30-Minute Countdown: The Post-Workout Snack

Capt_Apollo

saw this on a triathlon site. thoughts?

Refuel during the post-workout recovery window to supercharge your next session.

It’s easy to do—drive to meet a group for a hard workout, spend several minutes chatting afterward, then by the time you make it home to choke down a protein shake, you’ve already missed your chance for optimal refueling. The first few minutes after a workout are critical for replenishing your glycogen stores and repairing your muscles—missing out could hurt the quality of your next workout.

How it works:
The 30 (and some research says up to 45) minutes immediately following a workout has shown to be the time frame that the body can best absorb carbohydrates and protein. After a workout, “your muscles are torn, you’ve used up a lot of your stored carbohydrate or glycogen,” Dallas-based sports dietitian Christina Strudwick says. “Nutrients can enter them a lot easier in that window.” Also that brief timeframe is when levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, are increased and your body’s in a state of tension—“taking that nutrition is what begins to reverse that.” It’s especially critical, she says, if you’re exercising more than 60 minutes, if you’re doing two-a-day workouts (almost unavoidable in triathlon training), or if you have less than 12 hours between training sessions.

Fueling guidelines:
To best take advantage of the recovery window, you need to consume a meal or snack that has a ratio of three or four parts carbohydrate (to replenish glycogen stores, which is what fueled your workout) to one part protein (to repair torn muscle). Ideally, she says, you should be getting about 70–100 grams of carbs, and 20–25 grams of protein (any more protein and your body won’t be able to effectively use it). There’s also a second window—about 2–3 hours after your workout—when you should get in a second snack or meal with a similar carb-to-protein ratio. “After those two refueling times, that’s when you’ve really [nutritionally] recovered from a hard workout,” she says.

Back-up plan:
What if you missed the window? “You still want to get something in as soon as you can,” Strudwick says. Put something in the car for such situations—a small bar, a piece of fruit, a hard-boiled egg, a bottle of chocolate milk or some nuts. You could also start by at least rehydrating—whether it’s water or a sports drink. “Any of those things—sports drink, fruit, a small bar—would start the healing process,” she says.

Natural Nutrition
Powdered sports drinks aren’t the only way to consume the optimal proportion of nutrients. Dietitian Christina Strudwick recommends these whole-food snacks and meals—each of them meets the ideal 3:1 or 4:1 carb-to-protein ratio—for post-workout refueling.

Smoothie: Greek yogurt + fruit (such as berries and banana) + a little 100 percent juice + spinach

Breakfast tacos: Whole-wheat tortillas + eggs + 2 percent cheese + a little avocado + (on the side) banana or other fruit

PB&B sandwich: Whole-grain bread + peanut butter + banana + (optional) honey

Breakfast sandwich: Whole-wheat English muffin + egg + 2 percent cheese + (on the side) low-fat milk and fruit

Oatmeal bowl: Oats + tablespoon of peanut or almond butter + banana + (on the side) 1–2 eggs

Greek yogurt + fruit

16 ounces low-fat chocolate milk

Simple smoothie: Low-fat milk + fruit

Got chocolate milk?
Corroborating the hype surrounding chocolate milk as a recovery tool, Strudwick says it’s in fact a great recovery choice. “It fits that ratio of three or four parts carbohydrate to one part protein pretty perfectly,” she says. Also, it contains leucine, which is one of the amino acids that’s been shown to best help muscles recover post-workout. Just make sure you go low-fat, she says—whole milk has too much fat and could hinder your recovery.

Read more at http://triathlon.competitor.com/2014/06/nutrition/30-minute-countdown-post-workout-snack_100415#PTyLTuxplpsYfx95.99

EvgeniZyntx

recovery windows are overrated -- apparent 24hr and multiday studies show different results. But, having said that, get your protein.

3dogsrunning

I am friends with a couple, both are doctors, who are both Ironman triathletes. One is a former pro and has placed in her age group in the World Championships for Ironman and Ironman 70.3.
They keep up to date on research and training. Their explanation of this to me was that the study on the benefits of meal timing - right after workout - was done on elite athletes. For the average person, meal timing is highly overrated. For those doing more than one intense workout a day, it is more relevent but not as important as this article seems to imply.

They also disagreed with chocolate milk for the most part, unless you are Mirinda Carfrae. :laugh:

heybales

For the aspect of max uptake of glycogen - I've noticed the difference.

And it benefits by having some protein there. 4:1 ratio.

And studies have shown a difference between 30 min and 2 hrs, and even longer, so benefit is shorter window.

If it's about the protein for lifting - no benefits.

But I really doubt an article in Triathlon mag is regarding lifting nutrient timing window for protein.

But it's really about the length of your workout and/or intensity - and are you doing another one tomorrow?
Doesn't really apply to recovery or short workout with rest day following.

If you burned through the carbs because of long duration or really intense workout, and another effort tomorrow - it's beneficial.

And I can burn through just as many carbs as elite athletes too - I just can't go as fast when I do it. My intense level is no where near theirs as far as pace or speed, but my ability to do multiple day workouts where I'd like them to be intense is.

Not really new info, been around a while.

Now what I do notice is the elite athletes get minor improvements from doing it better.

Do I get a better improvement since I've got more room for it?