[adee-gee]

My shoulder has been bothering me, so I've had to cut down on my tennis recently. As an alternative, I've started doing a lot of long distance running, I've decided to run run the London marathon next year. Although my fitness is decent, especially for tennis, I found that my muscles were getting pretty tired. I'm generally running 15km on a treadmill 2-3 times a week. I've been recommended to start drinking protein shakes after my run, not necessarily the ones for muscle growth but more for recovering from exercise.

Just wanted to ask if anyone uses them, and their opinion on them. Cheers

[jazar]

i dont really think protein shakes work that well. i also think if you were going to take them, to do it before rather than after exercise.

to be honest, if you are looking for better recovery, the best thing to do is alter your diet. moving to a diet with more carbohydrate will help you exercise at the same relative intensity for longer, and carbohydrate re-feeding straight after exercise helps you recover quicker, especially if you are planning another bout of exercise within a short period of time. the best carbohydrate re-feeding strategies involve regular feeding for a couple of hours after exercise.

[Johnny Groove]

Adam, what I do is I eat a bunch of pasta for carbs pre-workout for energy. Then, after my workout, I'll eat a tuna sandwich and mix up a protein shake. I use 100% premium whey, the Gold Standard. Works wonders. Helps muscles to recover after a 3 hour match in the summer Florida heat.

Jazar, I don't understand why you would take a protein shake BEFORE a workout

[adee-gee]

Differing responses

Thanks for the input guys.

[Glaciator]

I do but it's just some natural vitamin c, it's a compliment called oligobiol

[Angle Queen]

Don't waste your money on fancy protein recovery drinks. Go for the...MILK. Chocolate milk, specifically. I kind of just lucked into it but when my personal results were I poked around the internet and found plenty of confirming sources. It's cheap, readily available...and tastes yummy! It's something about all the carbs, protein and high water content that do the trick.

[mclovin123]

Originally Posted by jazar

i dont really think protein shakes work that well. i also think if you were going to take them, to do it before rather than after exercise.

to be honest, if you are looking for better recovery, the best thing to do is alter your diet. moving to a diet with more carbohydrate will help you exercise at the same relative intensity for longer, and carbohydrate re-feeding straight after exercise helps you recover quicker, especially if you are planning another bout of exercise within a short period of time. the best carbohydrate re-feeding strategies involve regular feeding for a couple of hours after exercise.

Apologies for sounding a bit dickish but you are actually wrong. Whey protein shakes work effectively as they are fast digesting. As a powder mixed with a liquid they have the ability to flow into the digestive tract and be absorbed far quicker than any other protein source. This is why they work for building muscle. When one lifts wight for reps they tear the muscle fibers. This injection of protein afterward helps rebuild them bigger and stronger in order to withstand the same level of strain next time, sort of like a developmental type of adaptation. This is actually why it is better to take them after working out rather than before unlike you suggested. The 20min window is an opportune period to feed the muscles protein and glycogen stores which is most affective for repair. This is why we should all down a protein shake and eat a banana 5 mins after working out, rather than before. If used to correctly they work very well and should always be taken right after as apposed to before.

[Johnny Groove]

2 protein shakes a day. One in the morning, one after the afternoon workout.

[jacoblewis2008]

Originally Posted by adee-gee

My shoulder has been bothering me, so I've had to cut down on my tennis recently. As an alternative, I've started doing a lot of long distance running, I've decided to run run the London marathon next year. Although my fitness is decent, especially for tennis, I found that my muscles were getting pretty tired. I'm generally running 15km on a treadmill 2-3 times a week. I've been recommended to start drinking protein shakes after my run, not necessarily the ones for muscle growth but more for recovering from exercise.

Just wanted to ask if anyone uses them, and their opinion on them. Cheers

No I do not drink protein shakes, I just do some relaxation exercise to feel relax and recovering. You should drink sip of water while exercising.

[62strat]

I drink Vega One protein shake mixed with Almond milk after I play a match. It gives me a lot of vitamins, pro biotics and helps to build muscle and recover quicker.