How Post-Workout Supplements Support Muscle Recovery
Nutrition is one of the most fundamental components when it comes to supporting your health, fitness, and general day-to-day routine. A balanced diet with added support through supplementation can be the key to success for many athletes, bodybuilders, and fitness enthusiasts. Post-Workout supplements, as we can see by the list published on BestInSupplements, have a big impact on your recovery.
Most sports nutrition supplements are designed to enhance performance by pushing the body to perform at a higher intensity level. In theory, using supplements to elevate your natural energy levels allows you to reach your optimal health status.
This is especially true when it comes to muscle recovery supplements. The majority of athletes and workout fiends recognize the benefits of pre-workout supplements and place great emphasis on ensuring they are fully stocked on the best ones available to them.
What many fail to recognize is just how important a post-workout or muscle recovery supplement is to their success. The general purpose of a muscle recovery supplement is this: a faster recovery means a shorter time to the next workout.
If we’ve peaked your interest, read on to learn about the science of muscle recovery and the importance of muscle recovery supplements.
Why Muscle Recovery Is Important
The science behind the connection and balance of nutrition and exercise is fairly simple. Whatever you consume before a workout should ensure your body is equipped with the necessary nutrients to sustain the exercise.
Whatever you consume after a workout should ensure your body is equipped with the necessary nutrients for successful recovery after exercise while supporting the body’s efforts in preparing for the upcoming workout. As we stated previously, the incorporation of a quality post-workout supplement for muscle recovery is frequently overlooked by athletes.
The primary objective of exercise is to work your body past a certain “breaking point,” forcing itself to alter in some way, shape, or form. Whether it’s physically, emotionally, or biochemically, the benefits of exercise on the body are enormous. And, they are all centered around the fact that after you reach that breaking point, your body also needs to do the work to restore during a recovery period.
That period is where you experience the most progress because you can only grow after, not during, the exercise. This is a crucial part of physical activity. The better the quality (and amount) of nutrients you feed your body after exercising, the more capable your body will be to repair, allowing for shorter recovery periods.
Muscle Recovery Supplement Ingredients and Their Potential Benefits
There are plenty of ways to support your body and muscles through a recovery period, namely resting, proper hydration, and adequate nutrition. There are, however, a few things you can do to speed up your recovery process that will ensure your muscles are healed and ready to tackle the next training session.
So, what ingredients (nutrients) should you look for in muscle recovery supplements? Take a look at our list.
- Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs)
BCAAs, or branched chain amino acids, are one of the most popular ingredients found in sport nutrition supplements. You can find them mixed in with a product’s formula or as a single supplement. Amino acids are found naturally in the body as they are the building blocks of protein.
The three amino acids that makeup the branched chain amino acids include leucine, isoleucine, and valine. BCAAs are incredibly important for muscle development as they play a major role in muscle cell repair and recovery. One of the major benefits offered by BCAAs is their ability to decrease muscle soreness following strenuous activity.
Although painful and annoying, sore muscles are actually a good sign. Muscle soreness is the result of countless microscopic muscle tears and muscle fiber damage following a heavy weight training session or other types of physical activity.
Due to the function of BCAAs in muscle repair, taking a supplement with these amino acids can support healthy muscle development and shorter recovery periods.
- Protein
Protein is, without a doubt, one of the most beneficial nutrients for both muscle development and repair during the recovery. This essential nutrient is most supportive when it comes to muscle regeneration as it speeds the recovery process along to be more quick and efficient after a strenuous workout. Supplementing with protein is especially critical for individuals who do not consume an adequate amount in their daily intake.
The most popular protein supplement of choice for many athletes seems to be whey. This is likely due to the fact that whey protein also contains important amino acids. A standard whey protein powder contains an average of 25 grams of protein per serving. There are, however, other protein powder options that offer a higher amount. A few additional options for those who prefer to steer clear of whey protein include soy protein, egg protein, rice protein, hemp protein, and pea protein.
- Creatine
Creatine is a popular ingredient used in post-workout supplements. Once the body consumes creatine, it is metabolized into a compound called creatine phosphate, which offers an energy source for cells.
When athletes combine creatine with resistance and weight training, the mix is shown to promote c60 muscular strength and support lean tissue mass. Creatine can help athletes maintain healthy energy levels, improve the endurance and stamina of your muscles, and promote the development of muscles.
