You need to eat immediately after training, preferably in the first 20 minutes. If you abstain from food for 2 hours after the end of the workout, then the workout loses all meaning – as a result, NOTHING IS TRAINING, fat will be burned a little and that’s it, but there will be no increase in strength, muscle density, harmony and metabolic rate. In the first 20 minutes after a workout, the so-called post-workout (anabolic) window is opened in the body for the consumption of proteins and carbohydrates (but not fats). Everything that will be eaten during this period will go to muscle recovery and muscle growth, not a single calorie from food will go to fat. It is very important.

Post-workout carbohydrates are best consumed in liquid form from simple, high-glycemic sources. You need to achieve a spike in insulin levels, with its anabolic and anti-catabolic properties. Cranberry and grape juice are considered the best because they have a high ratio of glucose to fructose in their carbohydrate profile. Consume approximately 1g of carbs from juice for every pound of IDEAL weight. A glass of grape juice contains 38 g of carbohydrates (155 kcal), while a glass of cranberry juice contains 31 g of carbohydrates (115 kcal). You can also eat any carbohydrate food that does not contain fat (bread, jam, sugar, potatoes, rice, pasta, fruits, vegetables, etc.).

In addition, immediately after training, you need to load up on proteins. Best in powdered protein drink form. In this way, protein synthesis in muscles after training will increase three times (compared to starvation). So take a bottle of protein powder and juice shake with you if you’re exercising outside the home, and drink it all at once as soon as you stop exercising. The amount of protein from the powder should be 0.55g per kilogram of ideal weight. If you can’t drink protein shakes for some reason, rely on egg whites. If it is possible to eat within an hour after a workout, then choose any protein food, just calculate the right amount of protein.

Since post-workout nutrition has only one important goal – to contribute to the growth of muscle mass as quickly and efficiently as possible, then fat should not be contained in this meal at all. Fat in food will slow down the passage of carbohydrates and proteins from the stomach into the blood. Protein food should be lean, i.e. if chicken – then breasts, not legs. If the eggs it’s just proteins. Beef and pork should be avoided as they are always very fatty, prefer veal. You also need to be careful with cheese, milk, yogurt and cottage cheese – as a rule, they contain at least 5% fat. The only exception is fatty fish (not fried!). It can and should be eaten as often as possible.

After training, within two hours, it is desirable to exclude everything that contains caffeine: coffee, tea, cocoa and everything “chocolate” (even protein powders with chocolate flavor). This is because caffeine interferes with insulin and thus prevents your body from reloading glycogen into the muscles and liver and using protein for muscle repair. So if you train in the morning, endure 2 hours, and only then drink real strong coffee. A cup of coffee before a workout should help you stay alert and energized. If you can’t give up coffee or tea at all, choose their decafinized counterparts.

Do not train in vain – squeeze the maximum effect from the minimum cost by optimizing nutrition before, during and after training!