What should I eat after working out?

If you've had a good workout, you've stressed your muscle fibres and depleted your energy reserves. At that precise moment, your body demands food to replenish its reserves... and even exceed their initial level, since it has to compensate for the destruction of muscle fibres.

At the end of your training session, the food you consume will be absorbed much more easily and rapidly than normal by the body, and particularly by the muscles. This phenomenon is known as the " metabolic window".

But this effect doesn't last very long, and the further you get from the end of the session, the more the window closes! So you need to eat your snack relatively quickly, either fifteen minutes after the session, or within an hour at the latest.

Tips on foods you can eat after sport:

Water

This is the first thing you need to give your body, especially if it's hot! If you're sweating a lot, you can also opt for sparkling water, to replenish your body's mineral reserves (sodium, magnesium, potassium, etc.).

Carbohydrates

During intense exercise, the body uses glucose and glycogen as energy sources. - Glycogen is the form in which glucose is stored by the body, mainly in the liver and muscle fibers

Muscle glycogen stocks can be replenished through the diet. Of course, this will happen naturally through the day's meals and those of the following days, but the sooner you start, the better!

Consuming high-GI carbohydrates after training will lead to high insulin production, and that's precisely what we're aiming for... After training, supplying fast sugars will set in motion the phenomenon of overcompensation, and allow you to recover a little faster in terms of energy. So this is very useful in periods of mass gain.

Foods with a high glycemic index include honey, bananas, dried fruit, dates and figs. If you prefer dietary supplements, consider dextrose, maltodextrin or Vitargo.

On the other hand, during a dry period, it's best to opt for complex sugars to build up glycogen reserves over the longer term, but also to control the amount of carbohydrates that can still be ingested during the day.

Proteins

We're not telling you anything when we say that proteins are essential for muscle rebuilding, or in other words, protein biosynthesis.

For optimal muscle rebuilding, you'll need to focus on so-called complete proteins, i.e. proteins containing all the essential amino acids, and in the right quantities.

At the end of a muscle-building session, it's not uncommon to opt for proteins that are rapidly absorbed by the body: this is the case, for example, with protein powders. You can also add - inaddition to carbohydrates and whey - powdered amino acids, but only if your whey doesn't already contain enough ..

Example of a post-training meal

Apart from the post-training shaker, which should remain an alternative, the best solution is of course to eat a solid meal within an hour of your session!

You need to eat a real meal, with all the macronutrients and micronutrients you need for proper muscle recovery.

• Eggs, chicken, turkey, red meat or fish are good sources of protein.

• Starchy foods such as wholegrain cereals, basmati rice, sweet potatoes and legumes are good sources of carbohydrates. Of course, the amount of carbohydrates you eat depends on your needs and must be in line with your objectives.

• Vegetables such as green beans, spinach, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, zucchinis, etc. provide you with multiple nutrients and fiber.

• Finally, lipids are found in foods such as olive or rapeseed oil, oilseeds, oily fish and avocado. In addition to their vital role for the body, good fats help restore anabolism, notably by boosting the natural secretion of anabolic hormones.

Be careful, however, to manage your meal plan and avoid overeating if you have to go to bed within an hour of your last meal, as is the case for late-night exercisers, for example.