What Happens if You Delay Eating Carbs After a Workout?
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Many people know that eating carbohydrates after exercise helps you recover. But what if you wait a few hours before eating them? A recent study looked at this question and found some surprising results.
The Study in Simple Words
Researchers asked nine active men to do a hard cycling workout made up of intervals. After the workout, sometimes they drank a carb-rich drink right away. Other times, they only drank water for three hours and then ate the same amount of carbs later in the day. The researchers then tested how well they could do another intense workout 24 hours later. They also checked muscle samples to see how their bodies were recovering.
What the Researchers Found
Waiting to eat carbs did not change how much glycogen the muscles stored over 24 hours. Glycogen is the main fuel your muscles use. After one day, both groups had similar glycogen levels. The study also found that the same genes and proteins linked to muscle recovery and growth were active in both groups. So, delaying carbs did not make these signals stronger or weaker.
But when it came to performance, there was a big difference. The group that delayed eating carbs performed fewer intervals the next day and felt the exercise was harder. In other words, they got tired faster even though their muscles had stored enough fuel.
Why This Matters for You
If you exercise hard on back-to-back days, eating carbs soon after your workout can help you perform better the next day. Even if you plan to eat enough carbs later, your body seems to recover better when those carbs come sooner.
On the other hand, if you have plenty of rest days and are not training again soon, delaying carbs might not hurt your long-term progress. But if your goal is to be ready for another tough session the next day, it’s better to refuel as soon as possible.
Practical Tips
Eat a snack or meal with carbohydrates within an hour after finishing a tough workout. This can be as simple as a banana and some bread, rice with eggs, or a recovery drink with carbs and some protein. If you are training twice a day or on consecutive days, early refueling becomes even more important.
The Bottom Line
Delaying carbs after exercise does not seem to improve recovery signals in your muscles. More importantly, it can reduce your performance in your next session. If you want to train hard again soon, make sure you eat enough carbs shortly after your workout. It’s a simple step that can make a big difference in how strong and ready you feel the next day.