I understand the importance of recovery nutrition immediately following the ride and I have been looking at the many different recovery drinks available on the market. I also see that alot of riders enjoy chocolate milk as their recovery drink. My question is, because chocolate milk is far more easier to obtain, being found at every corner gas station, how much of a serving is usually consumed after the ride (oz., calories, carbs . . .)? And then how much longer after that is a meal taken in? Is there a better marketed cycling specific recovery drink? Thanks.

Check out this article: https://www.cptips.com/recvry.htm
I think it will answer some of your questions.

Chocolate milk has been shown to be a good recovery drink...more palatable and a lot less expensive than sport-specific alternatives (e.g., Endurox).

Even though I enjoy chocolate, after a hard effort chocolate mile really doesn't appeal to me. Instead, I usually have a 12 oz glass of orange juice, with a scoop or two of vanilla-flavored whey protein.

I follow that up within an hour or so with a decent meal.

Note: this is *not* for everyday 25-35 mile rides. I usually only have a "recovery drink" if I've done a long ride (>50 miles), or done a bunch of hill climbing intervals.

It's all about what works for you. I use endurox after all my rides (but I don't ride less that 2 hours), and that works for me. I drink the endurox ASAP after getting back and then have something to eat perhaps 15-30 minutes later.

The way I measure whether I did a good job with recovery is whether I get really hungry later.

Thanks for the replies everyone. Great article too.

Chocolate Milk?!!? Maybe I'm missing something here but that sounds like a horrible thing to drink post workout. First off, the protein in milk (casein) digests very slowly so when you get done with a ride and your body is screaming for protein to repair damaged muscle tissue the last thing you want to do is eat/drink a protein that takes longer to digest. Whey protein is far superior post-workout because it is processed by the body much quicker. Second, chocolate milk obviously contains sugar which is a high GI (Glycemic Index) carbohydrate. It digests fast and the energy it contains is used fast. When you consume high GI carbs after a workout it causes your insulin levels to spike and then rapidly drop which is not good for muscle recovery. After working out you should consume low GI carbs like oatmeal, brown rice, whole grains. Low GI carbs create a sustained increase of insulin in the blood stream which allows for quicker recovery.

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/524370

How long do you think the repair process takes? I've heard most muscle repair takes place overnight while we're sleeping, so speed of protein intake wouldn't seem to be all that critical.

Can you cite any sources regarding the need for "faster" proteins vs. slower one? Or, for the assertion that our bodies are "screaming for protein"?

That study that everyone keeps citing: funded by The Dairy and Nutrition Council, Inc. Just saying. Is chocolate milk a decent alternative in a pinch? Sure. Can it compare to the protein (type and amount), amino acids, l-glut, etc in a specifically engineered recovery drink? I do not believe so.

Keep telling yourself that.

That's the only thing keeping the recovery drink companies in business. That and an apparent surfeit of cash.

And what do you think is keeping the dairy industry in business? It is frustrating to me that some industries get a free pass because their product is convenient and embedded in our upbringing. Sorry, I'm just particularly annoyed with the Dairy industry.

Yes, some people go overboard with supplements, and many supplements are snake oil, but I don't believe that means that all supplements are bad. Moreover, while I do believe that a specifically engineered recovery formula is advantageous, I will grant that it is not tremendous difference from real food (if you know what to look for)... but the real benefit to me is convenience. After particularly muscle-intensive rides, I use a half-serving of a recovery drink to make sure I get some fuel during the 1/2-hour glycogen window. And then I don't have to stress about getting home or finding a restaurant in a rush.

my urine is worth it's weight in gold

Post workout, the idea of chocolate milk isn't appealing to me (despite the fact that I'm a big fan of chocolate!).

Instead, I throw some CostCo whey protein in with 12 oz of orange juice, and a gram or two of L-glutamine if I've had a hard workout, and call it good. It's probably 1/3 the cost of Endurox, and doesn't make me gag (that stuff is nasty).

Actually, you have to take timing into account here. You DO want as high-GI a carb as possible to charge up the depleted glycogen stores after a workout. The insulin spike is EXACTLY what you want as well. Insulin triggers glut-4 in the cell membrane and transports glucose from the bloodstream into the muscle cells; right where you want it. That's why a 4:1 carb-protein mix is ideal because it generates a higher insulin-spike than carbs alone.

Also the most pressing thing to get is glucose into the muscle-cells, not protein. You've got a 20-30 minute window when glucose-transport occurs much faster than normal. Best to get glucose in at this time. If you do not have sufficient glucose in your blood, the actual muscle tissue is catabolized and converted to glucose to restock the glycogen stores. This muscle-tissue is preferred because it's nearby. Ingested protein DOES NOT ward off muscle-catabolism due to low blood-glucose. So it's more important to get carbs in than protein after a ride.

