Today’s question is about whether or not V8 Juice could be used as a post-ride recovery drink…

Hi Coach, I wonder if you have ever researched the effects of “Low Sodium” V-8 juice for recovery purposes… and/or making a diluted version of it to carry for rides… thanks…

- Darth V8er

Hi Darth,

I should really start by answering with a quick “no.”

Why? Because I tried V8 before (many years ago) and absolutely hated it. Tomato juice does not appeal to me at all. So I haven’t looked into V8 for any sort of purpose.

But we can look at it now and I’ll give you my opinion on using V8 as a recovery drink…

Nutrition facts per 8oz serving:

Calories 50
Total Fat 0g
Sat. Fat 0g
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 140mg
Potassium 820mg
Total Carb. 10g
Dietary Fiber 2g
Sugars 8g
Protein 2g

% Daily Values
Vitamin A 40%
Vitamin C 120%
Calcium 2%
Iron 2%

And the ingredients:

Tomatoes, onions, garlic, celery, beets, watercress, spinach, carrots, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, salt.

So…

I gotta say, I’m not impressed. Other than getting two servings of vegetables, I don’t see any benefit to V8.

Vegetables are great, but I recommend eating real vegetables in your diet instead of drinking V8. And timing vegetable intake after a ride is kind of pointless.

For post-ride recovery, it’s more important to take in calories in the form of carbohydrates and protein so you can refuel your glycogen stores and rebuild your muscles.

V8 is quite low on carbs and protein, the main components of a recovery drink. It’s relatively low on calories, too. It does contain sodium and potassium, but there are other electrolytes you need, so I wouldn’t count on V8 for your electrolytes, either.

In the end, if you’re one to need a recovery drink, you need the carbs and protein, the calories, and plenty of electrolytes. V8 just doesn’t have that. It’s no substitute for Endurox R4, Hammer Recoverite, etc.

If you don’t need a recovery drink, drink water and eat a sandwich or something. You’ll be fine.

As for during-ride use… I can’t imagine using diluted V8 during exercise. It seems like that would be really disgusting. But even if it were tasty, it’s low in sugar, and it contains a decent amount of fiber. Two of the worst qualities for a sports drink!

If you enjoy V8, I’d just drink it as a snack, and stick with sports drinks or more common sports drink substitutes for workout and recovery beverages.

Today’s question is about how to mix up a nice post-workout protein shake at college, rather than in the comfort of your own home…

As a college athlete I don’t have the ability to mix my own post workout protein shakes. I have been looking into Muscle Milk but have heard some words of caution about some of its ingredients. If muscle milk isn’t a safe supplement, are there any other alternative post workout drinks I could use?

Thanks,
Muscle Mike

Hi Mike,

I never looked into MuscleMilk once I saw the price tag. After a quick glance, it doesn’t look like something I’d take, nor does it look like something too awful. It contains two different artificial sweeteners, which I don’t like, but many people don’t worry about them. The rest of the ingredients looked pretty normal for a drink like that.

(Let me know if there is a specific ingredient you’re worried about, but in general, Muscle Milk falls too far into the processed food realm for me to recommend it. Anything with that many ingredients, I usually shy away from.)

What is it that’s holding you back from mixing your own protein shakes?

In college, I typically mixed up my own shakes, and I saw many others doing it. All you really need is water or milk, protein powder, and a Blender Bottle.

If you want to keep things refrigerated, a dorm room size refrigerator is pretty cheap (try Craigslist,) especially compared to buying the ready-to-drink Muscle Milk. You could also take your protein powder to the dining hall and grab some cold milk or water there.

For washing the bottle, just keep some dish soap on hand and use whatever bathroom is nearby. Or perhaps there is a small kitchen in the building with a sink.

I’d recommend that over any of the ready-to-drink drinks I know of. Personally I use the Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Gold Natural protein powder. Throw in some organic whole milk and liquid egg whites (if you want more calories) and you’re good to go!

Today’s question is about choosing between a commercial recovery drink and a homemade protein shake for post-ride recovery…

Quick question. So of course I know the importance of post workout nutrition and the proper foods to eat. Recently, I started making protein shakes with banana, whey protein powder, water, and oveltine powder for simple sugars or I will add gatorade powder.

My workouts consist of an hour and a half off high intensity spinning, 60 reps leg press, and then about 20 minutes of core. I was talking with my coach and he said to have a recovery specific drink like the ones made from Powerbar. However, a trainer at the gym said protein shakes will help build and repair muscles faster allowing your muscles to get bigger.

So my question is, is a protein shake or recovery specific drink better for building muscle and recovering?

Thanks so much,
Recovering Randy

Hi Randy,

I think of the recovery drinks aimed at cyclists (like Powerbar Recovery, Endurox R4, etc.) and protein shakes based on whey protein powder as completely different things for different goals.

