Post Workout Recovery Drink Basics

UPDATE August 20, 2015:  The latest science since Results & Recovery formula was introduced years ago suggests that the concept of drinking a post-workout drink with a 4:1 ratio of carbs to protein which is high in sugar may not be as effective as the earlier studies suggest.  Beachbody has designed a new post-workout drink (along with several other sports nutrition mixes) based on the latest sports science.  I am switching to the new products, and you can read my post about the Performance Line HERE).

You’ve probably heard about the importance of drinking a “recovery drink” after your workout, but you may not be sure why or what a recovery drink is. There are many options out there for a good post-workout drink, so let me compare 3 different ones that I’ve used: P90X Results & Recovery Formula, GNC’s Amplified Recovery Protein, and plain old non-fat chocolate milk.

Why You Need a Recovery Drink

When you have a hard workout several things happen to your muscles. First, energy stored in your muscles in the form of glycogen burns and gets consumed. Once depleted it needs to be replenished in order to have energy for the next workout. Secondly, muscle fibers are damaged, so that when they repair themselves they grow larger and stronger than they were before. Finally large amounts of the hormone cortisol are released into the bloodstream which, if left unchecked, promote unwanted muscle breakdown and fat storage.  Recovery drinks are designed to address all of these needs with a combination of simple carbohydrates (sugars) and protein.

In the 1-hour window after a hard workout, your body will get the maximum benefit from a combination of sugar and protein. Sugar will do two things for you.  First it replenishes the glycogen that you lost during the workout and helps squash the harmful effects of cortisol.  Cortisol is a “stress” hormone, and one of its effects is to break down muscle tissue for energy if glycogen levels are low.  Since it is a stress hormone it also promotes fat storage which is the opposite of what you want.

(Understanding cortisol is one of the secret sauces to weight control and optimizing your workout results; read a good cortisol article here for more information.)

The second thing sugar does for you is to intentionally spike your insulin level. Why do you want to spike your insulin?  Insulin makes your muscle fibers more receptive to absorbing protein from the bloodstream. By including a protein in your post-workout drink you can jump-start the muscle repair process. To get the most benefit, all of this needs to happen in the “magic hour” after your workout, so your drink needs to include only fast-digesting ingredients and nothing that will inhibit digestion like fat or complex carbs.  Try to wait at least 30 minutes after your recovery drink before eating a regular meal with fat or complex carbs.

When You Need It (And When You Don’t)

I’ve already mentioned the “magic window” of opportunity within 60 minutes of a hard workout. What’s a “hard” workout? To me, a “hard” workout is one that meets one or more of these criteria:

• you gave 100% effort for at least 30 minutes, possibly collapsing on the floor in a pool of your own sweat when you were done (or you wanted to collapse)
• you know you will be sore the next day
• you are still feeling the “afterburn” or still sweating from the workout 30 minutes after you finish

Simply put a “hard” workout is one where you depleted your glycogen stores and damaged muscle, period. If you didn’t damage muscle, you don’t need a recovery drink. In fact, drinking a recovery drink after a light workout is nothing more than having a sugary drink; the insulin spike you create will turn on your fat-storage machine, and the sugar will be converted to fat by your liver rather than going to energy storage. If you did not push yourself hard, a sugary drink will do more harm than good.

Comparing 3 Popular Drinks

Over the past 18 months I’ve used three different drinks. Here’s how they compare:

Beachbody P90X Results and Recovery Formula

(P90X R&R Formula Label)

• Pros
  • Plenty of simple carbs in the form of dextrose and maltodextrin
  • Enough fast-digesting whey protein for a 4:1 carb:protein ratio (Beachbody cites studies* that conclude a 4:1 ratio was optimum for a recovery drink)
  • Backed by research and development, and designed specifically for post workout nutrition
• Cons
  • Cost is $1.67 per serving retail, $1.25 per serving with the maximum discount

GNC Amplified Recovery Protein

(GNC Amplified Recovery Protein Product Label)

• Pros
  • Plenty of simple carbs in the form of maltodextrin and waxy maize (corn)
  • Good amount of fast-digesting whey protein blended with slow-digesting casein for “dual action extended release” protein; this is good if you don’t get enough protein in your diet from food later in the day
  • Backed by research and development, and designed specifically for post workout nutrition
• Cons
  • Protein blend includes slow-digesting casein—this type of protein digests slowly over a period of several hours. It really doesn’t need to be in my post-workout drink because I get protein later in the day from other sources. If you don’t eat enough protein this ingredient may be a “pro” for you
  • Highest levels of sodium of the three
  • Cost is $2.50 per serving

Non-Fat Chocolate Milk Made with Hershey’s Genuine Syrup

• Pros
  • Plenty of simple carbs in the form of high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, and sugar
  • 4:1 carb to protein ratio
  • Cost is only $0.30 per serving (this has been called the poor-person’s recovery drink)
• Cons
  • Milk protein is approximately 20% whey and 80% casein; one serving only contains 2 g of fast-digesting whey protein, the rest is slow-digesting casein
  • Do NOT use whole milk or even low-fat milk since the fat will inhibit digestion and may prevent all the needed sugar and protein from getting into your bloodstream quickly

I used the GNC product for ~9 months before switching over exclusively to the P90X R&R Formula. With the Coach Discount I find $1.25 per serving very affordable knowing that I’m getting a product that has been researched, tested and designed for this use.  I manage my protein intake throughout the day so I do not want to pay for casein in my post-workout drink.  I will take casein as a stand-alone supplement before bed when I am on a weight lifting program like P90X.

Wrap-Up

If you want to learn more about post-workout nutrition there is a ton of information out there, and of course, much of it conflicting in terms of how much protein, what is the optimum carb:protein ratio, how long you can wait after a workout, etc. If you get confused it might just be best to pick something, try it for a little while, and see how it makes you feel. Then try something else and experiment to see what works for you. Everyone’s body is different, so what works for me may not work for you. At least there is comfort knowing that once a day you can sling back a nice, sweet sugary drink guilt-free and feel good that you’re doing the right thing for your body!

P.S.

Watch this 2 minute Flash video clip of Steve Edwards and Dennis Faye from Beachbody describing the P90X Results and Recovery Formula:

(Flash-enabled browser required for video)

*Phillips, sm, J.W. Hartman and SB Wilkinson. 2005. Dietary protein to support anabolism with resistance exercise in men. J. Am. Coll Nutr. 24:1345.

*Haff, GG, MJ Lehmkuhl, LB Meloy and MH Stone. 2003. Carbohydrate supplementation and resistance training. J. Strength Cond Res 17:187.

UPDATE August 20, 2015:  The latest science since Results & Recovery formula was introduced years ago suggests that the concept of drinking a post-workout drink with a 4:1 ratio of carbs to protein which is high in sugar may not be as effective as the earlier studies suggest.  Beachbody has designed a new post-workout drink (along with several other sports nutrition mixes) based on the latest sports science.  I am switching to the new products, and you can read my post about the Performance Line HERE).