Experts Say This Is the Top Recovery Drink to Have After a Workout

Consuming nutrients immediately after a sweat session replenishes the body—and, in part, prepares it for future workouts. This is just one reason why having a recovery drink can support your training.

"Recovering post-workout is crucial for replenishing your glycogen stores, along with repairing those microscopic tears that occur within the muscle tissue during exercise", said Marissa Miller, ACE CPT, who holds a certificate in plant-based nutrition from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies at Cornell University. For context, glycogen is stored glucose and carbohydrates, as well as a main source of energy for the body.

(Related: Dietitian-Approved Foods That Can Help You Rehydrate After an Outdoor Workout)

Refuelling with nutritious foods and beverages after sweating out key electrolytes enables the body "to experience a boost in muscle growth and strength, while also reducing the risk of delayed onset muscle soreness", Miller explained.

Before sharing the top recovery drink from experts, here's some important information to consider about fuelling in general.

One of Enright's go-to post-workout recovery drinks is chocolate milk.

"Not only does chocolate milk—made with either low- or non-fat milk combined with chocolate syrup—provide an optimal ratio of carbs to protein to aid in energy replenishment and muscle recovery, but it also contains electrolytes to aid in hydration", she said, adding that it also provides several nutrients that can aid recovery, including potassium and B vitamins.

And there's plenty of science around the beverage to back up these claims, although it's important to note that these studies exclusively review the benefits of drinking chocolate milk made from cow's milk.

For instance, a review found in a 2012 issue of the journal Medicine and Sports Science reported that sipping one glass of chocolate milk immediately after exercising, followed by a second glass two hours post-workout, can reduce the signs of muscle damage.

And a 2019 review suggested that cow's milk can increase muscle protein synthesis (which is a natural process of building muscle mass) and hydration. It may even contribute to replenishing depleted glycogen stores post-exercise while also lessening muscle soreness.

As simple as it may sound, Miller stressed that drinking water is crucial not only during exercise, but also immediately afterwards.

"It [water] helps regulate body temperature, aid in recovery and compensate for lost fluids that make up muscle tissue and support organ function", she said.

According to Enright, the "rule of thumb" is to drink 150 percent of the fluid lost during exercise. "Not only does this amount help to replace the fluids that were lost during a workout, but it also helps to replenish the fluids that will continue to be lost post-exercise from sweat and urine", she explained.

"If someone lost 473ml (approx.) (0.45kg) of fluid during a workout, they should drink 710ml (approx.) to replenish", she said. If you want a precise way to calculate this, step on the scale before and after a fitness routine to see how much fluid was lost from sweating.