You know all about the pre-workouts… but what happens after training? Did you know, how you recover from training is just as important, if not MORE, than the workout itself? Yep, you heard that right! As a sports dietitian, I’ve spent hours upon hours counseling athletes about the importance of post workout nutrition – getting protein and carbohydrates within 15-30 minutes of training, having a snack or meal within in an hour, replacing fluids lost, etc. Proper post-workout nutrition supports your fitness goals, by replacing lost energy stores, providing the proper nutrients to stimulate muscle protein repair (and growth), and antioxidants to help minimize the free radical damage induced by exercise.
So where do post workout supplements fit in? Are there ingredients that support post workout recovery? Which post workout recovery supplements can help reduce muscle soreness, support muscle gains, or fit into your weight loss plans. Read on for the best protein workout recovery supplements according to our in-house sports dietitian experts.
The Top 2024 Post Workout Supplement Picks
Best Post Workout Supplement for Recovery – Protein Powder
- Kaged® Elite Series Protein Isolate | Skip to review
- GNC AMP WheybolicTM Whey Protein | Skip to review
- Beyond Raw® Dynamic Whey | Skip to review
Best Post Workout Supplement: Hydration & Electrolyte Supplements
Best Post Workout Supplement: BCAAs
- Podium Hydro + Salt BCAA | Skip to review
- GHOST® Amino | Skip to review
- Beyond Raw® Precision Amino | Skip to review
Best Post Workout Supplement: Vegan, Plant Based, Soy Free
Best Post Workout Supplement: Creatine
Not much of a surprise here, but my top post workout supplement pick is protein powder. With whey protein as the pack leader. Whey protein supplements support recovery, and provide the most influential branched chain amino acid, leucine. Leucine plays a pivotal role in muscle protein synthesis. Check out our Best Protein Powders of 2024 for more in depth coverage of these top performers.
Kaged® takes whey protein isolate to the next level. With 25g or Trisolate Protein Matrix was designed to master the balance of fast and slow digesting proteins, elevating muscle recovery for optimal results. The flavor on this one (I tasted chocolate) was nice and smooth.
GNC’s AMP Wheybolic™ is America’s #1 Protein Powder Brand for building strength†*^▪. Clinically proven to increase muscle strength and size^, it’s a fan favorite and trusted source. With so many flavors to choose from there’s something for everyone. GNC’s AMP Wheybolic™ is one of the best post workout supplements out there! I’ve been on a strawberry kick these days and this one mixed up well.
Re-imagine whey protein powder with Dynamic Whey. This innovative protein powder includes some high-tech formulation to increase bioavailability for optimized amino acid absorption. And PeptiStrong® with proven clinical research to help you recover faster. Check out this killer article for more info on this innovative ingredient.
I’d be remis not to mention good old H2O to replace fluid lost. Water helps to cool body temperature and transport nutrients throughout the body required for recovery. Bonus, it’s readily available – even more so with the current reusable water bottle and drinkware trends. But water can be b–o–r–i–n–g. Good thing there’s all kinds of goodies you can add to enhance flavor, like hydration and electrolyte supplements, even BCAA’s (more on that below!).
Next up, hydration and electrolyte supplements. You lose electrolytes, like sodium and potassium through sweat. Sodium and potassium, help transport and move fluid from the gut into the blood stream. Electrolyte supplements often provide additional ingredients to benefit recovery, like BCAAs. Plus, they come in some pretty amazing flavors – encouraging you to drink more.
Oh so trendy! Prime Hydration has taken the hydration market by storm. It’s lower in sugar and electrolytes, when compared to the typical sports drink. But, Prime Hydration makes it up for it with amino acids and epic flavor. For me it’s the Lemonade after a sweaty run in the summer – chef’s kiss!
You want electrolytes? GNC AMP® Amplified Hydration has got em’. Three times the amount of premium electrolytes you’ll find in the typical sports drink (add disclaimer below)! It also includes ingredients to support muscle recovery, like clinically studied Dynagenix®. Plus probiotics and fiber to support gut health – athletes need to take care of their gut! And as a sports dietitian I love that it is banned substance tested.
Want to jump start the recovery process? Provide the nutrients that play a role in muscle recovery ASAP. BCAAs can help! You’ll find BCAAs and EAAs in naturally in protein powders, but there are also some stand-alone amino acid powders (in fun flavors) that can provide what your muscles crave. Mix with water and hydrate too!
Thirst quenching GHOST® Amino can be used any time of day, especially post-workout when recovery is key. It’s vegan friendly with flavors on point. The GHOST Hydration blend also includes trending taurine. Taurine supports muscle function by regulating calcium levels in cells.
