The 15 Best Post-Workout Recovery Supplements on the Market

SHIFTED Recovery was formulated by a scientist who actually studies post-workout recovery for a living.  And while many post-workout products sprinkle in a few BCAAs or some creatine, SHIFTED Recovery focuses on three key ingredients:

1. Free form EAAs to rapidly spur muscle recovery
2. Clear Whey Protein isolate to sustain muscle recovery
3. Tart Cherry Powder to reduce muscle soreness

The logic behind the product is simple:  the free form EAAs do not need to be digested and are immediately available to spur on muscle synthesis.  Think of this like the kindling in a fire.

Once the free form EAAs have done their work, the Whey Protein Isolate takes over providing more fuel for the muscle building fire.   Think of the WPI as the medium sized logs in a fire.   Between these two things you have what you need to get your through the first hour of post workout recovery, maximizing your results.

The addition of Tart Cherry Powder is icing on the cake because recent research shows that not only does it reduce muslce soreness but it also helps athletes bounce back the next day improved sports performance on tasks like vertical jumps.

The Tropical Berry flavoring of SHIFTED Recovery is amazing for a whey protein product.  Unlike the heaviness of most whey products it tastes refreshing and is enjoyable to drink.  You will actually look forward to drinking this.

SHIFTED gets our #1 pick because of its overall effectiveness for improved muscle synthesis, scientific basis, simplicity (no gimmicks) and delicious taste.

You can read our full review of SHIFTED Recovery here.

Transparent Labs has made waves across the sports supplement industry in recent years. Contrary to many brands, Transparent Labs offers complete label transparency, meaning you can see the exact dose of every ingredient (even the inactive ones) in their formulas. Their new post workout formula, fittingly called POST, is a fantastic option for virtually any athlete or gym-goer. 

POST features a hefty 5,000 milligrams of L-glutamine, 2,500 milligrams of BetaPure betaine anhydrous, 2,000 milligrams of L-carnitine L-tartrate, 2,000 milligrams of beta-alanine, 500 milligrams of innovative Vitacherry tart cherry powder, and 25 milligrams of AstraGin. These ingredients work synergistically to “recharge” muscle tissue and facilitate blood flow so your muscles get the nutrients and oxygen they need after training. 

Even better, POST is refreshingly tasty, gluten free, non-GMO, and free from artificial sweeteners, preservatives, and food coloring.

Kaged is an industry favorite brand, known for providing high-end ingredients and optimal dosing in their pre and post workout products. But among these, Re-Kaged is a standout product.

Its formula offers one of the most impressive combinations of amino acids: all 9 Essential Amino Acids, BCAAs, CAAs, and NAAs.

Additionally, the protein on offer is of the purest variety: Non-GMO, micro pure, whey protein isolate that mixes quickly and easily without the annoying clumps that occur with similar products.

Re-Kaged post workout delivers other key ingredients, too–provided in optimal doses needed to take advantage of the post workout anabolic window.

Highlights of this formula include:

• 28 grams Whey Protein
• 12,000 mg (Essential Amino Acids) EAAs
• 3,000 mg Fermented Vegan Glutamine
• 1,500 mg Patented BetaPower Betaine
• 1,500 mg Patented Creatine HCl
• 280 mg ProHydrolase (Digestive Enzyme)

One of the standout features of this ingredient profile is ProHydrolase. This digestive enzyme helps your body to break down and process both the whey protein and other ingredients. In other words, this enzyme helps you get the most out of each ingredient.

Legion is a cutting-edge supplement producer, and its post workout formula, Recharge, is no exception.

Legion was founded with a commitment to having all ingredients backed by peer-reviewed scientific literature, good value per serving, clinically effective dosages, and honest marketing.

Like its other supplements, Legion’s Recharge features great taste and high-quality ingredients with no artificial sweeteners, flavoring, food dyes, or fillers. Recharge’s ingredients appear in clinically effective dosages and the formula is sweetened only with natural Stevia—which has demonstrated health benefits—and erythritol. The key ingredients in Recharge are:

• Creatine monohydrate
• L-carnitine L-tartrate
• Corosolic acid

Fans of Recharge praise its good taste, whether mixed in water or juice, or in milk or dairy substitutes. Recharge will help you recover faster, push harder, train more frequently, and stave off soreness.

