Recovery drinks or just plain old food?

320DMsport

Hi all,

Sorry if this has been covered but i've been training for the last 12 months and i've been using SIS Rego religeously.

Thing is it is kind of expensive and a 50g serving gives 29g of carbs plus 13g of protein, would i just be better having a bowl of porridge with honey or a white bagel with peanut butter and banana and a glass of milk within 20 mins of training?

Rego also contains Aspartame which i'm not sure about and it gives me dreadful wind!

So how many just use food for recovery and what?

Think i've got into the rut of relying on Rego and frightened of loosing gains by not using it.

Cheers Lee

andrewgturnbull

320DMsport wrote:

Hi all,

Sorry if this has been covered but i've been training for the last 12 months and i've been using SIS Rego religeously.

Thing is it is kind of expensive and a 50g serving gives 29g of carbs plus 13g of protein, would i just be better having a bowl of porridge with honey or a white bagel with peanut butter and banana and a glass of milk within 20 mins of training?

Rego also contains Aspartame which i'm not sure about and it gives me dreadful wind!

So how many just use food for recovery and what?

Think i've got into the rut of relying on Rego and frightened of loosing gains by not using it.

Cheers Lee

HI there.

Apart from one tub of rego I won once, I have never used recovery drinks. I don't think this has ever held me back...

Personally the more natural the food the better, porridge, honey, fruit, yogurt, nuts. It's all good.

I can only see the need for artifical recovery drinks if you didn't have access to real food, i.e. you were travelling, or say between heats at a track and needed to digest something quickly.

Remember, marketing of these products is designed to separate you from your cash, not improve your performance.

Cheers, Andy

320DMsport

Cheers Andy,

Yes i was starting to think that!

I have porridge with honey, malt loaf, plain cashews etc.

Looking at what what you get from 500ml of milk is nearly the same as 500ml of Rego, i could have 500ml of milk with a egg white and a jam sandwhich with white bread and probably get more carbs and protein.

With Mtb i can always take something with me but i suppose rego is handy if your out allday then a drive home but i think i'll save my cash after this rego is finished.

On another subject of energy drinks i've started using Boots Glucose C which is basically dextrose and mix it at 8 percent in my bottle, i seem to go better on that than the SIS Go with no stomach probs.

What are you guys using for energy drinks?

BeaconRuth

Andy took the words out of my mouth.

Ruth

richa

How much training are you doing 320DM?

I use recovery drinks, but only rarely and only after exterem (for me) efforts.

Mostly this is after Sportives, where I finish a 6hr ride and have a 2hr car journey home.

My drink of choice is ForGoodnessShakes.

Blonde

Recovery drinks are useful if you find it hard to eat immediately after a hard effort or a long/hot ride - this is apparently quite common. If like me you are able to eat an enormous three course dinner after about 15 minutes off the bike then you obviously have no real need for recovery drinks. I wouldn't feel like preparing a meal straight after riding but this is the best time to eat something, so the drinks are useful if you haven't prepared anything in advance the day before and don't want to stand in the kitchen cooking straight after a day out on the bike. I usually try to get something ready the day before so it can be warming up whilst I'm in the shower so have no real need for these drinks. I have used them on holiday though, when I've returned from rides knowing that dinner wouldn't be available for another three or four hours. I think they are also useful for people doing hard back to back rides such as stage races because they need lots of calories quickly and are an easy way to get re-fuelled in the confines of a tour bus or hotel room, but they won't replace real food, only be used along side it. On holidays I've tried the powders/drinks and the bars - The Maximuscle protein bars are quite nice (chocolaty but not too sweet) and do bridge that gap between finishing a ride and food being served several hours later. A good alternative to a commercial recovery drink is to make a fruit and yogurt smoothie before you go out, leave it in the blender jug, in the fridge then just give it a quick whizz up when you get home. It's good filler between the time you come home and time you might feel like starting to cook your tea,

hammerite

I don't really use recovery drinks after a ride, but do after a long run. I just feel I've done more damage to my legs after running 13+ miles from the pounding than I do when I've completed a long ride.

I've just today finished off a tin of high 5 blackcurrant mix, but it's lasted me about 3 years! (and had recently gone out of date!). Interesting what you say about milk, High 5 do a banana recovery drink that you use with milk which is actually quite tasty. Problem with milk though is that it has to be kept cool, so not good after a few hours in a car in the summer.

Like everyone else, I agree that you can get the same benefits from eating properly pretty soon after, but sometimes it's not too convenient to do that.

320DMsport

Thanks for the replys everyone!

