Recovery drinks

woodycct

Ok so I'm fairly new to cycling but have been training pretty hard for a few certain events that I have coming up, im rideing a fairly long distance every other night and now iv started rideing 20 miles every morning inbertween that, so my question is do I need a recovery shake after I ride as little as 20 miles?????

Any advice would be vary much appreciated

sungod

not after 20 miles, healthy, regular eating should be enough

but it's more about how hard you ride, than how far you ride

if you find energy levels dropping 1-2 hours after a ride, try eating sooner and/or more

on longer/harder rides, take in some food on the go, mostly carbs

keep an eye on your weight, if it's going down (and assuming you're not trying to lose it) then you'll need to increase intake, in which case a shake etc. can be a quick way to add some extra carbs and protein right after a ride when solid food may not be appealing

Dan Ingram

I've also just started riding (after an 8 year break) and wondered the same thing. I seem to be ok after riding my normal 20 mile loop but when I go on longer rides at the weekends I get really sore legs the day after. If i do 30+ miles then I have a recovery shake as soon as I've finished and it definitely helps. I feel pretty fresh the day after and can go out on my bike again instead of sitting on the sofa and moaning about the pain.

The thing that helps the most though is stretching properly afterwards. I used to do a couple of quick stretches after but now I spend a good 10-15 mins stretching and it really helps recovery.

Stoo48

I think the answer is; it depends.....

When I first started road biking I would do a 750ml bottle of SIS Go and a 1.5L Camelbak of water in a 20 mile ride that wasn't even at any great pace while in the UK.

Now nearly a year on I am doing an hour in 90F heat maybe 18-19 miles (it's flat here in the midwest) and I take on about 250ml of water only. My riding partner doesn't take on any fluid until we get back.

On my return I just keep drinking water until I feel hydrated, maybe 2L. I am currently in training for my first triathlon (tomorrow) and have been using Gatorade 03 protien recovery drink mainly for muscle recovery followed by water.

I guess what I am saying is try and see what works for you.

Slack

Yes, a decent cup of tea to wash down an egg sandwich.

Probably better off spending the money on electrolyte drink powder/tabs to ensure optimum hydration. Your body will recover itself as part of the adaption to exercise. If you are not recovering, then take a day or two off.

MattC59

It depends on your strength / fitness, and how hard you push it.

ie. If you're not used to hills and you push it, then you may well feel the benefit of a recovery drink, as your muscles will need the protien to recover. However, if you have strong legs and don't push it, you probably won't feel the benefit of a recovery drink as your muscles will have coped fine and won't need the protien to recover.

Personally, If I've pushed it over 30miles + I'll have a recovery drink. That said, if I push it over 20miles, I can feel the benefit to my thighs, of a recovery drink.

Plus, I like the taste of the banana 'ForGoodnessShakes' recovery drinks

keef66

I favour a pint of tea and a couple of Hobnobs after a ride of over 25 miles.

My son who's been sharing a house with a Loughborough sports science student for 3 years insists on whey protein & other muck after a 10 mile loop (admittedly he does go flat out from the off, and comes back purple in the face, whereas I'm more of a leisure rider)

If only you could put a recovery drink into just one leg to see if it makes a real difference.

vorsprung

woodycct wrote:

do I need a recovery shake after I ride as little as 20 miles?????

If you are warming up and then doing a 10 mile time trial then probably yes
If you are using the 20 miles to stop your legs seizing up on the "non training" days then no

Down the Road

My favourite is BEER

still the most popular recovery fuel in most sports


Don't take yourself to seriously.

Thebigbee

Down the Road wrote:

My favourite is BEER

still the most popular recovery fuel in most sports


Don't take yourself to seriously.

Completely agree - that or a nice "proper" cider.

Apparently there are very nice organic flat ciders - like Westons - that give you that water replenishment and also a couple of your 5 a day.

As someone else said - a nice egg mayo sandwich does just as much good.

How did the pros ever manage before all these energy bars/ shakes/ drinks come along?
Apart from drugs...

They ate high carb, high protein, low fat and drank plenty of water and juice.

It really isn't rocket science.

And I am sorry - if you really feel the need to have to waste your money on "recovery" shakes - after a 20 mile ride - you need to wise up or you are too affected...

Buy an Innocent smoothie or glass of freshly squeezed juice. Alternatively make your own.

20 miles - rcovery drink = unfit for purpose.

woodycct

hahahaha ok bigbee, dont get you nickers in a twist, just looking for some friendly advice as im new to the sport

does seem to make sense that a good healthy diet for the most part makes the most difference, although i road 60 miles the other day pretty hard with no brake, i cant help in thinking that the recovery drink did help to no aches or pains the next day.

thanks for the input guys, good to see other peoples opinions on this subject.....

dave35

Save your cash,have beans on toast or scrambled egg on toast-tastes much nicer than powdered sugar.

rozzer32

Haha bigbee your advice is nearly as good as your advice on tubs

Thebigbee

rozzer32 wrote:

Haha bigbee your advice is nearly as good as your advice on tubs

Thanks - unfortunately I am a bit more well informed on this subject!

Recovery shake after a 20 mile ride... please....

rozzer32

Thebigbee wrote:

rozzer32 wrote:

Haha bigbee your advice is nearly as good as your advice on tubs

Thanks - unfortunately I am a bit more well informed on this subject!

Recovery shake after a 20 mile ride... please....

Well you're not really are you??

It depends on what you're doing in the 20 miles. My chaingang is roughly 25 miles. I take a recovery drink after. If you're doing a 25 TT then you would probably take a recovery drink after.

If you were just doing a gentle 20 miles on a Sunday afternoon then you wouldn't need one really.

P_Tucker

Thebigbee wrote:

How did the pros ever manage before all these energy bars/ shakes/ drinks come along?

Well, they went a lot more slowly than they do nowadays (1990-200? excepted due to the miracle of EPO) so thats not really a very good argument, is it?

nickel

I quite often drink a pint of milk after a long ride. Has a ratio of approximately 3:1 carbs to protein, and I read somewhere that that's around the right ratio for a recovery drink, not exactly scientific I know but seems to work for me!

Paul E

I get sore legs if it don't drink something like milk etc, but I usually go balls out if my legs feel fine so that probably is the cause of it, but if I don't drink something my legs feel worse

woodycct

So really it seems that everyone is different, I GUIs you need to find out what's best for the individual and your body dependent on how hard or little you train, I suppose I can only hear what works best for you guys and not assume that what works for you will work for me as my training and diet will be totally different from the last parson......
I know these recovery drinks are not 100% compulsory but they are used by alot of vary competent riders .
I do wish I could train with bigbee though, he sounds like a guru to me

Daddy2Coull

to be fair, if you were to believe all the packaging hype on these products, you'd need a packet of jelly beans to walk up the stairs and a recovery drink after taking a dump.

i also am new to this sport and was taken in by it all at first, now i just ride as hard as much as i can plus eating well and keeping hydrated. at the end of the day i'm supposed to be cycling for FUN