Every time you step into the gym, you have the chance to maximize your workout. However, there are several factors that can side-step your efforts.

Your head is one of them. Focus and concentration aren't just for golfers. If your head isn't into what you're doing but instead focused on that argument you had with your significant other last night, your crazy boss, or the yo-yoing economy, your workout intensity will nosedive.

Your body is another potential distraction. Have you recovered from your last training session? Many of us will work our tails off in the gym, but we don't always take the necessary steps to fully recover. If your muscles are sore, inflamed, or otherwise not primed to pump, your workout will also suffer.

There are many different modalities that can be used to help us recover: time off, massages, active recovery (doing something different, like playing Frisbee), foam rollers, stretching, and good nutrition. Though no one will argue the benefits of a massage or rest, many women skimp on their diets in an effort to get lean.

However, with this winning combination of sound nutrient timing and functional foods, you'll stay lean, maximize your muscle, and stamp out soreness and all-around misery.

Don't Limbo Under Your Calories

Eating enough total calories and macronutrients not only helps ensure that you're building new muscle and maintaining what you have, it also helps offset muscle soreness and promotes recovery.

Our bodies store a limited supply of carbohydrates as glycogen in our muscles and liver. And, as these levels become depleted (anyone out there circuit training?), exercise performance decreases.

However, no stored form of protein exists, so when a person's diet isn't providing enough carbohydrates to offset daily demands, existing protein will be broken down. Given that our muscle mass is the largest source of protein and amino acids, it's the first target.

Dependence on either of these sources of fuel isn't an ideal scenario, which makes a diet with an adequate amount of calories so important. Exercising individuals should consume approximately 40 to 50 calories for every kilogram of bodyweight with slight changes in either direction for those who may want to gain or lose weight, respectively.(1) Active individuals should aim for approximately 1.2 to 1.5 grams of protein for every kilogram of bodyweight.(2)

The timing of carbohydrate and protein intake is also vital. You've heard of the "window of opportunity," right? Scientists have roughly estimated that you should consume something within about 30 minutes after training.(3, 4)

There's no exact ratio of carbohydrates and protein that must be sent down the hatch. Instead, the total quantity of either is dependent on your glycogen storage, training regimen, resting metabolic rate, and various other factors. A good rule of thumb is to take in more carbs than protein — up to four times as much.(5)

Sure, eating food is a fine way to do this. But for convenience sake, shakes rule. They're quick, portable, rehydrating, and easily digested. Look for one like Surge Recovery that has quickly digesting carbs, whey protein, and four grams of leucine. Leucine is a key amino acid for maximizing muscle growth and preventing muscle protein breakdown.

Bump Up the Beta-Alanine

Just because there's beta in the name doesn't mean this stuff is second-rate.

Beta-alanine is the rate-limiting substrate in the production of carnosine, which has antioxidant properties and works largely as a buffer to offset acid production in the muscle thereby preventing fatigue.(6) Elevating carnosine through beta-alanine supplementation is most beneficial for those individuals exercising at a high intensity (assuming since you're here, this means you).

In addition, supplementation may be especially effective for vegetarians who tend to have lower muscle carnosine content than their carnivore counterparts.

Try four to six grams of beta-alanine, in the form of BETA-7, per day (it'll take around a month before you notice an increased training threshold).

Good Ole Caffeine

Caffeine ranks up there with whey protein as a multi-use supplement. In doses of approximately 4 mg/kg, caffeine can increase mental alertness and improve logical reasoning (7), help increase time to exhaustion in endurance exercise bouts (8, 9), decrease ratings of perceived exertion during submaximal endurance exercise (10, 11), and improve physical performance during periods of sleep deprivation.(12)

And, recent research shows that some caffeine-containing weight loss beverages enhance weight loss.(13) Which is novel, since most of the previous studies have only examined caffeine's effect on temporarily increasing thermogensis.

Studies conducted at the University of Georgia indicate that caffeine plays a significant role in reducing pain (can you say Tylenol with some zing?). In doses of 5 mg/kg bodyweight, caffeine given one hour before high-intensity cycling was shown to significantly reduce leg-muscle pain during the cycling bout (14), and that same dose given after eccentric exercise may decrease pain during subsequent maximal eccentric contractions.(15)

Caffeine, when combined with carbohydrates post-exercise, may also boost recovery by enhancing glycogen storage. A recently published study found that the co-ingestion of caffeine (8 mg/kg bodyweight) with carbohydrates (4 g/kg bodyweight) after carbohydrate-depleting endurance exercise led to significantly greater (66%) glycogen resynthesis then ingestion of carbohydrates alone.(16)

That may seem like a huge dose, about 430 mg for a 120-pound female, but, if you're a Starbucks fan, that's equivalent to the Venti coffee of the week.

Post-workout mix: Starbucks coffee, half a bagel, and a protein shake. Or pop Spike with that Surge shake.

Juice Isn't Just for Rugrats

Here's yet another reason to thank mamma for pushing the fruits and veggies.

The antioxidants anthocyanins, which are found in red, purple, and blue fruits and vegetables (berries are often chock-full of these), work as anti-inflammatory agents blocking COX-1 and COX-2 enzymes.(17)

You've probably heard of COX-2 inhibitors, a class of drugs that are used to treat pain. Well, wouldn't it be nice to do this naturally with compounds that may benefit connective tissue by limiting inflammation and tissue degradation, improving local circulation, and promoting a strong collagen matrix?(18) Oh, and anthocyanins are good for your skin, too!

