Protein drinks

jonod777

What's the best protein drink affter a hard day training iv bin using lucozade sport pro muscle what do you lot use

Pseudonym

beans on toast and a pint of orange squash...

JustinLeeAtkinson

Mars Refuel -tastes great, unlike most others. And it is available in supermarkets.

richa

Chocolate Milk is pretty good. Personally I like forgoodnessshakes

ut_och_cykla

I use a choc flavoured casien based protein shake from my Protein. Casien/milk base gives quick & slow release amino acids and good feeling of fullness -which is cheifly why I use it - to avoid pigging out :oops: But only 1-3 times a week at most. Real food if possible.....

thegreatdivide

After a big ride:

Scoop of MyProtein Impact Whey
Scoop of Goody Cao choc powder from Lidl
Pint of skimmed milk

After a gym session:
Scoop of MyProtein Impact Whey
Scoop of Goody Cao choc powder from Lidl
About 100ml water (for a thick shake)

brettjmcc

Recovery XS from my protein if its hard or after club turbo

I use True Whey after weights and lighter sessions.

Both available from MP

I used to us PHd stuff when I was doing more gym work, but MP is pretty similar and cheaper, and has more variety

rake

i believe you can only intake a certain amount of acids so dont get hung up on whats the best. you recycle a certain amount. the essential ones are best to seek out they are the only ones you cant synthesize.

Herbsman

A cup of cocoa made with full fat milk

PhildB

Instead of buying expensive lucoze sport, Boots sell 500grams of Dextrose for £1.59 - just top up your protein shake with some of that instead, - a box of that lasts me a couple of months

Crimmey

More Myprotein stuff here. Most flavours taste disgusting though. I'm on their total peptide smooth strawberry and its just about drinkable, took me months to get used to the chocolate one. So close to getting more CNP stuff which is a little more expensive but seem to taste a hell of a lot better and mix well. Personally, I find the protein shakes much much more effective (quicker acting) than just'real food' that alot of people seem to tout. Actually I should say as a supplement with normal food.

Xommul

After training you should be re fueling your body not only with protein but carbs as well. It is worth looking for a drink that provides a 3:1 mix of carbs and proteins as well as a dose of electrolytes to replace the salts u sweat out.

Research suggests that there is a 15-30 minute window after exercising when you ideally should consume your recovery drink as this is when your body is taking in what's inside your stomach the fastest to replace energy in the muscles.

For the last year I have taken a recovery drink after exercising and I believe it goes a long way to replacing energy and keeping my metabolism ticking over post cycling or post gym. I also take a pure protein drink a few hours after exercise to continue muscle repair especially if I have done heavy leg work through Jill climbs or weights.

Not to mention eating 5 times a day, balanced but small meals.

I have tried maxi muscle recovermax, but I prefer recover xs from my protein.com. It has right balance for me, tastes ok and contains a bit of creative to help with muscle soreness too. It's best to shop around, try samples first as some places can sell you a sachet but this works out expensive.

Good luck tho

brettjmcc

I should also say for longer rides I mix up my own energy drink getting the base components from MP as well. I try to mimic the 4:1 from HiEnergy

Its a combination of Maltodextrin, Fructose, Impcat Whey Protein and some Electrolyte Powder. You could scale the mix as you want to suit for a recovery drink. I've done a whole calc on it the same as @jibberingjim does on his site, and you pay about 25% of the cost relative to a branded product. As Xommul says though, I use Recovery XS as it contains other stuff; but this is for immediately afterwards and is a supplement to food and good diet.

okgo

A tuna sandwhich will have more protein and more carbs than most of these supermarket drinks.

The way they have been marketed is close to genius... I don't see them as neccesary for a sport such as cycling at all, especially at low level. Bodybuilding, different all together given the amount of protein you need to consume in order to promote growth, but for cycling and muscle repair a normal meal will be as beneficial and in many cases more so than any of these drinks.

A tin of tuna has 30g of protein in, these shakes you buy from the supermarket, forgoodness, mars etc are nowhere near that, and are full of other crap too. I think a lot of overthinking goes on in this aspect of the sport too. As someone who has expermimented with various types of food and such whilst bodybuilding, or weightlifting I can tell you that more often than not, if you can, the proper food equivilent will be better for you and will do exactly the same thing.

Pseudonym

okgo wrote:

A tuna sandwhich will have more protein and more carbs than most of these supermarket drinks.

