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How to Maximize Post-Workout Recovery 

By Dr. Dana Lis

April 3, 2026

After your workout, game or race, it’s recovery time. That doesn’t mean putting your feet up and having a beer. Instead, post-workout recovery is a science that even us weekend warriors take seriously these days. And the NBA and Olympic athletes that I advise? It’s crucial.

When we talk about recovery, we mean repairing and remodeling the muscle and connective (including tendons and ligaments) tissue. It’s key to replenish the glycogen in your muscles, for everything from energy for your next workout to your cognitive function. It’s also important to restore fluid balance, consider certain supplements, get enough rest and more.

Essentially, we’re looking to down-regulate exercise stress by giving your body the nutrients and energy to adapt and recover. This includes supporting the immune system.

Do recovery right, and you not only will get stronger and fitter, you’ll be fresh for your next workout. Let’s learn how. to maximize post-workout recovery.

1. Cool down, foam roll and stretch immediately afterwards 

Right after finishing the workout, it’s helpful to take a few steps before getting into your car, sitting back at your desk, etc. You want to maintain your mobility and prevent your muscles fascia from getting too tight. 

In particular, consider these immediate workout recovery steps for around 10 minutes after each workout:

• Cool down: If you're doing a hard cardio workout, slowly transition back to rest. Instead of stopping abruptly, gradually reducing intensity allows your heart rate and breathing to return to normal more smoothly. In addition, light movement after a workout helps keep blood flowing through your muscles and can help get rid of metabolic byproducts like lactic acid. 

• Stretch: While your muscles are warm and pliable, do a few stretches (see below) to help maintain or even improve your flexibility. Stretching also promotes blood flow to the muscles for better recovery plus aids in removing metabolic byproducts. 

• Foam roll: Foam rolling applies pressure to muscles and connective tissue, which can help release tension and improve how the muscle feels after a workout. For example, while it doesn’t eliminate soreness entirely, foam rolling may help reduce the intensity of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) for some individuals.I recommend it for all of my clients. 

A few go-to stretches (hold each stretch for 20 seconds and breathe through it) are:

• Hamstring: Place one straight leg on a bench, then hinge at the hips and bring the chest toward that knee. Switch legs.

• Quad: Stand and pull one foot toward your glutes, keeping knees together. Switch sides.

• Hip flexor: Step into a lunge position and gently press hips forward. Switch sides.

• Calf: Place hands on a wall, step one foot back, and press the heel into the ground. Switch sides.

• Chest stretch: Clasp hands behind your back and lift arms slightly while opening your chest.

• Shoulder stretch: Bring one arm across your body and gently pull it closer with the opposite hand.

Some helpful foam rolling exercises are:

• Quads: Lie face down with the foam roller under your thighs. Roll from your hips down to just above your knees.

• Hamstrings: Sit on the foam roller with legs extended. Roll from under your glutes to the back of your knees.

• Glutes: Sit on the roller and cross one ankle over the opposite knee. Lean slightly toward the crossed leg and roll.

• Calves: Place the roller under your calves and lift your body slightly. Roll from ankles to below the knees.

• Upper back: Lie on your back with the roller under your upper back. Support your head and roll from mid-back to shoulders.

• IT band (outer thigh): Lie on your side with the roller under your outer thigh. Roll from hip to just above the knee. Go slowly.

For ideal foam rolling, roll slowly (about one inch per second), breathe and relax into pressure, and avoid rolling directly over joints or bones. 

2. Post-workout nutrition meal within one hour 

To adequately recover, it’s critical to replenish your glycogen stores. After all, when you exercise — especially during moderate to high-intensity activity — your body relies heavily on glycogen for energy. Muscle glycogen is broken down into glucose and used to fuel muscle contractions, while liver glycogen helps maintain stable blood sugar levels.

This is why working out on an empty stomach, such as a morning workout when you haven’t eaten yet, can often turn into a lousy session because you simply don’t have glycogen, aka energy. 

