But what if you dont have the perfect post-workout meal lined up?
Is your workout wasted?
There isno such thing as wasting a workout.
I literally cannot imagine a way to cancel out the effects of a workout.
Strength training triggers an uptick in muscle protein synthesis (MPS), and so does eating protein.
Nutritional research can be a bit weird because its trying to separate out the effects of different factors.
Total daily protein intake is by far the most important factor in promoting exercise-induced muscle development.
No special shakes needed.
There are a few other factors, too, but well get to those.
The issue here is glycogen, our bodys storage for carbohydrates.
We use glucose to fuel high-intensity training, and to supplement fat burning in low intensity training.
In other words, blood sugar is your fuel.
But our muscles each have their own store of glycogen, which is a storage form of carbohydrates.
When youre running low on glycogenandyou have low blood sugar, you’re free to feel fatigued.
Its also why powerlifters bring candy to the gym.
Anything sugary or starchy will do.
But if you dont replenish your glycogen right away, what happens?
Heres the good news: It gets replenished anyway as you eat your normal meals throughout the day.
The post-workout meal is a shortcut, not a one-time-only opportunity.
So should you replenish glycogen after a workout?
The rest of us dont need to worry about it as much.
If you dont have healthy options, it better to eat junk food or nothing?
Being tasty does not mean its automatically unhealthy.
(There is nothing special about it otherwise.)
Whether the food is healthy doesnt really enter into it, performance wise.
You should still eat your vegetables, but they can wait until another meal.
