Well done! You’ve cycled hard; your muscles are sore with fatigue and starvation, and you’ve earned the big snack for post-ride recovery. But don’t shove the first thing off the counter into your rumbling tummy.
While carbs may be an excellent source of energy before and during the ride, nothing recovers you better post-ride than the good ole chicken roast or scrambled eggs on a toast.
You need to refuel, repair and rehydrate after every strenuous cycling session, whether it’s for training or a tournament.
Protein is essential for repair and recovery, especially after cycling for endurance training when you push your limits, and your muscles get unusually fatigued.
How to consume proteins properly for post-cycling recovery is crucial if you wish to level up for the next session quickly and want to avoid any serious injury.
Immediate Effects of Intense Cycling on Muscles
A hard ride is just as intense as any other endurance training. It leaves you with fatigued legs, sore muscles, and drained energy. Extreme Cycling has two immediate effects on your body.
- Your muscles are pushed beyond limits and endure tiny tears. Small muscle fibers break, but this isn’t an injury. It’s a physiological phenomenon and requires proper nutrition for recovery.
- Your body consumes proteins, breaking them down to compensate for the high levels of energy required during an intense training session.
Having a proper diet plan during rest days makes sure you perform at your best. But post-cycling, you need to pay special attention to the foods you put in your body. Especially for proper recovery, you need to take proteins not only to replenish the reserves but, most importantly, to heal the micro-tears in your muscles quickly.
Engaging in strenuous physical activity without proper recovery can lead to severe injuries and complications.
Why Do You Need Proteins for Recovery After Cycling?
Research shows that exercise pushes your body to prepare more proteins. That’s one reason why exercise increases the size and strength of our muscles. Right after your cycling session, your body is busy with repair and healing. It needs proteins to heal the micro-tears in your muscles.
For protein production, your body needs amino acids, the basic building blocks of proteins. Our body can make some of these amino acids. For others, it depends on external sources i.e., proteins in our food. So, the quicker you replenish the protein reserves in your body, you sooner you’ll recover.
Proteins also increase the number of mitochondria in your cells and boost their function as well. Mitochondria break down fats for energy production, so the better these cell organelles work, the better it is for your endurance performance.
So, replenishing your protein reserves as soon as possible after your cycling session is quite remarkable. Let’s see how you can add protein to your diet immediately after Cycling and during rest day to maximize your performance.
Proper Way to Use Proteins for Post-Cycling Recovery
Don’t think of post-ride food as a means of fulfilling your sweet cravings. (Yes, you’ve earned your caramel cakes but still), think of post-ride food as Recovery food. You need to recover your energy, heal your muscle fibers, and cure meltdown (feeling low after the adrenaline rush. Sounds familiar, right?).
1. Instant Protein — Replenish the Protein Stores
If you cycle for over 90 minutes or do intense training, chances are your body had to tap into your protein reserves for energy. Eating the right proteins post-ride replenishes these protein stores quickly.
Choose nutritious drinks like whey or milkshakes for instant recovery. Protein-rich recovery drinks work by instantly releasing proteins and carbohydrates. The liquid state helps quick absorption of nutrients and the rapid replenishment of protein stores.
Protein bars, peanut butter on fruit, or good old milk are the best choices for instant refueling.
2. Protein Meal — Heal the Muscle Fibres
Your body needs a generous amount of amino acids throughout the day to heal the tears in your muscle fibers. A wholesome meal with the best food for Cycling dominated by protein is what you need within 30–60 minutes of your road cycling adventure.
It will give you enough amino acids for the day as your body digests the proteins and makes them available for absorption. Eat lean meat, chicken, turkey, and fish and add the beans and legumes for the right mix of essential amino acids.
3. Protein Snacks — Prevent Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness
Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) affects your performance when you least expect it. It is a sign of muscle damage due to strenuous exercise.
However, preventing DOMS is not a difficult task if you give your body a steady supply of amino acids all day long. Munch on protein snacks. Whey protein powders have around 20–25 g of protein in one scoop. Nuts, beans, Greek yogurt, and smoothies are also excellent munchies to keep you going strong.
4. Recovery Drinks — Lift Your Mood
For adrenaline meltdown, protein recovery drinks during and after Cycling provides your body with energizing nutrients such as Vitamin B, zinc, and iron.
They also help produce the brain’s chemical messengers, the neurotransmitters that stabilize blood glucose levels by slowing down the release of sugar. It prevents a meltdown, and you don’t feel drained even after a long hard drive.
Recommended Protein Intake for Cyclists
Do the numbers matter, you ask? We say, yes!
The proper amount of protein and carbs athletes need for recovery has been a subject of much research.
Scientists are still indecisive, but the recommended protein intake for normal to intense Cycling is 1.2 to 1.4g/kg of body weight in men. So, if you weigh around 70 kg, you will need 85–100 grams of protein. Female bikers require approximately 15% less protein.
For perspective, an average 100g piece of meat or fish contains 25g–30g of protein, so you will need three to five servings to fulfill your daily protein requirements.
Recommended post-cycling protein intake is 20–25 g; this means a 100g of meat would be sufficient to fulfill your body’s immediate protein requirements. However, do take into account your weight and training level according to this infographic.
How to Get Enough Protein for Post-cycling Recovery on a Vegan Diet?
It’s a common misconception that vegans can’t get enough essential amino acids. As a cyclist, this can cause major concern. Protein is necessary for post-cycling recovery, and there’s no way around it.
But luckily, the myth about vegan proteins isn’t true. And, how do Vegan Cyclists get their post-cycling protein fix?
Say hello to nuts, legumes, and seeds!
Nuts, nut butter, beans, lentils, pasta, chickpeas, chia seeds, and tofu provide supreme-quality plant protein with essential amino acids. In contrast, almond, coconut, and soy milk are healthy alternatives to regular dairy milk.
However, be mindful while planning an all-plant-protein diet. Individually, these foods sources are less protein-dense and lack a sufficient amount of essential amino acids. Your body cannot produce some of the amino acids (known as essential amino acids). It must get the right amount through food.
Rice and Beans are the right combinations providing a balanced essential amino acid diet.
Also, add quinoa, chia seeds, buckwheat, and soya to your table because they are complete proteins i.e., they have all the essential amino acids. Chickpeas are an excellent source of quite many essential proteins.
Protein should be an essential part of every cyclist’s meal, but beware as too much protein may suppress appetite. Minerals, Vitamins, Carbs, and Fats are all necessary for a balanced body and proper cycling fitness. Therefore, include the right mix of all nutrients and use protein properly for post-cycling recovery.
The success of an athlete lies not only in his extensive training but also in his responsible recovery regime.
