The best post-workout supplements can be the final step in solidifying a great workout. Many of these products are chock full of nutrients and vitamins that give your body the ingredients necessary to recover well. They can help prevent injury, lead to faster recovery, and replenish the nutrients your body lost while exercising. Using the right post-workout drink for your body and type of fitness can help you meet or perhaps exceed your exercise goals. Now, you might be wondering: what are the best recovery supplements?
There are countless brands to choose from when it comes to exercise recovery supplements. To make your decision a little easier, keep reading for a list of the top post-workout supplements for a variety of uses.
Our Top Picks:
  | Best Overall: Garden of Life Plant-Based Recovery Entirely organic and vegan, Garden of Life is our overall top choice for the best post-workout supplement. It’s filled with nutrients that support exercise recovery. |
  | Best Runner-Up: Body Fortress Glutamine Powder As our runner-up for the best post-workout supplement, Body Fortress is one of the highest-ranked glutamine powders out there. |
  | Best Budget: Ultima Replenisher Electrolyte Hydration Powder This is our favorite budget pick that is also good for replenishing electrolytes lost during a hard workout. It’s perfect for those new to post-workout supplements. |
  | Best Carb Supplement: Vega Sport Recovery Carbs are exceptionally important to perform well while you exercise. This vegan00 supplement helps supply your body with the carbohydrates necessary. |
  | Best Splurge: Thorne Sports Performance Powder Thorne is a unique supplement that supports lean muscle mass. If you are exercising for lean muscles, check out this recovery drink. |
  | Best for Soreness: PurAthlete Regenerate Post Workout To avoid or decrease your soreness after a workout, try out this supplement. It’s designed to supply your body with magnesium that increases recovery time. |
  | Best for Appearance: Collagen Peptides Post Workout and Recovery Collagen is great for your hair, skin, nails, and joints. If you’re doing high-impact workouts, this is the supplement to try to support your joints. |
  | Best for Sustained Energy: TruNutrition Post Workout Powder TruNutrition’s post-workout supplement absorbs fast and releases slowly, giving you prolonged energy to meet your fitness goals. |
A Closer Look: Best Post-Workout Supplements
After an intense workout, the last thing you want is a sub-part supplement that drains you. This is why we’ve curated this list and checked the form of each of our top contenders below.
1. Garden of Life Plant-Based Recovery
The best post-workout supplements overall
Brand: Garden of Life | Servings: 30 per container | Organic/Vegan: Yes and Yes | Focus: Pea Protein Blend | Price: 💰💰
The first 30 minutes after your workout are the most important for recovery. This plant-based post-workout supplement from Garden of Life will optimally supply your body with the necessary nutrients in this span of time. Made from entirely organic and plant-based products, this supplement is proven to reduce post-workout soreness and increase the rate of muscle repair. Ingredients include a pea protein blend with magnesium and b vitamins that support muscle regeneration post-workout. This is a great option if you have a vegan diet and want a recovery supplement that supports your body.
Reviewers Like
- Works incredibly well to relieve soreness
- Uses organic cane sugar instead of Stevia
- Affordable price compared to other brands
Reviewers Dislike
- Does not blend well
- Chalky texture and weak flavor
2. Body Fortress Glutamine Powder
The best post-workout supplement: runner-up
Brand: Body Fortress | Servings: 66 per container | Organic/Vegan: No and No | Forucs: Glutamine Powder | Price: 💰💰💰💰
What is glutamine? Glutamine lives in your muscles and helps protect them from stress. Your body’s glutamine levels dip after a hard workout, and this takes a toll on your muscles. Body Fortress replenishes this amino acid to support your workouts by building a buffer of lactic acid. This supports your muscles, allowing you to perform well in each workout. It’s also one of the best post-workout supplements for weight loss as it helps suppress an appetite.
There are 4,500 mg of pure glutamine per serving without:
- Aspartame
- artificial flavors
- gluten
- wheat
- sugar
- milk
It’s a clean and impactful post-workout supplement to add to your routine.
Reviewers Like
- Suppresses appetite
- No taste or smell, can be added to almost anything
- Great for those with stomach issues linked to hard exercise
Reviewers Dislike
- Tastes strange if mixed with just water
- Does not come with a measuring scoop
3. Ultima Replenisher Electrolyte Hydration Powder
The best budget post-workout supplement
Brand: Ultima | Servings: 30 per container | Organic/Vegan: Yes and Yes | Focus: Electrolytes | Price: 💰
Your body loses a lot of electrolytes with each workout. These are minerals that are released as you sweat. Effectively, the harder you exercise, the more you sweat; therefore, the more electrolytes you lose. This post-workout supplement from Ultima helps combat this by fueling your body with electrolytes and other trace minerals to rehydrate your body after a tough workout. It comes with magnesium, potassium, and calcium added to help boost your recovery time. The ingredients are simple, organic, and vegan. Choosing this product for your post-workout supplement is good for your body and the planet.
Reviewers Like
- Works perfectly for those on a keto diet
- Clean and healthy electrolyte replenisher
- Great flavor, helps most drinkers consume more water
Reviewers Dislike
- Very sweet flavor, not ideal for all drinkers
- Particulates settle toward the bottom of the drink shortly after blending
4. Vega Sport Recovery
The best post-workout carb supplement
Brand: Vega | Servings: 21 per container | Organic/Vegan: Yes and Yes | Focus: Carbs, Electrolytes, Vitamins | Price: 💰💰💰
Carbs are important for high-performing workouts. Your body uses carbohydrates as fuel while exercising. However, this also means that your body is depleted of carbs after a particularly taxing workout. Vega Sport Recovery is an excellent option to replenish those carbs. It helps quickly restore glycogen stores, and it is a good source of Vitamin C to support your immune system. It’s plant-based, making it accessible to anyone on a vegan diet. All the ingredients are GMO-free and organic. You can easily mix it with water or blend it into a smoothie. These delicious flavors will make your post-workout drink something to look forward to.