But working out unfueled, your glycogen stores become depleted as your workout proceeds, especially intense and/or long sessions. When these stores run low, you may experience fatigue, decreased performance, and even that “hitting the wall” feeling, particularly during endurance activities.

After exercise, it’s important to give your body what it needs to restore glycogen levels so you can recover plus perform well in future workouts. Plus note that the glycogen uptake is much higher after you've exercised — we’re talking like 100-fold. 

How soon after you finish your exercise? While some research indicates that the recovery window is as long as six hours, I recommend getting that post-workout nutrition within 30 to 60 minutes for optimal recovery. 

3. The ideal post-workout meal

The best post-workout meal, snack or drink includes carbohydrates to help replenish glycogen and protein to support muscle repair and rebuilding.

Post-workout meal recommendations: 

• Minimum of 250 calories and a maximum of around 600 calories

• Features a 3 to 1 carbohydrate to protein ratio — 4 to 1 for high intensity/endurance athletes; 2 to 1 for low intensity

• Aim for 20 to 30 grams of protein (0.3 to 0.5 grams per kilogram body weight of protein)

Examples of post-workout meals with 60 grams of carbs and 20 grams of protein (3 to 1):

• Smoothie with unsweetened almond milk, protein powder, a banana and half-cup oats

• ¾ cup Greek yogurt, ½ scoop protein powder, ½ banana, 1 cup berries, ¼ cup granola

• 4 oz tofu, ¾ cup rice, 1 cup pineapple

• 3 oz grilled chicken, ¾ cup cooked white rice, 1 medium orange, steamed vegetables

Now, if you’re working out more than once in 24 hours or are trying to recover from a long endurance activity, you may want to be more aggressive with your carbohydrate intake — such as 1 to 1.2 grams per kilogram body weight of carbohydrate. 

4. Post-workout recovery if you’re trying to lose weight

For those trying to lose a few pounds, post-workout nutrition can get a little tricky. Too many take it as license as a “free meal” so they end up having four meals that day.

Instead, simply time that workout and meal afterwards so it’s either your lunch or dinner. After all, you need to have a calorie deficit in order to lose weight. 

However, the good news is that this post-workout feed can be a real meal and not just a light snack, since it’s one of your three mains. 

A post-workout meal that’s one of your three meals should have the following:

• Roughly 400 to 700 calories (depending on how many calories you’re aiming for)

• 20 to 40 grams of protein

• 40 to 100 grams of carbohydrates 

• Some healthy fats

What to do post-workout if you’re following a low-carb diet?

The time to have your carbohydrates is after a workout (and before). You need at least 20 grams of carbohydrates for a healthy immune system, energy balance and to promote cognitive health. Not only do you need some carbohydrate in your muscles for energy, but also in your liver for your brain glucose. 

5. What you need for the next 24 hours

The 24 hours after exercise is when you need to have the right nutrition building blocks in your body. For a strength and conditioning workout, afterwards is when your body is in a higher anabolic state — it’s primed to build and adapt better. The 24 hours after a hard endurance workout is when your body needs more carbohydrates, electrolytes and antioxidants. 

In particular, regardless of the type of workout, it’s key to have enough of the following:

• Protein helps repair and rebuild muscle tissue after exercise; spread intake throughout the day for the best results.

• Carbs are the body’s primary fuel source during exercise and help maintain glycogen stores.

• Healthy fats for balance, as they support hormone production, energy and overall health.

• Fluids are essential for performance, temperature regulation and recovery.

• Employ a diet with plenty of different vegetables and fruits so you get plenty of antioxidants and phytonutrients to support both your cellular and immune system health.

