In 30 seconds
- Sleep 7 hours or more: a single night without sleep reduced muscle protein synthesis by 18%.
- Have 20-40 g of protein every 3-4 hours. If you train again within 4 hours, refuel with 1.2 g of carbohydrate per kilo per hour.
- Replace about 1.5 litres of fluid for every kilo lost through sweat. For muscle soreness, massage was the most effective technique in 99 studies.
- In 18 trials, BCAAs reduced muscle soreness from 24 to 96 hours; L-carnitine did so at 24 and 48 hours in 14 trials.
Recovering well is what turns training into progress. There are four foundations: sleeping 7 hours or more, protein spread across the day, carbohydrate and fluid to replace what you have used, and gentle movement when you have muscle soreness. Supplements come afterwards, and some have interesting figures behind them.
This guide takes you step by step, with what the studies say and amounts you can apply from your next session.
What recovering means
A demanding session leaves three jobs to do:
- Repairing and building muscle. That takes protein and time: the effect of training on muscle lasts at least 24 hours 3.
- Replacing energy, the glycogen stored in your muscles, with carbohydrate.
- Replacing the fluid and sodium you lose through sweat.
And if the effort was new or very intense, muscle soreness (DOMS) appears: small injuries in the muscle fibres that hurt over the following days. We explain why it happens in muscle soreness: why it happens and how to ease it.
The plan in six steps
- Sleep 7 hours or more.
- Protein at every meal, every 3-4 hours.
- Carbohydrate to refuel, more if you train again soon.
- Rehydrate with fluid and some sodium.
- Massage, compression and gentle movement for muscle soreness.
- Supplements, to support all of the above.
| When | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| When you finish | Water with some sodium and, if you can, massage or compression garments | You start to rehydrate; massage is what eases muscle soreness most |
| In the next 2 hours | A meal with 20-40 g of protein and carbohydrate | Protein in that window strongly stimulates muscle protein synthesis |
| Rest of the day | Protein every 3-4 hours and 1.5 litres of fluid per kilo lost | You spread your protein out and finish rehydrating |
| Before bed | 30-40 g of casein, if you like, and your bedtime routine | More protein synthesis overnight |
| Overnight | 7 hours of sleep or more | Too little sleep slows muscle protein synthesis |
| The next day | Gentle movement if you have muscle soreness | Active recovery eases the pain, although only for a short time |
Our own compilation based on Jäger et al., 2017; Kerksick et al., 2017; Mosler et al., 2020; Dupuy et al., 2018; Lamon et al., 2021, and the AASM, 2015.
One night without sleep
What changed after a single night without sleep
Step 1: sleep 7 hours or more
This is the most underrated piece. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends 7 hours or more a night for adults 1. And it considers 6 or fewer not enough to maintain health.
Your muscles notice straight away. In a trial with 13 young adults, a single night without sleep reduced muscle protein synthesis by 18% 2. Cortisol also rose by 21% and testosterone fell by 24%. That is exactly the opposite of what you want after training.
In practice:
- A regular schedule, weekends included.
- Caffeine, well away from bedtime.
- A bedtime routine: low light, screens out of bed and a cool bedroom.
You will find all the details in the sleep and recovery guide.
Step 2: protein at every meal
The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) considers 1.4-2.0 g of protein per kilo a day sufficient for most people who exercise 3. Ideally, spread it into servings of 20-40 g, or about 0.25 g per kilo, every 3-4 hours 3. Each serving should contain 700-3,000 mg of leucine.
| Your weight | Per day (1.4-2.0 g per kilo) | Per serving (0.25-0.40 g per kilo) |
|---|---|---|
| 60 kg | 84-120 g | 15-24 g |
| 70 kg | 98-140 g | 18-28 g |
| 80 kg | 112-160 g | 20-32 g |
| 90 kg | 126-180 g | 23-36 g |
Sources: Jäger et al., 2017 (ISSN) and Kerksick et al., 2017 (ISSN). As an absolute reference, 20-40 g per serving. Figures rounded.
And timing? Taken from straight after to 2 hours after training, good-quality protein strongly stimulates muscle protein synthesis 4. But there is no need to rush: the effect of exercise lasts at least 24 hours, and what counts most is your daily total 3.
