Do I Need to Eat After an Intense Workout?

When you work out, your body requires extra energy to fuel your working muscles.

During exercise, your cardiac output increases, and your heart muscle needs extra energy to pump at a faster rate. Your skeletal muscles are also burning through a lot of extra energy as they contract and relax during your workout.

For these reasons, your energy expenditure dramatically increases during and after a workout. It is, therefore, essential that you refuel after an intense bout of exercise.

By refueling, you can replenish your lost energy (glycogen) stores and speed up muscle recovery. Many people question whether you need to eat a lot after a workout or not.

Many people struggle to eat a substantial meal right after the workout. They have to rush off to work, or they have other responsibilities that prevent them from sitting down to eat a full meal.

Although you don’t necessarily need to eat immediately after your workout, it’s advised that you eat within the first two hours of working out if you want to maximize your progress. This is the optimum time for glycogen replenishment and muscle protein synthesis.

Even if you only eat a protein bar or drink a protein shake, consuming some calories through a high-carb, high-protein food or drink will aid your growth and recovery.