If I told you how important your hockey dryland training workouts were, you’d probably raise your eyebrows. Of coarse, you’re smart enough to understand that your workouts are going to help you.
The thing that gets me about most players is their lack of effort to get something into their bodies post-workout.
You’re putting all this effort into your hockey dryland training and you need to maximize your potential gains by getting post-workout nutrition into your body.
It’s so important that by just getting something into your body after your workout, you can immediately start making better gains than you ever had if you’d never eaten after a workout before. Think of it this way, if you’re racing a care with no fuel in it, where’s it going to go? Same thing with your muscles. No fuel=No gains.
But a lot of you know that after your hockey dryland training workouts, some sort of post-workout nutrition is of absolute importance. But you may not know what to eat after a workout, and that’s where you need to become knowledgeable in order to get the best results for the efforts you’re putting in.
Working out puts a bunch of stress on the body. If you’ve ever felt sore the next day after a workout, were overly hungry, or can’t sleep as well as you usually do, this is basically your body saying that it’s under a bit of stress. This isn’t anything to get worked up about, but it goes to show that the body really needs you to refuel it in order to keep it running smoothly.
So the two best things you can eat immediately after a workout session are fast-digesting protein and fast-digesting carbohydrate foods. These types of foods usually have already been broken down in some way, making them easier to digest and therefore getting into your bloodstream and muscles much quicker.
There’s also a time about 2-3 hours after your workout that you’ll want to eat much slower digesting proteins and carbs. This way, you’ll have the nutrients you need to continue to build back your broken down muscle fibres.
So, some examples of the nutrients that I find to be most helpful after a workout:
Fast-Digesting Protein- Whey Protein Isolate
Fast-Digesting Carbs- Waxy Maize Powder, Sweet Potatoes
I put together a shake with whey protein and waxy maize and down a sweet potato right after my workouts and since doing that have gotten better results than I ever have.
The one thing you want to avoid after a workout is any kind of fat. The reason for this is that fat slows the process of digestion down, and immediately after a workout, this is exactly what you don’t want. You want protein and carbs to be digested as quickly as possible in order for your muscles to start recovering and rebuilding right away.
The post What to Eat After Your Hockey Dryland Training appeared first on Star Factory Fitness.
