“Why You Might Need This: After workouts, a sports beverage can help speed recovery by supplying nutrients like amino acids (which the body uses to repair muscle) and carbs (to help restore depleted glycogen stores). [...] There are hundreds of recovery drinks on the market. The product I use is P90X Results and Recovery Formula. It contains whey protein (a fast-replenishing protein), electrolytes (which are lost in sweat), and some sugar (as its main carbohydrate). Why sugar, you say? The first reason is flavor. Recovery drinks have a lot of nutrients, and those all affect taste. No matter how healthy something is, it’s not going to be very helpful if you don’t want to drink it! And sugar tastes good. The second reason is nutrient transport. Sugar and other natural sweeteners speed nutrietns into your system quickly after a workout, which really helps with recovery.
Effective Dosage: Following your workout, there’s a 60-minute window during which you can replenish muscle glycogen and speed recovery two or three times faster than if you wait several hours to eat. Take your recovery drink within that time frame.” (from Tony Horton’s Bring It!, pg. 249-250)
I chose to lead off with this quote because for many of us, P90X is the first serious fitness program we’ve engaged in, and you can’t do a single routine without hearing how much you need the “P90X Recovery Drink,” whether it be from Tony himself during the routine or during the advertisements afterward. So much emphasis on something most have us have given little or no consideration to EVER opens the floodgates to some very important questison. Is the P90X Results & Recovery Formula the end-all, be-all of recovery drinks? Do I even need to drink a recovery drink at all? Are there less-expensive alternatives? Are there equivalent or even better altenatives? Can I make my own?
That last question opens flood gates of its own, such as: is it difficult to make something equivalent to the P90X recovery drink? Will it be cheaper or cost as much/more? Can I use the P90X recovery drink as a base and add more creatine/protein? Can’t I just drink chocolate milk?
I have no desire to evaluate the P90X Results & Recovery Formula; rather, I’m much more interested in evaluating the current research on recovery drinks to better understand them. But where to begin? There’s so much information out there, how can you make heads or tails of any of it? Well, that IS what I hope to do in this write-up. I have looked at the prevailing information out there regarding recovery drinks and the different theories on what makes a good recovery drink, and I have attempted to distill those ideas into one conveinent docoument to help you decide what’s right for you, and what’s just bogus. My desire is to arm you with the best information out there on the subject so that you can make the best decision that works for you, which will ultimately allow you to bring it all the way to the end!
(If you just want the recommendations, skip to “So What’s the Bottom Line” at the end.)
–BadDog3135
Do you even need a recovery drink?
We already know what Tony thinks. Let’s consider some dissenting opinion. Dr. Andrew Weil, famous for pioneering the field integrative medicine, has posted in his Q & A Library (drweil.com) a response to the question whether or not there is any advantage to drinking coconut water as a recovery drink. He writes, “I don’t believe that there’s a proven need for any kind of sports drinks after working out, but I do recommend drinking lots of water when you exercise strenuously – more than you think you need.”
Two of the most well-recognized docs—Drs. Oz and Roizen—have a slightly different opinion. They believe that you don’t need a recovery drink for workouts less than two hours in duration; however, they do recommend one if your workout goes two hours or longer (from To Make Your Next Workout Easier, Drink This on realage.com). In Chapter 7 of their book You: On a Diet, they offer a more detailed explaination of their rationale (even if it is slightly in disagreement with their web article):
“Sports drinks may have some of the coolest commercials, but they’re necessary only if you exercise for more than sixty minutes. They rehydrate your body faster than water after long periods of exercise because they help you recover muscle power sooner than water does (because they contain minerals in your body called electrolytes that hasten the absorption of water). But if you drink them regularly or after short workouts, you’ll end up consuming more calories that won’t get burned off.” (Kindle book, location 2010)
At this point we can conclude that, at the very least, even the most conservative of medical opinions out there agree that you need to rehydrating after a workout, but there’s no doubt about it, they are at odds with Tony’s arguement for the need for a specialized recovery drink.
So what about that stuff about amino acids (aka protein) repairing damaged muscle tissue and carbohydrates (CHO) replenishing glycogen stores? Without getting too far ahead of myself, consider the following study from the pressplayfitness.com article Do You Need A Recovery Drink?
Seifert JG, Kipp RW, Amann M, Gazal O.: Muscle damage, fluid ingestion, and energy supplementation during recreational alpine skiing. International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism 15: 528-536, 2005. This study involved skiers and found that for the subjects that received the carbohydrate-protein sports drink showed no signs of muscle damage, while indicators of muscle damage increased by
49% in subjects receiving only water.
The significance of this study is that it demonstrated that a combination of CHO and protein resulted in significantly less muscle damage in athletes who consumed it than in those who performed without it.
