Replenishing energy after the gym is essential when we just got out of it. When we get a correct way to replenish energy, muscle gain is better, as is our recovery.
The bodybuilding process does not work as you probably think. People believe that muscle grows in the gym, when it is not. When we do weights, the muscle is destroyed, that is, small breaks in muscle fibers occur, since the muscle has been subjected to stress.
When the muscle is really created, that’s when we rest. In this period of time, the muscle regenerates both its fibers and its glycogen, leaving the muscle ready for the next lift and increasing in size and strength in the process (hypertrophy).
Hypertrophy is really a defense mechanism of the body, which creates stronger fibers to prevent you from breaking them again. For this reason, people who don’t gain weight in the gym end up stuck, since those fibers don’t break as easily as when you’re a beginner.
As the muscle is created during rest, it is absolutely essential that this is correct, either in habits or in food. When we get our strength back after the gym, the body will be better able to dedicate itself to muscle regeneration, thus gaining more strength and more size for the next lift.
The bad news is that there isn’t much useful information on the internet about how to get your strength back properly. There is a lot of contradictory information about food and rest (although some things coincide). In this way, we are not going to achieve optimal rest, much less optimal muscle recovery.
The good news is that here we do know how to replenish energy after the gym. If you follow the advice that I am going to offer you in a few moments, you will notice how your muscles will grow by being better rested, I guarantee it.
Instructions to replenish energy after the gym
- Whey proteins:
One of the best ways to replenish energy after the gym is to take whey proteins, which are the king of post-workout supplements to replenish energy after the gym... Whey proteins are nothing more than proteins obtained directly from whey, which has been removed from the cheese and has been processed in a laboratory, leaving only the part that interests us, that is, the protein. The way to take it is known to all, that is, dissolve a couple of protein scoops in the container and take it right after training. It is taken after training to take full advantage of the anabolic window, in which the muscle is filled with nutrients and therefore can recover its energy much earlier than if we do not consume anything during the anabolic window period. - Bananas:
Muscle is not only made of chains of amino acids and proteins, but also has a kind of gasoline, a fuel called glycogen. Glycogen is a kind of fuel that is used when lifting weights. The higher the glycogen is, we will have more strength and more energy in what is the muscle. When we have finished training, glycogen will be low and therefore needs a recharge. Bananas are a healthy and cheap way to repair it, since being rapidly absorbed; it will quickly reach the muscle. In this way, we will achieve greater muscle size and greater strength when performing the next lift, since we will have recharged the fuel. - Fast-absorbing carbohydrates:
Now we are going to talk about the so-called fast-absorbing carbohydrates, which are carbohydrates that are easily tolerated by the body and pass to the muscles immediately. These are those based on glucose, with the great drawback that they are easily transformed into fat, although they also provide a large amount of energy. The way to make the body recover energy from these is simply to take them in the anabolic window, so that most of it goes to replenish muscle glycogen and less of it goes to fat gain. Also try to put a small amount, since that way you also make sure you do not gain weight at all. - Slow absorption hydrates:-
Now we are going to talk about the so-called slow absorption hydrates, hydrates that instead of being absorbed very quickly are absorbed in a slow and controlled manner. These hydrates are found in complex chain hydrates, such as oatmeal, cereals and everything that is integral. Although this does not go directly to muscle glycogen, it does leave a kind of reserve energy, which is absorbed little by little and makes the muscle pull it when needed. It should be consumed before the next training session, because in this way, we will be able to have that reserve to recover earlier, even within the same weightlifting session. - MI cellar Casein:
Now let’s talk about micelle casein, which is the equivalent of slow carbs in the protein world. This supplement is not taken from the whey, but from the other solid part of the milk (from the part with which the cheese is made). This protein is slowly absorbed, therefore, it should be taken when we are going to spend many hours without eating so that the body takes it little by little, such as at night, just before bed. In this way, we are going to avoid muscle catabolism and we are going to be in better shape for the next weight training session, since the body will have been regenerating muscles and synthesizing proteins all night, making the muscle fully recovered for the next session. - Rest:
This should be obvious, but there are people who still do not understand that the most important thing to regain strength is rest. It does not matter if you eat 5000 calories in the anabolic window, because if you do not rest properly, the body will not be able to do anything and we will not regain strength. Rest is done in three ways: Firstly, we must take a correct rest between series, letting the muscle rest so that it is not completely exhausted. Secondly, we must leave a break between sessions of the same muscle group between 2 and 7 days, depending on the intensity of our training. Finally, we must rest when we get home, not subjecting the body to more efforts and sleeping for at least 8 hours. When we do not sleep those 8 hours of rigor, the body notices it, we have a poor hormonal response and we do not arrive well rested for the next training session. - Creative:
Creative is for some people in the bodybuilding sector the best supplement of all. This supplement is intended to load the muscles with glycogen, thus producing a gain in strength, higher recovery rate and greater muscle size (glycogen-swollen muscles). To take creative, we are simply going to take 5 grams of creative every day, diluted in water at any time of the day. Within a week, you’ll start to look more energized, bigger, and much stronger than when you weren’t using it. There are also people who do loads and loads of creative, but it is proven that they are not as useful as they seemed, so opt to take just 5 grams a day to see how you feel. - Caffeine:
Although caffeine is used more as a pre-workout than as a post-workout, it can help replenish your strength after training if you have to do any activity. Imagine that you have had a very hard leg work out and that you have to go to work right after, logically the body will ask you to stop, however, you must continue if you want to eat this month. For these cases, it is best to consume caffeine, a stimulant that will help you give that boost. Although I tell you that later you will suffer the consequences at the end of the day, since you will not really rest, but you will stimulate yourself to go further. So at the end of the day make sure you have a proper rest. - Hydration:
The human body is 70% water, something that does not exclude muscle mass. In addition, water never harmed anyone; since it helps the body has greater vitality when it comes to resting and greater efficiency in muscle recovery. Drink at least 2 liters of water every day and you will feel more energetic, especially doing it before, during and after training, since when you sweat; we are going to lose a lot of water that must be replaced later. You can also try isotonic drinks, which you should use carefully because they have a large amount of sugar (unless you choose the 0 sugar version). - Gentle cardio:
Oddly enough, doing more exercise is good for muscle recovery. When we have finished training, doing a little light cardio makes the body activate and secrete endorphins, which will help you achieve greater energy and vitality, being more energized when you leave the training. Of course, you should not go overboard with the intensity of the training, since cardio, if done too hard, can be much more tiring than weights, making the remedy worse than the disease. An example of low-intensity cardio is running at 8 kilometers per hour, a low level but which already forces you to run, without getting too tired.
Tips to replenish energy after the gym
- I always train correctly and diet correctly: Many times I have repeated it in this section, the most important thing to achieve a good physique is the correct training and the correct diet. If we don’t do this, the result will be completely in vain. On the subject of regeneration of strength, diet and training is also very important, since it will measure your efficiency to rest. If we are overtraining or training with bad technique, the body will feel very tired when it comes to training again, losing strength and being very, very fatigued... As for the diet, something similar happens, since the lack of compounds such as Omega 3, Vitamins of all groups and the lack of some macronutrients, can make the body feel lethargic, lack energy and become less efficient in carrying out the synthesis of glycogen and proteins. The way to have a good diet and good training is to have common sense, eat according to your goals, do not train too much and above all, be patient. The results do not come overnight and not by overtraining are you going to get better results. If you are constant in what you do, the results will end up coming, so visit the rest of the articles in this section to learn how to train to eat and be very patient, in the end you will progress.