Protein shakes are not the devil. The companies that sell them are. They would have you believe that drinking their shakes after a workout would somehow magically turn you into a lean, mean, muscle bound machine. It’s all about mass right? Wrong. They’re time for honoring themselves, with their fake science, and empty promises, will soon be at an end. Truth be told, the shakes do have a place in a healthy diet. Just not immediately after a workout. The key to proper muscle growth starts with proper recovery. Science has clearly shown that carbohydrates with a little protein following a workout is key. It also must take place within 30 minutes, or your window of opportunity slams shut faster then you can say “Recovery!”
The fact remains that a protein rich meal approximately 90 minutes to 2 hours post training is essential. This is the first case where a protein shake can benefit the modern athlete. Depending on your weight, 25-50 grams of protein is ideal in this situation. Remember: More is not better. I would say that 1/2 grams of protein per kg of body weight is ideal. (Example: 220 lb male = 100 kg = 50 grams of protein)
The other ideal placement for protein shakes is before bedtime. This is a double edged sword for getting the most out of your recovery. First, eating a protein shake at bedtime theoretically increases the thermal affect of eating at night. This results in a more efficient metabolism. Second, bringing additional amino acids into your body before bed (sleep is where most anabolism takes place) is a fine idea. Last, most people enjoy sweets at night. A little chocolate milk with protein powder (around 200 kcals) is better then that Ice cream you have been inhaling while watching Sportscenter.
The bottom line: Don’t use protein shakes after a training session for at least 90 minutes. They are healthy, but only when consumed at the right time. If you want more details, just contact the sports nutrition experts at FLUID. We will always be ready to help you reach your goals.
Cheers!
Several weeks ago, Team Fluid made contact with Michael Troy, a southern California MTB enthusiastic who's also a contributor to several online magazines and blogs. Mike has been putting Fluid to the test, here's the post on his personal blog from today:
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Enter Fluid.
I have been reviewing this for The Bike Lab and so far it has been perfect. I will let you do your own research at the Fluid site and you can read about it for yourself, but so far I am amazed at how I feel the next day after I follow up a hard ride with a bottle of Fluid. I want to finish the jar of Fluid before I pronounce it truly blessed, and I plan on doing some very long rides this year and next. As of right now, you could not pry the jar of seemingly magic powder out of my cycling gloved fingers.
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There you have it friends! Make sure to check out Michael Troy's personal blog site as well as his first product review on The Bike Lab!
Hope you all have a great weekend!
Team Fluid
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| From 2008-10-27 fluid 48straight jeep bike slo |
Thanks everyone for supporting Fluid and we hope to see some of you at Interbike this year, make sure you stop by and say hello!
Stay tuned for further updates and thank you for your continued support!
y first problem with a bit of elevation sickness. With some advice on my breathing at that altitude I was able to recover and continue on at a better pace. On the way back from the turn around, going down a 5 mile decent I caught my foot on a rock and tore my calf muscle and some other muscles in my lower leg. But not knowing it at the time, i gathered myself and continued on. By mile 50 I was dealing with bad dehydration and had lost over 6 lbs but was able to regroup and still continued on. I had some stomach issues at mile 76 and was throwing up, but my coach and crew did a great job of just getting me out of the aid station and back on the trail. At that point I teamed up with an older more experience runner(Karl) and we decided we were going to finish this race together. At mile 90 we realized that we could make it under 28 hours if we pushed hard. Leaving that aid station we started a 1200 ft climb to the tallest peak on the course. Karl and I had been passing people all night and as we made the last climb we continued to pass more people(I believe 4 more) and at the summit stopped only long enough for the mandatory weight check and some liquids and we were off. We ran hard the last 6.7 miles and when Spooner Lake was visible we picked up the pace more and were running at around 7:30 pace with two miles to go. But it paid off and as we rounded the turn to the finish my watch read 27:49. My original goal was to go under 24 hours, but with so many problems I was just happy to finish, and very happy that we pushed hard at the end and at least made it under 28. It was there at the finish that I realized I had done something serious to my leg. It had been bothering me since I fell but I never let it rest long enough to really tighten up, but as we sat there at the finish it started to swell and become very painful. That night I had to go to the doctor because my leg had gone numb and i was starting to worry, and there he told us that I had torn it. Back home, I went to an orthopedic to get it checked out and I tore a couple of muscles, but the tendons are still in tact so recovery won't be too bad and I should be back to racing and training in a handful of weeks. Looking back on it my coach, my crew, and even myself are surprised I was able to finish with that kind of injury. That finish got me 25th overall of a 160 registered for the race and 8th male in the USATF 100 mile national championship.
As one of the founders and creators of Fluid, I wanted to share with everyone our original mission:
TO PROVIDE THE WORLD A SAFE, HEALTHY, HONEST, AND SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT THAT IS INSPIRED BY PEER REVIEWED SCIENCE, AND WELCOMED BY ATHLETES AND COACHES ALIKE.
It was really that simple, yet dramatically powerful when you think about the state of nutrition advice in the world today.
For example: A recent study inspired the following to be written in a reputable periodical, by a reputable editor:
"An advice for sportspersons looking for an edge over their competitors -- sipping a cup of coffee while grabbing a bite of a burger can help you recover more quickly after a strenuous workout, a study has revealed."
In reality, the study showed that 8mg of caffiene per 1kg of body weight showed increases in recovery time when consumed with the proper amount of carbohydrate.
As you can see, the reported advice isn't even remotely close to the actual findings, and is completely missing the point.
At FLUID, we don't "miss the point"
Thank you.
Dave Brown
