What to eat after strength training?
Dig out the secrets of seasoned bodybuilders and athletes to make the most of your workouts!
Strength training puts your body under the much-required strain that it needs to build muscles and shred all the fat.
What you need to fuel your body for these strenuous workout sessions is energy to sustain.
Although pre-workout meals usually prepare your body for the tough task, eating right post-workout is equally important TO GET RESULTS.
Proper nutrition through your post-workout meal is very important for your recovery from the workout.
The right foods are eaten at the right time to make sure that you get the nutrients that your body needs to maximize muscle synthesis.
But the question that confuses our workout masters is what to eat after strength training?
Well, you don’t need to complicate your post-strength training meal prep.
You just need to balance the right proportion of the nutrients and plan out a simple diet chart.
Now, many of you might ask us what nutrients to eat after strength training.
And for that, we have the following detailed guide to give you an idea of the optimal nutritional diet post a workout!
What to Eat After a Strength Training Workout – Nutrients Breakdown
While strength training, your muscle tissues undergo wear and tear affecting their growth and recovery.
These tears also affect your hydration status; hence, impairing the regeneration and repairing ability of your muscles.
Moreover, with constant sweating, the nutrients levels in the body are affected as well.
All this damage further lead to acute inflammation, which is just like any other short-term injury that needs recovery.
The harder you train, the more recovery your muscles need!
Taking the right nutrition helps to boost this recovery rate, helping you improve muscle soreness, rehydrate your body, and boost your immune system.
For an everyday fitness fanatic, a healthy diet can replenish the vital nutrients that your body needs for a healthy recovery. But people looking out for serious weightlifting goals must focus on what to eat after strength training. In fact, experts often recommend eating more when muscles are sore to fuel the recovery process.
To start with, their diet must be rich in the following macronutrients:
#1. Carbohydrates
While strength training, all your glycogen stores are used up as fuel for energy.
Hence, taking carbohydrates helps in replenishing this lost glycogen.
The rate at which this glycogen is used up usually depends on the type of exercise you perform.
For example, endurance exercises suck up more glycogen than resistance training.
Hence, your carb intake should ideally depend on the type of training you are taking.
Strength trainers need a good amount of carbs in their post-workout meals as the major glycogen storage is found in muscles.
Hence, when you perform exercises focusing on your muscles, glycogen is lost at a higher rate.
Eating a high amount of carbs will immediately replenish this lost storage in the form of glucose.
Along with the glucose, it will also provide the hydration that will aid in faster recovery and replenishment.
#2. Proteins
Proteins are the building blocks of muscles and hence a key nutrient for muscle synthesis.
Moreover, the exercises included in the strength training program trigger rapid breakdown of muscle protein.
Consuming adequate amounts of protein after such training provides your body with enough amino acids to repair the lost muscle protein.
In fact, adding protein to your diet will also make your muscles stronger and bigger through muscle protein synthesis.
But if you fail to take enough protein through your diet, you might witness a loss of muscle mass, strength, and even fitness.
Hence, a good amount of protein is what to eat after lifting weights to maintain your muscles.
#3. Fat
People usually believe that it is not important to replenish fat levels post-workout.
This is mainly because of the tendency of fats to decrease the absorption of various nutrients.
But actually, even if it reduces the absorption of nutrients, in no way, it hampers their benefits.
For example, according to a study, whole milk promotes muscle growth more than skim milk after a workout.
In fact, another study claimed that even after ingesting a high-fat meal post a workout, the muscle glycogen synthesis was not affected.
Hence, you can definitely limit your fat intake post a workout but having some of it in your meals won’t affect your recovery much.
Moreover, you can even eat fats after strength training to add some anti-inflammatory properties to your diet.
But if your major concern is centered around “what to eat after a workout to lose weight”, we suggest you don’t overdo fats!
Now, you know what nutrients are important to eat after strength training.
But excess of any nutrients can reverse its benefits into a mistake for your overall workout.
Hence, it is also important to keep these nutrients on your platter in the right proportions!
Marking Out the Nutrient Proportions
You already know what macronutrients are crucial for your post-workout meal prep.
But overconsumption of any macronutrient is not actually good for your recovery period as well as general fitness.
Thus, it’s important to be aware of the number of nutrients you need for a balanced meal.
These proportions usually vary according to the types of exercises you perform.
If you’re questioning, what to eat after a workout to lose weight and build muscle, then the following proportion is an ideal fit:
#1. Carbohydrates
0.5 to 0.7 grams of carbs per pound of your body (1.1-1.5 grams per kg of your body weight).
