What to Do After a Workout: A Simple Recovery Routine

Last updated: 2026-10

After a workout, most of your recovery comes from four things: protein, carbohydrates when you train hard or again soon, fluids to replace what you sweated out, and a full night of sleep. In practice that means a meal or snack with about 20 to 40 g of protein within a couple of hours, drinking back the water you lost and protecting seven or more hours in bed. Stretching and cool-downs can feel good, but the research on what they change is more modest than gym lore suggests.

What does your body need after a workout?

It is 7:15 on a Wednesday evening. You have finished the last set, your shirt is damp, and the choice is a proper dinner, a protein bar in the car or nothing until much later. How you feel tomorrow depends far more on the next few hours and the next night than on anything you do in the locker room.

How much protein should you eat after a workout?

The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) gives clear numbers. A single serving of about 0.25 g of high-quality protein per kg of body weight, or 20 to 40 g in absolute terms, is the general recommendation. Each serving should ideally contain 700 to 3,000 mg of leucine, and servings work best spread evenly, every 3 to 4 hours. Over the whole day, 1.4 to 2.0 g of protein per kg is enough for most people who exercise [1].

For a person weighing 70 kg, that is roughly 18 to 21 g at a sitting (0.25 to 0.3 g per kg) and about 100 to 140 g a day [1][4]. Eggs, Greek yogurt, fish, chicken, tofu or a shake all work.

Do you really have to eat within 30 minutes?

No. According to the ISSN, high-quality protein taken anywhere from immediately to two hours after exercise strongly stimulates muscle protein synthesis, and the benefit comes whether you eat before or after training [1][3]. A meta-analysis of protein timing studies found that once total protein intake was accounted for, timing made no significant difference to strength or muscle growth [2]. Skip the sprint to the shaker and hit your daily total.

Do you need carbohydrates after training?

It depends on when you train next. Carbohydrates refill glycogen, the fuel stored in your muscles. If you need it back within four hours, the ISSN recommends 1.2 g of carbohydrate per kg per hour, or 0.8 g combined with 0.2 to 0.4 g of protein per kg per hour [3]. The joint position statement of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Dietitians of Canada and the American College of Sports Medicine gives 1.0 to 1.2 g per kg per hour for the first four hours when fewer than eight hours separate two demanding sessions [4].

Those targets are for short gaps, such as a tournament day. If you lift in the evening and train again the day after tomorrow, a dinner with rice, potatoes, pasta or bread next to your protein does the refilling.

How much should you drink after a workout?

Enough to replace what you lost, and then some. According to the joint position statement, fluid deficits of more than 2% of body weight can compromise thinking and aerobic performance, particularly in hot weather. Effective rehydration needs more than the deficit itself: 125% to 150% of it, or 1.25 to 1.5 L for every kg of body weight lost [4].

Weigh yourself before and after a long or sweaty session. If you are 0.8 kg lighter, plan on 1 to 1.2 L over the next few hours. The statement recommends water and sodium at a modest rate and advises against restricting sodium after heavy sweating [4]. For most gym sessions, a normally salted meal covers it.

Is sleep the most important part of recovery?

It is the one part you cannot buy back. In a study at Stanford, 11 players from the men's varsity basketball team aimed for at least 10 hours in bed every night for five to seven weeks. Their sprint times fell from 16.2 to 15.5 seconds, and free throw and three-point accuracy each rose by about 9% [5]. It was a small group, and few people can spend 10 hours in bed. The direction is still clear.

For healthy adults, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society recommend seven or more hours a night [6]. If you train in the evening, check the caffeine in your pre-workout too (more in pre-workout without the crash). If your mind keeps racing after a late session, read can't fall asleep.

Does stretching or a cool-down help recovery?

Less than most people assume. A Cochrane review of 12 studies found that stretching before or after exercise does not produce clinically important reductions in muscle soreness in healthy adults. Stretching after exercise lowered soreness the next day by about 1 point on a 100-point scale [8].

A 2018 meta-analysis of 99 studies compared recovery methods head to head. Active recovery, massage, compression garments and water immersion all produced small to large reductions in perceived muscle soreness, and massage came out as the most effective for both soreness and perceived fatigue [7].

If a few minutes of easy cycling or walking helps you wind down, keep it. Stretch for mobility if you enjoy it, without expecting it to change how your legs feel tomorrow.

When is pain after a workout not normal?

Feeling your muscles ache or stiffen for a few days after exercise is normal, especially after a new or harder session. NHS inform says this usually settles within about two to five days. If the pain lasts longer than five days or gets worse, see your doctor, who may refer you to a physiotherapist [9]. Pain from an injury, by contrast, is usually noticeable in the affected area straight away [9].

Get urgent help if you heard a crack, if the area has changed shape, feels numb or tingling, or the skin looks blue or grey. Call a doctor if the pain is severe or getting worse, if there is a lot of swelling or bruising, or if you cannot put weight on the limb [10]. Muscle pain and weakness after very hard exertion together with dark, red or cola-colored urine can point to rhabdomyolysis, a breakdown of muscle tissue, and need a doctor straight away [11]. If the same pain keeps returning, a physiotherapist can look at your technique and training load.

A simple recovery routine

• Eat within a couple of hours. A meal or snack with 20 to 40 g of protein [1].
• Drink back what you sweated. About 1.25 to 1.5 L for every kg lost, with a normally salted meal [4].
• Add carbohydrates on purpose. More, and sooner, only if you train again the same day [3].
• Spread your protein. Every 3 to 4 hours, toward 1.4 to 2.0 g per kg a day [1].
• Protect the night. Seven or more hours, on a regular schedule [6].
• Know the warning signs. Pain beyond five days, swelling, dark urine.

