Cook It Up A Notch For Workout
Recovery
The Shape of Your Life: Month One by
Chris Keyes - from OutsideOnline
After
every workout, recovery starts with the first thing you put in your
mouth
Click here for
Barriers and Breakthroughs - the second step in Part
One of The Shape of Your Life
"A lot of people do their workout and then
drop everything," says Ed Burke, an exercise physiologist and the author of
Optimal Muscle Recovery. "But you don't have to be Lance Armstrong to
suffer dehydration and glycogen depletion. If you want to come back strong, you
have the same recovery needs as an elite athlete."
In other words, you
feel great after exercise, but the reality is much bleaker. Dehydration and
electrolyte loss just sapped your cardiac efficiency; exercise stress caused
microscopic muscle tears; and you drained your glycogen, your body's most
efficient fuel source. If you want your training to go better than an Al Gore
campaign, you need a nutritional plan that repairs and refuels your muscles for
the next workout.
The good news is, we've never had a clearer picture
of how to supercharge recovery. In 1988, University of Texas researcher John
Ivy discovered the glycogen windowa one-hour period immediately following
intense exercise when athletes have the best chance of replenishing lost
glycogen. What's more, he found that consuming carbohydrates and protein in a
four-to-one ratio during that window makes athletes up to four times more
efficient at synthesizing carbs into glycogen. Take in the right kind of food
or drink immediately following your workout and you can replace all the energy
needed to come back strong each day.
We
know you're busy, but sticking to the following two-part, postworkout nutrition
strategy will be the difference between a sustainable plan and one that leaves
you on the couch munching Cheetos in two weeks.
1) After an intense workout, down a liter of
pre-mixed recovery drink.
The best of the new wave of recovery
drinksEndurox R4, SmartFuel BioFix, and Hammer Procombine Ivy's four-to-one
carbohydrate-to-protein formula in an easy-to-mix powder. In one shot you'll
address three of recovery's most important factorswater, glycogen, and
electrolytes. Purchase these at your local GNC or specialty cycling shop.
2) Consume A recovery meal two to four
hours after you work out.
Follow your recovery drink in the
glycogen window with a meal consisting of 65 percent carbs, 20 percent fat, and
15 percent protein to further replace your glycogen stores. Don't get bogged
down in the numbershere are four great examples: pasta with olive oil and tuna,
a bean or chicken burrito (easy on the cheese), a turkey sandwich on
whole-wheat bread, a bagel with cream cheese.
Coming up -
article 4 in Part One of The Shape of Your Life -
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