Fuel Up and Recover: Mastering Workout Nutrition for Peak Performance

As a performance physical therapist, I often get questions about how to properly fuel workouts and recover afterward. Nutrition plays a pivotal role in supporting your training goals, optimizing performance, and ensuring proper recovery. In this blog, we’ll explore the science behind pre- and post-workout nutrition, focusing on the role of carbohydrates, proteins, and other key nutrients.

The Science of Pre-Workout Nutrition

Your body needs energy to perform at its best during exercise. Carbohydrates are the primary source of fuel for your muscles, as they are broken down into glucose and stored as glycogen in your muscles and liver. During exercise, carbohydrates help maintain blood sugar levels, ensuring a steady supply of energy to both your muscles and brain. This is especially important for prolonged or high-intensity workouts, where glycogen stores are rapidly depleted. Without adequate carbohydrate intake, your body may struggle to sustain endurance, leading to premature fatigue and reduced performance. When you exercise, your body taps into these glycogen stores to power your activity.

If your glycogen levels are low, you’re likely to experience fatigue, reduced performance, and even muscle breakdown. For high-intensity workouts, glycogen is the primary energy source, and its depletion can result in a significant drop in power output and endurance. In contrast, during endurance activities, glycogen depletion often leads to a phenomenon known as “hitting the wall,” where performance drastically declines as the body switches to less efficient fat metabolism for energy. Consuming a pre-workout meal or snack rich in carbohydrates ensures your glycogen stores are replenished and ready to meet the demands of your workout. Including a small amount of protein can also help stabilize blood sugar and begin muscle repair.

Easy Pre-Workout Snacks

Here are five simple and effective pre-workout snacks:

1. Banana with Nut Butter
   A quick and portable option, bananas provide fast-digesting carbs, while nut butter adds a small amount of fat and protein for sustained energy. **Pro tip: Adding a sprinkle of cinnamon will help to stabilize blood sugar levels. This is a personal favorite of mine for a quick energy boost right before a workout.
2. Oatmeal with Honey and Berries
   Oats offer slow-releasing carbs, and honey adds quick energy. Berries are packed with antioxidants to combat exercise-induced oxidative stress.
3. Greek Yogurt with Granola
   Greek yogurt supplies protein, while granola offers a mix of fast- and slow-digesting carbs.
4. Rice Cake with Nut Butter and Fruit Slices
   This combination is light, easily digestible, and provides a perfect balance of carbs and protein.
5. Fruit Smoothie
   Blend frozen fruits like mango or pineapple with a splash of orange juice and a scoop of protein powder for a refreshing pre-workout option.

The Science of Post-Workout Nutrition

Post-workout nutrition is all about recovery and rebuilding. During exercise, your muscles use glycogen for energy, and activity will create micro-tears in your muscle fibers. Consuming a combination of carbohydrates and protein after your workout helps:

• Replenish Glycogen Stores: Carbs restore the energy reserves depleted during exercise.
• Stimulate Muscle Repair and Growth: Protein provides the amino acids necessary for repairing and rebuilding muscle tissue.
• Reduce Muscle Soreness: Proper post-workout nutrition can minimize delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).

For best results, aim to consume your post-workout meal or snack within 30-60 minutes of finishing your workout, when your body is most efficient at absorbing nutrients. Try to consume high quality protein, between 15-40 grams, close to the higher end based on the increased intensity of your exercise.

Easy Post-Workout Meals and Snacks

Here are five simple post-workout options:

1. Grilled Chicken with Sweet Potato
   A classic recovery meal, chicken provides lean protein, and sweet potatoes replenish glycogen stores with complex carbs.
2. Protein Shake with Banana
   A quick and convenient option, blend a scoop of whey or plant-based protein with a banana and your choice of milk or water.
   
   I typically recommend whole foods over protein powder, however you can’t beat the convenience of a protein shake. If you go this route, it’s important to select a high quality protein powder. I always struggled to find a protein powder that wasn’t full of ingredients I couldn’t pronounce and artificial flavors and sweeteners. I also struggled to find a protein powder that was easily digestible. I have recently discovered Earth Fed Muscle protein. Its main ingredient is grass fed whey protein and has one of the shortest lists of ingredients I have come across. Bonus points, it digests well! They have a range of flavors including vanilla, strawberry and chocolate peanut butter. The strawberry tasted like a fresh fruit smoothie, which makes sense since it is flavored with freeze dried strawberry powder.
   
   
3. Turkey Wrap with Whole Grain Tortilla
   Turkey is a great source of lean protein, and the whole grain tortilla offers fiber and carbs for recovery.
4. Cottage Cheese with Pineapple
   Cottage cheese is rich in casein protein, which digests slowly, and pineapple adds natural sugars and anti-inflammatory properties.
5. Eggs on Whole Grain Toast
   Eggs provide high-quality protein, while whole grain toast supplies fiber and replenishes glycogen stores

    

   Final Thoughts

   Whether you’re preparing for a high-intensity CrossFit session, a heavy lifting day, or a long run, fueling your body with the right nutrients is essential. Pre-workout meals ensure you have the energy to perform at your peak, while post-workout nutrition supports recovery and muscle growth. By prioritizing these simple but effective nutrition strategies, you’ll set yourself up for success both in and out of the gym.

   
   

   In good health,

   Dr. Eliza Cohen

   Performance Physical Therapist + Wellness Consultant

   Wilmington, NC 

   Follow here for more performance and nutrition tips: @conquermovementpt  @doctor_cohen14