Post Workout Drinks - a waste of money?

I have posted about post workout nutrition before (where we saw that eating carbs after a workout can blunt the fat burning effect).

Here is a new study that indicates that - despite all the marketing to the contrary - a post workout carbohydrate or protein/carbohydrate drink does not enhance recovery...so don't waste your money. Worth thinking through....

Carbohydrate-protein drinks do not enhance recovery from exercise-induced muscle injury.

This study examined the effects of carbohydrate (CHO), carbohydrate-protein (CHO+PRO), or placebo (PLA) beverages on recovery from novel eccentric exercise. Female participants performed 30 min of downhill treadmill running (-12% grade, 8.0 mph), followed by consumption of a CHO, CHO+PRO, or PLA beverage immediately, 30, and 60 min after exercise. CHO and CHO+PRO groups (n = 6 per group) consumed 1.2 g . kg body weight-1 . hr-1 CHO, with the CHO+PRO group consuming an additional 0.3 g . kg body weight-1 . hr-1 PRO. The PLA group (n = 6) received an isovolumetric noncaloric beverage. Maximal isometric quadriceps strength (QUAD), lower extremity muscle soreness (SOR), and serum creatine kinase (CK) were assessed preinjury (PRE) and immediately and 1, 2, and 3 d postinjury to assess exercise-induced muscle injury and rate of recovery. There was no effect of treatment on recovery of QUAD (p = .21), SOR (p = .56), or CK (p = .59). In all groups, QUAD was reduced compared with PRE by 20.6% +/- 1.5%, 17.2% +/- 2.3%, and 11.3% +/- 2.3% immediately, 1, and 2 d postinjury, respectively (p < .05). SOR peaked at 2 d postinjury (PRE vs. 2 d, 3.1 +/- 1.0 vs. 54.0 +/- 4.8 mm, p < .01), and serum CK peaked 1 d postinjury (PRE vs. 1 d, 138 +/- 47 vs. 757 +/- 144 U/L, p < .01). In conclusion, consuming a CHO+PRO or CHO beverage immediately after novel eccentric exercise failed to enhance recovery of exercise-induced muscle injury differently than what was observed with a PLA drink.

Brad Pillon author of East Stop Eat stresses that so much of accepted sports nutrition is driven by marketing, with people trying to sell you things. The Science of Sport blog
also said similar things when they pointed out that much of the idea of drinking sports drinks came from studies sponsored by the very companies which made sports drinks.....

Dry January

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was taking part in "Dry January". I didn't make a big song and dance about it, but I decided to go for a calendar month or so with no alcohol. A few people have asked me about my experience, so here are a few points. Why take a break from drinking? Alcohol is an interesting topic. As a drug it is widely accepted in society, central to so much of our socialising and leisure. There seem to be lots of health benefits - so we are told - yet there are also a lot of problems in terms of health, relationships and lifestyle that come from drinking. Over a few years I'd begun to become aware and then concerned that I was drinking too much and too regularly. I am in a busy and stressful job and sometimes a glass of wine after work to relax is really helpful. But over time, one glass became two. Two glasses became ....I might as well finish the bottle. A habit got established....and was starting to get too e...

So where have I been?

You will have noticed that this blog has been quiet for a while.... There are a few reasons for that, reasons that I thought I'd list here: WORK - my day job has been incredibly busy and stressful this year. Working 10-14 hour days the last thing on my mind when I got home was putting something on here. FACEBOOK/TWITTER - I suppose I've been using other channels to do some of what I used to do here. Quick fire posts pointing to interesting studies or news etc tend to get posted to Twitter (@chrishighcock) or to the Facebook Hillfit group http://www.facebook.com/groups/263083947097000/ REASSESSMENT - I've found myself less comfortable with some of the positions I've taken in the past. Sometimes I'm embarrassed by some of the things I've promoted. I'm not Paleo or low carb. I think Tabata and intervals are misunderstood and misapplied. I cannot really claim to be HIT. I find myselfunable honestly to post things on here and pretend that I am some sort o...

Taking up space for a brief update

I've a couple of posts in draft that I will get up soon - an update / reflection on Dry January and some thoughts on the scheduling benefits of short workouts if your life is busy. Before that though, I am pointing to something else. However, I wanted to highlight something that is coming this weekend that I've been involved in. Amber Rogers (Gokaleo and author of Taking Up Space ) has been pulling together a bundle of books from various authors with a common theme, one that I've been pushing here recently. Keep it simple, avoid the hype, be patient, be consistent and flee the gurus. I've talked before about how we get obsessed with pushing for more and more, when enough is OK. I've given my view that so much of the health and fitness internet world is more like a gnostic religion than something that will benefit your life. There are other voices out there saying similar things and I'll be pointing to a bundle of books later this week ...

Goi said…

Well, this study focuses on steady state cardio. The effects of protein and carb supplementation on weight lifting subjects have been studied, and have been shown to reduce muscle damage and improve performance.

February 16, 2008 at 10:18 AM

Chris said…

Thanks for the comment Goi.

It was steady state as you say so strictly - as you say - any conclusions should be limited to that form of exercise.

Interesting that they chose down hill running for the exercise. I think the most muscle soreness I've ever had was after a long downhill race.

February 16, 2008 at 4:15 PM

They probably wanted to look at eccentric movement. Just my guess...

February 17, 2008 at 2:20 AM

Anonymous said…

Why should exercise that doesn't last long enough to deplete glycogen stores be expected to show anything related to recovery? Now if they had gone for at least an hour, preferably two, then perhaps this study would mean something.

Eccentric exercise has been shown in many studies to increase DOMS. But this generally has more to do with undertraining of the motions compared to concentric.

February 18, 2008 at 7:56 AM

Anon - I understand what you are saying, but there is so much marketing out there indicating that recovery drinks with protein and carbohydrate can enhance recovery - even from bodybuilding type workouts.

For example here or here

February 18, 2008 at 1:06 PM

Conditioning Research

Search This Blog