The way they have been marketed is close to genius... I don't see them as neccesary for a sport such as cycling at all, especially at low level. Bodybuilding, different all together given the amount of protein you need to consume in order to promote growth, but for cycling and muscle repair a normal meal will be as beneficial and in many cases more so than any of these drinks.

A tin of tuna has 30g of protein in, these shakes you buy from the supermarket, forgoodness, mars etc are nowhere near that, and are full of other crap too. I think a lot of overthinking goes on in this aspect of the sport too. As someone who has expermimented with various types of food and such whilst bodybuilding, or weightlifting I can tell you that more often than not, if you can, the proper food equivilent will be better for you and will do exactly the same thing.

the thread should be closed now - that's probably the best answer we'll read on here.

ut_och_cykla

Yes there is a lot of rubbish out there and I'd recommend real food wherever possible BUT (you could just feel that BUT coming along couldn't you!)
100g of tuna in brine (almost a whole tin) gives 100kcal, 22 g protein, and 1-2 g fat. In oil it gives 190kcal, 27g protein and 9 g fat. 50g of white bread (one slice) with grain will give you 130kcal, 2 g fat , 4 g protein and 23 g carbs.
A protein drink will give you 23g protein 120kcal & little else. An dubbel oil tuna sarnie would give you 450kcal.
It's easy to see that if you want protein without the extras a protein drink is good replacement for a whole tin of tuna in brine with nothing else (no mayo, butter etc). Both are not the nicest of things to eat....

okgo

But people above are suggesting Mars milkshakes as viable alternatives, you might aswell drink Tizer.

I personally have no issue eating a tin of tuna I agree they have a place, but just thought it was worth pointing out that you can get by without all these flashy marketing drinks.

JustinLeeAtkinson

I'll stick with Mars refuel, as I say tastes great, and after a hard ride I can't stomach food (tuna or otherwise) straightaway. Plus, it works for me.

ut_och_cykla

No problem okgo :-)

okgo

JustinLeeAtkinson wrote:

I'll stick with Mars refuel, as I say tastes great, and after a hard ride I can't stomach food (tuna or otherwise) straightaway. Plus, it works for me.

Have you tried having something else, or nothing? I'd imagine the difference would be nil.

SBezza

okgo wrote:

JustinLeeAtkinson wrote:

I'll stick with Mars refuel, as I say tastes great, and after a hard ride I can't stomach food (tuna or otherwise) straightaway. Plus, it works for me.

Have you tried having something else, or nothing? I'd imagine the difference would be nil.

I doubt a lot of the people using recovery drinks would notice the differences between each type, they are only really needed when training heavily for multiple days in a row, for the occasional club rider that rides perhaps a couple of times a week a normal diet would be more than enough.

I have used a few different types of milk based drink, and with more normal powder based drinks, and the milk ones are good, just not as good as whey protein based powders. These are still processed faster by the body the normal food however, though casein protein as found in milk based drinks are slower digested by the body. I use them as I am not eating straight after a hard training session, and they are good to have just after finishing a session, then going for a shower/bath, stretching and relaxing, then having a proper meal about 2 hours later.

thiscocks

Semi skimmed milk, or any mikshake, then as said above a meal an hour or two later.

t.m.h.n.e.t

Most of the time,a decent diet has plenty of protein. Unless you are really shredding muscle fibre there is really little need to pop whey shakes. A shake will never replace real food,they're designed to supplement,not be a main course. Tuna sandwiches or peanut butter bagels do exactly the same job,without the flashy names or often ridiculous pricetags.

Recovery shakes though I do rate highly after long rides(usually a tough commute)FGS for example are handy fitting in a jersey pocket or saddlebag. I keep a couple in work along with plenty of porridge.

As the name suggests, recovery drinks are taken after training, and aim to supply your muscles with everything needed for recovery. There are three essential ingredients in any recovery drink:

Carbohydrate – to replace muscle glycogen used for energy during exercise (glycogen is a form of carbohydrate and can only be stored in muscles in limited amounts).
Protein – to help replace damaged muscle tissue and rebuild muscle after hard exercise.
Water – to replace exercise-induced fluid losses that occur during training (via sweating and evaporative losses [through the lungs]).

