Supplements to recover after training

After finishing an intense workout, your muscle fibers are damaged. They’re literally shredded because they’ve been pushed hard at the gym. Their glycogen stores are depleted, and the protein they’re made of has started breaking down.

The great news is that muscle fibers are in a receptive state, waiting to get the nutrients you give them to switch from a catabolic state to an anabolic state of recovery and muscle growth.

Once you wrap up your training, we recommend including most of these supplements:

Whey Protein

Whey protein quickly supplies the amino acids needed to rebuild muscle tissue damaged during intense and prolonged exercise. It can also boost water absorption in the intestines and improve muscle hydration.

Casein Protein

Research shows that while whey protein increases protein synthesis, adding casein extends the anabolic process and therefore boosts muscle tissue development. A good option is to look for a protein that combines whey with casein, or even add some casein to your whey shake.

Glutamine

It’s a conditionally essential amino acid, meaning under certain circumstances plasma levels drop, and if not replenished fairly quickly, some unfavorable processes like overtraining syndrome can happen. Plus, glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in our body and plays key physiological roles. So, to optimize Muscle Recovery, adding a dose of glutamine to your post-workout shake can help improve this situation after physical stress.

BCAA

BCAAs are the three branched-chain amino acids (L-Valine, L-Leucine, and L-Isoleucine). They’re the most important for muscle growth. According to recent scientific studies, L-Leucine is the key amino acid because it directly stimulates muscle protein synthesis. Leucine promotes muscle tissue growth and blocks catabolism (anti-catabolic effect). Supplementing with leucine is very effective alongside proper protein intake.

Fast-Digesting Carbohydrates

These are needed to quickly get to the muscles. The reason is that carb intake stimulates insulin production, which helps muscle glycogen production. Slow-digesting carbs like fruit or oats don’t quickly replenish glycogen stores, and if you’re an athlete with a high training volume, making sure your energy stores are well topped up will be crucial for your next training sessions.

Creatine

You need to keep creatine levels high in muscle tissue to have strength and energy. After training is the best time to boost creatine intake, especially when combined with fast-absorbing carbs.

Learn more about the combination of creatine and protein. Make the most of it.

Beta-Alanine

It’s an amino acid that’s proven to play a big role in maintaining muscle strength and endurance. Several studies show it enhances creatine’s benefits, including muscle growth.