Whether you’re trying to build strength, improve your endurance, or simply recuperate after a workout, your post-exercise fuel can make a big impact. More specifically, eating an optimal mix of nutrients (while avoiding any that’ll cause a stomach rebellion) can change how your body responds to exercise—including how well it recovers. In particular, you want to hit the right amount of carbohydrates and protein both before and after your training sessions. 

But what’s the “ideal” carb-to-protein ratio? Does the workout you do change what that ratio looks like—and is it necessary to follow it to a T? We asked registered dietitians to break it all down. 

Why Carbs and Protein Are Key for Athletes

Carbohydrates are the body’s preferred workout fuel. “They lead to energy fast,” says registered dietitian nutritionist Amanda Wagner, RDN. Yet your body can only hold onto a certain amount of glycogen—the stored form of carbohydrates—at one time. So after about an hour of intense exercise or a long period of fasting (like when you sleep overnight), your glycogen is significantly diminished; it can be completely depleted after about 90–120 minutes of vigorous exercise or a 24-hour fast. “We constantly have to replenish our glycogen—our gas tank, essentially—to help give our body enough energy to be able to perform exercise,” says board-certified sports dietitian Roxana Ehsani, RD. 

Protein, on the other hand, is essential to repairing and building muscle after exercise, whether you just lifted weights or completed a cardio workout. “Endurance-based athletes may think, ‘Oh, I don’t need protein after,’ but actually, we do create small little tears in our muscles that need to be rebuilt,” Ehsani says. 

What’s more, protein also helps you restock those carbohydrate stores in your body, Wagner adds. “Protein allows the body to release insulin, which allows your muscles to more quickly take in the glucose [from carbs] and convert it to glycogen,” she says. “If you only do [carbohydrates], the body doesn’t seem to hang on to it as readily.”

Of course, there’s also a third macronutrient, fat, which is crucial for things like hormone production, nutrient absorption, and blood sugar stabilization. But dietitians recommend keeping fats to a minimum around the time you exercise since they take a long time to digest. If you eat too much fat before a workout, you could end up with gastrointestinal (GI) issues. And if you have too much afterwards, it could slow down the absorption of the carbs and protein you’re eating, Ehsani says 

Also, while fat can be used for energy (particularly during low-intensity aerobic work), it requires a tricky metabolic process to turn into workout fuel, so it isn’t as fast as carbs. “It just takes a lot of time to break down fats into usable energy,” Wagner says.   

Is There a Popular Carb-to-Protein Ratio Dietitians Recommend?

The most common carb-to-protein ratio that you’ll hear dietitians talk about is 3:1 or 4:1, meaning you’ll have a snack or meal that contains 3 or 4 grams of carbohydrates for each gram of protein. “That is usually recommended to endurance-based athletes like runners or cyclists, or even team-sport athletes like soccer or tennis players, to really help replenish those glycogen stores and rebuild muscles,” Ehsani explains.  

That’s not to say that everyone should try to make every meal and snack hit a 3:1 or 4:1 carb-to-protein ratio, though. This recommendation is really just meant for recovery meals when you’re doing lots of cardio. In other circumstances, a different mix might serve you better. 

What Carb-to-Protein Ratio Should You Aim For?

The best carb-to-protein ratio depends on when you’re eating and what kind of workout you’ve done. Here’s what dietitians suggest.

If You Just Finished an Endurance Workout

The International Society of Sports Nutrition recommends shooting for a 3:1 to 4:1 ratio of carbs to protein within 30 minutes after an endurance workout. Aiming for this ratio shortly after aerobic activity helps replenish those glycogen stores efficiently so your body can bounce back, maximizing your endurance for your next workout.

“Right after exercise, our body is really receptive to converting [carbs] into glycogen and storing it in the muscles,” Wagner says. 

Wagner says that a 3:1 ratio is often recommended for shorter workouts, like a 30–45-minute cycling class, while 4:1 can be more effective for long workouts, like a 2-hour run, since you use up more carbohydrates the longer or more vigorously you exercise. 

