What Macros Should a Post-Workout Bowl Have?
The post-workout window explained: how much protein, how many carbs, and why keeping fat low speeds recovery. With a ready-built bowl.
Short answer: 30–40 g of protein, 0.8–1.2 g of carbohydrate per kilogram of bodyweight, and as little added fat as you can manage. For a 75 kg lifter that is roughly 35 g protein and 70–90 g carbs — around 550 calories.
The 'anabolic window' was oversold for a decade and then dismissed too hard in the correction. The honest position: if you trained fasted or you train again within eight hours, timing matters. Otherwise, hitting your daily protein total matters far more than the clock.
Protein: 30–40 g, leucine-rich
Muscle protein synthesis maxes out around 0.4 g per kilogram per meal for most people, which is where the 30–40 g figure comes from. Whey, eggs, chicken, paneer and soy all clear the leucine threshold that triggers the response.
More than 40 g is not wasted — it is just used for other things rather than adding further to the synthesis response of that meal.
Carbs: this is the one time fast is better
Glycogen resynthesis runs fastest in the hours after training. White rice, potato, banana or a sports drink refill stores quicker than oats or brown rice.
0.8–1.2 g/kg covers a normal training session. Endurance athletes training twice a day should sit at the top of that range or above it.
Keep fat low here — not always
Fat slows gastric emptying. That is fine at dinner and unhelpful when you want nutrients moving. Five to ten grams for flavour is plenty in a recovery bowl; save the avocado and nuts for later meals.
The Post-Workout Bowl preset on the homepage is built to these numbers — load it, swap the protein for whatever you actually have, and the totals recalculate instantly.
Frequently asked questions
- How much protein do you need after a workout?
- 30–40 g, or roughly 0.4 g per kilogram of bodyweight, is enough to maximise the muscle protein synthesis response of that meal.
- Do you have to eat immediately after training?
- Only if you trained fasted or you are training again within about eight hours. Otherwise a normal meal within a couple of hours is fine.
- Are fast carbs better after a workout?
- Yes, in that specific window. Glycogen refills faster with quickly digesting carbohydrate like white rice, potato or fruit.
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