Best post-workout snacks - Get Fit News

Shape, Oct, 2002 by Maureen Kennedy

When you strength train, you actually damage your muscles. But it's when the damage heals that your muscles get stronger. New research shows that making sure you get enough protein as wells as carbs and fat after a workout may be the most important thing you can do to speed the muscle-building process.

Although carbs and fat reenergize your body after exercise, Paul Flakoll, Ph.D., of Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn., says it's the amino acids in protein that help restore muscle. He recommends eating at least 10 grams of protein and smaller amounts of carbs and fat (whether the exact ratio is important is not yet clear) within 30 minutes of working out. Giving your muscles a well-deserved rest -- working different muscle groups on alternate days, for example -- also will help.