Throughout history athletes have always been searching for foods with properties that would make them stronger, faster and enhance their performance. In Roman times Gladiators would consume the heart of a lion in an attempt to gain more courage. Needless to say these attempts were not always successful.
When I first became interested in weight training in the early 70's, the trend at the time was for athletes to consume large amounts of milk, eggs, and red meat. While this diet was fairly effective for athletes trying to increase strength and muscle size, because it was rich in
protein and naturally occurring creatine, it had little to offer endurance athletes and was less than ideal for people with active lifestyles who's goal was to improve their health and vitality.
Fortunately, with the science of sports nutrition providing athletes with more answers and conclusive evidence than ever before, dietary choices to improve ones health and performance are becoming less hap hazard and more based on factual information.
What to consume after exercise to improve recuperation and recovery has long been in question. Strength and weight training athletes favour
protein shakes; runners, cyclists and people participating in endurance sports usually rely on carbohydrate based drinks and foods. Who's right? Well, in a sense they both are.
A clinical trial at the University of Texas set out to establish what effect
protein and/or carbohydrates, when consumed immediately after exercise, would have on the recuperation and recovery rates of athletes. At the conclusion of two hours of stationary bike riding the subjects received a drink containing either
protein, carbohydrates or a combination of the two.
The group that consumed
protein only had no better muscle glycogen levels than individuals who consume nothing after exercise. The carbohydrate group responded well and muscle glycogen levels rose to above pre exercise levels within 40 minutes. However, the athletes that consumed a protein/carbohydrate mixture had the best response time. This group had the most rapid replenishing of muscle glycogen (38% faster than the carbohydrate group) and had a greater insulin response. Insulin plays a key role in the transporting of carbohydrates and protein into your muscle cells. It is believed that the protein/carbohydrate group had the quickest recovery in part because the amino acids in the
protein help to stimulate pancreatic function and improve insulin production. Insulin levels in the protein/carbohydrate group were double the carbohydrate group and four times that of the protein only group. Even when the quantities of carbohydrates used in the trial were increased, the protein/carbohydrate combination was still superior.
What you consume after exercise does have a significant impact on how thoroughly and quickly your body will recover from that activity. Ignore the commercials on TV that show jocks chugging back gallons of sugar based carbohydrate replacement drinks. A far more effective strategy would be to consume a shake containing a well-formulated protein/carbohydrate combination. Ideally, look for a supplement that derives its
protein from whey. Whey has the highest absorption rate and biological value of any protein source. In addition, some of the "Rx" style supplements available are also fortified with glutamine, digestive enzymes and other co-factors that will also aid in recuperation, recovery and repair.
Having your post workout meal in the form of a shake is an excellent strategy. Not only are liquids generally digested and absorbed at a faster rate than solid food, but after exercising there is a window of an hour or so when your ability to absorb nutrients is exceptionally high. After that time your uptake of nutrients returns to normal, so don't miss the opportunity to reload your hungry muscles.