For regular exercisers, try to get the following per day for proper recovery:

• 3–5 g of carbs per kilogram of body weight per day

• 1.5 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight

• Macro ratio of 30 percent protein, 40 percent carbohydrate and 30 percent fat

For endurance athletes, the energy (and muscle) demands are higher:

• 6–10 g of carbs per kilogram of body weight per day — higher end (8–10 g/kg) for very high training volumes or multiple sessions per day

• 1.5 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight

• Macro ratio of 30 percent protein, 50 percent carbohydrate and 20 percent fat

For those looking to put on more muscle, aim for the following:

• 4–7 g of carbs per kilogram of body weight per day

• 2.2 to 2.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight

• Macro ratio of 40 percent protein, 40 percent carbohydrate and 20 percent fat

6. Keep hydrating 

Just because the workout is done doesn’t mean you’re done hydrating. It’s essential, especially after endurance exercise when you’ve done your fair share of sweating, you need significant fluid replacement. If you’ve worked out in the heat, it’s even more critical. 

Here are some of the hydration rules:

• Around two to three hours before exercising, drink 16 to 20 ounces of water. Get in around 8 ounces 15 to 30 minutes before.

• During exercise, aim for about 4 to 10 ounces of water every 15 minutes. That should go up if you’re exercising in a hot or humid environment, or if you’re doing a high-intensity workout. 

• Overall, regular exercisers should aim for a base of half their body weight (in pounds) in ounces of water daily, plus an additional 15–20 ounces for every hour of activity.

• While the average exerciser can replace electrolytes through normal food and beverages, if you're a heavy sweater or you're exercising for a longer duration of time, then take in some electrolytes. 

7. Consider certain post-workout supplements 

The best post-workout supplements are those that help with muscle recovery, protein  intake, hydration, energy and sleep. 

Protein powders

Protein powders provide muscle support after exercise. Within the so-called “anabolic window,” protein is a No. 1 recommendation post-workout.

In addition, protein powders can help support overall recovery, especially when paired with carbohydrates to replenish energy stores.

Many protein powders (especially whey) are rapidly digested and absorbed, which helps it get delivered to your muscles after a workout.

Here are some of the best post-workout protein powders:

• Ancient Nutrition’s Whey Protein combines high-quality whey protein, organic regenerative A2/A2 milk protein and clinically studied eggshell membrane collagen into one supplement. It supports muscle maintenance, strength building, digestive comfort and muscle recovery. 

• Ancient Nutrition's Multi Protein combines five powerful protein sources (grass-fed whey, bone broth, A2/A2 milk protein, collagen peptides and colostrum) into one powder. Unlike typical protein powders, it supports not just muscle health and recovery but also joint health, skin quality and gut function.

• The Multi Protein Animal-Based + Creatine supplement adds creatine as well in order to add cognitive support as well as muscle strength benefits.

• Ancient Nutrition's Multi Protein Plant-Based combines organic pea, chocho and sacha inchi to deliver a complete protein profile and supports muscle health and overall energy.

Creatine monohydrate

Creatine helps replenish ATP (your body’s quick energy source), supporting recovery and future performance. It improves both strength and power, plus it helps muscles recover faster. 

Ancient Nutrition’s Creatine + Collagen combines creatine with a specific collagen ingredient. Creatine + Collagen + Electrolytes has real food electrolytes built into the formula for balanced hydration.

Omega 3s

Omegas support cardiovascular health, healthy cognitive function and joint health. I recommend them to most of my athletes. 

Ancient Omegas Whole Body formula provides 1,000 milligrams of omega-3s (including 585 mg of ALA, 399 mg of DHA and 90 mg of EPA) from both wild ocean and plant-based sources. 

Magnesium

Many women and men don’t get enough magnesium in their diet, but magnesium is important to overall health.

Ancient Nutrition’s Active Peptides Magnesium Complex combines four highly bioavailable forms of magnesium, clinically validated ashwagandha and other supporting nutrients designed to help with stress, sleep, mood and energy.

Ancient Nutrition’s Magnesium delivers 300 milligrams of magnesium per serving in a real‑food and bioavailable form. 

Electrolytes

Electrolytes (one of which is magnesium) help support rapid body hydration, cellular energy production, cellular health and more..

Ancient Nutrition's Rapid Hydration powder — available in stick packs — delivers essential electrolytes for rapid body hydration, all powered by real food ingredients.  Multi Collagen Advanced Hydrate is a real food source of balanced electrolytes and features twice the number of electrolytes as leading sports drinks, based on sodium and potassium levels. This formula also includes magnesium and calcium.