Reviewers Like
- Great flavor by just mixing it with water
- Helps decrease soreness the day after a hard workout
- One of the best recovery drinks for long-distance runners
Reviewers Dislike
- Somewhat high in sugar
- Low in protein for some drinker’s preferences
- Doesn’t dissolve entirely in water; particulates at the bottom
5. Thorne Sports Performance Powder
The best splurge post-workout supplement
Brand: Thorne | Servings: 30 per container | Organic/Vegan: Yes and Yes | Focus: Amino Acids | Price: 💰💰💰💰💰
Thorne products are guaranteed to be made with the cleanest products. There is no gluten, major allergens, dairy, yeast, or soy. Most post-workout supplements aim at increasing overall muscle mass. However, Thorne takes a slightly different approach. This product is for those who want to exercise to maintain a lean muscle mass. The powder is loaded with amino acids that resupply your body with necessary nutrients after a workout. It does this without giving your body a lot of carbs or sugars to break down. These nutrients support your body’s recovery without dramatically increasing muscle mass.
Reviewers Like
- Dissolves well in most other ingredients
- Helps drinkers feel less fatigued after a workout
- Drinkers notice a significant difference in their workout performance
Reviewers Dislike
- Somewhat chalky aftertaste
- Flavor is not ideal, but there are no artificial flavors or sugar
6. PurAthlete Regenerate Post Workout
The best post-workout supplements for soreness
Brand: PurAthlete | Servings: 30 per container | Organic/Vegan: No and Yes | Focus: Magnesium | Price: 💰💰
Muscle protection is the name of the game when it comes to Regenerate+ from PurAthlete. This formula is specifically designed to reduce muscle breakdown during and after your workout. A powder like this is beneficial if you are doing any heavy weight lifting for prolonged periods. It works to preserve your lean muscle mass while increasing more dense muscle. These things combined help support your body in doing harder and stronger workouts. Magnesium is the main ingredient here as it’s the nutrient that supports your muscles to perform stronger and relax later. Simply add a scoop of the powder to water and shake it up.
Reviewers Like
- Mixes well with other ingredients
- Moderate price when compared to quantity
- Immediate and measurable performance increase
Reviewers Dislike
- Bad taste that can’t easily be suppressed
- Taste does not match the flavor of each powder
7. Collagen Peptides Post Workout and Recovery
The best post-workout supplement for hair, skin, nails, and joints
Brand: Physician’s Choice| Servings: 35 per container | Organic/Vegan: No and Yes | Focus: Collagen | Price: 💰💰💰
You’ve probably never considered that a post-workout supplement could also support the healthy appearance and growth of your hair, skin, and nails. The same collagen that supports these things is also great for healthy joints. Here is a workout recovery drink that is ideal for those doing physical activities that could be hard on their joints. This powder is unflavored, so you can easily mix it with water. Consuming collagen in powder form helps improve your body’s absorption of the nutrient. This powder contains 14 essential amino acids to support your workout recovery and give your joints the boost they need to continue to perform well.
Reviewers Like
- Hugely positive impact on hair, skin, and nails
- Very easy to drink as it dissolves easily in water
- Revealed great results for those with constant joint pain
Reviewers Dislike
- Some drinkers had to take more than one serving to see results
- Some drinkers experience poor customer service from manufacturer
8. TruNutrition Post Workout Powder
The best post-workout supplements for sustained energy
Brand: TruNutrition | Servings: 30 per container | Organic/Vegan: Yes and No | Focus: Carbs | Price: 💰💰💰💰
Of all the post-workout supplement reviews, the ones for this powder from TruNutrition rave about the energy this product provides them. It has a rapid intake but offers a slow and steady release to keep your energy high for a longer period of time. There are 29g of carbs in this supplement, ensuring your body gets the carbohydrates it needs to replenish those burned while exercising. These ingredients result in faster recovery time and an increased rate of muscle retention that shows quick results.
Reviewers Like
- Works well taken before or after a workout
- Unflavored powder can be mixed with anything
- Very easy on the stomach, good for those who are sensitive to workout supplements
Reviewers Dislike
- Flavored powders taste terrible
- Expensive product for most budgets
What Are the Best Ingredients for Post Workout Supplements?
There are generally thought to be four essential ingredients that you should look for in a post-workout supplement. Some powders are higher in other ingredients than others. Which of these products you choose depends on what you hope to accomplish in your workout and what nutrients your body demands post-workout.
1
Protein
Your muscles will crave a rapidly-absorbing protein supplement after a particularly strenuous workout. Providing them with this protein helps aid in recovery and muscle growth.
2
Carbs
Glucose levels in the body drop after a hard workout. Your body burns through carbs to give it energy while exercising. A supplement that is predominantly carbohydrates will help decrease the amount of recovery time you need.
3
Glutamine
This is a nutrient notorious for muscle retention and growth. Glutamine prevents excessive muscle breakdown, which helps your gain muscle faster.
4
Antioxidants
Amino acids and antioxidants help fight off free radicals released by your body after a tough workout. They also help prevent cellular breakdown, lending to faster recovery times.
Take this information and decide which post-workout supplement powder is the best for your exercise and health goals.
Our Process
For this guide on the best postworkout supplements, our team spent 2 hours researching the most popular options from over 20 brands and manufacturers big and small. We then read about two hundred and forty user reviews (both positive and negative) to discover what shoppers thought about each postworkout supplement. After comparing this data, we narrowed our list down to the top 8 on the market. You can count on this research to guide you to a mindful purchasing decision.
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