Four years ago, Kara Goucher says, when hard workouts would leave her feeling trashed, she'd often feel spent for the rest of the day and often still fatigued a day later. Then, her new coach, Alberto Salazar, recommended a post-workout tweak that revolutionized Goucher's training: a recovery shake with protein.
The results were immediate. While she still felt some of the effects of hard 16-milers, she didn't feel crushed after she had a post-workout shake.
"I just feel like when I get protein right away after a workout, recovery happens so much quicker," says Goucher, the bronze medalist in the 10,000m at the 2007 world championships. "My body doesn't feel as beat up. I really notice it the day after a training session. I still feel tired, but I don't have that huge tightness in my body anymore."
Science backs Goucher's experience: Sports dietitians say protein helps speed muscle repair after hard workouts, leading to faster recovery. The key is taking the right amount at the right time, and not skimping on fluids and carbohydrates in the process.
Protein repairs exercise-induced muscle damage, reduces the response from the stress hormone cortisol and even helps speed glycogen replacement, the goal of taking in carbohydrates, says Jackie Dikos, a registered dietitian and competitive runner who competed in the 2008 U. S. Olympic marathon trials.
Dietitians are careful to note that hydration is still king, followed closely by replenishing carbohydrates, with most studies suggesting a 3:1 or 4:1 carbohydrate-to-protein ratio.
While most research suggests refueling within 30 minutes is optimal, many experts say sooner is even better.
"I really encourage athletes to do something within 15 minutes," says registered dietitian Leslie Bonci, a runner and director of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. "The longer you wait, the longer it takes to recover. Plus, if you make it the first thing you do at the end of a workout, it guarantees it gets done."
Some runners, including Goucher, find prepackaged drinks easiest to cart to a finish line or stash in a workout bag. Goucher says she sips Endurox R4 while driving home from workouts. But, Dikos says, you probably have plenty of protein sources in your own kitchen.
"This can absolutely be done with foods you have in your cabinet," says Dikos, who recommends a bagel with peanut butter, a baked potato with cheese or pancakes with yogurt.
And what about the headlines chocolate milk has gotten about being an ideal recovery food?
"Milk is 90 percent water, so you're rehydrating, and it's got the so-called perfect ratio of carbs to protein," says Suzanne Girard Eberle, a sports dietitian, former elite runner and the author of Endurance Sports Nutrition, who notes that planning to eat a full meal after a workout can help weight-conscious runners avoid blowing their calorie budgets on sports drinks.
Dietitian Jackie Dikos offers this rough formula: Divide your weight by two, and eat that many grams of carbohydrates, plus 10 to 20 grams of protein after a hard workout.
USING THE 4:1 RATIO:
WEIGHT DIVIDED BY 2 = CARBS DIVIDED BY 4 = PROTEIN
100 pounds 50 grams carbohydrates 12 grams protein
120 pounds 60 grams carbohydrates 15 grams protein
140 pounds 70 grams carbohydrates 18 grams protein
160 pounds 80 grams carbohydrates 20 grams protein
PRE-PACKAGED PROTEIN SOURCES (nutritional info per serving size)
Breakfast Essentials Shake
PROTEIN: 10g
CALORIES: 240
CARBS: 41g
SODIUM: 150mg
POTASSIUM: 580mg
FAT: 4g
Endurox R4, 75g/16 oz.* (Vanilla)
PROTEIN: 13g
CALORIES: 260
CARBS: 50g
SODIUM: 220mg
POTASSIUM: 120mg
FAT: 1g
Clif Builder's Bar, 2.4 oz. (Chocolate Mint)
PROTEIN: 20g
CALORIES: 270
CARBS: 31g
SODIUM: 230mg
POTASSIUM: 200mg
FAT: 8g
Banana (1)
PROTEIN: 1g
CALORIES: 105
CARBS: 27g
SODIUM: 1mg
POTASSIUM: 422mg
FAT: 0g
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Greg McMillan
About 15 years ago, I started drinking a Slim-Fast™ shake after my Sunday long runs. In my graduate classes in exercise physiology, we were studying the inner workings of the muscular and endocrine (hormonal) systems. I started drinking the Slim-Fast because researchers discovered that the enzyme, glycogen synthase, that turns carbohydrates from your food into glycogen for storage in your muscles is most active immediately after exercise. If you ingest carbohydrates soon after exercise, your muscles store two to three times as much glycogen than if you wait until you eat your post-workout meal, usually two to three hours later. I knew that the glycogen stores were an important source of energy during running and that there is only so much glycogen you can store in your muscles. So, I wanted to get the carbohydrates in quick to take advantage of this increased storage of glycogen.
The Slim-Fast shakes became part of my Sunday morning recovery routine (though I now drink a Generation UCAN recovery drink shake with a banana as I find it to be the most effective). I would run long (two hours); down one or two Slim-Fast (depending on how depleted I felt); take a shower then drink a liter of water while stretching. Next, I would make a plate of spaghetti with chicken or pancakes with eggs and bacon and eat while reading the morning paper. A couple of hours later, I was in bed for a two-hour nap. Throughout the day, I would continue to drink fluids till my urine was straw-colored.
As the researchers would predict, I found that my legs felt much more recovered by my Monday run and I was easily ready for a workout on Tuesday. To this day, I continue to use what I call The Runner’s Ultimate Nutritional Recovery Routine after long runs and key workouts. I notice that I reduce the number of “bad” workouts where I just feel “off”. I believe it is because my muscles are more ready (glycogen loaded) for each workout due to my recovery routine.
Guess what? I took a look at my (original) Slim-Fast and sure enough it fits the Optimum Recovery Ratio perfectly – 40 grams of carbohydrates and 10 grams of protein in one can. I started drinking Slim-Fast just to get the carbohydrates in my body and ended up with the perfect ratio of protein that would facilitate the replenishment of my glycogen stores. (NOTE: More recently researchers have found that a ration of two to one up to four to one work equally well for recovery. My Generation UCAN recovery drink contains a ratio of 2.5 and I am having great results with it.)
Since I began using the Runner’s Ultimate Nutritional Recovery Routine, I’ve experimented with several different shakes and drinks including Boost, Ensure, Power Dream, smoothies, juices and Endurox R4 – a drink mix specially designed with Dr. Burke’s help to maximize recovery. I’ve found them all effective and in the end, taste, availability and cost usually drive my purchases. You don’t have to drink Slim-Fast or Generation UCAN recovery drink (my preference). Any drink that matches the nutritional routine works.