How to Optimise Recovery Nutrition: Protein, Carbs, Rehydration & Supplements Explained

With so many of you competing in a large number of sporting events over the next few months we asked our co-founder, Professor Greg Whyte how to optimise recovery nutrition to improve performance. 

A little about Greg- Professor Greg Whyte OBE PhD FCASES FACSM, is a former Olympian, world renowned sport scientist and Physical Activity Expert. Greg is the pre-eminent authority on Exercise Physiology and Sports and Exercise Performance in the UK. Greg is well known for his involvement in Comic Relief and mentoring the success of the celebrity challenges for the past decade.

Recovery is an essential part of a well-structured, periodised training programme. Recovery involves a planned, systematic approach to optimising physical, mental and emotional readiness to train and compete. The requirement for a carefully planned strategy is imperative to ensure optimal recovery, adaptation to training, and performance enhancement particularly during periods of high training load, when there is a reduced opportunity for recovery.

Targeted, high-quality recovery nutrition is essential for any athlete looking to optimise performance and accelerate recovery. It plays a critical role in reducing fatigue, rebuilding muscle, restoring glycogen, and supporting both physical and immune health after intense training or competition.

Traditionally, post-workout recovery strategies have centred around macronutrients, primarily carbohydrates and protein, alongside adequate rehydration. However, recent research highlights the importance of additional nutritional support, including specific micronutrients and recovery supplements, to further enhance the recovery process.

Whether you're a professional athlete or a dedicated fitness enthusiast, incorporating a science-backed recovery nutrition plan can make a significant difference to your results.

Timing, type and quantity are important factors in designing recovery nutrition. Following are recommendations for protein, carbohydrates, rehydration, and micro-nutrients/supplementation.

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Protein

Optimal dietary protein consumption provides a multifactorial role in recovery including: facilitation of muscle repair; muscle remodelling/adaptation; and immune function.

• TYPE: Leucine-rich rapidly digested sources of protein (i.e. whey protein), elicit a greater stimulation of muscle protein synthesis during recovery.

• QUANTITY: Daily protein target during periods of heavy training should aim for around 1.5 g/kg body mass. This target should be spread across the day with targeted ingestion following training. 0.3 g/kg body mass is recommended immediately post-exercise, with an optimal short-term dose of protein to maximize stimulation of muscle protein synthesis of 0.25–0.4 g/kg body mass, distributed evenly across the day.

• TIMING: In addition to high-quality protein spread across the day, protein should be ingested rapidly (within 1 hour) following cessation of exercise.

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Carbohydrate

When training sessions are prolonged, and/or high intensity, it can take a considerable period of time for complete muscle glycogen restoration (up to 72 hours).

• TYPE: A variety of carbohydrate sources (food & fluids) are effective in restoring glycogen stores, with athlete preference, practicality, and availability dictating the selection of source. High glycaemic index sources result in faster glycogen restoration.

• QUANTITY & TIMING: With the primary goal being to restore depleted muscle and liver glycogen stores as quickly as possible, the consumption of 1.0–1.2 g/kg body mass of carbohydrate within the first hour post-exercise followed by the continuation of a carbohydrate intake of 1.0–1.2 g/kg/h for 4–6 hours, or until regular meals resume, is recommended.
  The need for aggressive carbohydrate refuelling is reduced with short-duration (<90 minutes), and/or low-moderate intensity exercise, particularly when the next training session is some time away (i.e. >8 hours).

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Rehydration

Replacing fluids lost during exercise is important to aid recovery.

• QUANTITY: Generally, for each kilogram of weight lost, at least 1.5 L of fluid should be consumed in order to restore fluid balance.

• TIMING: Fluid should be replaced gradually in the 2–4 hours following exercise.

• TYPE: Cool drinks (10–15°C) are more likely to encourage the consumption of fluid than very cold drinks (<5°C), as they are difficult to drink in large quantities. Drinks that contain a small amount of salt (sodium) (2–5 g/L) are best as they tend to promote the desire to drink.
  Simultaneous refuelling and rehydration is possible by consuming recovery nutrients including carbohydrates, protein and micronutrients as fluids.

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Micronutrients / Supplementation

A well-balanced diet with the inclusion of fruits and vegetables to obtain a variety of micronutrients is recommended. A variety of micronutrients from food sources are associated with enhanced recovery including:

• Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids

  • Sources: Cold water fatty fish (tuna, salmon), fish oils, krill oil

• Creatine monohydrate

  • Sources: Meat, poultry, fish

In addition to food sources, recent evidence suggests the following supplements are beneficial for optimising recovery:

• Vitamin D

  • TYPE: Vitamin D3

  • TIMING: Daily

  • QUANTITY: >600 IU/day

• Collagen

  • TYPE: Collagen Hydrolysate + Vitamin C

  • TIMING: 1 hour prior to training / immediately post-training

  • QUANTITY: 5–15 g