Before bed
This is a useful moment. Having 30-40 g of casein before bed increases muscle protein synthesis overnight 3.
If you find it hard to get enough from food, a protein shake makes it easy. Protein contributes to a growth in muscle mass 10. A varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle are important.
Step 3: carbohydrate to refuel
Glycogen is the fuel stored in your muscles, and intense or long sessions empty it. How much you should refuel depends on when you train again.
- If your next session is tomorrow: there is no need for rapid refuelling; spread your carbohydrate across your meals.
- If you train or compete again within 4 hours: the ISSN recommends 1.2 g of carbohydrate per kilo per hour, preferably high glycaemic index. Or 0.8 g of carbohydrate with 0.2-0.4 g of protein per kilo per hour 4.
| Your weight | Carbohydrate only (1.2 g per kilo) | Carbohydrate and protein (0.8 g + 0.2-0.4 g per kilo) |
|---|---|---|
| 60 kg | 72 g of carbohydrate | 48 g of carbohydrate + 12-24 g of protein |
| 70 kg | 84 g of carbohydrate | 56 g of carbohydrate + 14-28 g of protein |
| 80 kg | 96 g of carbohydrate | 64 g of carbohydrate + 16-32 g of protein |
| 90 kg | 108 g of carbohydrate | 72 g of carbohydrate + 18-36 g of protein |
Source: Kerksick et al., 2017 (ISSN). Only needed if you train or compete again within 4 hours.
For example: rice, bread, potato or banana, together with your source of protein.
Rehydrate
How to replace fluid after training
Step 4: rehydrate
After training you keep losing fluid through urine, so it is a good idea to replace a little more than you have lost. The German Nutrition Society recommends about 1.5 litres for every kilo of body weight lost for fast, complete rehydration 5.
Three keys 5:
- With sodium: in the first phase, the fluid should contain 400-1,100 mg of sodium per litre, so that you do not pass it straight out again. A broth, a soup or a sports drink will do.
- In sips, spread over the following hours, ideally with a meal.
- No need to worry after normal sessions: if you have lost less than 5% of your body weight and you are not training within 24 hours, your meals and water are enough.
To find out how much you lose, weigh yourself before and after training.
For muscle soreness
In 99 studies: what worked and what did not
Step 5: massage, compression and gentle movement
A large meta-analysis compared the most widely used recovery techniques across 99 studies 6:
- Massage: the most effective for muscle soreness and the feeling of fatigue. It worked with 20-30 minutes straight after or up to 2 hours after training, and its effect was still there at 96 hours.
- Compression garments: they reduced muscle soreness and fatigue, with an effect still present at 96 hours.
- Active recovery: walking, easy cycling or mobility work. It eased muscle soreness considerably, but only for a short time.
- Cold water: a small effect, with water at 15 °C or below.
- Cryotherapy: a small effect, only in the first 6 hours.
- Stretching and electrical stimulation: no effect on muscle soreness.
In practice: a massage when you can, compression tights after your hardest sessions and gentle movement the next day. You will find all the figures in muscle soreness and muscle damage: what the studies say.
Step 6: the supplements that help
With all of the above in place, these are the ones with studies on recovery:
| Supplement | What the studies found |
|---|---|
| BCAAs | Less muscle soreness from 24 to 96 hours in 18 trials |
| L-carnitine tartrate | Less muscle soreness at 24 and 48 hours and fewer markers of muscle damage in 14 trials |
| Omega-3 | Less muscle soreness at 24 hours in a trial with 3 g a day for 4 weeks |
| Protein | Protein contributes to a growth in muscle mass |
Sources: Salem et al., 2024; Kazeminasab et al., 2025; Kyriakidou et al., 2021; Regulation (EU) No 432/2012.
BCAAs: 18 trials on muscle soreness
A meta-analysis brought together 18 trials with muscle-damaging exercise. Compared with placebo, BCAAs reduced muscle soreness 7:
- At 24 hours: a large effect.
- At 48 and 72 hours: the largest effect.
- At 96 hours: still significant.
Creatine kinase, a marker of muscle damage, fell straight after exercise and at 72 hours 7. Doses ranged from 3.15 to 29.3 g a day. The authors point out that more than 5 g a day may help with muscle soreness 7. And that starting to take them days before the exercise works better.