Where Smart Strips fit

Food, water and sleep carry the load. Smart Strips REFUEL is the strip for after training, a small, consistent step that becomes part of your post-workout routine. Each oral dissolvable strip contains 40 mg liposomal curcumin, 20 mg PEA (palmitoylethanolamide) and 10 mg NAD+, with natural ginger and lime flavor. Take one strip after your workout: place it on your tongue, press it gently against the roof of your mouth and it dissolves in 7 to 30 seconds, with no water. It fits in your gym bag next to the shaker.

Before training there is FCKN FIT, with 30 mg L-carnitine, 20 mg caffeine, 10 mg niacin, 5 mg gamma-butyrobetaine, 5 mg tamarind extract and 100 µg chromium, in a mixed berries and vanilla flavor. Niacin contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue [12]. Take it shortly before training, as part of your warm-up. Twenty milligrams is a small, measured amount of caffeine, and how that compares with a scoop of powder is explained in caffeine strips vs pre-workout powder. The two come together in the Fitness Ready set: FCKN FIT before, REFUEL after.

And for the part of recovery that happens at night, Z-z-Zen combines 1 mg of melatonin with 14 mg of saffron extract, 12 mg of L-glycine and 12 mg of L-theanine. Melatonin contributes to the reduction of time taken to fall asleep. The beneficial effect is obtained by consuming 1 mg of melatonin close to bedtime [12]. Take one strip 20 to 30 minutes before sleep.

Every Smart Strips formula uses QuickRelease™ film, and the format delivers up to 95% bioavailability, up to 4x faster absorption and up to 30% higher effectiveness than a swallowed tablet, capsule or powder. You can read how on our science page. Smart Strips is the only oral strip brand with a complete functional range, from training and recovery to focus, sleep and longevity. See the full range.

Smart Strips are not for children or for pregnant or nursing women, and they do not diagnose or address injuries. FCKN FIT contains caffeine (20 mg per strip). Z-z-Zen contains melatonin and may cause drowsiness, so do not drive after use. If you take medication or have a medical condition, speak to your doctor before taking any supplement.

How Smart Strips are made

Smart Strips are made in the USA, in an FDA registered, cGMP certified facility certified to NSF/ANSI 455-2. Every formula is tested by independent ISO 17025 accredited laboratories. New to the format? Start with what oral dissolvable strips are, or see when to take supplements to plan your day.

FAQ

What should I do right after a workout? Within a couple of hours, eat a meal or snack with 20 to 40 g of protein and drink back the fluid you sweated out. Then protect seven or more hours of sleep.

How much protein should I eat after a workout? About 0.25 g of high-quality protein per kg of body weight, or 20 to 40 g. Across the day, 1.4 to 2.0 g per kg, spread every 3 to 4 hours, is enough for most people who exercise.

Does stretching after exercise help recovery? It helps less than most people think. A Cochrane review found no clinically important reduction in next-day muscle soreness. Stretch for mobility if you enjoy it.

When is pain after a workout a reason to see a doctor? When it lasts longer than five days or gets worse, when there is a lot of swelling or you cannot put weight on the limb, or when you notice dark, red or cola-colored urine.

What is in a REFUEL strip? 40 mg liposomal curcumin, 20 mg PEA and 10 mg NAD+, with natural ginger and lime flavor. Take one strip after your workout. It dissolves on the tongue in 7 to 30 seconds, with no water.

Sources

1. Jäger R, Kerksick CM, Campbell BI, Cribb PJ, Wells SD, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: protein and exercise. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2017;14:20. doi.org/10.1186/s12970-017-0177-8
2. Schoenfeld BJ, Aragon AA, Krieger JW. The effect of protein timing on muscle strength and hypertrophy: a meta-analysis. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2013;10:53. doi.org/10.1186/1550-2783-10-53
3. Kerksick CM, Arent S, Schoenfeld BJ, Stout JR, Campbell B, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: nutrient timing. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2017;14:33. doi.org/10.1186/s12970-017-0189-4
4. Thomas DT, Erdman KA, Burke LM. Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Dietitians of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine: Nutrition and Athletic Performance. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 2016;116(3):501-528. doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2015.12.006
5. Mah CD, Mah KE, Kezirian EJ, Dement WC. The effects of sleep extension on the athletic performance of collegiate basketball players. Sleep. 2011;34(7):943-950. doi.org/10.5665/SLEEP.1132
6. Watson NF, Badr MS, Belenky G, Bliwise DL, et al. Recommended amount of sleep for a healthy adult: a joint consensus statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. 2015;11(6):591-592. doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.4758
7. Dupuy O, Douzi W, Theurot D, Bosquet L, Dugué B. An evidence-based approach for choosing post-exercise recovery techniques to reduce markers of muscle damage, soreness, fatigue, and inflammation: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Frontiers in Physiology. 2018;9:403. doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2018.00403
8. Herbert RD, de Noronha M, Kamper SJ. Stretching to prevent or reduce muscle soreness after exercise. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2011;CD004577. doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD004577.pub3
9. NHS inform (NHS Scotland). Pain and injuries after exercise. nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/muscle-bone-and-joints/pain-and-injuries-after-exercise
10. NHS. Sprains and strains. nhs.uk/conditions/sprains-and-strains
11. MedlinePlus, US National Library of Medicine. Rhabdomyolysis. medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000473.htm
12. Commission Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 establishing a list of permitted health claims made on foods. eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2012/432/oj