Macro partitioning
Female athletes should rapidly consume at least 0.75 g of carbohydrates per kg of body weight immediately following prolonged exercise to maximize muscle glycogen resynthesis rates.
Right after your long workout, eat carbohydrates equal to 0.75 grams per kilogram of your body weight. For example, if you weigh 60 kg, eat 45 grams of carbs (e.g., a chocolate milk and a granola bar). This helps your muscles recover and replenish their energy stores quickly.
Therefore, in an ideal situation, females should focus on rapid consumption of at least 0.75 g/kg of carbohydrate following prolonged exercise in order to restore spent muscle glycogen.
Why this rating
Based on narrative review of studies on post-exercise carbohydrate supplementation in women.
Source
Sex differences and considerations for female specific nutritional strategies: a narrative review
Kealey J. Wohlgemuth et al. · Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2021
DOI 10.1186/s12970-021-00422-8
More from this paper
- Female athletes should maintain an energy availability of 40–45 kcal/kg fat-free mass per day to sustain eumenorrhea, bone health, and metabolic function, as habitual low energy availability leads to Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) or the Female Athlete Triad.Good
- Female endurance athletes should consume 8-10 g of carbohydrates per kg of body weight in the 3 days leading up to an event (carbohydrate loading) to maximize muscle glycogen stores, with particular emphasis on this strategy during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle.Good
- Female athletes should consume 1 g of carbohydrates per kg of body weight in the hours prior to aerobic exercise to maximize carbohydrate availability, as pre-exercise feeding is likely more important during the follicular phase when carbohydrate oxidation rates are elevated.Good
Related findings · Macro partitioning
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- Resistance exercise training combined with sufficient dietary protein intake acts synergistically to maximize skeletal muscle hypertrophy, with protein intake saturating around 1.6 g/kg/day for general populations and potentially requiring 2.0-2.2 g/kg/day for resistance-trained individuals.Strong
- Trans fats should be completely eliminated from the diet, as they increase LDL cholesterol, decrease HDL cholesterol, and are directly associated with increased coronary risk.Strong
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