People who spend a lot of time in gyms know about the importance of post-workout nutrition. But they usually only think about how it affects their muscles (and sometimes their bodyfat).
However, that insulin spike your get shunts nutrients into all sorts of areas that need it…including your tendons. Sports nutrition researchers know this (see this article on post-workout nutrition and its effects on various types of tissue for one example) and have tried various nutritional interventions to see what yields the best results.
Unfortunately, not much can really be said for sure when it comes to tendons. We know pretty well what causes muscles to recover best: a 2:1 mix of fast-absorbing carbs and protein, plus some BCAAs thrown in for good measure. But muscles recover quickly. In younger subjects, 48-72 hours is generally all it takes, so scientists can see results in a short amount of time. Tendons, on the other hand, take a while.
Like, months. Lots of months.
So it’s hard to determine results, and hard to say anything for sure. But it makes sense that what’s good for muscles is also good for the structures that support muscles. Muscles are mainly composed of protein; tendons are made of collagen, which is made from protein. So aside from just general good nutrition that avoids excess inflammation and provides you with the correct building blocks to maintain your body in good condition, a good post-workout shake and meal are good ideas. And the older you are in terms of training age, the shorter your window is to get that post-workout shake down. Younger, less trained athletes have a couple of hours, but us older folks only have about 45-60 minutes before the window closes.
So if you’re engaging in stressful training and are over the age of forty, I recommend having your post-workout shake more or less immediately after training. (Personally, I start drinking mine even before I’m done.) And then have a regular meal filled with starchy carbs and a good lean protein source (not too much fat if you can help it) about forty-five minutes to an hour later.