The roll of CHO in post-workout recovery is well documented. The website askmen.com summerizes it fairly concisesly. In their article Top 10: Recovery Foods, they say:
“After a workout, your body’s stores of glycogen — the carbohydrate that is stored in the muscles and liver — are depleted. If you don’t replenish them, your body won’t recover properly and your performance will suffer during your next workout. This is particularly important for athletes who partake in intense training sessions or competitions. If you only workout a couple of times a week, you will likely restore your glycogen between sessions; however, athletes who train hard almost every day must really pay attention to what they eat immediately after they exercise.”
To get a little more specific, nutritionist Jacqueline Berning, associate professor at the University of Colorado and consultant for the Denver Broncos and Cleveland Indians has this to say about the importance of CHO, as summarized in the article Nutrition for Recovery–Post Workout Drink Controversy (http://speedendurance.com):
“It takes about 24-36 hours to replace glycogen in the muscles. By consuming carbohydrates 30 minutes immediately after exercise, you can ‘reload’ your muscles in 12-16 hours. If you miss that 30 minute window, the replenishment time is lengthened. The Glycogen synthase enzyme that promote absorption in the muscles which are highest right after workout. Of course, Glycogen synthase is also indirectly triggered by insulin.”
The body experiences glycogen depletion as the result of energy spent during exercise, which is an unavoidable reality. How to best restore that spent glycogen is the subject of the rest of this essay.
Dr. Weil might be absolutely right. The average joe who’s working out to get in better shape may not need to drink anything more than water. However, there’s evidence to support the argument that the average joe might significantly benefit from consuming a recovery drink that includes electrolytes, CHO, and protein, even if he doesn’t “need” it. If that average joe happens to be doing an intense workout regimin such as P90X or Insanity, then an arguement can be easily made that a recovery drink is essential.
What’s so great about a recovery drink that contains both carbs & protein?
Men’s Health published a book back in 2003 called The Book of Muscle: The World’s Most Authoratitive Guide to Building Your Body. This book was authored by Australian strenght coach and former powerlifting champion Ian King, who holds both a bachelors degree in movement science and is a certified strength-and-conditioning specialist who has trined world-class athletes on four conteninets. The book is co-authored by Lou Schuler, who is the fitness director of Men’s Health magazine and is also a certified strength-and-conditioning specialsist. Though non-medical, they offer the following expert opinion:
“Carbohydrate is crucial at two points in the muscle-building process: the pre- and post- exercise meals, when carbs and protein combine to stimulate insulin, the hormone that drives nutrients to your muscles.” (pg. 47)
Jessica Seaton, D.C., chairs the U.S. Masters Sports Medicine Committee in West Los Angeles, has written about this very topic, which can be found on the Southern Pacific Masters Association website (spma.net). An excerpt from her article, Why Bother With Recovery Drinks?:
“Several studies have shown that adding protein to a carbohydrate mix will significantly enhance the release of insulin compared to carbohydrate alone. [...]The optimal post-recovery nutrition would be a drink consisting of carbohydrates and protein.”
Based on the experiences of real-world athletes and trainers, there is something to be said for the effectiveness of a recovery drink that contains a mix of CHO and protein. But what about studies? Is there any research that can confirm this effectiveness?
Pacific Health Labs (PHL), a company that specializes in performance drinks, cites several studies supporting the effectiveness of sports drinks that combine both carbs and protein. One study cited on their site (pacifichealthlabs.com) specifically addresses the benefits of a carb drink that includes protein over a sports drink without protein:
Effects of Recovery Beverages on Glycogen Restoration and Endurance Exercise Performance, Williams MB, Raven PB, Fogt DL, Ivy JL. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 17:12-19, 2003.
This study determined that “The rate of [post-exercise] recovery is coupled with the rate of muscle glycogen replenishment,” and that “recovery supplements should be consumed to optimize muscle glycogen synthesis as well as fluid replacement.” Eight endurance trained cyclists performed two trials consisting of a 2-hour glycogen depletion ride followed by an exhaustive ride at high intensity. Subjects received either a carb-protein beverage (Endurox R4) or a carb-only sports drink immediately and 2 hours post-exercise. Post-exercise ingestion of carb-protein beverage (Endurox R4), in comparison to the carb-only beverage, resulted in a 55% greater time to exhaustion during a subsequent exercise bout at 85% VO2max. Ingestion of the carb-protein beverage resulted in a 17% greater plasma glucose response, a 92% greater insulin response and a 128% greater storage of muscle glycogen compared to the carb-only beverage. (emphasis mine)
So there is a clear and proven relationship between consumption of a CHO/protein recovery drink and enhanced recovery and subsequent performance. While consumption of CHO facilitates glycogen replenishment, and the combination of CHO and protein stimulates greater insulins response, resulting in enhanced nutrient transportation throughout the body, the exact cause of this phenomenon remains a mystery.
