What should you eat after a workout?

After a workout, eat a normal meal with about 20–40 g of protein (a common target is roughly 0.3–0.4 g per kg of bodyweight) and some carbohydrate, especially if you train again within a day. You don't need to slam a shake within 30 minutes: research suggests the "anabolic window" is several hours wide, and your total daily protein and calories matter more than exact timing. Apps like MyFitnessPal, MacroFactor and Arrow can help you hit those numbers; Arrow also reads your meals alongside your workouts.

Disclosure: we make Arrow. We've tried to be specific about where other apps are the better choice. Every competitor price and feature below was checked against the company's own site, help center or App Store listing on October 17, 2026. Sources are at the end.

01TL;DR

• Protein: about 20–40 g in the meal after training, or roughly 0.3–0.4 g/kg. Spread across 3–5 meals, aim for a daily total of about 1.6 g/kg or more if muscle gain is the goal.
• Carbs: more if you train again within about 24 hours or did long, hard sessions; less critical if your next session is two days away.
• Timing: within a couple of hours is plenty for most people. If you trained fasted, eat sooner.
• Simple meal examples: chicken, rice and vegetables; Greek yogurt, fruit and granola; eggs on toast with a glass of milk; a protein shake and a banana if you're on the go.
• Want an app for this: MyFitnessPal or MacroFactor for logging; Arrow if you want your post-workout meals read alongside your training.

02What the evidence says about post-workout protein

How much per meal. The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) position stand on protein and exercise recommends about 0.25 g/kg of high-quality protein per meal, or roughly 20–40 g, for maximizing muscle protein synthesis. Schoenfeld and Aragon's 2018 review suggests lifters aiming to build muscle use about 0.4 g/kg per meal across at least four meals to reach a daily intake of at least 1.6 g/kg, and up to about 0.55 g/kg per meal if aiming for 2.2 g/kg a day.

Bigger meals aren't wasted. The old claim that your body "can only absorb 30 g at once" doesn't hold up well. A 2023 study in Cell Reports Medicine (Trommelen et al.) found that 100 g of protein after resistance exercise produced a larger and longer-lasting anabolic response than 25 g, extending out to 12 hours. Hitting your daily total is still the main lever; one large protein meal isn't a problem.

Quality helps. Protein sources rich in leucine and the essential amino acids (dairy, eggs, meat, fish, soy, or a whey or blended plant protein) are a reliable choice. The ISSN protein stand also notes that most people training hard do well around 1.4–2.0 g/kg per day.

What that looks like for an 80 kg (176 lb) lifter: about 25–32 g of protein after training at 0.3–0.4 g/kg. That's roughly 120 g of cooked chicken, a 250 g tub of high-protein Greek yogurt, or a scoop of whey in milk.

03Carbs and fat after training

Carbs refill glycogen. Your muscles store carbohydrate as glycogen, and hard sessions use it. The ISSN nutrient timing position stand says that when rapid glycogen replenishment is needed (for example, two sessions within a day, or endurance work), carbohydrate intake soon after exercise matters more. It discusses high intakes of around 1.2 g/kg per hour for the first few hours in that situation, and notes adding protein can help when carbohydrate intake is lower.

For most lifters, it's simpler. If you lift 3–5 times a week with a day between sessions, your normal meals will usually refill glycogen before you train again. Eat carbs you enjoy and that fit your calorie target: rice, potatoes, oats, bread, fruit.

Fat is fine. Fat slows digestion a little, but there's no good evidence it ruins the post-workout meal. Mostly it matters for your calorie total.

On a cut, keep the protein, and fit carbs around training if that helps your performance. Our guide to the best app to track a cut covers the rest.

04The anabolic window is wider than gym lore says

The "30-minute window" came from early studies and supplement marketing. The ISSN nutrient timing position stand concludes that the window is less urgent than once thought, and that total daily protein and energy intake are the most important factors. Muscle protein synthesis stays elevated for many hours after training, and the protein from a meal you ate before training is still being absorbed afterward.

Practical version:

• If you ate a meal with protein 1–3 hours before training, eating within a couple of hours after is plenty.
• If you trained fasted (say, early morning), eat protein sooner, since you're starting from a low point.
• If you train twice a day, prioritize carbs and protein soon after the first session.

05Easy post-workout meals (about 30 g protein)

Values are rough and vary by brand and portion. Log the actual foods you use.

06Apps that help with post-workout nutrition

An app can't tell you the perfect meal, but it can make sure the numbers add up over the day and week. Prices are US list prices on October 17, 2026.

In Arrow: snap your post-workout meal with Smart Scan (or describe it, or scan a barcode). Arrow Coach gives you a Heads Up before you log a scanned meal and a meal score after. The weekly recap covers nutrition and training together, so you can see how your eating lined up with the weeks your lifts moved. Your daily protein target comes from your goal, and calorie targets adapt from your weigh-ins, explained in apps that adjust calories from your weight trend. For the wider case for one app, see one app for workouts and macros.

Smart Scan, Arrow Coach and other AI features need an Arrow Diamond subscription.

07When another app is the better choice

• You only want to count calories and protein, and don't care about training data: MyFitnessPal's free tier may be enough.
• You want the most documented adaptive algorithm: MacroFactor.
• You track micronutrients closely: Cronometer.
• You're on Android: Arrow is iPhone-first.

08FAQ

What should I eat after a workout to build muscle?

A meal with about 20–40 g of high-quality protein and some carbohydrate, as part of a day where you reach roughly 1.6 g/kg of protein or more. Chicken and rice, Greek yogurt with fruit, or a shake with a banana all work.

How soon after a workout should I eat?

Within a couple of hours is fine for most people, especially if you ate before training. If you trained fasted or train again the same day, eat sooner.

Is a protein shake after the gym necessary?

No. A shake is just a convenient way to get protein. A normal meal with a similar amount of protein works just as well.

Can your body only absorb 30 g of protein at once?

That's a myth. A 2023 study found 100 g of protein after exercise produced a larger and longer anabolic response than 25 g. Total daily intake matters most.

Should I eat carbs after lifting?

Usually yes, especially if you train again within a day. If your next session is two days away, normal meals will typically refill glycogen.

Is there an app that tells me what to eat after a workout?

Food trackers like MyFitnessPal and MacroFactor help you hit protein and calorie targets. Arrow scores your logged meals and gives a weekly recap that looks at meals and workouts together.

09Sources

Accessed October 17, 2026.

• ISSN position stand: protein and exercise (Jäger et al., 2017): per-meal and daily protein, JISSN
• ISSN position stand: nutrient timing (Kerksick et al., 2017): anabolic window, glycogen replenishment, JISSN
• Schoenfeld & Aragon (2018): how much protein per meal, 0.4–0.55 g/kg, PMC5828430
• Trommelen et al. (2023): 100 g vs 25 g protein after exercise, Cell Reports Medicine
• MyFitnessPal: myfitnesspal.com/premium · membership tiers
• MacroFactor: prices, subscriptions and bundles · check-ins, article 247 · Workouts integration, article 381
• Cronometer Gold: cronometer.com/gold
• Arrow: App Store listing