Post exercise nutrition can have a big influence on subsequent training: whether later that same day, or training over the following days.

Interestingly, most endurance athletes remember the key points when finishing their longer / low intensity sessions, but often neglect to maintain a good routine when finishing high intensity workouts. Remember, you may burn less calories during a shorter, interval type session but the type of fuel you burn (the body's carbohydrate stores, glycogen) and the tendency for metabolic rate to remain elevated for longer post exercise (meaning you are burning more calories even upto 24 hours later!) make it even more important to form good habits.

Key pointers for the training athlete:

• focus on getting around 100g of carbohydrates within the first 20 minutes after exercise: this is when glycogen synthase activity is at its highest (the muscle enzyme that converts glucose into glycogen for storage)
• taking some protein alongside this carbohydrate appears to be best practice: protein appears to help glycogen resynthesis, as it almost doubles the insulin response. Research in our labs at Brighton found that using a carbohydrate / protein mix after exercise enabled performance in a second exercise bout to be improved by nearly 30%!
• do remember though that protein intake will impact on hydration - make sure you have ample water with you too
• if the protein consumed contains glutamine, this will also help keep your immune system intact. Exercise supresses your defence systems, so also get into the habit of being a recluse for the first couple of hours - until you get your protein intake sorted at least!

Its worth noting that not only does post exercise nutrition impact on your ability to performance more exercise, but what you eat can also help your training count for more. See our factsheets for more information.