I see the recovery drink as a way to replenish glycogen stores (thanks to calories mostly in the form of carbohydrates) that were used up during exercise, and to help repair slight muscle damage (thanks to a small amount of protein added in.) It’s to make sure you feel energetic for your next endurance workout.

A whey protein shake, on the other hand, is for adding lots of calories to bulk up and provide even more protein than is necessary to rebuild muscles after a strenuous weight workout.

In reality though, you’ll get similar results with either one.

I don’t have the nutrition facts for one of your protein shakes (it will vary depending on how much of everything you put in,) but let’s break down these drinks.

Starting with the Powerbar Recovery drink:

If you take two scoops of Powerbar Recovery drink powder, you’ll get 180 calories, 40g carbs, and 6g protein (along with 500mg sodium.) It will make for fairly easy digestion and quick glycogen replenishment.

I’ll try to break down your protein shake:

Banana: 100 calories, 25g carbs, 1g protein
Whey protein powder: 130 calories, 5g carbs, 25g protein
Ovaltine: 80 calories, 18g carbs, 2g protein

That comes to roughly 310 calories, 48g carbs, and 28g protein. You get more carbs with this, but only because you’re taking in almost double the calories. That’s great for building muscles (when combined with lots of resistance training,) but usually a little too much for a post-ride beverage.

For post-ride recovery (and workouts like yours that are mostly riding and calisthenics based,) I’d go with the recovery beverage. But that doesn’t mean a protein shake wouldn’t be fine in the evening to make sure you are getting enough protein.

Also, you could do a shake with the banana, Ovaltine, and maybe 1/4 scoop of protein powder for use immediately after a workout. I’d actually do that rather than spend the money on a commercial recovery drink.

To summarize, both drinks can be useful for recovery purposes, but I prefer the recovery drink style of beverage for immediate post-ride nutrition.

In recent years, there has been a lot of marketing centering around recovery drinks. Let’s see what all the hype is about…

Are recovery drinks worth it? My coach told me no, to just eat real food. However, when I am done with spinning class, it takes me about 45 minutes to shower, meet/talk with the team, and then walk home. By the time I get home, that timeframe where you should get food into your body for recovery is over. So what is your opinion on recovery drinks? What is the best one?

Thanks,
Recovering Rebecca

Hi Rebecca,

Recovery drinks are nice from a convenience standpoint, no doubt about that, but I don’t currently use them because there are other “real food” ideas that are fairly convenient and much cheaper. For instance, a banana is cheap and would be perfect for a quick post-ride snack, since it is a natural way to get high GI carbs.

If you were at home with a blender, you could get more calories and protein with a peanut butter banana smoothie (which also happens to be delicious.)

Protein isn’t the #1 priority though. A few newer studies have shown that taking in a little protein right after a workout has a slight benefit over just carbs, so there’s nothing wrong with doing that, but carbs are still king for post-ride food.

See, before recovery drinks came on the market (and were popularized thanks to the carb/protein studies,) the time after exercise was simply known as the “glycogen window” because the #1 goal is to restock your muscle and liver glycogen stores by consuming sugars. (Your body is most apt to do this during and immediately after exercise, hence the importance of timeliness.)

The thing with protein is that it’s used to rebuild your muscles. Unlike replenishing glycogen, that rebuilding process takes days to accomplish. So you’ll be just fine as long as you’re consuming protein in your diet on a daily basis. No need to worry about getting it at exactly the right time.

What it boils down is that you’ll get the majority of the benefits of a recovery drink just with something typical, even a regular sports drink.

But if I had to pick a recovery drink…

My first choice would be Hammer Recoverite. It contains good ingredients and the price is reasonable when you consider that all recovery drinks are on the expensive side. And Hammer typically does a good job making these heavier drinks (Hammer Perpetuem, for example) taste good.

(Not to mention, the Recoverite reviews at MTBR.com are pretty convincing.)

But there are other interesting choices.

There’s a drink called First Endurance Ultragen that’s intriguing because the ingredients list is much more complete than any of the other drinks. But I’m pretty sure it’s the most expensive recovery drink available! (Roughly $3 per serving when purchased in bulk.)

Great reviews of Ultragen, too.

Last but not least, the recovery drink recommended by Joe Friel. Working with Infinit Nutrition (makers of custom sports drinks,) Friel has his own line of sports drinks, including a recovery drink.

Joe Friel is one smart dude and has some good reasons for formulating the drink as he did, so that’s certainly worth a look.

What it boils down to…

What it boils down to is, how vital is it that you feel great before every single workout? If you have a season full of races with big money on the line, yes, you need every little edge you can get, and a dedicated recovery drink could help out.

The Chocolate Milk Debate
A lot of people mention chocolate milk as a good recovery drink. It is a cheap substitute, and it contains plenty of sugar, but that stuff should be refrigerated. So in this situation, chocolate milk wouldn’t cut it due to that inconvenience.