Revisiting the Recovery Shake

April 14, 2010

This is my Post Workout Recovery shake.

It’s quick to make with the sorts of ingredients that you should always have at the ready. I find that because it’s liquid, it’s actually also what you really feel like after a big session. And whilst many athletes will have a recovery shake, they sometimes miss some vital ingredients.

So what’s in it and why?

The essentials

Fruit- I like frozen fruit to make it icy cold and thick! I often freeze peeled bananas because I often over-buy them. You can use anything. Berries are awesome because they are so jam-packed full of antioxidants and vitamins.

Fruit = carbohydrates + electrolytes + alkaline.

Fruit Juice- any juice- choose the one with the least man-handling, i.e. Fresh with nothing added.

Juice = carbohydrate, quickly released + electrolytes + alkaline.

A large pinch of Salt- Rock Salt preferred.

Salt = sodium. The only electrolyte that you can’t get from fruit.

Protein powder- buy a quality brand. Whilst not a real food, this is the easiest way to get a high amount of protein in quickly. Also ensure it has a good amount of BCAAs (Branch Chain Amino Acids) in it. Use Whey protein as it has the highest bioavailabilty.

Quantities of ingredients depend on your size.

I weigh about 52 kilos (when training) and my shake roughly has about 200mls juice, 1 cup fruit, and 20gs protein.

Kristian is about 65 kilos, he has 250mls juice, 1.5 cups of fruit and 30gs protein.

Optional extras that I recommend;

A magnesium supplement like UltraMuscleze by BioCeuticals.
Amino Acids, like Recovers by Sports Quest Direct if not included in your protein powder.
A carbohydrate powder, like E-Source by High5, I only add this after my biggest sessions. At other times it’s just too many carbs and not necessary.

Supplementation is a whole topic of it’s own. I’ve only mentioned a couple here because these are ones that I add to my shake. Some performance supplements are recommended to be taken post-workout, so adding them now is an easy way of remembering to take them. Plus a lot of them taste revolting and can be nicely masked in your shake! Just pull the tablets apart and pour them in.

In terms of performance benefits- they do exist. But supplements can be expensive, so how far you go with it really depends on the investment you’re willing to make.

I’ll talk more about them in future posts … as there are some crucial ones.

If you’re not at home when you finish your session many athletes love the pre-packed individual protein drinks or simply chocolate milk. These are fine for these situations, as long as you eat a piece of fruit at the same time. Exercise, carbs and protein are net acid- producing and you want to counter this with alkaline foods= fruit.

The idea is to consume it in the first 30 minutes post training. When you walk in the door from training, head first for water, then make your shake.
This is the most crucial time to kick start the recovery process. At this time your body is the most receptive to the nutrients you provide it.
Your body right now will absorb carbohydrates 2-3 times faster than a few hours post training. It is also primed to take in protein more effectively.

This recovery window also has the added benefit of increasing your muscle glycogen storage capacity. Getting this capacity maxed through smart training and fueling will see you have ~ 90 minutes of stored fuel within your muscles. I’ll cover this topic in more detail in a later post.

Once you have your shake you can then shower, roll, stretch etc…Getting sidetracked and forgetting to re-fuel will come back and bite you, so just make it a habit to head straight for the kitchen first.

I would then eat something substantial within the next hour. More on what I would eat coming soon…

Quicker recovery= Better Quality training= you GO FASTER!!!
ENJOY!