Should I take whey for muscle recovery?

Your speed of recovery has a major influence on your progress in endurance sports and weight training.

Recovering faster from the most intense exercise will enable you to get the most out of a strict training program. However, there's no magic bullet for improving muscle recovery.

In fact, it depends on a multitude of factors, such as the way you work out, your lifestyle and your state of health.

However, your diet and potential supplementation also have an important role to play. So we're going to give you a few nutritional tips for speeding up muscle recovery with the help of suitable supplements.

Is it necessary to eat protein powder?

As a general rule, taking it easy outside training is the key to better muscle recovery. The athlete should introduce a phase of calming down after exercise, perhaps taking up meditation, or using massages to relax, and watch his or her sleep.

While this is very important, it's far from enough to recover quickly from the toughest workouts. It's important to understand that muscle recovery depends largely on the speed with which the body repairs muscle damage caused by training. 

In addition to a certain amount of incompressible time for recovery and rest, the body needs a sufficient supply of protein to carry out this repair.

Although the main source of protein must come from the diet, consuming protein powder helps optimize recovery and maximize muscle gain.

For targeted recovery, endurance sports enthusiasts should consume around 20 grams of protein at the end of their training sessions.

Since we're talking about improving muscle recovery, post-exercise supplementation, from 30 minutes to 2 hours after exercise, is highly beneficial. Of course, athletes can choose from a wide range of high-protein dietary supplements.

Protein powders are preferable, so that you can measure out the product more easily and consume the protein quickly and easily. You'll be able to easily calculate the amount of protein you're taking in.

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Protein and only protein?

Physical exercise doesn't just lead to muscle catabolism. It also involves a significant expenditure of energy. To supply this energy, the body draws on its glycogen reserves. These reserves must be replenished to recover and reduce the feeling of fatigue.

As you may have guessed, carbohydrates are essential for replenishing glycogen stores. Protein alone is therefore not enough to optimize muscle recovery. You'll also need to add a source of carbohydrates to your protein shaker. See our article on the benefits of carbohydrates for athletes if you haven't already done so.

Athletes also need to remember to rehydrate. Protein powder and carbohydrates are therefore diluted in water or milk (conventional or plant-based). In principle, a protein recovery drink should contain 60% protein and 30% carbohydrates.

By respecting this proportion, we obtain an isotonic drink that guarantees the famous 3R's of recovery. This post-workout drink rehydrates (Rehydrate), replenishes glycogen stores (Refuel) and rebuilds muscle fibres (Rebuild).

This post-exercise snack will help you recover from a grueling workout and maximize its benefits.

Which protein powder to choose?

The choice of protein powder is very important here. The dietary supplement chosen must provide sufficient amino acids to support muscle rebuilding.

Ideally, this product should have a fairly high protein concentration and be highly digestible. Of all the protein powders on the market, whey protein seems to have the best profile.

Whey is derived from milk whey, one of the substances with the highest concentration of essential amino acids and BCAAs.

Today, it's the product with the best price/protein ratio. Whey is also renowned for its high bioavailability. The body rapidly absorbs the proteins it contains.

Ideal for post-workout supplementation. Whey products are generally very low in lactose and gluten-free (depending on the brand).

However, whey quality varies greatly from one brand to another. Producers use different processes and source raw materials differently. To consume high-quality whey, it's best to opt for whey produced in France, from extensive French pasture milk.

In addition to the direct quality of raw materials, French brands are subject to increasingly strict manufacturing standards, which is not the case for foreign-based companies selling online. 

We therefore prefer whey without additives. The latter will have a lighter taste, be less sweet, much easier to digest and healthier. 

Finally, athletes should be reassured on one point. Contrary to popular belief, regular consumption of protein powder does not harm kidney or liver function if taken correctly.

Thanks to its low-lactose, low-fat composition, additive-free whey provides healthy support for muscle builders in their quest for muscle volume, and for endurance athletes in their post-workout recovery.

To reach your goal and preserve your health, we always combine the consumption of whey or protein powder with a balanced and varied diet.

To find out more :

• What to take whey with?
• What dietary supplements should you take for muscle recovery?
• How can I safely consume maltodextrin?