In simple words, you can have 50 grams to 100 grams of carbs after your session.
#2. Proteins
Experts recommend consuming 0.14 to 0.23 grams of protein per pound of your body weight (0.3 to 0.5 grams/kg).
On average, you can consume 10 to 20 grams of proteins with carbs post-workout.
Apart from these macronutrients, you must also be careful about your fluid intake.
Try drinking enough fluids to compensate for the fluid that you have lost plus an additional 50% for coping with the post-workout loss.
Since now you know about the nutrients, many of you would have already started looking for foods rich in them.
Well, you don’t have to worry about that too!
We already have that handled for you in the next section highlighting the post-workout golden foods.
What to Eat on Strength Training Days – Top 10 Foods
When planning a post-workout meal, it’s crucial to keep a list of essential foods handy.
After all, not all foods provide the nutrients that you need in the right quantity.
Hence, this section prepares a list of foods you can plan your meal with post-strength training.
#1. Tart Cherry Juice
The juice comes with many antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds that will help you recover faster.
According to studies, this juice helps in your recovery from various exercises including strength training.
Apart from this, it also has the ability to regulate healthy blood pressure after exercise.
#2. Whole Eggs
Whole eggs are what you can try to eat after strength training to get ripped.
According to a prominent study from the University of Illinois, weightlifters were asked to eat three whole eggs a day after their workout. Whereas, another group was asked to eat a mixture of eggs.
On comparing their results, it was found that men who ate whole eggs had better muscle synthesis than the other group.
#3. Ricotta
According to research published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, eating 9 grams of dairy can shoot up one’s muscle-building ability.
You can go for ½ a cup of ricotta offering you 14 grams of milk protein to help you get some essential amino acids.
Apart from this, taking it with carbs post-workout can also help make your bones stronger.
#4. Salmon
Researchers believe a rich amount of omega-3-fatty acids found in salmon can lower muscle soreness after a resistance workout.
It helps reduce the damage caused by the exercises and hence reduces inflammation.
They also have the ability to boost muscle synthesis.
#5. Cottage Cheese
Cottage cheese has got an amazing level of protein and the amino acid, leucine.
These two components help cottage cheese promote muscle building.
#6. Sweet Potatoes
According to a report in the Journal Of Applied Physiology, foods rich in carbs like sweet potatoes prevent your immunity from dipping down post-workout.
Moreover, they don’t even hamper your abs as carbs are usually used up in the form of energy.
#7. Herbal Tea
According to a study from the British Journal of Nutrition, men who drank yerba mate tea had better recovery from eccentric exercises than men who sipped water.
Tea contains phenol antioxidants and natural stimulants that keep you energetic.
#8. Whole Grain Bread
It has quality carbs for your post-workout meals.
Hence, trying them out won’t affect your fitness goals and will only provide energy for your recovery.
#9. Quinoa
So, what to eat after strength training to lose weight?
Quinoa, of course, is the answer!
It is a powerful addition to a diet ideal for people focusing on weight loss through strength training.
A diet rich in Quinoa increases your fiber and protein intake.
#10. Jerky
Jerky is basically dehydrated protein available in various forms like beef, bison, turkey, and salmon.
They are often rich in proteins and ideal for workout meals.
These ten foods work as an ideal fit for all your post-workout meals.
However, before you run towards the grocery to buy these ingredients, we must highlight a very important fact.
It’s not just the nutrients and foods that matter in post-workout meals!
The timing also has a huge role.
As a result, make sure you plan your meals according to the following plan.
Timing Your Post Workout Meal
After your workout, your body’s ability to rebuild glycogen and protein is enhanced.
Hence, post-workout, a combination of protein and carbs is given to the trainee.
It is also good to maintain the right proportion and the protein intake timing.
Hence, experts suggest that eating a post-workout meal within 45 minutes of ending your workout is quite beneficial.
Moreover, it has been noted that a delay of carb consumption by as little as two hours can cause a delay in glycogen synthesis by 50%.
Thus, it’s extremely important to follow the right timing for your post-workout meals.
So, now with the blog almost coming to an end, it is time that we unbox our secret recipe box for you.
The following section highlights some of the popular post-workout meals that you can try out!
Scroll down to unlock these secret recipes now.
What to Eat after Strength Training – Post-Workout Meal Ideas [Recipes]
What should I eat after weightlifting? Or after a normal workout?