This updated BCAA recovery supplement from Beyond Raw® replenishes electrolytes, accelerates muscle recovery by promoting an anabolic state. Added BetaPower® and Velositol® help to increase power and ignite muscle protein synthesis with resistance training. Phew! That’s a lot of benefits. Recovery and power to the max!
Podium Hydro + Salt BCAA combines the muscle recovery benefits of BCAAs and electrolytes to give you the best of both worlds. The Podium BCAA blend is vegan friendly featuring vegan fermented L-Leucine, L-Isoleuicine, and L-Valine. It’s also soy free which helps cater to those avoiding soy. Vitamin C is also on its list of ingredients. A powerful antioxidant, vitamin C can benefit athletes, protecting them against free radical damage associated w/ exercise.
When it comes to protein powder, whey isn’t the only “whey” to meet your needs. In fact, plant-based protein powders and vegan proteins are equally amazing. Still providing those EAAs and BCAAs, many of these plant-based proteins have added BCAAs like leucine to help promote muscle protein synthesis and enhance muscle recovery. Here are a few of my favs:
GHOST Vegan Protein powder is my top pick when is comes to the best vegan protein powders on the market. I love their full protein disclosure label, which provides details info on which plant-based sources the 21g of protein comes from. Like pea protein concentrate, organic pumpkin protein, and watermelon seed protein. Did I also mention it’s soy free? GHOST is known for their epic flavors and collaborations, and these vegan options deliver. With six flavors to choose from, including Coconut Ice Cream and Cinnabon® – YUM.
Vega Sport proteins are pioneers in the plant-based protein space. Geared towards athletes who prefer a vegan or plant-based lifestyle. This sports protein provides 30g of plant proteins per serving, plus probiotics, tart cherry, and BCAAs. It’s non-GMO Project Verified and NSF Certified for Sport which gives this vegan protein the sports dietitian seal of approval.
When you think of recovery, creatine should be one of the first supplements that comes to mind. The cool thing about creatine – it’s a superstar sports supplement. Increasing immediate energy fuel for working muscle, enhancing performance, and supporting muscle growth when used alongside an exercise training program.
Creatine can be taken any time of day. Often, you’ll find it in pre-workouts – to top of muscle creatine stores, increasing its availability for muscle fuel. But those fuel sources get used up quickly, especially during high intensity training sessions. To help replace creatine stores, add a scoop of Creatine HCl powder or creatine monohydrate powder as part of your post workout routine to provide incredible benefits – beyond the gym.
Chem Labs, from Beyond Raw®, allows you to be the chemist. It’s no secret that creatine HCL powder, doesn’t taste… amazing. In fact, it’s quite sour (which is why HCl is often found pre-workouts). A word to the wise – mix Chem Labs Creatine HCl powder into your post workout BCAA or a hydration product to mask flavor and support recovery. I mixed it into the Amplified Hydration lemon lime flavor and felt it really enhanced the flavor!
Chem Labs, from Beyond Raw®, allows you to be the chemist. It’s no secret that creatine HCL powder, doesn’t taste… amazing. In fact, it’s quite sour (which is why HCl is often found pre-workouts). A word to the wise – mix Chem Labs Creatine HCl powder into your post workout BCAA or a hydration product to mask flavor and support recovery. I mixed it into the Amplified Hydration lemon lime flavor and felt it really enhanced the flavor!
Creatine Monohydrate – An oldie but a goody, creatine monohydrate is tried and true. With more research than any other creatine on the market, you can’t go wrong. Check out our assortment of the best creatine supplements here at GNC.
Trust GNC has your back for the best post workout recovery supplements. So, get on the recovery train and get back to the gym sooner!
^When used in conjunction with an exercise program
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
▪An 8-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 33 healthy men compared the effectiveness of this proprietary module of whey protein and leucine vs. an isocaloric carbohydrate placebo consumed before and after resistance training. Subjects consuming the leucine-whey protein supplement experienced greater increases in muscle strength than those on the placebo. Leucine-whey protein supplementation also increased muscle cross-sectional area from baseline.
- In an 8-week randomized double-blind placebo controlled study of 30 healthy male volunteers comparing 1 set resistance training (RT) + active or carbohydrate placebo to 2 sets RT alone with no supplement, the active group showed equal gains in maximal muscle strength and muscle endurance compared to the control group.
†Based on mass market (excluding Amazon) Nielsen data 4/3/2022–7/2/2022.