Recover correctly 3:1

Muscle recovery is essential for any athlete or active person looking to improve performance and prevent injuries. This biological process allows muscles to repair and strengthen after the physical stress caused by exercise.

After a workout, you feel fatigued and your performance capacity is low. In the hours and days following the workout, you "recover," and your performance capacity returns to normal (and may even improve).

The length of time this process takes depends on many factors including, of course, how hard your workout was and your previous muscle glycogen stores (glycogen guide) .

General hydration and nutrition for post-workout muscle recovery

Hydration and nutrition play a critical role in muscle recovery . Fluid loss during exercise can lead to dehydration, negatively impacting muscle function and recovery.

It is essential to replace lost fluids to facilitate the metabolic processes involved in muscle repair.

The National Association of Sports Nutritionists recommends consuming 15 to 20 ounces (approximately 450 to 600 ml) of water at least two hours before exercise, followed by 8 to 10 ounces (approximately 240 to 300 ml) every 15 minutes during exercise, and replacing 150% of lost body weight in fluids after exercise for optimal recovery.

On the other hand, the “anabolic window” refers to the short period after training when the body is most receptive to nutrients for protein synthesis and muscle recovery .

Consuming a combination of protein and carbohydrates during this window can accelerate muscle recovery by increasing the rate of muscle protein synthesis and replenishing glycogen stores, which we'll explain in more detail below.

An optimal ratio is to consume 20 to 25 grams of high-quality protein, such as whey, along with 40 to 60 grams of fast-absorbing carbohydrates, such as fruit or a protein shake, to support muscle and energy recovery .

Acute recovery (first 6-8 hours)

When we only have a few hours for muscle recovery before our next workout and want to be as prepared as possible, there are several methods we can use to optimize that muscle recovery in the available timeframe.

Nutrition plays an important role, but there are also other methods such as cold water immersion (ice bath), contrast water therapy (intermittent cold water and hot water, usually 1 minute each for about 15 minutes), massage, stretching and use of compression garments(1,2,3).

Additionally, there is a large psychological component that must be properly addressed to ensure another strong performance can be achieved a few hours later(4). Some methods have more evidence than others, but it is beyond the scope of this guide to discuss those methods. Here we will focus on nutrition .

Nutritional strategies for muscle recovery

During the exercise session, the athlete may have become dehydrated, depleted glycogen, and felt sore. Nutritional strategies can address any of these issues.

It is recommended to begin exercise in a state of euhydration (sufficient fluid intake, neither too much nor too little)(5,6). The best measure of this is probably body weight.

If you have regular body weight measurements over a longer period of time, you will know what a normal hydrated weight is.

To maintain hydration after exercise , it is often recommended to consume 120–150% of the fluids per kilogram lost within 4–5 hours of exercise. In other words, you would need to drink 600 ml/h (for 4–5 hours) for every 2 kg (lost)(7,8,9).

If you'd like to learn more about how to calculate your rate and what tools you can use to find out, here's a link to our hydration and dehydration rate guide .

To maintain hydration after exercise, it is often recommended to consume 120%–150% of the fluids you lost within 5 hours of exercise.

This recommendation is based on the fact that if you drink fluids quickly, this will stimulate urine production and not retain all the necessary fluid. Adding sodium can also help with retention.

This sodium can come from a drink such as a recovery drink along with the necessary carbohydrates, proteins and salts, such as our Glycogen recovery drink , or from the foods you eat in the hours after exercise, if it has not been very exhausting. (10,11)

Such an aggressive hydration strategy for muscle recovery is only necessary when large amounts of fluid have been lost and another workout is scheduled a few hours later.

*In weight-class sports with weigh-ins , these strategies can be crucial.

Glycogen

If you'd like to learn more about glycogen , we have several guides that will help you learn how, how much, and why to recover. ( a guide to glycogen storage, a guide to glycogen recovery in stages , and a guide to glycogen threshold levels .)

During most activities, both muscle and liver glycogen are used. Glycogen stores are important because, below a critical level, they are associated with poor performance, especially at higher intensities.

Very little muscle glycogen is resynthesized in a 2-hour window. This is because ingested carbohydrates are preferentially stored in the liver. When glucose is absorbed, it will first enter the liver and can be stored or transferred to other tissues.

Initially, most of it will be stored, and as the liver's glycogen stores fill up, more glucose is transferred to other tissues (muscle).

The complete synthesis of muscle glycogen will take 24 hours and sometimes longer, especially when there is muscle damage or carbohydrate intake is modest.

Within a 4- to 6-hour window, carbohydrate ingestion can result in significant elevations in muscle glycogen, and in several (but not all) studies this has resulted in improved endurance performance on the second bout of exercise.

How to achieve muscle glycogen synthesis?