Many such questions storm the internet daily.
And for all such questions, there is only one solution, a list of curated and easy-to-make recipes.
#1. Lentil Spinach Curry with Coconut Rice
For all our vegan strength trainers, here is a tasty dish with 8 ounces of spinach and nutritious coconut.
Nutrient Profile:
This recipe offers high protein and essential vitamins and minerals to rock your post-workout phase.
For the rice:
- Rinse the rice and add it to your cooker and cook it the way you cook normal rice.
Recipe for the curry:
- Add lentils to the saucepan with enough water, cook it for 15 minutes. Drain the lentils and keep them aside.
- Warm olive oil over medium heat in a saucepan.
- Add red onions and cook them for about 5 minutes. Add cumin seeds and cook it for 1 minute.
- Chop in garlic, jalapeno, and ginger and add them to the saucepan. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Add spices and cook for thirty seconds.
- Stir around ½ teaspoon of salt, lemon juice, tomatoes, and coconut sugar. Cook for around 10 minutes.
- While the saucepan is still on the flame, add spinach to a food processor and chop it.
- Add non-dairy milk and pulse the processor. Don’t make a puree out of it just pulse it until the spinach is chopped.
- Once the lentils and tomatoes are mixed in the pan, add the spinach and mix well. Cook on a medium flame for 7 to 10 minutes.
#2. Mexican Tuna Avocado Salad
Any salad lovers in the house?
Try this amazing combo of black beans with tuna to prepare a healthy post-meal snack.
Nutrients Profile:
This bowl of salad will serve you essential 29 grams of proteins, fewer calories, and nutrients for a perfect recovery.
35% fat, 5% cholesterol, 56% sodium, 30% potassium, 10% carbs, and 66% proteins.
Recipe:
- Take a small bowl and add lime juice, olive oil, and paprika. Mix until it gets into a smooth consistency.
- Take a large bowl to add 12 ounces of bumblebee solid white albacore tuna, red pepper, black beans (which must be rinsed), cumin, avocados, 1 cup cilantro, small red onion diced, 1 teaspoon salt.
- Mix them all.
- Now, mix up the contents of the small and the big bowl.
- Top it with dressing
#3. Pumpkin Chilli
This creamy dish has got amazing levels of protein.
The recipe is quite simple, affordable, and tickles your taste buds.
Recipe:
- Heat vegetable broth in a big pot.
- Saute onion and garlic in a saucepan for about 5 minutes.
- Add in bell peppers and continue cooking it for 5 minutes.
- Add in canned tomatoes and other veggies including pumpkin. Stir well.
- Bring the broth to a slight boil and add the contents of the saucepan and cover it with the lid.
- Let it simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and add in some lime juice for taste.
- Serve immediately.
#4. Vegan Fall Farro Protein Bowl
This bowl of proteins is a delicious recipe giving you some essential proteins.
You just need to add some protein-rich foods in the bowl and there you go!
The bowl uses a rich combination of tempeh, beans, nuts, and farro.
Nutrient Profile:
Each serving offers 15 grams of fat, 411 mg of sodium, 69 grams of carbs, and 21 grams of protein.
Recipe:
- Preheat your oven to 375F and take out a large baking sheet
- Take a mixing bowl, add up sweet potatoes, and carrots with 1 teaspoon of cooking oil.
- Add a pinch of salt and peppers. Take the baking sheet and spread out a single layer on 1/3 of the sheet.
- In the same bowl, add some chickpeas, 1 teaspoon of oil, salt, and black pepper. Spread it out on 2/3 of the baking sheet.
- Now, place tempeh strips on the remaining part of the sheet and roast it for thirty minutes.
- Flip these strips and shuffle the sweet potatoes and chickpeas for 15 minutes.
- Now, mix water and farro grains with a pinch of salt in a small pot and keep it on medium flame.
- Cover the pot and bring it to a boil. Bring the flame to medium-low and cook for 20 to 25 minutes.
- Once you have prepared the farro, divide it into two bowls.
- When the potatoes, chickpeas, and tempeh are roasted, add salt as per your taste and divide them into two bowls.
- Add hummus and almonds for garnishing.
#5. Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers
Tired of searching for “what to eat after a workout to lose weight as a vegetarian”?
Try this colorful bowl full of veggies offering amazing 17 grams of proteins.
What makes it super attractive is just 15 minutes of prep time and 30 minutes in the oven.
