Recovery

[Ming Yue]

what do you guys use for recovery after a big strength workout?

I usually work out at night and when I get home I don't want to eat - so I'll have a protein shake.

I currently have a soy/spirulina blend that I like, is whey/milk better? if so, why?

[katrina_stearns]

just differences in enzymes I guess

[rubthebuddha]

whey is typically a better protein, mainly because of bioavailability -- the body's ability to make use of it. the bioav scale i believe originally used egg protein as it's standard -- like iq, the standard was 100. whey concentrate gets around 110-120 depending on quality, while whey isolate gets significantly higher. the stuff i use (http://www.bioplexnutrition.com/bp/bp_pure_wpi.html) has a bioav of around 150.

on the butt-end of the bioav spectrum is soy, which i've seen ranked anywhere from 50-75. as a guy, this significantly lower bioav coupled with my desire to not have man-teets due to the high estrogen levels in most western soy means i stay away from it.

my complete post-workout usually consists of a 1/3-to-2/3 mix of that whey isolate i listed above and a meal replacement shake (http://www.bioplexnutrition.com/bp/bp_nutrition_shake.html) that has all sorts of neat crap (CLA, oat fiber, etc.). that, and a buncha water. within the next hour or two, i'll usually have a potent meal.

[katrina_stearns]

I can accept and appreciate that.

[IronFist]

Pizza :)

[fa_jing]

If I'm lucky and my wife made dinner, then alot of whatever that is. A hearty soup is a great post-workout meal.

I often have a post-workout beer, too.

[Ming Yue]

well beer is a given, that's the bread group. I find the occasional margarita fulfills the requirements for the alchohol group AND the fruit group. ;)

Thanks RTB, that's just what I was wanting to know... I gotta finish the last of this tub-o-powder I have here, but I'll switch to whey next purchase.

[rubthebuddha]

MY -- a good, quick bit on bioavailability, with a handy chart: http://www.netrition.com/protein_chart_in_page.html

also: http://www.healthandperformance.com/Principles/IntermediateP/IntNutrition_P1.htm

also keep in mind the type of protein and how quickly it'll absorb. having a whey shake right after a workout is fantastic, as whey is absorbed with a quickness, but the same shake won't last well through the night. something that releases slower like a casein may be a wee bit better as a night-time supplement when on your guns-be-huge program. :)

[Serpent]

Originally posted by katrina_stearns
just differences in enzymes I guess
And Michelle returns. So the wheel turns.

:rolleyes:

[mickey]

Hi Ming Yue,

The soy and spirulina blend sounds great. If you don't feel that it enough just increase the amount. What makes the spirulina so great is that it does not require much work to assimilate. You may want to include bee pollen to facillitate the healing and use orange juice or something similar for that antioxidant flush.

mickey

[Toby]

Originally posted by Ming Yue
I currently have a soy/spirulina blend that I like, is whey/milk better? if so, why? Whey/milk. Because soy sucks ass :D.

But the best thing for recovery for me is sufficient sleep. Dunno your workout - maybe some glucose in your shake too? I'd mix whey, casein and glucose with milk, drink and go to bed.

[Ming Yue]

after my uber-workout tuesday I'm convinced there is simply not enough whey in the world for how my muscles feel today. It's awesome, I can barely lift my coffee cup and I'm sure the rest of my school feels the same if not worse. bwahahah.


I always get sore the second day, then it goes away. Do you regular strength guys still experience soreness like that?


I have sparring tonight. that should be interesting considering I can't lift my arms above my shoulders. :D

[Toby]

Pssst! PTP is the answer! It solved my DOMS problems ;). For tonight? Maybe some ibuprofen and prayers :).