Rich A i suppose my training is slightly different to full on roadie training as the distances aren't as great in a race and the climbs more rocky and technical.

But i tend to ride 3 times a week, i'll do a 4 hour MTB off road ride which generally takes place round Kentmere and Garburn which is seriously hilly around 30 miles, then i may do Grizedale for some long fireroad climbs if i don't goto Kentmere and i'll do anything to 40 miles.

Then in the week i have a 18 mile route which includes a 20 min climb at 14 percent and finishes off with a bridleway and i tend to push the pace and time myself then, on my other ride i will do 1.5 hours purely on the road on the MTB.

I do core exercises and weights for shoulders and arms and chest as the can become fatigued on rough courses.

I have only been using the recovery after rides sort of straight away and i may have a slice of Malt loaf or a home made muffin made from Banana, oats, flour, eggs, nuts.

But i think i can normally pre make something to take on a ride or even a Banana and peanut butter sandwhich followed by some cashews and maybe a slice of Malt loaf would give enough carbs and protein?

I don't have a problem munching straight after a ride either.

Thing is i've been using the SIS products since i started back biking last September after a 2 year break and i did my first race back then and came 488th out of 600 and with training and eating over the last ten months i've seen myself go from that result to 12th in a team of 4 on a 24hour and 31st out 65 solo's on a 10 hour solo endurance event.

So i want to keep progressing but worried about dropping the SIS stuff incase i drop off?

Kind of scared to experiment incase i don't perform aswell as i could but the expense and some of the dodgey stomachs i've had using the SIS Go isn't probably worth it!

But if you guys a doing the kind of distance that road cyclists do and are making gains there should be no reason why i can't on proper food so to speak.

I'm also fed up paying the prices for these powders too in the current climate.

What would the concensus be on riding and training every other day? would stepping upto that pay off or would i be better doing my 3 rides a week but build up intensisty and distance and do some recovery rides and spend the rest of the time resting and recovering?

I would apreciate any advice as the race i'm doing in September is the one i started with last year and rather than going for the top 500 i 'm aiming at the top 100 hopefully.

Thanks

farrell

a good old fashioned medium rare steak or Quinoa after a long ride works wonders on recovery

320DMsport

farrell wrote:

a good old fashioned medium rare steak or Quinoa after a long ride works wonders on recovery

Funny you should say that but sometimes the 2 days before a long ride or event i've carbed up but then had steak the night before and i can feel my energy levels to be higher when out on a ride??

Anyone else found this? A good dollop of protein along with carbs the night before?

farrell

I always had a good dose of protein before a race - --with a large helping of home grown tomatoes ( x 8 ) and pasta......don't race much nowdays due to extensive work commitments and limited training times

Recently, I accidentally found fresh Salmon and potatoes or Quinoa 2 hours before long training rides to be good too........not sure why it works though.

stjohnswell

beans on toast, cooked by the missus while i'm having a shower.

perfect.

Kléber

Another voice to support Andy. I'd add that most of us aren't pro athletes seeking every possible, legal edge. So just eat sensibly, if you need a recovery drink it's because your fridge and cupboards probably don't contain the right foods.

A powder in a plastic tub isn't normally seen as the healthy, nor the tasty choice. So aim to enjoy your food. It's not all about scientific nutrition and dull refuelling, you can have nice tasting food with texture and flavour, and maybe the money saved by skipping these products allows you to buy some fine gourmet foods instead.

320DMsport

Yes i've found Salmon to be pretty good too!

Like you all say the recovery drinks aren't all that when you read the back, the Aspartame and lots of other chemicals sounds ropey and the lack of wind by not using it will make the missus happy!

I've rode out Sunday and Monday pushing quite hard (As i can anyway) and afterwards i've had Peanut butter and Banana sandwhich on white bread, 500ml milk with a egg white, and a slice of Malt loaf with chocolate spread, all very tasty and when you tot up the carbs and protein it whupps the backside of Rego, suppose the body won't absorb them all but it's all there if it wants.

I'm quite a fan of beans and toast too as a recovery snack, i normally have a snack then proper dinner later within 2 hours.

The main thing is i rode 2 days back to back and didn't feel sore at all and went better on the second day, and this morning i feel ok too so looks like i'm onto the proper food for recovery!!

I've also found Glucose C from boots which is just Dextrose to be a good energy drink and keeps me pedalling with no sign of a bonk, and at £1.59 for 454g i've ditched the SIS Go too!

I've used this on longer rides in warm weather too and no stomach upsets of feeling weird from the heat.

Cheers All.