L-carnitine tartrate: less soreness and less damage
A 2025 meta-analysis brought together 14 trials with 284 healthy adults, with 1-3 g a day. Compared with placebo, L-carnitine reduced 9:
- Muscle soreness, at 24 and 48 hours.
- Creatine kinase, at 2 and 24 hours.
- Myoglobin, another marker of damage, straight after and in the first hour.
You will find all the trials in L-carnitine tartrate and recovery.
Omega-3
In a trial with 14 men, 3 g of omega-3 a day for 4 weeks reduced muscle soreness 8. The difference was seen 24 hours after 60 minutes of downhill running. In addition, at 250 mg of EPA and DHA a day, the EU authorises this claim: “EPA and DHA contribute to the normal function of the heart.” 10
Common mistakes
- Cutting back on sleep to train more: a single night without sleep already slows muscle protein synthesis 2.
- Packing all your protein into one meal: better spread every 3-4 hours 3.
- Drinking only water after a very sweaty session: without sodium, you pass out what you drink sooner 5.
- Stretching to get rid of muscle soreness: it does not reduce it; massage and compression do 6.
- Taking BCAAs only on the day it hurts: in the studies, taking them for more days before the exercise worked better 7.
Frequently asked questions
What should you eat after training to recover?
A meal with 20-40 g of good-quality protein and carbohydrate, within the next 2 hours. If you train again within 4 hours, have 1.2 g of carbohydrate per kilo per hour, or 0.8 g of carbohydrate with 0.2-0.4 g of protein per kilo per hour.
How many hours of sleep do you need to recover well?
Experts recommend 7 hours or more for adults, and consider 6 or fewer not enough. In one trial, a single night without sleep reduced muscle protein synthesis by 18%.
What is most effective for muscle soreness?
In a meta-analysis of 99 studies, massage was the most effective technique, followed by active recovery and compression garments. Among supplements, a meta-analysis of 18 trials found less muscle soreness with BCAAs than with placebo.
Which supplements help muscle recovery?
BCAAs reduced muscle soreness from 24 to 96 hours in 18 trials, and L-carnitine at 24 and 48 hours in 14 trials.
How much water should you drink after training?
About 1.5 litres for every kilo of body weight you have lost, in sips and spread over the following hours, ideally with some sodium or with a meal. Weigh yourself before and after training to find out how much you have lost.
Sources
- Watson NF, Badr MS, Belenky G, 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. Sleep. 2015;38(6):843-844. View publication
- Lamon S, Morabito A, Arentson-Lantz E, et al. The effect of acute sleep deprivation on skeletal muscle protein synthesis and the hormonal environment. Physiol Rep. 2021;9(1):e14660. View publication
- Jäger R, Kerksick CM, Campbell BI, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: protein and exercise. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017;14:20. View publication
- Kerksick CM, Arent S, Schoenfeld BJ, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: nutrient timing. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017;14:33. View publication
- Mosler S, Braun H, Carlsohn A, et al. Position of the working group sports nutrition of the German Nutrition Society (DGE): fluid replacement in sports. Dtsch Z Sportmed. 2020;71:178-184. View publication
- 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. Front Physiol. 2018;9:403. View publication
- Salem A, Ben Maaoui K, Jahrami H, et al. Attenuating muscle damage biomarkers and muscle soreness after an exercise-induced muscle damage with branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) supplementation: a systematic review and meta-analysis with meta-regression. Sports Med Open. 2024;10:42. View publication
- Kyriakidou Y, Wood C, Ferrier C, Dolci A, Elliott B. The effect of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation on exercise-induced muscle damage. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2021;18(1):9. View publication
- Kazeminasab F, Miraghajani M, Ahmadinejad S, et al. Effects of L-carnitine supplementation on markers of exercise-induced muscle damage in healthy adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Adv Exerc Health Sci. 2025;2(2):94-107. View publication
- Commission Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 establishing a list of permitted health claims made on foods. View publication
Information based on published studies. It does not replace the advice of a doctor or registered dietitian. The results describe what was measured in each study, not the properties of any specific product.