What’s the ideal ratio?
While the health community currently seems to be in agreement that the ideal recovery drink is a combination of CHO and protein, the ideal ratio of those two elements is far from unanimous. The most commonly promoted ratios are 1:1, 2:1, and 4:1. According to the The Book of Muscle, “most research shows that a carbohydrate-protein ration of between 2-to-1 and 4-to-1 works best. You don’t need fat in your pre- or post-exercise meals or drinks, since it could blunt the fat-burning, muscle-building effects of growth hormone.” (pg. 59-60)
While a few products are formulated with a 1:1 ratio, research and opinion is not as well published promoting this ratio over others. Gatorade new G Series line has a 1:1 ratio (with the exception of the G Series Pro recovery drink, which has a 2:1 ratio). The gatorade.com FAQ states that the 1:1 ratio was chosen because it “provides a level of protein effective to support muscle protein recovery.” According to the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI), “consuming a small amount (10-20 grams) of high-quality protein after exercise promotes muscle protein synthesis compared to CHO alone and may enhance the body’s response to long-term training” (gssiweb.com, Protein Nutrition and Endurance Exercise: What Does Science Say?) However, in the same article, GSSI states that any more than 1.2 g/kg CHO consumption post-workout “negatates the benefits of added protein.” So even though most of their recovery drinks have a 1:1 ratio, their published research espouses anywhere from a 4:1 to as much as an 8:1 ratio!
Perhaps we can find a better proponent of the 1:1 ratio. Scientific Nutrition for Advanced Concitioning (SNAC) markets a recovery drink called Proglycosyn, “The Ultimate Post-Workout Recovery Formula”, which touts a 1:1 ratio. According to their marketing, “while glycogen synthesis is important and dependent on an adequate supply of post-recovery dietary carbohydrate, the provision of an adequate supply of dietary protein is just as important to ensure optimal post-exercise muscle protein synthesis – a process that requires a constant supply of dietary amino acids (1)” (http://snac.com, reference (1) lacks citation). Their “Research” page does not provide any further supporting material on the 1:1 ratio. At 25 grams of destrose, Proglycosyn is well within even the most conservative estimates of post-workout CHO requirements.
Moving on to the 2:1 ratio, Dr. John Berardi, Ph.D., is a strong advocate and provides detailed justification. In his article The Importance of Post Workout Nutrition, he states that “any ol’ amount of carbohydrates will not do. You need to consume enough carbohydrates to promote a substantial insulin release. [...] Research has shown that a carbohydrate intake of 0.8 to 1.2 grams per 1 kilogram of body weight maximizes glycogen synthesis and accelerates protein repair. However, unless you’ve had a very long, intense workout, 1.2g/kg may be a bit excessive as excess carbohydrate can be converted to bodyfat. Therefore I recommend 0.8g of carbohydrate per 1 kilogram of body weight for speeding up muscle carbohydrate replenishment while preventing excess fat gain (van Loon et al 2000a).” When it comes to protein, he says that “since muscle protein is degraded during exercise, the addition of a relatively large amount of protein to your post exercise meal is necessary to help rebuild the structural aspects of the muscle. After exercise, the body decreases its rate of protein synthesis and increases its rate of protein breakdown. However, the provision of protein and amino acid solutions has been shown to reverse this trend, increasing protein synthesis and decreasing protein breakdown. Researchers have used anywhere from 0.2g – 0.4g of protein per 1 kilogram of body weight to demonstrate the effectiveness of adding protein to a post-workout carbohydrate drink (van Loon et al 2000b, Roy et al 1998). As an increased consumption of the essential amino acids may lead to a more positive protein balance, 0.4g/kg may be better than 0.2g/kg.” (emphasis mine) When you do the math based on Dr. Berardi’s recommendations, consuming 0.8 g/kg of body weight and 0.4 g/kg of protein, you get the 2:1 ratio. Following his rationale, this ratio might be ideal if you are especially concerned about body fat due to too many carbs.
Pacific Health Labs (PHL) is probably the most well-known supporter of the 4:1 ratio. At http://pacifichealthlabs.com you can find no less than eight independent research articles supporting the 4:1 ratio, and they claim that the ratio is confirmed by no less than 30 published, peer-reviewed journals. In summary, according to their website, “in a series of trials they showed that when carbohydrate and protein were combined in a 4:1 ratio the results were extraordinary, not only at facilitating muscle recovery, but also extending endurance. The studies showed that compared to a conventional carbohydrate sports drink, a beverage containing a 4:1 ratio of carbs to protein: significantly increased endurance, reduced post-exercise related muscle damage, stimulated glycogen replenishment and protein synthesis. These studies showed conclusively that protein plays a critical role in improving endurance performance.”