The muscle rebuilding actually occurs hours later. And the protein that's used for that comes from an inter-cellular amino-acid pool. This supply is an immediate source. The ingested protein, aside from taking a long time to digest, just goes towards replenishing this amino-acid pool later.

Digestion-rate and metabolism is completely independent. Your body only burns calories at a rate that's required to meet the current level of activity. How fast you digest something has nothing to do with your energy requirements. If you're riding at a 500-cal/hr pace, you're not going to be riding faster if you eat high-GI vs. low-GI carbs. The high-GI faster-digesting carbs will just help you suck in more calories per hour so you can ride farther before bonking, but it won't do anything to make you go faster.

DannoXYZ - I just learned alot from reading this reply, thanks. Can I ask where you obtained your knowledge from? Perhaps a good book on the subject? . . .

I majored in microbiology with an emphasis in physiology when I was at UCSB and racing on the cycling-team. Also worked part-time at Open Air Bikes and Bike'alog during that time. Everything kinda all worked together pretty well. I do a lot of my research on these sites:

Harvard School of Public Health
Journal of Applied Physiology
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition


Here's some cycling-specific sites I've found that translates the concepts into real-world user-friendly form:

CPtips - physiology index
CPtips - carbohydrates, note the info on recovery drinks near the bottom.

Dairy=poo

In addition to the recovery article UmneyDurak posted above, here's a study that shows hi-GI meals provide better glycogen-replenishment than lo-GI:

danno am i nnot right in thinking that the only research done on carbs vs carbs and protein was redundant as the two mixes were not iso caloric? i.e. one had 100g of carbs and one had 100g of carbs PLUS 25g protein thus it could have been more kcals and not the protein which encouraged glycogen resynthesis to be higher in the cho pro group?

Danno is the king.

Ok, question about absorption.

The body absorbs the carbs at a much faster rate post workout, so the sugar in choc milk can satisfy that. Yet, as a diabetic (T1) I have seen that food containing higher percentages of fat (vit D milk, cheese, olive oil) tend to slow down absorbtion/digestion. I know this by measuring my blood glucose at intervals after a meal/bolus of insulin. Does that mean that higher fat choc milk is less efficient than low fat or skim? (that is, if recovery is your goal and not cal replacement...)

My recovery is maltodextrin + whey (4:1)...

+1

A bottle of chocolate milk after completing a double century is such a treat - especially if it's made with whole milk. So smooth and refreshing. It's high on my list of rewards.

yes best to go low fat to promtoe rapid gastric emptying.

I guess I should start by saying that my nutrition background comes from lifting weights, not from cycling or endurance sports. Thats why I asked if I might be missing something. However, that being said I do know that muscles don't recover overnight. They just don't. Even if you're not sore the next day or even the day after that, your muscles are still recovering. Thats why people don't work out the same muscle two days in a row at the gym, unless of course they're doping. Obviously the goal of cycling or running is quite different from body building or power lifting but that doesn't mean the same rules don't apply. Every day when you go out and ride you are breaking down muscle tissue. After you're done riding your body needs post workout nutrition to provide your muscles with the building blocks to repair themselves, protein. Now here's where people start to disagree. Casein (milk) protein is slower to digest but it gives you a sustained release over time. Whey (egg) protein on the other hand digests much faster and gets to your muscles much faster but it doesn't have that same sustained release that casein has. One of the big debates in nutrition is whether or not casein digests fast enough to provide the optimum amount of protein post workout. Unfortunately there's no way of telling, atleast not yet. As far as I know every study on this has shown whey to be superior immediately after working out while casein is better later in the day or before you go to sleep. To be on the safe side many people will drink whey protein immediately after a workout to ensure that the initial demand for protein is met and then drink casein later to provide a sustained source of protein throughout the day. Now some of you might be thinking, why not just take both at the same time? Wouldn't that be convenient. The problem is your body will digest the slower protein first. I'm not a doctor so I don't know why its this way and I'm too lazy to attach links but thats just the way it is.
As far as the high GI carbs in chocolate milk causing you're insulin levels to spike, thats a nutritional fact. Sucrose (white sugar) is artificially processed and like other processed carbs it is converted into energy almost immediately, i.e. sugar high. What nutritionists have learned over the years is that insulin plays an important role in muscle recovery and it is optimum to eat or drink something that allows for sustained release of slow digesting carbs which in turn creates sustained release of insulin. For this reason you should consume natural carbs like "old fashioned" oatmeal, brown rice, etc. Another option, since nobody wants a big bowl of oatmeal after a long ride, is a sports drink like Gatorade or fruit juice which contain unprocessed sugars.