Research
Energy balance
Post-exercise ingestion of carbohydrates (8-10 g/kg/day) within 30 minutes maximizes muscle glycogen re-synthesis, and adding protein (0.2-0.5 g/kg/day) at a 3-4:1 ratio further enhances this re-synthesis.
After a hard workout, eat 8-10 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight within 30 minutes. If you can, add protein (0.2-0.5 g/kg) to create a 3:1 or 4:1 carb-to-protein ratio. This speeds up glycogen recovery, which is crucial if you train again soon.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Post-exercise (within 30 minutes) consumption of CHO at high dosages (8 – 10 g CHO/kg/day) have been shown to stimulate muscle glycogen re-synthesis, while adding PRO (0.2 g – 0.5 g PRO/kg/day) to CHO at a ratio of 3 – 4:1 (CHO: PRO) may further enhance glycogen re-synthesis.
Why this rating
Supported by multiple studies (Refs 61-66, 69-72).
Source
International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: Nutrient timing
Chad M. Kerksick et al. · Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2008
DOI 10.1186/1550-2783-5-17
narrative_reviewCited 465×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Ingesting carbohydrates during endurance exercise (30-60g/hour) sustains blood glucose and improves performance, while adding protein (CHO:PRO ratio 3-4:1) further enhances endurance performance and glycogen re-synthesis.Strong
- Pre-exercise ingestion of essential amino acids or protein, alone or combined with carbohydrates, maximally stimulates muscle protein synthesis and promotes greater strength gains compared to placebo or carbohydrate-only interventions.Good
- Ingesting carbohydrates or carbohydrates combined with protein during resistance exercise offsets muscle glycogen decrements, reduces markers of muscle damage, and promotes greater training adaptations (strength and muscle cross-sectional area) compared to placebo.Good
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