From a nutritional standpoint, there are two things to consider to reduce injury recovery time. Establish an environment that supports rapid cell regrowth and minimise muscle atrophy. In other words, create an anabolic state.

1. Nutritional Strategies for Enhanced Healing
Unfortunately, minor injuries are par for the course in sport and exercise. In my experience, the
most common cause of sports-related injuries are running, football (soccer to our American
friends) and poor lifting technique, as opposed to “high-risk” activities such as CrossFit or
combat sports. Over half of all sports-related injuries are severe enough that they take more
than three-weeks before training can resume (Jacobsson et al., 2014). Injuries may take a few
days to several months to fully recover, depending on the extent of the damage. So anything
that can be done to enhance healing should be encouraged.
From a nutritional standpoint, there are two things to consider to reduce injury recovery time.
(1) Establish an environment that supports rapid cell regrowth and (2) minimise muscle
atrophy. In other words, create an anabolic state. Follow the same nutrition protocol that would
be put in place for increasing muscle size and strength.

2. Meeting daily caloric requirements is essential to aid repair. This is not the time to be in calorie
deficit. But there is a calorie sweet-spot. Aim to maintain a calorie balance, so not a deficit nor
surplus. “Calorie neutral”, as it were. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition warned that a calorie surplus actually accelerates muscle loss during healing due to
an increased inflammatory response (Biolo et al., 2008), so should be clearly avoided. Physical
activity is likely to be compromised during the recovery period but, perhaps surprisingly,
resting calorie expenditure increases between 15% and 50% depending on the severity of the
injury (Frankenfield, 2006). Both factors should be taken into account when calculating calorie
needs.
Written by ACA Contributor Jason Jackson
Jason’s career began in 2008 when he joined an experienced personal training team at a Virgin
Active health club in Northwest London. By 2012 Jason had become an accredited strength
and conditioning coach, giving him the necessary credentials to work with professional
athletes. Jason spent a season at Brentford Football Club, before a further two-years conducting
research at the Saracens’ human performance lab.
In 2017 Jason became a Master of Science in sport nutrition. For his thesis, Jason spent two-
years conducting a systematic review of over 100 testosterone studies. In addition to the well-
documented physical effects on muscle mass and body fat, Jason examined testosterone’s

3. significant influence on cognitive performance and wellbeing. Jason then integrated his
findings into a unified strategy to successfully reverse the age-related decline in testosterone.
Jason is a registered nutritionist with SENr, the performance-orientated division of the British
Dietetic Association. In his role as educator, Jason delivers seminars on performance and
wellbeing at corporate accounts across the City of London. Clients include All Saints, RBS and
exclusive high-end members club The Ned. The number one trainer in Virgin Active’s 20-year
history, Jason wrote the book (literally) on nutrition strategy for the company.
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