“Ultra-endurance athletes like marathoners would definitely benefit from the 4:1 ratio, but the team-sport athlete would be fine with 3:1,” Ehsani adds. 

If You Just Finished a Strength Workout

After lifting weights, Wagner and Ehsani both recommend shooting for a 2:1 ratio of carbs to protein. “We are burning carbohydrates, but we’re definitely doing more muscle damage, so we need to help rebuild and repair that muscle more than anything,” Ehsani says.

That said, if you’ve got a long endurance workout on your schedule for the day following a strength workout, Wagner recommends that 3:1 to 4:1 ratio instead to shore up your glycogen stores. “This isn’t just about the ideal uptake window after the workout—it’s about preparing yourself for tomorrow’s workout,” she explains.

And although carbs aren’t talked about as much as protein in the weight room, they’re just as essential. “There’s this myth floating around that you only need protein to build muscle, but you actually need carbohydrates as well because you need to have enough energy to build the muscle—and to do the workout that leads to the building of the muscle,” Wagner says. “If you only have protein, you’re missing out on this physiological opportunity to build that muscle and to recover from your workout.”

If You’re About to Work Out

Before a workout, you mainly want to focus solely on easy-to-digest carbs. “Typically, the recommendation starts at about 30 grams of carbohydrates, but I might recommend higher if your workout is going to be well over an hour,” Wagner says. 

Adding in any protein at this point will slow down the absorption of those urgently needed carbs, Ehsani says, so dietitians often recommend skipping it at this point. “We usually want to get carbs right into our system, so they're in our bloodstream and can help us have energy to do our workout,” she says. However, if you’re worried about getting hungry mid-workout, Wagner says having a little protein will help to keep you satiated. 

Snacks and Meals That Support Various Carb-to-Protein Ratios

There are plenty of different ways to hit the carb-to-protein ratio you’re after, depending on what you feel like eating post-workout. 

For a 4:1 Ratio:

For a 3:1 Ratio:

For a 2:1 Ratio:

Of course, you can tweak many of these examples to fit any of the ratios by adding or minimizing the carb content. You can also find various store-bought recovery drinks or sports drinks that satisfy these ratios for when you’re on the go.

A Simpler Approach to Carb-to-Protein Ratios

Let’s be real: Many of us want to spend our days tracking macros. “Who has time for that?” Wagner asks. Some dietitians even recommend against the practice, particularly for folks with a history of disordered eating.

Instead of doing the math on every meal or being super strict about hitting the exact right carb-to-protein ratio, both Ehsani and Wagner usually recommend simply thinking about reaching for something with a good deal of carbohydrates, plus some protein. Just keep in mind that the longer you spend doing an endurance workout, the more you’ll want to emphasize those carbs, so adjust your meals and snacks accordingly. 

One easy way to eyeball the right amounts is by using the “plate method,” Ehsani says. She suggests athletes break up their plates into thirds, with starchy carbs like rice or pasta taking up one third, protein like meat or tofu taking up another third, and colorful fruits and veggies making up the rest. Doing this will get you pretty darn close to a 3:1 to 4:1 ratio without overthinking it.

The Takeaway

After an endurance workout, aim for a 3:1 to 4:1 carb-to-protein ratio in your recovery meal to help your body recover and prepare for your next training session. If your workouts are more focused on strength, however, you can amp up the protein content for a 2:1 ratio to make sure you’re repairing and building up those muscles.

That said, don’t stress over the exact nutrient breakdown of each post-workout meal and snack. As long as you generally have lots of carbs and some protein to restock your glycogen stores and jumpstart muscle protein synthesis, your body will be getting what it needs to make the most of your workouts. “It doesn’t have to be perfect,” Wagner says. “The idea is just that you’re having more carbohydrates than protein.”

And remember, no matter how you want to work out, Peloton has thousands of guided classes across cardio, strength, and beyond that make it easy and fun.