recovery day

poobum

this is something that always confused me...different sources have told me different things! firstly should i eat the same amount of food on a recovery day as on a training day? protein shakes, do i still need to take them? if yes then as often? creatine,should it be taken at all on a recovery day?

poobum

anyone?

tribulus

this is just my reasoning:

you don't build muscle while in the gym, it's when you're recovering so it makes sense(to me anyway ) to consume the same amount of food on both days.

I mainly take protein shakes, i'm assuming you mean whey, at my 1st meal of the day - oatmeal and a protein shake, and post workout. I'd always recommend whole foods at other times of the day but it[protein shake] could be a substitute if you're stuck for time etc. If that is the case, it would probably be best to drink it with a fibrous food i.e oatmeal

i'm not sure about the creatine, i've always taken it in two doses, pre and post-workout, as it is certainly most effective around this time.

hope that helps and please correct me anyone if needs be.

Easygainer

tribulus wrote:

this is just my reasoning:

you don't build muscle while in the gym, it's when you're recovering so it makes sense(to me anyway ) to consume the same amount of food on both days.

I mainly take protein shakes, i'm assuming you mean whey, at my 1st meal of the day - oatmeal and a protein shake, and post workout. I'd always recommend whole foods at other times of the day but it[protein shake] could be a substitute if you're stuck for time etc. If that is the case, it would probably be best to drink it with a fibrous food i.e oatmeal

i'm not sure about the creatine, i've always taken it in two doses, pre and post-workout, as it is certainly most effective around this time.

hope that helps and please correct me anyone if needs be.

That's pretty much spot on. Most unused carbs you consume on the off day will be stored as glycogen in the muscle or liver to be used at a later stage, and will hopefully be there for the next workout. Protein synthesis occurs from when you leave the gym to when you next train the muscle, so again you need adequate protein intake.

soma

Question - what tends to be the accepted definition of 'recovery day'..?

Is it (a) complete & total rest from physical activity or (b) just a rest from lifting weights - but other things like cardio & sports you may play are Ok..?