Nutrition to aid training recovery

Any exercise is carried out to achieve optimal physiological adaptation from the functional overload of the exercise stimulus (over loading the muscles) This is true for elite athletes, recreational sport participants, and us, the general population, trying to improve or maintain our health; An example of this is strength training for the prevention of sarcopenia (loss of muscle mass and strength) in the elderly(Millard-Stafford, Childers, Conger, Kampfer & Rahnert, 2008)

To maximize adaptation after exercise ,post nutritional interventions are important. Large amounts of research has taken place to discover optimal regimes and consumption times to discover maximizing training adaptation. Nutritional post-exercise interventions and regimes can also aid in speeding up recover from exercise.

Traditionally nutritional practices state that the consumption carbohydrate (CHO)immediately after endurance training is a priority to restore muscle glycogen (glucose stored in the muscle used for energy) effectively and to improve the aftermath effects of the training(Millard-Stafford, Childers, Conger, Kampfer & Rahnert, 2008)

As well as replenishing muscle glycogen, there are other post-exercise nutritional regimes that have been examined. The main ones discussing the effect of restoring bodily fluids and stimulating protein synthesis (Millard-Stafford, Childers, Conger, Kampfer & Rahnert, 2008). Consuming water after training to avoid dehydration is a priority. Resistance exercise (strength training) should be followed by leucine-rich protein(such as chicken beef, pork, milk, cheese ,tuna or eggs) immediately after training. This will maximize leucine uptake and protein synthesis  (which may assist with the healing skin and bone and can increase muscle growth and lean body mass). (Baar ,2014).

Protein on rest days ( days with no training) is great for muscle repair(Jäger et al., 2017). Strength training 3+ times a week mean that your muscles are essentially in a constant state of breakdown and rebuilding. The current Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for healthy individuals is 0.8 g/kg/day. Increasing amounts of evidence show that a protein intake of unto 1.4–1.6 g/kg/day would be more appropriate for active individuals especially those looking to optimize training adaptations(Cintineo, Arent, Antonio & Arent, 2018). This larger protein source can come from many things such as lean meats,eggs, cottage cheese and shakes.

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