- Fish Oils
Fish oil is known for its health-boosting abilities, particularly when it comes to supporting cardiovascular, neurological, and musculoskeletal health. This kind of supplement is most commonly associated with omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential nutrients our body’s need to function properly. The two types of omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil supplements are eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).
These nutrients can be beneficial for bodybuilders, athletes, and fitness enthusiasts alike as they have potent anti-inflammatory properties. These properties can help to relieve sore muscles, strengthen muscles, enhance the body’s range of motion, and shorten the duration of muscle recovery periods.
- L-carnitine
L-carnitine is an amino acid that plays an important role in metabolic processes within the body. This amino acid supports optimal mitochondrial function and boosts cellular energy. Because of these properties, supplementing with L-carnitine is shown to support healthy recovery of muscles.
L-carnitine is shown to lessen the effects of fatigue and soreness, ultimately leading to a shorter recovery period following strenuous physical activity. L-carnitine can also help to lessen the impact of muscle injury by minimizing cellular damage and lowering the production of free radicals that accompany sore muscles.
- Electrolytes
Electrolytes that are added to beverages are often referred to as sports drinks. These types of beverages aid in the replenishment of water, electrolytes, and energy expended during physical activity.
The electrolytes most often used include potassium, magnesium, sodium, and calcium. These are essential nutrients our bodies need to help minimize the risk of dehydration, muscle cramps, and fatigue.
- Vitamin D
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that helps your body use and absorb other important nutrients like calcium and phosphorus. All three of these nutrients are tightly controlled in the body because they are crucial for regulating many key biological functions.
A few of Vitamin D’s roles include strengthening the musculoskeletal and immune system and supporting a healthy inflammatory response.
Vitamin D is also important for maintaining proper calcium balance. Calcium is an essential mineral your body requires for muscle growth and contraction (including heartbeat regulation), neurotransmitter signaling, and preventing muscle cramps.
- Turmeric / Curcumin
Strenuous exercise causes our cells to release free radicals into our circulation. When free radicals are set free to wreak havoc on the body, their presence triggers an inflammatory response. This may result in muscle cell damage that leads to fatigue, injury risks, and impaired recovery.
Curcumin is the active compound found in turmeric. It’s shown to have incredible anti-inflammatory properties that can support your body’s natural muscle recovery processes by inhibiting free radical production.
Research demonstrates curcumin exerted its anti-inflammatory properties to effectively decrease the amount of time it took for muscles to recover after physical exertion in participants.
- Coenzyme Q10
Coenzyme Q10, often referred to as CoQ10 in the supplement market, is a natural compound with antioxidant properties. Our body’s naturally produce it and it can be found in the mitochondria (powerhouse) of our cells. During physical activity, the mitochondria functions to energize and repair our muscle cells. This necessitates an adequate supply of CoQ10.
Utilizing a post-workout supplement that contains CoQ10 in the formula seems appropriate as it can support physical strength and healthy muscle cell repair. CoQ10 supplements are shown to positively impact endurance training and shorter recovery periods.
- Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha is probably most famous for its usage as a way to reduce stress in ancient holistic medicine. Due to its natural anti-inflammatory properties, this potent compound also supports muscle repair and can minimize the stress impact on muscle during physical activity.
Our body’s natural response to any type of stress, whether it’s emotional or physical, is to produce hormones. Although these hormones are vital to bodily processes, they can also have an unfavorable impact on muscle and fat tissue.
When stress hormones are circulating your body, it can cause your body to favor muscle sparing to boost fat storage. This is quite counterproductive for individuals who are looking to increase their lean muscle mass.
The potential of Ashwagandha to reduce stress can support our muscle’s efforts to recoup from the tension of a strenuous workout. Look for a supplement with Ashwagandha from a reputable brand and ensure the ingredients are naturally sourced from plants with high purity and potency for best results.
Final Thoughts About Post-Workout Supplements
To reap all the health benefits and rewards of your hard work and dedication inside the gym, establish and commit to a solid training and recovery regimen. You can increase your chances of staying committed to your training and overall health goals by supplementing with natural compounds that support your diet and wellness.
Incorporate a muscle recovery supplement to your active lifestyle and regimen before you’re too fatigued and sore to think about it.
