Training – Sending the Signals
From weight lifters to endurance athletes, the process of heavy or strenuous training utilizes energy, depletes glycogen, and breaks down muscle tissue. In order to compensate for these effects, the human body must quickly begin sending the signals of repair. Bearing in mind these mechanisms, the post-workout period is an ideal time to exploit the body’s natural signals in order to initiate recovery and growth, but obviously this can only occur in the presence of proper nutrition. While nutritional goals after training are also dependent upon what is consumed before and during training, the time immediately following exercise is when the body is most sensitive to nutrients and the proper fuels can rapidly switch the body from a state of catabolism to a state of anabolic growth.