Optimum Muscle Recovery

My 15 year old son and I had an argument/debate the other day regarding what your body needs after a workout.  You see he came up to me and said “You know your supposed to have protein after a hard workout right!”  (Notice the use of the exclamation mark not question mark – remember I’m telling you what my teenage son said – they never ask a question they just tell you what they think they know.)   He, of course, told me that he learned this in high school PE.  I told him that although I am not trying to say his teacher is wrong and that for the purposes of passing any tests he should listen to her, but that actually this was incorrect.   This is what then lead to a debate over the next few minutes.  When will I realize that teenagers think they know everything and no matter what I say, even though I have a degree in Dietetics, that first off I’m his mom and by most teen boys standards – he considers me generally stupid.  With that being said let me fill in the blanks for others who are more willing to listen.

When you exercise anaerobically (weight training, the high end of intervals, etc.), you burn blood sugar and glycogen. If you give it your all for about an hour, you’ll probably deplete both of those resources. This is the time to put carbs to good use.  Personally I am a fan of Beachbody’s P90X Recovery Formula.  I may be biased since I am am a Beachbody coach, but I truly believe they came up with a fantastic product that really meets the needs of the serious fitness enthusiast.  The carbs in Recovery Formula rush in to replenish that blood sugar and glycogen. Meanwhile, the protein piggybacks in, getting to muscles for a head start on resynthesis.

This 4:1 recovery drink model was conceived by John Ivy and Robert Portman in a landmark study you can read in the book Nutrient Timing: The Future of Sports Nutrition.

That’s my main answer to this query, but there are sometimes subtle variations on the question. Let’s address a few of those here.

First off, the carb-protein balance should be between 3:1 and 5:1 to work optimally. If you take in more protein than that or you add fat or fiber, it slows the absorption of the carbohydrates and you miss the post-workout window of about 1 hour during which nutrients are absorbed readily.

Secondly, while Recovery Formula primarily works for strength workouts, there’s an anaerobic component to most of our “aerobic,” or cardio, workouts, which you know if you’ve done P90X’s “Plyometrics” workout.

Because not every workout is going to hammer you, you should decide how much Recovery Formula you need on a sliding scale. If you’re so wasted that you’re having difficulty moving the muscle groups you just worked, then a full serving of Recovery Formula is called for. If you feel a little shaky but not trashed, you probably have a little glycogen left over, so drink half a serving.

Another factor in deciding how you use Recovery Formula is how much blood sugar you began your workout with. If your diet is very lean, you may be tapped to begin with, so sipping a little during your workout would be hugely beneficial. There’s no hard and fast rule. If you feel perfectly good post-workout, you likely didn’t train hard enough for Recovery Formula. It’s really up to you to gauge how you feel, and use some common sense.

Finally, Recovery Formula is specially designed for maximum absorption, and it has a lot of extra goodies in it. But if you’re getting fit on the cheap, you can make your own recovery drink with apples or grape juice (the acids in orange juice mess with the absorption process, so don’t use that) and a couple tablespoons of vanilla protein powder.

My husband I and swear by the P90X Recovery Formula.  People who try it say it is like heroin for fitness enthusiasts.  I don’t have experience with herion but I highly recommend you give the recovery formula a try.  When you order you will need to sign up for a free Beachbody membership.  It truly is a free membership so don’t be afraid – it just like registering on any site.  If you chose to sign up for the club membership instead, you will save 10% on everything you order, every time.  If you want to save more and get everything at wholesale cost contact me and I will show you how.