You may have heard that 20% of the results come from training and that 80% of the results come from your diet. It is indeed true that proper nutrition is essential to progress with training. In this article, we’ll cover how you should eat for optimal results.
The main points of attention
Before we get into what to eat after strength training, let’s cover some basics that are important for a healthy and effective diet plan. These points are:
- Eat a varied amount of vegetables (minimum 300 grams).
- Eat a varied amount of fruit (minimum 2 pieces).
- Opt for products with more fiber.
- Avoid saturated fats and trans fats as much as possible.
- Eat 1.2 to 1.7 grams of protein per KG of body weight (every day).
- Avoid products with a lot of salt and sugar.
- Allow at least 20% and a maximum of 40% of your diet to consist of healthy fats.
- Drink mostly water and avoid drinks with a lot of sugar.
What to eat after strength training?
Now that you know what should be part of a good nutrition plan, let’s cover what to eat after strength training.
The meal after training
It is important that the first meal after training contains a lot of protein and carbohydrates. For muscle building it is important to eat enough protein and to spread the proteins throughout the day. Even after training, it is important to eat protein for your muscle recovery. The meal should also be healthy, because a healthy diet will ensure that you get the right micronutrients to properly absorb the proteins and to make you feel good. This way you can perform optimally again during your next strength training.
Should you eat immediately after training?
This depends a bit on when you last ate. It is best for muscle development to eat every 3 to 4 hours, so if you last eaten 2 hours before training it is a good idea to eat immediately after training. If you have eaten just before training, it is less of a rush. However, it can be wise to eat some carbohydrates immediately after training to replenish the energy stores in the muscles that you have used during training.
Examples of meals
Still wondering what to eat after strength training? Don’t worry, we have some sample meals for you.
- Omelette with different vegetables.
- Steak with potato and vegetables of your choice.
- Cottage cheese with fruit and various nuts.
- Protein shake in the blender with fruit of your choice, oatmeal and other healthy ingredients that you like in a smoothie.
- Chicken breast with rice and a vegetable of your choice.