The 1:1, 2:1, and 4:1 are the best documented ratios, but they’re certainly not the only ones. In their article Top 10: Recovery Foods, askmen.com recommends protein consumption that is inline with GSSI. “Studies have shown [perhaps GSSI?]that including some protein — 10 grams to 18 grams is ideal — in your post-workout snack or meal helps to replenish the glycogen more quickly, and stimulates muscle growth and repair. Also, don’t forget to rehydrate your body by drinking lots of fluids after your workout.” Thier recommended CHO consumption comes in just shy of Dr. Berardi’s: “ideally, you should ingest approximately 3/4 of a gram of carbohydrates per pound of body weight — about 135 grams of carbs for a 180-pound male — within 30 minutes of your workout, and about the same amount or slightly more two hours later.” Note that they’re recommending 0.75 grams per pound, not per kilogram, which makes their CHO recommendation significanlty higher. Using their recommendations, your carb/protein ration can vary anywhere from 7:1-13:1!
So how do we distill all of this conflicting advice into something we can use? With the exception of SNAC, the mainstream confluence of opinion on the proper amount of post-workout CHO is 0.8-1.2 g/kg. As for the protein, Dr. Berari’s recommendation of 0.2-0.4 g/kg seems to be reasonable and in agreement with other posted recommendations. If you lower the protein to the 10-18 grams as recommended by GSSI, you start to reach the levels used by PHL and the P90X Recovery Drink, which yeilds the magical 4:1 ratio. Since even the 4:1 proponents lower the protein content and maintain the CHO, I feel that it is safe to conclude that, for a recovery drink, the CHO content is more important than the protein content. Find something that has the right amount of CHO for your body weight, and adjust the protein as desired.
So What’s the Bottom Line?
I continue to maintain that different products work for different people, so the bottom line is that you should try different products to see what works best for your body chemstry and activity level. Regardless of what ratio you choose, it’s pretty clear that you need something that has carbs for glycogen resynthisis and protein for muscle repair. Whether you make it yourself or you buy a pre-made drink, you should consume your recovery drink within 30 minutes of finishing your workout for best results.
But what about the classic post-workout protein shake? I mean, isn’t that the classic recovery drink? I’ll leave you with a final thought regarding the classic protein drink. According to The Book of Muscle, “the timing of protein intake has gotten more attention recently. Intriguing research at the University of Texas Medical Branch shows that ingesting a protein-carbohydrate supplement before doing strength training leads to more portein synthesis than a post-workout supplement does. The most likely reason: bloodflow increases during exercise, so if you have more protein in your blood during exercise, more protein goes to your muscles. [...] Since the latest research shows the significance of pre-exercise nutrition, many experts now advise lifters to eat carbs and protein within one hour before exercise and immediately after.” (pg. 46-49, emphasis mine)
So consider consuming your protein drink pre-workout and having a carb/protein drink post-workout. All the research will be in your favor!
Recommendations
Natural
1% Chocolate Milk (from askmen.com)
“Yup, believe it or not, 1% chocolate milk is one of the best recovery foods out there. Two cups of this sweet stuff provide you with 320 calories, 52 grams of carbs, 16 grams of protein, and 5 grams of fat. Okay, so it does contain some saturated fat and is fairly high in sugar, but as an occasional glycogen-boosting drink after a hard workout, chocolate milk is a great choice.”
Skim Milk (from realage.com)
“You don’t need a fancy sports drink to recover quickly from a short workout and be ready for your next session. Instead, consider the potent recovery drink that’s probably already in your fridge: skim milk. It rehydrates exercisers as well as water does, and more effectively than sports drinks. Try it for a workout that lasts less than 2 hours (if it goes longer than that, we prefer you use sports drinks).
When you exercise, you deplete water and glycogen, the fuel that allows your muscle cells to come together or, as we say, shorten or contract. Being depleted of these things is like being starved of sleep: Your body just won’t perform as well. Being just 2% dehydrated reduces exercise performance and makes your workout feel harder. That’s why rehydrating is so important.
Milk may do more than that: There’s evidence that weight lifters who drank a 16-ounce glass of milk right after a workout, and another glass an hour later, gained more lean body mass and lost more fat than the lifters who instead drank a soy or carbohydrate sports drink. But we agree — that’s a lot of milk (and its calories may be more than you burned off during exercise). So next time you work out, try a single glass afterward and see if it makes your next workout feel even better.”
1:1
Gatorade Recover
Proglycosyn
2:1
Examples of products that work well as a recovery aid are Twinlab’s Amino Fuel (the powder form) and Metabolol II™ (Champion Nutrition)
4:1
Endurox
P90X Results & Recovery Formula
