suppose that goes against the ideal. I also always have a glass of carrot juice for the potassium, so I suppose that provides some quick, simple carbs.
Oh, and I consider a workout intense if I am completely 100% can’t-move-another-muscle exhausted!
Would it be good to eat something before a workout to replensih glycogen stores?
I realize when we get up in the morning we are low on glycogen in the muscles (at least that’s what I’ve read). So is it best to work out with no glycogen or to eat a little something first?
I really have never thought of eating as soon as I am finished with an intense work out. Usually I’m too hot and sweaty and nothing sounds good. :)
I love your “I like it green.” saying!!! Would you be able to make one of those double v neck tees in black or maybe even green with that saying??? I would buy one immediately as my last “something i don’t need” purchase hehehe!
-jessica
I have found recently that the best thing for me post-workout is a protein shake! I was happy to see this was listed as a recommendation. I work very early so I have to work out later… but its super hot in Nashville and I have been running around 7:30 pm so my shake becomes part of dinner on those days. With weigh training [which is something I am acquiring a desire for still… its not my fav but I really am trying to incoporate it] I use my shake as an afternoon snake before or after, depending on what time I go to the gym.
As a vegan, I try to pay attention to protein so the shakes are a great addition to my daily routine… carbs aren’t a problem for me and so I have to watch not to over-do those :)
Really helpful post! I love eating watermelon right after a run! I also often crave cold skim milk while running, so I may knock back a glass when I get in. Its a weird, intense running craving I have had since high school cross country and track.
Hey Ange…non related question to your post (which was marvelous btw!). I read a lot of American food blogs and the girls are talking about Oikos and Chobani yogurt. I am a fellow Canadian like you (Yukon) and was wondering if we can find this type of yogurt in Canada? I was thinking you would know best!
Thanks
Wow, what a perfect time for this post. My muscles are giving me a beating today after booty camp yesterday. About 40m after the workout I went and got a high protein smoothie. Today, however, I did a lot of sitting around on my butt at work and i got stiff. Really stiff. I have Booty camp again tomorrow and I’m hoping I’ll manage throughout!!
I define intense exercise as something that SERIOUSLY gets my heart pumping, sweat dripping, and my hands on my knees. That can be anything from a vigorous yoga class or a basketball practice to me. I try and eat before I exercise and have enough nutrients but I haven’t been as good about after/have slacked off. After reading this post I am going to pay a lot more attention to it. Great questions!
<3 jess
Great read. David Beckham is also a good example ;)
I always eat after my workouts, usually within 30 minutes or as soon as I can. Balancing the carbs and protein is key. I like to have a small bowl of cereal with skim milk and fruit, or some cottage cheese with the same for some added sodium for fluid replacement. I like to eat before too, but for me it has to be at least 2 hours before with easily digested things usually high in CHO. I don’t usually eat during unless I’m exercising for over an hour. According to HHS, intense-vigorous activity is defined as 6.0 METs or more. Running at 10 minutes per mile (6.0 mph) is a 10 MET activity. Or it can be 7-8 on a 0-10 scale. It is recommended to get at least 150 minutes of moderate and/or 75 minutes of intense activity per week minimum. But, this doesn’t really seem that much to me and can vary per person. Intense for me is breaking a good sweat and fatiguing my muscles with some heavy breathing and increased HR a.k.a. spin or kickbox!
Hey Ange!! Guess who, hehe? I heard of a study that found the best post-workout snack was chocolate milk and a banana. Apparently this gives the best balance of calories and nutrients. Thought it might be of interest to you:) Plus, I am always looking for a good excuse for a big glass of chocolate milk!
Chocolate milk is an excellent post workout snack. Protein from the milk and fast digesting carbs from the chocolate. Plus very digestible and easy to stomach. One thing not mentioned in the post (or maybe you did and I missed it) is another negative to your muscles being broken down after exercise is over time you can lose muscle mass which is bad. It leads to overall lowered metabolism and makes you skinny fat. We lose muscle mass as we age to begin with so we need to take care not to do anything that can us to lose it.
Oh and my former trainer used to say it was really bad to workout first thing in the AM on an empty stomach. With no glycogen in your system your body will start breaking down muscle for fuel, not the fat that you often hear about. Most sources I have read say do not do early AM workouts on empty stomach.
wow great post:) love the info
Great post! I’m training for a 15K next month and have been wondering how to properly refuel. After my workouts I tend to eat about a half hour later (after my shower) When I run my long runs I tend to eat a piece of fruit immediately after to give myself sugars and then I eat about an hour later when I start to feel like i can handle food again.
I noticed above Lara mentioned exercising on an empty stomach is bad. I usually eat something small like a 1/2 banana before a shorter workout but lately I’ve been running without eating…I’m definitely going to research that!
Thanks for the info!!
Oh and as far as intense workout? I think intense is a hard, long run, sprint and hill training, lifting, swimming…where you’re really pushing yourself and really exhausting your body (I play soccer too so I consider playing in a game an intense workout) But when I just run my pace run for three to five miles without really pushing too hard and without lifting, I just consider that moderate. Sorry this was so long but thanks for the post! Great topic!
cool and informative article! thanks!
I normally have a chocolate milk drink after a swim and if i workout from home, i eat my oat/cereal breakfast after my workout. :P but i don’t really eat much before a workout, just some fruits. however, i eat a proper breakfast before a swim as i find i can power my way better if i ate a substantial meal an hr before than if i go with only fruits!
Hi! I’ve been reading your blog for a week now. I thought I’d finally take the time to respond to your questions. Sorry if they are a bit lengthy.
1. Yes. After an exercise of about an hour or so I try to drink Fluid Recovery drink. It has the 4:1 ratio, low sugar, natural ingredients and whey protein isolate. Sometimes I will pack an almond butter and jelly sandwich on an Arnold Whole Wheat Sandwich round. If I forget to pack Fluid or a sandwich, I have Clif Shots and Clif Bloks in my gym bag. If I don’t take something I get low sugar very easily. Also if I’m at my gym after intense exercise I go into the sauna for about 10 minutes and stretch/massage my muscles. After strength training I try to take in a protein shake within an hour.
2. I workout morning and night so it takes a lot of planning! I prepare a lot the day before and figure out where I’ll be and what I’ll be doing and what I have to bring. AB&J’s are great for night workouts because they are more sustaining than a Fluid drink, and help prevent me from the late night eating sprees. Pre-workout if I feel I need some extra energy I keep dates in my gym bag too. I try to avoid depending on the Clif stuff.
3. I try to track my diet as much as I can using my Buckeye Training log. I want to make sure I’m getting plenty of protein, and not over doing carbs. I also watch my calorie intake. For some reason, no matter how active I am, I gain weight very easily. I’m trying to keep my BMI down so my endurance is best for racing.
4. Intense exercise to me is exerting myself for over an hour. If I’m drenched in sweat, it’s probably a good bet that I’ve exerted myself to the point where I need nutrition asap. Swimming for me is hard to determine, but usually I know when I’ve pushed myself to the point of “intense”. I can swim for an hour but not really push myself, I don’t consider this intense. Something just triggers in me during intense workouts where I push myself and want to keep going. After those workouts I tend to pay more care to restoring my body through nutrition.
Sometimes I exercise in the morning and sometimes in the afternoon but I always eat afterwards. If I do strength training I get shaky and weak but once I eat I feel much better! I define intense workouts as ones where my heart rate is very high!