One of the main goals of coaches and nutritionists is to optimize their athletes' recovery after periods of intense training in order to improve performance and prevent fatigue. One of the primary strategies is to optimize post-training intake of micronutrients—for example, minerals, vitamins or probiotics—and macronutrients—for example, carbohydrates, protein or fat—to improve recovery. In fact, recent research has confirmed that supplementation with high-quality protein, mainly from animal sources such as whey or beef protein, stimulates muscle synthesis and improves post-training recovery in athletes (2,3).
A recently published study (1) by prestigious researchers including Dr Naclerio from the University of Greenwich evaluated, for the first time, the impact of different nutritional strategies on muscle function, muscle soreness and performance in 10 men after intense strength training.
The randomized, double-blind study compared two training periods in which the athletes performed one strength session per day for 3 days and consumed either carbohydrates (CHO) (57 grams of maltodextrin) or a multi-ingredient recovery drink (MULTI) (37g of CHO, 8,6 g of whey protein, 7,4 g of hydrolyzed beef protein, 0,8 g of fat and 2 g of glutamine) after each training session.
At 24 hours after the final training session, muscle function, assessed using tensiomyography, showed a similar decline in both groups, but at 48 hours the MULTI group had returned to values similar to baseline, whereas the CHO group still had reduced muscle function. According to these results, participants in the MULTI group appeared to accelerate recovery by restoring the contractile properties of skeletal muscle.
The researchers also assessed performance using tests of vertical-jump height, chest power and leg strength. Vertical-jump height decreased only in the CHO group and was unaffected in the MULTI group. In the power and strength tests, although both groups showed reduced performance one hour after the final training session, the MULTI group needed only 24 hours to recover baseline levels, whereas the CHO group needed 48 hours. Neither strategy reduced post-training muscle soreness.
Based on these results, the researchers recommend that coaches consider post-training supplementation—0.45–0.60 g/kg of carbohydrates, 0.20–0.30 g/kg of high-quality protein and a small amount of fat—to optimize recovery and performance in athletes completing very intense training sessions.
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REFERENCES
- Naclerio, F, Larumbe-Zabala, E, Cooper, K, and Seijo, M. Effects of a Multi-ingredient Beverage on Recovery of Contractile Properties, Performance, and Muscle Soreness After Hard Resistance Training Sessions. J Strength Cond Res Publish Ah, 2020.Available from: https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Fulltext/publishahead/Effects_of_a_Multi_ingredient_Beverage_on_Recovery.94523.aspx
- Trommelen, J, Betz, MW, and van Loon, LJC. The muscle protein synthetic response to meal ingestion following resistance-type exercise. Sport Med 49: 185–197, 2019.
- Valenzuela, PL, Mata, F, Morales, JS, Castillo-García, A, and Lucia, A. Does Beef Protein Supplementation Improve Body Composition and Exercise Performance? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Nutrients 11: 1429, 2019.
