Best Foods For Muscle Recovery

Working out can test your limits and deplete your body of essential nutrients and hydration. After pushing yourself, you deserve a meal that will give you energy, and enrich your body. Athletes know that using food as a way to bounce back after a workout is essential, and you should too. 

That’s why it’s critical to know the best foods for muscle recovery and regeneration, so you can get back to it as soon as possible. Incorporating protein supplements like Built Bars can provide the essential protein and nutrients needed to fuel your recovery and keep you moving.

Top Qualities of the Best Foods for Muscle Recovery

When you’re looking for the best foods for muscle recovery what comes to mind first? For some, a snack or meal that has protein can be number one. Although protein does play a role, there are other aspects to consider that you may not have.  

Selecting a snack or meal that contains essential vitamins and minerals can help with the other potential negative side effects of a workout. Prioritizing joint and bone health is important, as is rehydration. You could also prioritize anti-inflammatory ingredients or carbohydrates for energy and conversion. Focusing on a balanced, nutritionally dense post-workout recovery meal that addresses all parts of your body is sure to yield positive high potency results. 

However, to prioritize gains, planning your recovery meal or snack should focus on a few components. These are glycogen stores, proteins, and amino acids. They are the most effective ways to ensure that your muscles grow and that you maintain your energy levels post-workout. Let’s explore the importance of nutrition and examine these major players in a little more detail.

Importance of Nutrition for Muscle Recovery 

Some of you may say that proper nutrition is not that important in muscle repair. But you couldn’t be more wrong. When exercising, we use our bodies in extreme ways. You sweat, you burn calories, your muscles tear to grow, and your joints dampen the impact of your movements. Just like driving a car uses up gas, exercising uses up our body's natural stores of energy and nutrients.

Whatever you use up, you should seek to put back in. Doing so allows your body to run more smoothly. Consider the car example: What happens when you don’t put gas in? It damages the engine. By not refueling your body, you can cause damage to the vital systems just the same.

When building muscle, your body needs energy to power cell reproduction and protein to repair itself. If you neglect to provide your body with these needed components, you won’t be able to achieve the muscular development you want. Good muscle development and productive utilization of body fat depend on the nutrition you give your body.

Moreover, using your body's store of energy at the gym can leave you feeling sluggish for the rest of the day. This phenomenon is a ‘fitness hangover’. and unsurprisingly, most of us would prefer to avoid it. No one likes the soreness and lethargy associated with it. Good news for you: you can, but only if you prioritize recovery.

Glycogen Stores and Muscle Growth

Glycogen is the chemical that your body stores after eating carbohydrates. This chemical is present in cells in your kidney, liver, brain, heart, bloodstream, and muscles. Your body uses glycogen to regulate glucose levels and produce energy. Scientists discovered the link between blood glucose concentration and fatigue, and since then, carbohydrates have played an essential role in the conversation about exercise. 

In addition to energy, glycogen is essential for muscle growth. Your body primarily stores glycogen in the muscles, so a surplus of glycogen can make muscles appear fuller. Getting a pump in the gym can be a result of abundant glycogen. It’s also the reason bodybuilders carboload before competitions.

Most of us know carbohydrates come from foods like bread and potatoes. But, when it comes to recovery, not just any carbohydrate will do. What you want is complex carbohydrates. Some examples of complex carbs are oats, whole grains, quinoa, beans, and fruit. Complex carbohydrates have a longer cellular structure and contain not only vital glucose but also vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

The addition of fiber and vitamins makes these sources of carbs better for you as they have additional benefits for your body. The fiber helps you with regularity and prevents extra fat retention. Prioritizing complex carbs and avoiding processed products that contain refined sugars ensures you get the best nutrients possible.

Protein as the Building Blocks of Muscle Tissue

Everyone knows that protein is important for building muscle. Protein plays a key role in regulating cellular repair, which is a big factor in the toning and development of your physique. The importance of this nutrient can’t be understated: our bodies are made up of 20% protein, and there is protein present in every single cell. 

When working out, your body needs energy and support to rebuild the muscles that you are working on. It’s for this reason you should prioritize at least one form of protein post-workout. Some examples of protein-rich foods include meat products like chicken and fish, nuts, eggs, and Greek yogurt.

Most people would prefer a simple, no-fuss alternative that is guaranteed to give them their protein fill. For optimal recovery, you can also try a protein bar or shake. Protein bars have pre-portioned amounts of protein, and they're easy to grab on the go. Just make sure whatever supplements you reach for are high quality and don’t contain sugars, fillers, or preservatives.

So, to recap, protein is essential for recovery and progression while building muscle. It’s a key component of our makeup, especially our muscles. Replenishing yourself with protein-rich foods after a workout in order to keep us running strong and feeling energized. As a rule of thumb, consuming carbs and protein in a 4:1 ratio yields the best recovery results.

Essential Amino Acids for Muscle Repair

The conversation about recovery essentials wouldn’t be complete without emphasizing the importance of essential amino acids. Amino acids are compounds that your body produces after consuming protein. Though there are roughly 20 different amino acids present in your body, there are only 9 that are essential. Ironically, your body does not produce these essential nutrients, and you can only obtain them through your diet. 

Amino acids also promote muscle protein synthesis. Our bodies are in an ongoing state of turnover, meaning we constantly discard and regrow our structure. The process of regrowth is muscle protein synthesis. While working out, we undergo catabolism or the breakdown of muscle, and then the anabolic process of rebuilding it. Amino acids minimize catabolism while aiding in optimal anabolic efficiency.

There are significant impacts to this process depending on exercise and dietary factors. Normally, our bodies would regenerate without changing our muscle structure, however, if you work out, your muscles will grow back stronger than before. With this in mind, amino acids become even more important, as they are the fuel for this increase in muscle mass.

You can get the essential amino acids your body needs from a number of dietary sources. Many of these sources overlap with protein-rich foods since amino acids primarily exist in protein-dense areas like muscles. It follows that animal products like lean meat, eggs, and dairy all contain amino acids. Don’t despair, plant-based folks, as tofu, quinoa, tempeh, and beans also provide rich and dynamic sources of amino acids. 

Amino acids are essential when exercising, but they are just generally good for you. They help your body tap into fat reserves which can further contribute to your fitness goals. They also increase your endurance. There are even benefits for your brain, as amino acids contribute to lower levels of cognitive decline and memory disease.

Finding the Best Ways to Eat Well for Muscle Recovery