Hence, get ready with your cooking apparatus this weekend to make this yummy protein-rich dish.
Recipe:
- Prep your peppers and start making the filling.
- For the filling, saute some onion and zucchini in garlic and olive oil.
- Add diced tomatoes, spinach, oregano, basil, and brown rice. Cook for a few minutes.
- Stuff each pepper with a large spoonful of the filling.
- Bake these peppers in the oven.
#6. Protein Monster Vegan Enchiladas
Hemp hearts, two types of beans, and yeast come together to give you 21 grams of proteins through this vegan enchilada with no meat or eggs.
Try this recipe with the homemade enchiladas sauce for a better freshening taste.
Nutrient Profile:
It provides you with 525 kCal, 68 g of carbs, 22g of proteins, 19g of fats, 799 mg of potassium, and 13g of fibers.
Recipe:
- Preheat your oven to 350F.
- Dice onions and bell peppers.
- Take a large pot and saute onions and pepper for about 8 minutes on medium flame.
- Now, rinse and drain beans while you dice tomatoes
- When onions become translucent, reduce the flame.
- Add cumin, paprika, tomatoes, yeast, hemp hearts, and beans.
- Take a 9X13 baking dish and cover the bottom with the enchilada sauce.
- Place the bean mixture in the middle of the tortillas and roll up tucking both ends.
- Place all 6 rolled enchiladas in the baking dish and top it with the sauce.
- Bake for around 25 minutes.
- Garnish it with your desired veggies and serve.
Try any of these recipes to add more zing to your meal time while also adding more protein and nutrition.
Wrap Up
Now, hopefully, you’ve got a good idea of what to eat after strength training!!
Well, consumption of the right amounts of carbs and proteins after exercise is essential.
It stimulates protein synthesis, better recovery, and performance for the next workout.
However, the timing also matters.
Experts believe that delaying your post-workout meal reduces its benefits.
Hence, make sure that you always keep a check on your post-workout meal as well as timing.
Apart from the meal, replenishing electrolytes and water is also important.
So, take enough fluids.
FAQs
Here are the answers to some of the viral questions.
#1. Should I eat before or after a workout?
It’s important to eat both before and after a workout.
Eating before a workout gives you enough energy to work tirelessly in the gym.
Whereas, eating post-workout replenishes your body with the nutrients it lost during the workout.
Therefore, you must eat 1 to 2 hours before your workout and 45 minutes after your workout to maintain lean muscles.
#2. What should you not eat after a workout?
You should avoid the following foods post your workout:
- Sugary post-workout smoothies
- Processed energy bars
- Low carb meals
- Sports drinks
- Salty processed foods
- Caffeine-rich food
- Fried foods
- Sugary foods
#3. What foods help muscle recovery faster?
The following foods help in faster muscle recovery than regular foods:
- Fruits and veggies rich in Vitamin C
- Foods rich in proteins
- Omega-3-fatty acids found in fishes like salmon
- Zinc-rich foods
- Vitamin D and calcium-rich foods
- Foods rich in fibers
#4. What happens if you don’t eat after a workout?
Workouts cause sweating, which is responsible for dehydrating your body of water as well as electrolytes.
Apart from these, certain nutrients and your energy levels are too being used up during workouts.
If you fail to replenish these lost components post your workout, it might overtire you and impact your muscles causing fatigue and you might even faint.
This might even lead to muscle loss, and you sure don’t want that after putting in so much effort.
#5. Is it better to work out on an empty stomach?
No! Workout with an empty stomach can cause serious energy depletion and decrease your stamina.
This can also lead to low blood sugar which might lead you to feel nauseous or shaky.
Apart from this, your body might start using fat reserves for energy, triggering more fat storage than before.
#6. Is banana good after a workout?
Bananas help curb down sugar cravings and also help boost metabolism.
They offer healthy carbs to your body which you require after your workout for healthy recovery.
Moreover, bananas are fast-acting carbs and immediately replenish your body with the lost energy.
Moreover, they are rich in potassium, which is again good for post-workout recovery.
#7. What should I drink for muscle recovery?
Here are the top 5 hydrating drinks that you can try post your workout session:
- Chocolate drink with high protein
- Coconut water
- Cherry juice
- Tea
- Beer
#8. What happens if you don’t eat enough protein after working out?
Not consuming enough protein post weight lifting and other major strength training exercises could lead to muscle loss.
Further, you won’t even have enough energy to meet the quality needs of the workout.