Training & Nutrition - After ride nutrition

I am 50 years old and increased my riding this year. Typically ride 1-4 hours. Should I be taking any nutritional suppliments following my rides for muscle toning?

Not necessarily for muscle toning, but for proper recovery and muscle repair, you want to take something. Check out Hammer's Recoverite. Great stuff.

Lots of people (including me) like Endurox, so that's another one to try. I don't think you need it for 1 hour long, but for 2+ hours it's a good idea.

let me tell you, you may lose training adatations if you dont intake simple carbs quickly post exercise. various exercise coaches recommend me jelly beans..

After a really hard ride... Amstel lite.. Loaded with carbs too.

Chocolate milk right after a ride is an excellent, readily available, recovery drink with the same benefits as commercial recovery drinks.

Recoverite is good but expensive. I use it for stage races but the rest of the time I make my own with orange juice and whey protein powder.

simple carb and liquid protein, and if you are hungry, a normal "meal"

also 50...

my "regular" ride (3-5 X per week) is 25-30 moderately hilly miles at 14-15mph. I try to do one longer ride each week.

Is it only carbs that you need in your post-ride, "recovery" food, or is the protein important too?

How do we know how much carb/protein to eat? I guess it's based on your ride...

Sometimes I stop for a chocolate-chip cookie half way through a ride - i might still have an hour or more of riding to go. Does the cookie count as "recovery" carbohydrate?

me: as i said, 50yrs old..., 5'10", 160-165lbs.

Most of my nutrition research has been based around weight training and running. Cycling is similar but still quite different. A lot depends on the duration of your activity and the intensity level. So, I suspect you'll hear a big variety of replies to that question.

I personally consume liquid protein after every intense workout whether it is cycling; swimming; running or weight training. I mix mine with fruit juice so I get the simple carb to.

BTW: A cookie? Really?

A few years ago the 4:1 ration of carbs : protein became the popular post-ride credo. Chocolate milk came into favor during that era, because it matches that. I remember hearing a turkey sandwich also met the ratio.

I think for most of us who aren't training to race just need to fuel the ride and eat normal healthy food afterwards, the importance of the special recovery foods comes into bearing when we have many hard-effort days in a row or are training for high performance.

The cookie is ride fuel, not recovery food, and I personally favor the oatmeal-raisin cookie available at the top of my favorite 18-mile climb. :)

The cookie is ride fuel, not recovery food, and I personally favor the oatmeal-raisin cookie available at the top of my favorite 18-mile climb. :)

well, the place where i get my cookies also does an oatmeal cranberry cookie, and it's quite good.

these cookies are pretty big, so i usually only eat half - my kids eat the rest when i get home.

but seriously rumrunn..., what's wrong with a cookie?

on a 2 hour ride, it's not like i need "serious" ride food - i could do the ride with nothing. that's why i figured i could count it as recovery food.

the cookie motivates me - i look forward to it. i'm about to head out in a few minutes, and i'm thinking i might get the peanut butter one today.

fyi: my snacks are bananas and raisins, if I ride all day then we'll see the chicken sandwich, snickers bar and Gatorade ... :-)