What to Eat After a Workout — Protein, Carbs and Timing
The meal after training has a reputation far bigger than its actual importance. The 'anabolic window' — the idea that you must eat protein within thirty minutes or the workout is wasted — is mostly a myth: the window is hours wide, not minutes, and total daily protein matters far more than the timing of one meal. That said, the post-workout meal does have a real job: replacing the glycogen you burned, supplying the amino acids for repair, and replacing the fluid and salt you sweated out.
The headline numbers are straightforward: 20–40 g of protein (0.25–0.4 g/kg) in the meal after training, plus carbohydrate at 1.0–1.2 g/kg per hour for the first few hours if the session was long and glycogen-depleting (Thomas et al., 2016). For a typical one-hour gym session, that means a normal meal with a palm-sized portion of protein and a fist-sized portion of carbohydrate, eaten within a couple of hours — not a shake chugged in the changing room.
Use the calculator
Start with your own numbers: try our protein calculator to work out your figures before applying anything on this page. The worked examples below use round numbers so you can follow the maths; the calculators use your real weight, height, age and goal.
Related reading: What to Eat Before a Workout, How to Recover Faster After Workouts, Meal Prep for Beginners. You can also browse the full guides section for the rest of the series.
The key points
Protein after training is about the daily total, not the stopwatch. Muscle protein synthesis stays elevated for 24–48 hours after a session, so the protein you eat at dinner matters as much as the protein you eat at 5 pm. The post-workout meal is simply a convenient place to put 20–40 g of it. People who hit their daily protein target (1.6–2.2 g/kg) gain the same muscle whether the protein comes immediately after training or two hours later.
Carbohydrate matters most after long sessions. A one-hour weights session burns roughly 100–200 g of glycogen, which a normal meal replaces easily. A two-hour run or a double session can burn 300–400 g, and that is when carbohydrate timing matters: 1.0–1.2 g/kg per hour for the first few hours speeds refuelling. For most gym sessions, the carbohydrate in your next meal is enough, and the priority is protein.
Fluid and salt are the forgotten part. A typical training session loses 0.5–2 litres of sweat, and sweat is salty — about 1 g of sodium per litre. Water alone replaces the fluid but not the salt, which is why a salty meal after training is genuinely useful, and why sports drinks exist for sessions over 90 minutes. Weigh yourself before and after a long session once: each kilogram lost is roughly a litre of fluid to replace, plus about 50% extra to account for ongoing losses.
What you eat before training matters as much as after. If you trained after a proper meal, you already have amino acids in your bloodstream and glycogen in your muscles, so the post-workout meal is less urgent. If you trained fasted, the post-workout meal matters more — eat within an hour or two, with 20–40 g of protein and some carbohydrate. The pre- and post-workout meals are one system, not two separate rules.
At a glance
| Meal | Protein | Carbs | Calories | When it fits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken, rice, vegetables | 45 g | 60 g | 550 kcal | Main meal after training |
| Greek yoghurt + oats + banana | 30 g | 65 g | 420 kcal | Quick option, no cooking |
| Tuna sandwich (wholemeal) | 35 g | 50 g | 450 kcal | Portable, after the gym |
| Eggs on toast + beans | 28 g | 55 g | 480 kcal | Breakfast training |
| Protein shake + banana | 28 g | 35 g | 280 kcal | Bridge to the next meal |
| Salmon, potatoes, greens | 42 g | 55 g | 580 kcal | Evening session |
Protein figures assume 150–200 g of the protein food. A shake plus a banana is a bridge to a proper meal, not a replacement for one — it is low in fibre, micronutrients and total calories.
The formula behind it
The post-workout targets come from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics / Dietitians of Canada / ACSM joint position stand (Thomas et al., 2016): protein 0.25–0.4 g/kg per meal (20–40 g for most adults) and carbohydrate 1.0–1.2 g/kg per hour for the first few hours after glycogen-depleting exercise. Daily protein for lifters and dieters is 1.6–2.2 g/kg (Morton et al., 2018). For an 80 kg lifter, the post-workout meal is therefore 20–32 g of protein by the per-meal rule, and 80–96 g of carbohydrate per hour if the session was long — though a normal meal covers the first figure easily and the second only matters after very long sessions.
