After a tough workout, your muscles feel heavy, sometimes stiff, and are often even more sore the next day. That’s all part of training: you put strain on your muscle fibres, and afterwards your body is busy adapting and rebuilding. How smoothly this process goes depends on many factors, such as sleep, how intensely you train and what you eat. Nutrition is one of these, and it’s the factor you have the most control over.
This article looks specifically at the nutritional angle: which nutrients your body uses after exercise, roughly how much protein you need, and where magnesium and vitamin C fit in – and where they don’t. No hype, just a clear overview.
What happens to your muscles after a strenuous workout?
During an intensive workout, you put strain on your muscle fibres and use up energy stored as glycogen. Afterwards, your body switches to recovery and adaptation: it replenishes its energy stores and uses amino acids from protein as building blocks for your muscle tissue. Nutrition provides precisely those building blocks and that energy.
A persistent misconception is that the muscle soreness you feel the next day is caused by ‘acid build-up’. The lactate produced during exercise is usually cleared from the body within an hour. The soreness you notice the next day or two days later (delayed-onset muscle soreness) is linked to tiny micro-tears and the adaptation process in your muscles, not to lactic acid that has lingered. So, diet doesn’t eliminate this ‘acid build-up’, but it does provide the building blocks your body needs to continue its work.
What’s good for muscle recovery in terms of nutrition?
No single food does the job on its own. The basics are simple: enough protein spread throughout the day, sufficient energy from carbohydrates, and plenty of fluids and minerals. In short, it comes down to three things, which we’ll go through one by one below: protein for the building blocks, carbohydrates for energy reserves, and minerals such as magnesium.
How much protein do you need after exercise?
Protein contributes to a growth in muscle mass. Protein contributes to the maintenance of muscle mass. Anyone who trains regularly and intensively generally needs more protein than someone who is less active.
The exact amount depends on your weight, your training volume and your goal. In ‘How much protein do you need per day?’, we work out the full guidelines based on body weight. More important than the exact amount in a single meal is that you spread your protein intake throughout the day, including a portion with every meal. A few practical sources:
| Source | Details |
|---|---|
| Chicken, lean beef | Complete protein; beef also provides iron, zinc and B vitamins |
| Fish (salmon, tuna, cod) | High in protein; oily fish also provides omega-3 fatty acids |
| Eggs | High-quality protein, plus vitamin D |
| Quark and cottage cheese | Dairy products high in casein |
| Pulses (lentils, chickpeas, beans) | Plant-based protein; also a source of iron |
| Protein powder (whey protein, casein, vegan) | A practical supplement |
If you’re struggling to get enough protein from your regular diet, protein powder is a handy supplement. Whey protein is often taken after exercise because it is digested quickly; casein is digested more slowly, over several hours, and is therefore well suited as the last protein of the day. You can read about how to balance your protein, carbohydrates and fat in ‘Counting macros’.
What does magnesium do for your muscles?
Magnesium contributes to normal muscle function. Magnesium contributes to normal protein synthesis. Magnesium contributes to a reduction of tiredness and fatigue. Magnesium contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism.
You’ll find magnesium in wholemeal products, nuts, pulses and green leafy vegetables. If you exercise frequently and intensively, make sure you’re getting enough. If you’d like to know more about the different forms and their bioavailability, read about what magnesium does for your body. If you’re not getting the recommended amount from your diet, a magnesium glycinate (bisglycinate) supplement such as our vegan magnesium can help.
Do you need vitamin C for your muscles?
Vitamin C contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress. Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of skin. There’s no recognised claim that vitamin C repairs muscle tissue.
Vitamin C increases iron absorption. This is useful if you eat plenty of plant-based protein sources. You can get vitamin C from citrus fruits, peppers, spinach and other fruit and vegetables. If you eat a varied diet, you’ll often get enough from your food. As a supplement, we offer a certified organic vitamin C from acerola with no unnecessary additives.
Should you eat carbohydrates after exercising?
Yes. During intense exercise, you use up glycogen – the form in which your body stores carbohydrates in your muscles and liver. Carbohydrates after exercise replenish those stores.
Opt for wholefood sources such as porridge, rice, potatoes, fruit and pulses, rather than lots of free sugars. You can read about why this makes a difference in ‘Are you eating too much sugar?’. A combination of carbohydrates and protein after your workout replenishes both your energy stores and your building blocks.
Frequently asked questions
What’s the best thing to eat straight after exercise?
A meal or shake containing both protein and carbohydrates is a logical choice: the protein provides the building blocks, while the carbohydrates replenish your glycogen stores. Think of quark with fruit, porridge, or a protein shake with a banana. The exact timing is less important than was previously thought; what matters more is that you consume enough throughout the day.
Do supplements help with muscle recovery?
Supplements are a complement to, not a substitute for, a healthy diet. They are particularly useful for making it easier to get your protein, magnesium or vitamin C if you’re unable to obtain them from food alone. For strength athletes, there’s also creatine: Creatine increases physical performance in successive bursts of short-term, high intensity exercise, at a daily intake of 3 grams. This is a performance-enhancing effect, not a promise of faster recovery. Want to know more about how creatine works? Take a look at our creatine monohydrate.
Is muscle soreness the same as lactic acid build-up?
No. The build-up of lactate occurs during the exercise itself and subsides fairly quickly afterwards. The muscle soreness you feel a day later is delayed-onset muscle soreness and is linked to the adaptation process in your muscles. Sufficient protein, fluids and rest give your body the building blocks and the time it needs for this process.
How much protein is too much?
More protein isn’t automatically better; above a certain amount, your body simply uses the excess as energy. You can find out what a realistic upper limit is and how to calculate your own requirements in ‘How much protein do you need per day?’.
Build up gradually with the right building blocks
Good post-workout nutrition isn’t a complicated formula: enough protein, complex carbohydrates, sufficient fluids and minerals. If you want to make it easier to meet your protein intake, Ekopura offers clean-label whey protein, casein and vegan protein powders, plus magnesium and vitamin C without any unnecessary additives. That way, you know exactly what you’re consuming.
