What we consume after exercising is vital for our body. Therefore, post – workout nutrition has to be well balanced so our body can get the nutrients needed to repair impaired muscles (and build bigger/stronger muscles during hypertrophy phase). Besides, post workout nutrition helps our body refuel the glycogen and water loss during exercise. This process will help to keep our body hydrated and prepare for the next session of exercise.

30 minutes post exercising is the best ‘window’ for our muscles to ingest protein intake. Please have high protein, high carbohydrate, and low fat at this time. The best choice for post workout nutrition are dairy products such as milk, yogurt, smoothie or protein powder as it is the most convenient form of protein and can easily be digested. After 2 to 3 hours, you can have complete meal with high carbohydrate, moderate protein and low in fat for better recovery (e.g: chicken rice, pasta or mee kari).

With consuming high carbohydrate meal after exercising, studies have shown that it is better for protein synthesis up to 2 – 3 times rather than consuming protein alone after working out. Many assume consuming meals after working out is only for muscle recovery. In contrary, post workout meals is actually one of many methods to prepare our body for back to back performance during competition.