Athletes familiar with Evlution nutrition will know its well-known pre-workout formula, ENGN, as well as its line of BCAAs. RecoverMode, its flagship post workout nutrition supplement, is an ultra-premium post workout formula designed to rebuild muscle, promote recovery, enhance strength, and increase endurance. RecoverMode features:

• BCAAs in a proven 2:1:1 ratio
• Glutamine
• Creatine monohydrate
• Creatine HCL
• Beta-alanine
• L-Carnitine L-Tartrate
• Vitamin C, D, and E complexes
• Electrolytes

As you can see, RecoverMode leaves no stone unturned in its formula.

The potent mixture of all these ingredients helps supply energy to muscles and support muscle protein synthesis, recovery, hydration, and lean body mass.

Jacked Factory, also makers of Growth Surge, offer a second option for your post workout arsenal. Unlike Growth Surge, which features creatine monohydrate, L-carnitine L-tartrate, and betaine anhydrous, Powerbuild features a full range of post workout ingredients:

• L-Glutamine
• L-Leucine
• Creatine monohydrate
• Beta-alanine
• L-Carnitine
• L-Tartrate
• Betaine
• Bioperine

These added ingredients will not only help you recover but also help you grow in the hours after your session is over, and that is what makes it our first choice for the best post workout supplement for men in particular.

It also reduces muscle soreness and increases strength and power. Powerbuild is a powerhouse for post workout recovery, and it is naturally sweetened and flavored with no artificial dyes or fillers.

Old School Lab’s Vintage Build comes in as our second best post workout for men. It features three no-nonsense scientifically proven ingredients to achieve the one goal common to all male lifters: build lean mass! Its trifecta consists of:

• BCAAs
• Creatine monohydrate
• L-Glutamine

While it is true that these ingredients are common to many post workout supplements, Vintage Build’s formula contains them in doses that are proven to be effective for male athletes. BCAAs are provided in a proven 2:1:1 ratio, and creatine and L-glutamine at 3 grams and 2 grams, respectively.

Vintage Build also avoids using artificial ingredients and dyes. Furthermore, Old School Labs carefully monitors its supply chain for ingredient quality. Both of these factors are crucial for producing a formula that promotes muscle recovery, which all men need to achieve a chiseled, alpha physique.

Cellucor’s Alpha Amino is ideal for female athletes. It contains the post workout ingredients your body needs without any added carbohydrates or sugars, which helps you focus on staying lean and toned long after you’ve left the gym.

Key ingredients in Cellucor’s formula include:

• BCAAs
• Amino acids
• Electrolytes

Added electrolytes in Cellucor’s formula help keep your body hydrated, which is a top priority for any active lifestyle. If you’re not hydrated, all other bodily functions are impaired. Hydration will improve your performance in the gym and also promote recovery by ensuring proper blood flow to muscle tissue.

BCAAs are provided in the proven 2:1:1 ratio, and your strength, power, and muscle endurance will be well supported in this low-calorie, sugar-free solution.

BCAA Recovery, made by MusclePharm, which also makes the popular women’s pre-workout FitMiss Ignite, is a simple, effective branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) plus essential amino acid (EAA) recovery formula that provides just what women need after a workout—and nothing they don’t. It contains all the necessary EAAs to support muscle recovery without packing a ton of sugar and calories into the diet.

In addition, this formula provides a sizable 7,000 milligrams of BCAAs in every serving. The reason these are so important is that they account for nearly half of all the essential amino acids in muscle protein. The combination of these three amino acids in the right amounts helps promote muscle growth, reduce muscle damage, and enhance the use of glucose for energy.

As you become leaner and hit the gym regularly, supplementing with BCAAs/EAAs may also promote fat loss. BCAA Recovery is available in two popular flavors: Fruit Punch and Blue Raspberry.

Taking a post workout supplement with branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) is the surest way to kickstart the muscle recovery and rebuilding process. Every serving of Optimum Nutrition’s Instantized BCAA 5000 Powder packs 5,000 milligrams of micronized BCAAs in the proven 2:1:1 ratio of leucine: isoleucine: valine. It’s also fantastic value at 40 servings per bottle, and the unflavored option is ideal for those who just want the good stuff and none of the unnecessary additives.