8. Get enough sleep 

Often it’s assumed that people who exercise regularly also can fall asleep more easily and get enough rest. In general, exercise helps regulate your circadian rhythm and reduce stress (including cortisol), both of which support better sleep. 

But this isn’t always the case. For example, there is a cohort of athletes that during very intense exercise blocks or training camps find they can’t sleep very well. Their sleep is broken up, as that long, steady sleep just doesn’t happen.

However, sleep is one of the most important factors in post-exercise recovery—arguably just as important as nutrition and hydration. It’s during sleep that your body does the majority of its repair, rebuilding, and adaptation from exercise.

During deep sleep, the body releases growth hormone, which plays a key role in repairing muscle tissue and building new muscle. Without adequate sleep, this process is less efficient, which can slow recovery and limit progress.

Sleep also supports recovery processes that help reduce muscle soreness. Poor sleep can even increase perceived fatigue and make workouts feel harder, even if your training hasn’t changed.

To make sleep more effective for you as you exercise, follow these suggestions:

• Avoid exercise close to bedtime, as it can interfere with a sound sleep because it temporarily raises cortisol and adrenaline. 

• If you use a pre-workout (often high in caffeine), do so only in the morning or midday. 

• Avoid overtraining (too intensely or not giving yourself adequate recovery time), as it can lead to elevated cortisol and increased restlessness.

• Do your best to start winding down at least an hour before your head hits the pillow. That means no blue light. And ideally accomplish shut eye before 11 p.m. 

• A magnesium supplement with ashwagandha can help quiet mental chatter and promote high-quality more restorative sleep. 

9. Avoid overtraining

After a strenuous workout, your immune system markers like cytokines are elevated. This is a normal stress response, but you don't want to have them elevated for too long because then your immune system doesn’t function as well as it should … and makes you more susceptible to illness.

Simply put, overtraining is about too much stress and not enough recovery over time. It can be cumulative, too. 

Here are some examples of overtraining: 

• Working out intensely every day without rest days can prevent muscles and the nervous system from recovering

• Progressing workouts too aggressively without allowing the body to adapt can lead to overload.

• Doing the same high-intensity workouts all the time without lighter phases or deloads.Doing long or frequent cardio sessions without enough calories or nutrients can stress the body

• Continuing to train hard despite feeling constantly tired, sore or unmotivated

• Lack of sleep, hydration or proper nutrition can turn normal training into overtraining

• Combining intense exercise with high life stress (work, travel, poor diet) can overwhelm the body — I see this with professional athletes all the time

Instead, you can avoid overtraining by doing the following:

• Include at least 1–2 rest or active recovery days per week

• Increase training intensity, volume or weight slowly over time (see our article on “progressive overload”)

• Alternate between hard training days and more moderate or even light days; same with activities such as mixing in lighter work (e.g. walking, yoga, etc.) with harder work (e.g. hill runs, Spin class, etc.) each week

• Aim for 7–9 hours of sleep per night

• Make sure you’re eating and hydrating enough to support your activity level (see above)

• Pay attention to warning signs like persistent fatigue, lower performance, poor sleep and increased soreness — increase recovery time if any of those signs appear

Dr. Dana Lis is a globally recognized leader in the field of performance nutrition and a member of the Ancient Nutrition Wellness Roundtable (and a paid partner). As one of the few Registered Dietitians decorated with the renowned IOC Diploma in Sport Nutrition and a PhD. Currently, Dana heads into her seventh season as the Performance Nutrition Consultant for the Golden State Warriors. With nearly 20 years of experience, Dana has worked with Olympic and professional sports across various continents and a spectrum of disciplines. Dana continues to drive the nutrition field forward through mentorship, shaping best practices and challenging the status quo. This includes Performance Nutrition Professionals, which she launched with Jennifer Gibson, MS, RD, and which trains sport dietitians in the U.S.