How to Speed Recovery With Nutrition & Supplementation for Exercise

Although some people believe that working out alone will lead to increases in size and strength, the truth of the matter is that a workout is only the catalyst for improving your physical condition--the other half of the battle takes place in the kitchen. Without adequate nutrients for your body to use (obtained through diet and supplementation), you will be unable to maximize your physical potential, as the body will have insufficient means to repair the damage that you have caused through training.

Instructions

Improving Recovery

• 1

  Eat a meal containing carbohydrates and protein about an hour before training, then again immediately after. Your body requires a lot of quick energy to prepare itself for a hard training session, and then another dose of fast energy afterward to help begin the repair process. Thus, you should always make it a point to consume fast-digesting carbs and protein both before and after your regular workouts. Two easy meals that fulfill this objective are protein powder mixed with milk and berries or chicken and white or brown rice.

• 2

  Consume an adequate number of calories throughout the day to stimulate recovery. Working out damages the muscle, and your body requires a large supply of raw materials to repair that damage. Thus, unless you fuel yourself with adequate calories throughout the entire day you will be unable to recover at your maximum potential. This means eating between 0.5g and 0.8g of protein (the building block of muscle) for every pound you weigh, along with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and natural fats. You should aim to eat a small meal every two to three hours to help your body recover.

• 3

  Consider taking scientifically proven supplements like creatine to help promote muscle recovery. Creatine is one of the most widely studied supplements in history. According to an article from NutraReasearch.com, creatine has been the subject of more than 400 studies in the last decade alone. One study published in the October 2001 issue of the Journal of Physiology concluded that creatine can help accelerate the body's natural recovery abilities for muscles. Thus, aim to take five grams or so per day while training to help increase your recovery ability.