Use to just do a normal non-night time one, but been trying the night time one. Can’t really say I’ve noticed much difference other than it tastes a lot worse! (Been using the SIS one.)

Yeah i’ve heard they taste rubbish. I tried torq recovery plus for about 4 /5 months this summer (racing pretty much weekly), it has to be the worst sports drink i’ve ever tried (it works however)

The way the protein thing was put to me is that all the studies about the protein consumed with carbs are done on endurance athletes but a 2 hour road race (or similar) isn’t endurance so the protein is the most important to consume within 15mins of stopping exercise. Carbs from real food.

Also, some chocolate milks aren’t exactly great – yazoo for example, has cellulose in it! 😯

And to whoever was asking about non dairy versions. I’m off dairy atm, but can tolerate some types of whey so worth trying a few. Otherwise hemp protein with a shot of cherry juice is my usual post exercise option. However, hemp tastes rank – its gritty and looks like swamp water. Mix it coconut water or a little fruit juice with water to make it taste nicer. Other non dairy ones would be rice or pea protein. I’ve looked into both in the past but settled on hemp.

Andypaul99 – That’s a damn good smoothie, but that 300ml of coconut milk contains an awful amount of fat
Try replacing it with low fat soy milk 😀

There is scientific data related to protein use. Yes its good before and also after. But many people dojt know that using it in combination with carbs is useful. Tests show that itcan help althletes perform for longer whe combined wuth carbs than carbs alone. It is also helps recovery to happen faster than wuth carbs alone.

Andypaul99 – That’s a damn good smoothie, but that 300ml of coconut milk contains an awful amount of fat
Try replacing it with low fat soy milk

Thanks, and thats a good point. However, l do try to avoid Soy as there is ongoing research that suggests that soy products may have adverse health affects, and most beans are genetically modified also.

The fat content isnt too much of a problem for an active person, you could of course just swap it for water but i love the taste of coconut milk and it also has a good PH for the body, almond milk is another alternative 🙂

Sort of sciency article in the JISSN about protein intake and exercise.

Thats a good article, the body only needs 1.2g of protein per KG of bodyweight per day, any exccess is stored as fat.
Unless you are trying to gain mass on your body (im not sure why a cyclist or runner would want this) you will get enough protein from your food, and if you are worried just eat a handful of almonds in addition to your meals, but powder? No way

The only people that should take protein supplements are body builders (most could’nt care less what they put down their necks), Vegan athletes on some days, and possibly multi stage endurance athletes, but even that is debatable being they have chefs and nutritionists to ensure the meals have the right amount of protein anyway. 🙂

The supplement market is worth £50 billion worldwide, there’s alot of money for marketing and influence there me thinks!

if you are worried just eat a handful of almonds in addition to your meals, but powder? No way

almonds have a load of fat and thus calories as well though. Why not protein powder to help you meet your daily protein requirements if you’re struggling to get enough with meat? Some days I find it hard to eat that much protein so a protein shake is a quick and easy way of getting 20g of lean protein.

Some days I find it hard to eat that much protein so a protein shake is a quick and easy way of getting 20g of lean protein.

Almonds are rich in mono-unsaturated fats, which has a positive effect on cholestrol, the fibre contained in the nuts also blocks some of the fat being absorbed by the body.

Why are you finding it hard to get enough protein? Its tricky without knowing what you are eating on a daily basis, but even two slices of bread contain nearly 10g.

If you absolutely must have a protein shake then why not make your own?
There are loads of tips on the internet, like this for example :
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Homemade-Protein-Shake-Without-Protein-Powder

Some science stuff for protein intake. I have copied this from else where.

The purpose of this is not to try to pinpoint what an “optimal” protein intake is, I’m not sure we’ll ever have a concrete answer to that question anyway. Absent any evidence that high protein intake is harmful, there’s really no good reason to take a mimilist approach to protein intake.

The current RDA for protein intake is .8g/kg of bodyweight. The real kicker here is that they claim that there is no benefit to eating more than that. I simply want to arm people with research that disputes this.

So, here we go:

1.4-2g of protein per kg of bodyweight is beneficial for individuals engaged in intense exercise:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20048505
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19278045
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17908291
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18500966

2-3g/kg is beneficial for athletes:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14971434

Older subjects lost lean mass getting the RDA protein recommendations (.8g/kg):
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11382798

Double the RDA outperformed the RDA for individuals in a calorie deficit:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/495538
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16046715

Triple the RDA outperformed the RDA for individuals in a calorie deficit: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19927027

Subjects with a 1.5g/kg protein intake lost fat and gained lean mass:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10838463

Of people that don’t exercise, high protien intake causes less lean-mass loss:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17299116

Andypaul99

almond milk is another alternative

good call! I’ve used this too and forgot all about it!
Commercial supplements are not needed in my opinion, I’d rather stick to natural products for recovery, but I do use electrolyte replacement drinks whilst doing long rides and a single gel – I’ve done back to back 100k + rides over seven days in 35C temps and never used a commercial recovery product and minimal protein intake… and I’m no spring chicken! I’m practically vegan – maybe I could improve if I ate meat/protein by the ton – lol 😀

I quite often go for a banana smoothie – couple of bananas, 10 ice cubes and 200ml of yoghurt. Add a little vanilla extract and/or maple syrup or honey to make it a bit more tasty and a pinch of salt.

Stops me hitting the thing I crave most after a long ride – salty crisps or chips!