To achieve muscle glycogen synthesis , carbohydrate intake is essential. The usual recommendation is 1.2 g/kg/h for 3–4 hours after exercise to maximize glycogen synthesis.

Regarding the recommended amount of CHO for glycogen replenishment, van Loon et al. (10) showed that the intake of 1.2 g/kg/hour of CHO resulted in a 150% greater glycogen resynthesis (from 17 to 45 mmol/kg dm/h) in relation to a lower dose of 0.8 g/kg/hour.

In searching for the optimal amount in this regard, Howarth et al (12) showed that the ingestion of 1.6 g/kg/hour did not stimulate further glycogen resynthesis. Thus, they considered that the recommended amount of post-exercise CHO will be around 1.0-1.2 g/kg/hour within the first hour after cessation of exercise and will continue with an intake of 1.0-1.2 g/kg/h every 4-6 hours or until resuming regular meals (2).

As for the ratio, you should consume 2:1 maltodextrin/fructose as explained in the guide ( stage races and how glycogen is stored ) to fill not only the muscle level but also 100% of all the glycogen stores in the body. (13,14)

Regarding muscle soreness, there are several strategies to reduce it. There are suggestions that antioxidants may help, tart cherry juice has been proposed as a strategy, and protein has also been suggested. There is some evidence for all of these. Although protein, along with adequate carbohydrates, is the primary focus when it comes to muscle recovery.

Why protein in muscle recovery?

The use of protein is fully established in the muscle recovery process . Just look at any athlete in their daily routine drinking their protein or "Recovery" shake, or the options the industry has prepared based on protein-rich products designed solely for post-workout.

This is so universal that it seems crazy to reconsider it. But (let's be critical), from the perspective of glycogen resynthesis , is protein absolutely necessary?

To understand this section, let's differentiate between the possible effects of protein on two muscle recovery processes.

Protein synthesis

On the one hand, there is protein synthesis, something that is undoubtedly essential for the regeneration of structures damaged during exercise (15) and for the long-term adaptation process of the athlete:

Protein synthesis is a long process that cannot be completed in a few hours. This protein synthesis, therefore, has little significance in short-term muscle recovery , since it is unlikely that damaged structures can be restored in just a few hours.

If we look at the long term, protein will be a key ingredient in recovery.

Glycogen resynthesis

And on the other hand, our great concern of this entry, the short-term glycogen resynthesis .

Protein has no (or very little) effect on glycogen resynthesis as long as an adequate amount of carbohydrate is available (around 1-1.2 g carbohydrate/kg of body weight). It is estimated that when there is less than 0.8 g of carbohydrate/kg of body weight, protein aids in this glycogen synthesis.

Whey protein isolate , for example, has an insulin-stimulating effect that has been used to support its use after exercise(16). However, compared to the sugar combination discussed above, this effect is not significant for either anabolism or glycogen resynthesis.

Protein can slow gastric emptying, which is essential for rapid muscle recovery . Therefore, 2:1 or 1:1 (carbohydrate:protein) or 0:1 (protein only) combinations have no benefit when it comes to glycogen restoration. In other words, they represent incomplete recovery.

The effect of various insulinotropic amino acids and their anabolic effects on glycogen resynthesis has been studied, but no beneficial results have been observed. Currently, the true effect these amino acids have on muscle recovery is unknown.

Muscle Recovery: Athlete Priorities

Therefore, when it comes to recovering and optimizing glycogen replenishment , we must be very clear about the athlete's priorities.

Short-term recovery: Rehydration and rapid carbohydrate intake are key. Protein intake can be neglected if you're competing in a short time and your main goal is glycogen replenishment.
Medium- to long-term recovery: Aside from hydration and substrate refueling, protein intake is essential for protein synthesis and muscle recovery. However, the order of intake may also depend on priorities. During a Tour de France, for example, both a quick protein intake and a later protein intake may be of interest, depending on the availability of substrates and the possibility of ingesting protein while cycling, for example.

So how do I get my muscle back?

Therefore, once we understand the context of the most effective and rapid “refilling” of muscle and liver glycogen, we add the following practical proposal for muscle recovery :

Short-term muscle recovery (0-8 h): Absolute priority is given to carbohydrate intake, as soon as possible, in an amount of 1-1.2 g carbohydrate/kg/hour with a combination of sugars (maltodextrin + fructose) in a minimum ratio of 2:1. Frequent (every 15-30 minutes) and small intakes.

The following table indicates how the recommended dosage of Fanté GLYCOGEN varies according to body weight. The heavier you are, the more you'll need, because larger individuals can store larger amounts of glycogen and essentially have more muscle mass to repair and replenish.

As you'll see, this usage mode is exclusive to Fanté GLYCOGEN . There's no similar product available, and it's not recommended for any other recovery product on the market. If you'd like to learn more, we recommend checking out the usage modes for our Fanté products based on intensity and duration.