Originally Posted by
jfowler85
Ahhhh you've bought into the GNC hypnohype. Unless you are an elite athlete, there is no need to alter molecular repair times with silly things like specialized food products and ice baths; the body already has a pretty good system in place, and chances are the op already consumes enough protein.
Something your missing in this equation is blood flow, which is just as important in recovery as it is the vehicle which enables the recovery process. Slamming a protein shake (bro, do you even lift?), if anything, hampers recovery somehwat by stimulating the vessels around the GI tract which effectively takes some blood flow away from the sight of recovery. Just resume an adequate diet and you'll be fine; there's no evidence to suggest that normal people like you and I actually benefit from a recovery protein shake. Feel free to link an academic journal if you disagree.
I ride my arse off to work and back all week, and I feel no discernible difference in recovery time whether my post-ride consumption consists of a granola bar, a protein shake, a greasy breakfast burrito or just a cup of coffee. I'll tell you what does make a difference - walking around the block on my breaks and drinking 3-4 liters of water between my am and pm rides.
KBentley has kindly provided an abstract from one research paper that gives a pretty clear indication that recovery - measured through performance the following day and reduced muscle damage - is enhanced by consuming additional protein post-ride.
As far as personal anecdote is concerned, I've never been what one might describe as an elite athlete. But I have raced bicycles, and therefore trained for it. My experience is different from yours. It's my opinion that my ability to train effectively on the day following a race or a HIIT session was influenced positively by my paying attention to post-ride nutrition. Of course most of us get plenty of protein (and everything else) in pur normal diets. But that does not mean that the timing of one's intake is immaterial; and it isn't, if you want to train systematically.