How To Refuel Your Muscles After Exercise
According to new research, a great way to refuel your muscles after intense exercise is to eat pasta and drink 5 to 6 cups of coffee.
By having both carbohydrates and caffeine after a serious workout, athletes can replenish their glycogen levels faster. Glycogen is your muscles’ most important fuel source during strenuous exercise.
Using a caffeine-carbohydrate combo, athletes were able to increase their glycogen levels by 66% more 4 hours after a workout. That’s compared to athletes who consumed carbohydrates only after exercise.
That means the athletes with superior glycogen levels will be able to train or compete better the next day.
Caffeine can be found in coffee, chocolate, colas, and tea.
Prior studies have shown that the combination of caffeine and carbohydrates before and during exercise can improve athletic prowess. Now this study reveals that this combo can refuel your muscles after exercise as well.
Apparently, the caffeine produced higher levels of glucose and insulin in the athletes. The glucose then traveled from the blood to the muscles.
One hour after exercise, there was no difference in muscle glycogen levels between the athletes who ingested caffeine and those who didn’t.
But 4 hours after exercise, the athletes who drank caffeine had 66% higher glycogen levels in comparison to the athletes who only had carbohydrates.
The athletes had different responses to the caffeine. Some couldn’t sleep well that night; others slept like babies. So it’s important for individual athletes to find out what works best for them.
The researchers now want to study the effects of a lower dose of caffeine and determine how best to refuel your muscles after exercise.
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