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Choosing What You Eat After a Workout...

Friday, 30 November 2018 23:10

By John Hansen (usatriathlon.org)

So you have done a great job to fuel and stay hydrated prior to your long workout or your race but afterwards you don’t eat for three hours, or you take in a big cheesy burger and fries and you only have a couple glasses of water. You go for an easy spin the next day and wonder why your energy is low and you don’t feel recovered.   

Executing a successful nutrition and hydration plan after your workouts is one key element to successful training and racing. When considering nutrition and hydration after a workout and race, it is important not only to choose the right type of foods and fluid but also the amount of food and hydration to optimize your recovery. 

This is particularly true for triathletes who: ...

1. Trained or raced longer than 60 minutes
2. Complete two or more workouts per day
3. Workout with less than eight hours between sessions
4. Train and compete as long course athlete who often meet criteria one through three

The following are the goals for fueling and hydration after a training session or race:
• To replenish the body’s fluid and electrolyte levels
• To restore depleted muscle and liver glycogen (stored carbohydrates)
• Help the muscle tissue rebuilding process with protein intake
• To improve energy balance for subsequent training....READ MORE