150g of plain low-fat yoghurt
1 pint of skimmed milk
4oz of fresh pineapple (or small tin of pineapple chunks in juice)
1 banana
1 tablespoon of honey
¼ teaspoon of table salt
handful of ice cubes (optional)

Typically
Calories 465
Protein (g) 30.0
Fat (g) 1.9
Carbohydrate (g) 90.0

ric/rstsport

okgo wrote:

A tuna sandwhich will have more protein and more carbs than most of these supermarket drinks.

The way they have been marketed is close to genius... I don't see them as neccesary for a sport such as cycling at all, especially at low level. Bodybuilding, different all together given the amount of protein you need to consume in order to promote growth, but for cycling and muscle repair a normal meal will be as beneficial and in many cases more so than any of these drinks.

A tin of tuna has 30g of protein in, these shakes you buy from the supermarket, forgoodness, mars etc are nowhere near that, and are full of other crap too. I think a lot of overthinking goes on in this aspect of the sport too. As someone who has expermimented with various types of food and such whilst bodybuilding, or weightlifting I can tell you that more often than not, if you can, the proper food equivilent will be better for you and will do exactly the same thing.

For clarity, i'd just like to suggest that cycling does require a modest increase in protein requirements compared to non-exercising people. At the elite level riding a Grand Tour (e.g. TdF) probably requires more protein than any other sport, with riders *needing* around 1.8 to 2.0 g of protein per kg body mass per day. Of course tho, many people who exercise eat more than that (e.g. some bodybuilders), but note that i said needed!!

I suspect that there aren't any GT riders on this forum.

Someone else suggested that we use a 3:1 or 4:1 ratio of carbs:protein, but there's very little actual science to support this, it's marketing.

In general most people in the western world eat significantly more protein than they need (including vegetarians) and the idea that you need protein drinks post ride after every ride is laughable. As SBezza suggests post ride drinks (pro or pro/CHO) are probably only needed on an occasional basis (e.g. during a really heavy block of training or when away from home). You're probably better off by fuelling better during the ride.

Me personally, my fave post ride meal is beans on toast with a poached egg. sometimes i add in roasted tomatoes as well.

McBain_v1

After my morning turbo session (30-50 minutes) I have a pint of skimmed with ProMax protein powder (30g scoop) and then a pint of skimmed milk with my breakfast. If you are aiming for major muscle growth then the basic rule of thumb is just to eat and eat protein!

mclarent

After a morning turbo I'll have a bowl of porridge. If I do a long ride as part of my commute (3-4 hours for a zone 2/3 (power) ride is not untypical) I might have something during the ride and I might have something when I get to work*. Often I don't bother, and your body naturally replaces most stuff within 24 hours anyway. The only time I am actually bothered about refueling post ride is if I'm doing split turbo sessions morning / evening, in which case I will make sure I eat enough post morning session and preload prior to my evening session. Oh, and after a hard club run... But you know how that one goes...

* I do hydrate properly though, and one of my bottles will be a SIS mix.

simon_e

Many of these processed products are packed full of junk. Any company that puts Aspartame or Acesulfame K in its products isn't worth a pinch of sh*t, I wouldn't touch them even if they were free.

SBezza wrote:

I doubt a lot of the people using recovery drinks would notice the differences between each type, they are only really needed when training heavily for multiple days in a row, for the occasional club rider that rides perhaps a couple of times a week a normal diet would be more than enough.

This is what I've been told by a couple of keen racers - that the branded recovery products may make a difference only if you're racing hard again the next day. But lots of people believe the hype or want to think they are 'pro'.

I'd be tempted to choose either a banana & fruit juice or a glass of choccy milk and a handful of raisins initially, then after a shower devour the tuna sarnie or eggs/beans on toast with a large glass of water.

Herbsman

I always ensure that I hydrate properly. I drink this awesome product called dihydrogen monoxide. It costs me about £240 a year. I know that sounds expensive but it contains minerals that are proven to be beneficial to health and I have a practically unlimited supply and a lot of scientific research and development goes into ensuring its cleanliness.

t.m.h.n.e.t

Herbsman wrote:

I always ensure that I hydrate properly. I drink this awesome product called dihydrogen monoxide. It costs me about £240 a year. I know that sounds expensive but it contains minerals that are proven to be beneficial to health and I have a practically unlimited supply and a lot of scientific research and development goes into ensuring its cleanliness.

mclarent

Sounds good, will it get me through a 3 hour tempo ride?