Optimum Nutrition has an impressive track record as a sports supplement brand that caters to gym-goers and athletes of all levels. While the company is renowned for its comprehensive protein powder offerings, it also has a range of pre-workout, post workout, and general health supplements with solid formulas. Due to its long-standing reputation, you can always count on the quality and consistency of Optimum Nutrition supplements.

Myogenix AfterShock is the go-to post workout solution for serious strength athletes and bodybuilders alike. 

AfterShock is a comprehensive mass activator that is designed to target every conceivable need the body has during the crucial post workout anabolic window. Ingredients include:

• GlycogenX fast-acting carbs
• Hefty dose of hydrolyzed whey protein
• Advanced creatine forms
• Joint recovery matrix

Myogenix has created quite a comprehensive post workout supplement that covers all the basics and then some. By providing a solid 30-plus grams (each) of quality whey protein and easily digestible carbohydrates, plus plenty of creatine, AfterShock is sure to help you capitalize on your efforts in the gym.

Myogenix recommends consuming AfterShock immediately following each workout. With a no-nonsense formula like this, you can’t go wrong.

The name Vega Sport will be familiar to athletes who are dedicated to all-natural, vegetarian, plant-based, and vegan supplements.

Vega Sport began with an entirely plant-based mission, and its post workout formula, Recovery Accelerator, follows this tradition with the following ingredients:

• Carbohydrates
• B vitamins
• Electrolytes
• Plant-based protein
• Various plant extracts

Recovery Accelerator is a comprehensive solution for nearly all post workout needs —  whether you’re an endurance athlete, bodybuilder, or fitness lover. Plant-based proteins provide muscle-recovery support while carbohydrates from brown rice syrup solids support energy levels.

Various micronutrients from plant- and herb-based sources help reduce inflammation and provide vital antioxidants to your body after strenuous exercise. Not to mention, it tastes pretty darn good for being a vegan formula.

Like Vega Sport’s post workout formula, Natural Force’s Organic Plant-Based Protein is (fittingly) plant-based and 100% organic. 

Being a vegan-friendly source of protein, this organic post workout supplement is designed to promote muscle repair, and provide a hefty dose of iron, a micronutrient commonly lacking in plant-based diets.

In addition to post workout recovery, Natural Force’s Organic Plant-Based Protein is also useful for helping you meet your protein needs on a daily basis. After all, consuming plenty of protein is key for repairing muscle tissue, especially if you’re active and hit the gym frequently.

One of the most frequently overlooked dimensions of a well-rounded physical training program is physical rest — and by physical rest, we don’t mean lack of activity but actual deep sleep.

You can’t supplement yourself out of bad sleeping habits, and Progenex Cocoon’s specially formulated nighttime formula kills two birds with one stone: It provides the nutrients your body needs to recover and also natural sleep aids to help you achieve deep sleep. Key ingredients in Cocoon are:

• Micellar casein
• BCAAs
• Metamorphagen

Metamorphagen is a proprietary tryptophan peptide that is suggested to reduce sleep interruptions while fostering deep, sound, restorative sleep so that you wake up feeling strong, rested, and fully recovered. The slow-digesting casein mixed with BCAAs provides your body with a slow but steady source of muscle-building nutrients while you sleep.

Through its strategic combination of ingredients, Cocoon stimulates protein synthesis, increases lean muscle mass, speeds recovery, supports immunity, and more.

Like Progenex’s Cocoon, Universal Nutrition’s Animal PM contains sleep-promoting ingredients, but instead of a proprietary formula, it achieves this through a blend of natural herbs and L-theanine, which it has named as its “Sleep and Relaxation Complex.” This complex includes:

• Valerian root powder
• Chamomile root powder
• Hops extract

Animal PM is also loaded with amino acids, natural growth boosters, and a range of vitamins and minerals, including vitamin B6, magnesium, zinc, and more. A serving of Animal PM turns your regular night’s rest into a multi-hour anabolic process.

Animal’s formula is non-habit-forming, so you can cycle on and off as needed without concern about long-term effects. Animal suggests using Animal PM in conjunction with its flagship product, Animal Pak multivitamin, for best results.