Worked example — an 80 kg lifter finishes a 75-minute weights session at 6 pm, having eaten lunch at 1 pm. Dinner at 7 pm: 200 g chicken breast (about 45 g protein), 250 g cooked rice (about 70 g carbohydrate), vegetables and a glass of water, plus a pinch of salt on the food. That single meal covers the post-workout protein target (45 g, above the 20–40 g range) and most of the carbohydrate need for a session of this length. Total dinner: about 550 kcal. If the same person had run for two hours instead, the carbohydrate need would be roughly 160–190 g over the next two hours — dinner plus a large snack, or two carbohydrate-rich meals — because glycogen depletion is far greater.
Your plan, step by step
- Eat a normal meal within two hours of finishing training, with 20–40 g of protein and a carbohydrate portion matched to the session length.
- If the next meal is more than two hours away, have a bridge snack: yoghurt, a shake, or eggs on toast.
- After long sessions (over 90 minutes), add carbohydrate and salt: a salty meal, or a sports drink during the session itself.
- Drink water with the meal and keep drinking until your urine is pale yellow — thirst alone underestimates fluid loss.
- Do not skip the post-workout meal to 'save calories' — the calories are part of your daily target, and the protein is what repairs the training you just did.
How to use this guide
Build the habit around the meal, not the supplement: decide what you will eat after training before you train, and have it ready when you get home. If you train at lunch, the post-workout meal is lunch; if you train in the evening, it is dinner. Judge the system by recovery — if you feel strong for the next session and your weight is moving at 0.5–1% a week in the direction you want, the post-workout eating is right.
Common mistakes
Chugging a shake in the changing room and skipping dinner. A shake is 120–150 kcal with 25 g of protein and almost no fibre or micronutrients. It is a bridge, not a meal. The real recovery happens in the proper meal that follows — if that meal never comes, the shake did not save the session.
Eating a huge carbohydrate meal after a short session. A 45-minute weights session does not need 150 g of carbohydrate afterwards. Match the carbohydrate to the session: a normal meal for a normal session, a large carbohydrate meal only after a long, glycogen-depleting one.
Forgetting salt and fluid. Replacing fluid without salt after a sweaty session can dilute blood sodium. Eat a salty meal, or use a sports drink for sessions over 90 minutes, and weigh yourself before and after long sessions to learn your own sweat rate.
What this guide does NOT tell you
Post-workout nutrition guidance is based on sports-nutrition position stands for healthy adults; people with diabetes, kidney disease or other conditions that change protein or carbohydrate needs should set targets with a clinician or dietitian — kidney disease in particular changes the protein answer. The figures on this page are estimates, not medical advice, and they do not replace individual guidance. The safety floors (1,200 kcal women, 1,500 kcal men) apply to the whole day, including the post-workout meal.
Frequently asked questions
How soon after a workout should I eat?
Within two hours is a sensible target, and sooner if you trained fasted or have another session the same day. The '30-minute window' is a myth: muscle protein synthesis stays elevated for 24–48 hours, and total daily protein matters far more than the timing of one meal. A normal meal within a couple of hours covers it for almost everyone.
How much protein do I need after a workout?
About 20–40 g (0.25–0.4 g/kg) in the meal after training, as part of a daily total of 1.6–2.2 g/kg for lifters and dieters (Morton et al., 2018). For most adults a palm-sized portion of meat, fish, eggs or dairy covers it. More than 40 g in one meal is not harmful, but the extra is not used for muscle building in that meal — it is simply oxidised for energy.
Should I have a protein shake after training?
You can, but you do not need to. A shake is convenient when a meal is hours away, but a normal meal with 20–40 g of protein does the same job and carries fibre, micronutrients and more calories. Treat the shake as a bridge to the next meal, not as the meal itself.
What should I eat after a run?
After a run under 90 minutes, a normal meal with protein and carbohydrate is enough. After a run over 90 minutes, add carbohydrate (1.0–1.2 g/kg per hour for the first few hours), fluid and salt — a large meal plus a snack, or a sports drink during the run. A long run depletes glycogen far more than a weights session, so the carbohydrate need is genuinely larger.
Is it bad to eat a big meal right after exercise?
No, for most people — appetite is often suppressed for 30–60 minutes after hard exercise and returns on its own. Eating a normal meal within two hours is fine, and a large meal is appropriate after a long session. If you feel nauseous, start with fluids and a small snack and eat the main meal when your appetite returns.
Estimates only, not medical advice. Minimum safe intakes: 1,200 kcal/day women, 1,500 kcal/day men — consult a healthcare professional before a very-low-calorie diet.