There can be a real pressure to knock back a protein shake within minutes of finishing your workout. But are all those training gains ‘lost’ if you miss that 30 minute window?
The idea of a small “essential recovery window” right after exercise isn’t as clear-cut as it might seem. Much of the research on this comes from studies on athletes who trained without eating beforehand. In reality, the process that helps your muscles recover and adapt, called muscle protein synthesis (MPS), stays elevated for over 24 hours after your session. So, if you focus only on eating well immediately after training but then under-fuel or make less ideal choices later, you could be missing out on key opportunities to boost your performance.
So what do you need to do for recovery?
The urgency of the ‘window’ is actually more dependent on what you have eaten pre-session, your overall schedule and what sessions you have coming up. If you have gone into a session well-fed, then simply aiming for recovery within a couple of hours of finishing the session is fine – THEN remember to continue this recovery via your meals & snacks for the days to come.
However, if you:
- Are hungry; and/or
- Have gone into a session fasted and/or
- Struggle with getting adequate energy in and/or
- Have another session within the next 12hrs –
then getting a recovery snack/meal in within that 30-60min window becomes a lot more important.
As you can see, if you are someone who trains a few times per week – you are literally always in a state of building and recovering! Try to challenge the thought of recovery being only immediately after a session, and instead think of it as this continual goal for the days after your session. In your question wasn’t answered reach out to us Here.
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Unsure about how to optimise your own recovery?
If you’re unsure about how to fuel your recovery or feel stuck trying different approaches without results, we’re here to guide you. Our personalised support focuses on aligning your nutrition with your performance goals, whether that’s excelling in training, improving recovery, or reaching a new milestone. With access to your Dietitian through our dashboard and app, you’ll have ongoing guidance to help you build a sustainable plan that grows with you, ensuring you stay confident and ready to perform at your best.
Our app is free to download on either Apple or Android by searching ‘Compeat Nutrition’. Alternatively reach out to the Compeat team for more info