Load up on antioxidant-rich fruits or try tart cherry juice (which typically has a little apple or white grape juice, so it tastes good but isn't too sweet). The CherryPharm brand of cherry juice taken twice a day (12 oz. per bottle), may decrease the symptoms of eccentric exercise-induced muscle damage.(19)

Give Enzymes a Shot

The research on enzymes is mixed. One study used 325 mg of mixed enzymes and found that this decreased muscle soreness after downhill running (a very eccentric exercise).(20)

Whereas another study showed that 300 mg of bromelain (found in pineapples) had no impact on delayed onset muscle soreness, range of motion, or perceived pain following a bout of eccentric biceps exercise.(21)

Guess we'll have to wait and see on this one. But, it's not like pineapples have an evil agenda, so eat up.

Doesn't That Feel Better?

If you're looking to recovery rapidly so you can do other things in life, like mow the lawn, paint your bedroom, or pick up your kiddo without feeling your muscles scream in pain, try punctuating your program with these tips.

Add a little caffeine post-exercise with a mix of carbohydrates and protein. Eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables loaded with anthocyanins, as well as those rich in bromelain (it won't hurt and may help). And, consider beta-alanine, especially if you say "thanks, but no thanks" to meat or thoroughly trash yourself at the gym.

With that, here's to quick healin'!

References

1. Kleiner S. Power Eating. (3rd Ed.). Human Kinetics Publishers: Champaign, IL. 2006

2. Lemon PW, Tarnopolsky, MA, MacDougall JD, Atkinson SA. Protein requirements and muscle mass/strength changes during intensive training in novice bodybuilders. J Appl Physiol 1992;73(2):767-75.

3. Tipton KD, Rasmussen BB, Miller SL, Wolf SE, Owens-Stovall SK, Petrini BE, Wolfe RR. Timing of amino acid-carbohydrate ingestion alters anabolic response of muscle to resistance exercise. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2001;281(2):E197-206.

4. Borsheim E, Tipton KD, Wolf SE, Wolfe RR. Essential amino acids and muscle protein recovery from resistance exercise. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2002;283(4):E648-57.

5. Ivy JL. Early postexercise muscle glycogen recovery is enhanced with a carbohydrate-protein supplement. J Appl Physiol 2002;93(4): 1337-1344.

6. Hill et al. Influence of B-alanine supplementation on skeletal muscle carnosine concentrations and high intensity cycling capacity. Amino Acids 2006.

7. Smith A, et al. Effects of breakfast and caffeine on cognitive performance, mood and cardiovascular functioning. Appetite 1994;22(1):39 — 55.

8. Doherty M, Smith PM. Effects of caffeine ingestion on exercise testing: a meta-analysis. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab 2004;14(6):626-46.

9. Bell DG, McLellan TM. Effect of repeated caffeine ingestion on repeated exhaustive exercise endurance. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2003;35(8):1348-54.

10. Demura S, Yamada T, Terasawa N. Effect of coffee ingestion on physiological responses and ratings of perceived exertion during submaximal endurance exercise. Percept Mot Skills 2007;105(3 Pt 2):1109-16.

11. Demura S, Yamada T, Terasawa N. Effect of coffee ingestion on physiological responses and ratings of perceived exertion during submaximal endurance exercise. Percept Mot Skills 2007;105(3 Pt 2):1109-16.

12. McLellan TM, Bell DG, Kamimori GH. Caffeine improves physical performance during 24 h of active wakefulness. Aviat Space Environ Med 2004;75(8):666-72.

13. Stout JR, Moon JR, Tobkin SE et al. Pre-workout consumption of Celsius enhances the benefits of chronic exercise on body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness. Presented at the ISSN's 5th annual conference, 2008.

14. Gliottoni RC, Motl RW. Effect of caffeine on leg-muscle pain during intense cycling exercise: possible role of anxiety sensitivity. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab 2008;18(2):103-15.

15. Maridakis V, O'Connor PJ, Dudley GA, McCully KK. Caffeine attenuates delayed-onset muscle pain and force loss following eccentric exercise. J Pain 2007;8(3):237-43.

16. Pedersen DJ, Lessard SJ, Coffey VG et al. High rates of muscle glycogen resynthesis after exhaustive exercise when carbohydrate is coingested with caffeine. J Appl Physiol 2008;105(1):7-13.

17. Wang H, Nair MG, Strasburg GM et al. Antioxidant and antiinflammatory activities of anthocyanins and their aglycon, cyanidin, from tart cherries. J Nat Prod 1999;62(2):294-6.

18. Teixeira S.  Bioflavonoids: proanthocyanidins and quercetin and their potential roles in treating musculoskeletal conditions. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2002;32(7):357-63. Review.

19. Connolly DA, McHugh MP, Padilla-Zakour OI et al. Efficacy of a tart cherry juice blend in preventing the symptoms of muscle damage. Br J Sports Med 2006;40(8):679-83.

20. Miller PC, Bailey SP, Barnes ME et al. The effects of protease supplementation on skeletal muscle function and DOMS following downhill running. J Sports Sci 2004;22(4):365-72.

21. Stone MB, Merrick MA, Ingersoll CD, Edwards JE. Preliminary comparison of bromelain and Ibuprofen for delayed onset muscle soreness management. Clin J Sport Med 2002;12(6):373-8.