Steve Born on Recovery

By Steve Born of Hammer Nutrition

Athletes always focus on training but often neglect recovery, specifically the critical step of refueling as soon as possible after each workout that’s a major mistake. The reality is that properly refueling your body immediately after your training session is as important as anything you did in the actual workout. To reap the maximum benefits of your hard training, perform better in your racing, and stay healthy, you must attend as much to recovery as you do to active exercise.

When you give your body what it needs as soon as possible after exercise, it will respond wonderfully in the following ways:

Your body will be able to store more and more of a premium, ready-to-use fuel known as muscle glycogen.

You will strengthen, not weaken, your immune system.
You will kick start the rebuilding of muscle tissue.
Optimum Recovery requires you to address four essential nutritional areas immediately after each exercise session:

Rehydration – To maintain optimal hydration status, daily intake of 0.5 – 0.6 fluid ounces per pound of body weight makes a more accurate standard than the eight glasses a day commonly recommended.

Carbohydrates – Consume 30-60 grams of high quality complex carbohydrates to replenish glycogen stores and aid in the rebuilding of muscle tissue. Protein – Consuming 10-20 grams of high quality protein in your post-workout fuel provides critical raw materials to rebuild stressed muscles, enhance glycogen storage, and support proper immune system maintenance. Micronutrient Replenishment – It’s also very important to replenish basic vitamins, minerals, and micronutrients depleted during exercise, providing a variety of antioxidants to neutralize the massive quantities of free radicals that have just been created.

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