Originally Posted by Richard Cranium
I'm not sure there is a right or wrong answer to this question. I'm more interested in hearing anecdotal experiences associated with athletes that train hard and use sports nutrition drinks during and immediately after their workouts. So feel free to answer with whatever experiences you've had.
The question is simple. Do sport drinks seem to be more effective if you increase the quantity of the product used? For instance, I typically use Cytomax, perhaps 100-200 cals in 30oz of fluid, immediately after an hour-long workout. Then, I usually use a serving of Endurox R4, 230 cals, 20-30 minutes later.
What I want to know is - my workout used up 700-800 cals. Do I get increased nutritional benefit by using 700-800 cals of sports products instead of using 400-500 and then eating carbs/foods later?
I guess what I what to know, has anyone ever "downed" a 1000 cals of some product after a tough ride or race?
The answer to your question is "no".
The point of the recovery nutrition is to replace muscle glycogen and give you a bit of protein to spur recovery. The research shows that 250-300 calories is the right amount, so by combining the cytomax and endurox you're actually a bit over that.
If you get 1000 calories of recovery drink, you *will* spike your blood sugar more than you need, and that may lead it to being stored as fat or (at the very least) a big drop and more hunger later on. That's why a regular meal is recommended after the recovery drink - it gives you a nice balanced mix of carb/protein/fat.
The goal of carbs during the workout and after is to replace the carbs that you burn. You don't need to replace the fat calories right away.