Have you ever finished a workout and realized that you should eat something but you’re not sure what? Or maybe you left a workout feeling like you should’ve been able to give more effort but just didn’t feel like you had it in you because you had restless sleep the night before? At Titanium Performance we want you to work as hard as you can in your workout to get the best results but we have a few more tips to really maximize your workout! Getting proper nutrition, hydrating and sleeping enough will promote recovery from your workout and maximize your results.

Nutrition

When it comes to nutrition, there is not a one-size-fits-all approach. One thing is for sure: adequate protein intake is crucial for muscle building and improving body composition. It is even better if you can consume 20-30grams of protein post-workout to promote muscle repair. If you can’t eat right after a workout, don’t worry! As long as you eat enough throughout the day you will still add

muscle! Generally we recommend you consume about .7-1 gram of protein per pound of your ideal body weight. Strength training creates micro-tears in the muscle that need to rebuild to make you stronger. In order to rebuild there needs to be adequate protein available.

Consuming an adequate number of calories throughout your day should also be a priority. Eating too little calories will put your body into starvation mode and hold onto your body fat and eating too many calories will store the extra calories as fat so it is important to find the sweet spot to meet your needs. There are different options for finding the right amount of calories for you that include variations of body composition testing. Or you can tune into your body and see how your body responds to your current eating habits and adjust as needed. We also recommend working with professionals to support you if you need it!

Hydration

Most people know how important hydration is but how much water do we need and why? Hydration regulates bodily functions such as blood pressure, pH, internal body temperature, delivering essential nutrient and maintaining internal homeostasis.

There are so many factors that affect hydration levels and water intake recommendations. These include:

  • age
  • sex
  • women who are pregnant or lactating
  • Water intake (beverages, electrolytes, food moisture)
  • Water output (sweat, urination, stool moisture, respiratory water)

With all of these factors, it is difficult to give a blanket recommendation for everyone. That being said, we do know that proper hydration can help improve bodily functions and prevent chronic disease. If you are feeling thirsty, you’ve probably waited too long to re-hydrate! A general rule of thumb is to drink about half of your ideal body weight in ounces of water per day.

Sleep

Sleep is one of the most important activities in the recovery process of muscle building. Chronic sleep deprivation puts your body in chronic stress which causes cortisone hormone in your body to remain elevated. Raised cortisone levels impair other bodily process including performance. Chronic sleep deprivation also shows a lack of performance in this sleep restriction study. Not only does performance decrease the day following a poor night’s sleep but it may take multiple days to recover from improper nights sleep! Try and average 7-9 hours of sleep per night and make sure to catch up if you get a poor nights sleep!

If you would like to learn more about supporting your workout, schedule a FREE introductory session or talk to your trainer at your next session!

Written By: Morgan Maule