pure sports medicine
Getting your post-ride recovery nutrition on point
By Linia Patel, Sports Dietitian
Pure Sports Medicine
Focused treatment for focused individuals
Telephone: 03447 700 800
www.puresportsmed.com
Official Sports Medicine Partner
Pure Sports Medicine
Focused treatment for focused individuals
Telephone: 03447 700 800
www.puresportsmed.com
Official Sports Medicine Partner
getting your post-ride recovery nutrition on point
By Linia Patel, Sports Dietitian
The Golden Rules of Recovery Nutrition
Thinking about rewarding yourself with a triple chocolate muffin or a burger, fries and beer combo after a
long ride? Think again.
What you eat after training sessions really matters. You want to get your recovery nutrition right as
providing the right nutrients at the right time facilitates gains from your training sessions, helping you get
stronger, allowing you to train at a high intensity and also keeping your immune system strong. Luckily,
good nutrition doesn’t have to be difficult or time consuming. Follow these recovery nutrition rules to boost
your energy levels, to help you recover quicker and perform at your best for your sport.
Recovery nutrition priorities
Generally post-workout nutrition has three specific purposes;
1) Replenish fuel (glycogen) stores used during the training session
2) Repair and rebuild any muscle damage
3) Restore fluid and electrolytes lost in sweat
Ultimately recovery strategies should always be individualised based on workload, the fuel used during
the session, body size, body composition goals and the period of time before the next training session
however here are some recovery golden rules for you to follow:
Golden Rules
1. Know when recovery nutrition needs to happen. You should really only start thinking about recovery
nutrition if you are doing multiple training sessions a day, or if your training session is at a moderate to high
intensity and lasts for more than 75 - 90mins. When we workout intensely, we use fuel. Your body can only
store enough carbohydrate (glycogen) to fuel around 90 - 120 minutes of moderate exercise, so failing to
refuel after long exercise session may cut your subsequent training session shorter than hoped! Intense
exercise also damages muscles at the microlevel so it is important that we provide our muscles with the
right nutrients to promote the repair and rebuilding of muscle.
Practical Tip: If fat loss is your primary goal then recovery from exercise sessions is not as important as
creating an energy deficit so you may not need a recovery snack after each training session.
2. Get your timing right: You may have heard about the “window of opportunity”. Basically, this is a
period when your body shuffles nutrients into muscles at an increased rate therefore enhancing muscle
repairing and rebuilding. This window opens immediately after your workout and lasts about 30 mins post
your workout. During this period, any carbohydrates eaten are converted into muscle glycogen at up to 3
times the normal rate. Although research suggests that protein synthesis lasts for at least 48 hours after
exercise, it is most important to get post workout nutrition immediately and within 2 hours afterwards.
Practical tip: Whether you choose a specific recovery product or real food is up to you – the key is timing,
so choose something that is easy to prepare and consume. As soon as you hop off that bike or drop that
last dumbbell – you should be consuming some post workout nutrition!
3. Recover with protein and carbohydrates. Muscle glycogen is the main fuel used by the body during
moderate and high intensity exercise. Inability to adequately replace glycogen wstores used up during a
workout will compromise recovery and therefore performance in subsequent sessions. Research indicates
that an intake of 1 – 1.2g carbohydrate per kg body weight for recovery is perfect for refuelling (i.e. 70g
carbohydrate feed for a 70kg cyclist). Studies also show that the addition of 15 – 25g of protein to a
post-workout meal or snack can boost glycogen storage, reduce muscle soreness and promotes protein
synthesis (i.e. protein rebuilding).
Pure Sports Medicine
Focused treatment for focused individuals
Telephone: 03447 700 800
www.puresportsmed.com
Official Sports Medicine Partner
Practical Tip: Supplements and commercial recovery products are extremely convenient and provide the
recommended ratio of carbohydrate to protein but they aren’t the only and/or the best way to meet your
recovery goals.
Snack combinations could be:
• 1 Banana and a glass of low fat chocolate milk
• A bowl of granola with 300ml low fat milk
• A bowl of strained greek yogurt with some tropical fruit
• Almond butter and honey on wholegrain toast
• Smoothie made with fruit, milk and a scoop of whey protein
• 3 egg omelette with salad and bread
• Chicken and salad sandwich
4. Avoid fatigue by hydrating properly. After glycogen depletion, dehydration is the biggest cause of
fatigue. Dehydration will increase your feeling of fatigue and muscle soreness. Fluid and electrolyte losses
after vigorous exercise vary from person to person so it is important to monitor and know what your fluid
losses are. A simple way to do this is by weighing yourself before and after training to work out your fluid
loses. You should aim to consume 125-150% of your estimated fluid losses in the 4-6 hours after exercise.
So, if your fluid deficit is 1kg (taking into consideration fluids consumed) you will need to rehydrate with
1.25L – 1.5L. An easy way to monitor hydration levels is to keep an eye on your urine. If you’re well
hydrated, it will be plentiful and pale straw – coloured.
Practical Tip: You also lose electrolytes (mainly sodium and chloride) as well as fluid when you sweat
which need to be replaced. Recommended intakes of sodium for re-hydration are 50 – 80mmol/L.
Most sports drink contains 10 – 25 mmol/L and some sports waters even lower. If you are a heavy
salt sweater you will therefore need to add additional electrolytes to your fluids or consume foods that
contain more sodium.
Pure Sports Medicine
Focused treatment for focused individuals
Telephone: 03447 700 800
www.puresportsmed.com
Official Sports Medicine Partner
5. Dabble only after you get the basics right: Sadly there are no magic bullets or short cuts.
The basic recovery principles (replenish, repair & restore) need to be followed first and then you can
begin dabbling in other recovery products and supplements like tart cherry juice which does have
some evidence base behind it. Research has shown that it is the flavonoids and anthrocyanins in
tart cherries that are responsible for supressing inflammation.
Practical Tip: The recommended protocol for tart cherry juice is:
• +/- 300ml glass of Montmorency tart cherry juice before workouts
• Drink as additional glass within 30 minutes after workout
Linia Patel
Sports Dietitian
puresportsmed.com
03447 700 800