I just read an article from The New York Times about what to eat/drink for recovery after a workout.

QUOTE:
Dr. Rennie said that 10 to 15 grams of protein is probably adequate for any adult. And you don't need a special drink or energy bar to get it. One egg has 6 grams of protein. Two ounces of chicken has more than 12 grams.

So don't waste your money on energy bars/drinks people.

Hmmm, I just read though the article, and am going to provide a few qualifiers and a different perspective. For the most part, the article seems to be focused more on whether or not a recovery drink improves performance and, although it mentions recovery in the opening paragraphs, doesn't talk about it much throughout the rest of the article.

For example:

QUOTE:
Although studies by Dr. Jeukendrup and several others have shown that consuming protein after exercise speeds up muscle protein synthesis, no one has shown that that translates into improved performance. The reason, Dr. Jeukendrup said, is that effects on performance, if they occur, won't happen immediately. They can take 6 to 10 weeks of training. That makes it very hard to design and carry out studies to see if athletes really do improve if they consume protein after they exercise.

The article also seems to be more geared toward the run of the mill casual athlete or person who only works out a couple days a week. For example:

QUOTE:
The American College of Sports Medicine, in a position paper written by leading experts, reported that athletes who take a day or two to rest or do less-intense workouts between vigorous sessions can pretty much ignore the carbohydrate-timing advice.

In other words, if you're going to take a few days between workouts, the timing of your post-workout nutrition doesn't seem to matter in terms of performance.

Given that P90X is far more intense, speed of recovery seems to be much more critical, regardless of performance measurements. And even though I'm pretty new to the P90X, I've been using a recovery formula, and although I've been a bit sore after workouts, I'm actually quite surprised that I'm not more sore than I am. In the past I've done far less intense workouts and been much more sore afterwards than I have been so far doing P90X and using a recovery drink.

So I guess the moral of the story is this:

Are recovery drinks necessary for overall performance results? Probably not.
Can they help at least somewhat? I would bet yes.
Are they worth the cost? Well, I guess that depends on how much you like the flavor

if you can afford it buy the best products your research can afford (i'm getting on the chocolate milk plan)

I'm also getting on the chocolate milk plan. That's all I can afford. I work out in the morning, so I will probably have a protein shake shortly after as well. I won't be buying the recovery drink though.

I agree with Val. He's talking about people "working out" a few days a week. People on P90X are way beyond that. The other thing not discussed here is that quality of the protein and carbs. Some are used better than others. There is no way your muscles actually get 6g of protein from that egg. It just won't be all utitilized. If you're serious about working out, data shows this can help. Casual exercisers would not see much of a difference.

I make my own recovery drink. Milk, whey protein (choco), creatine, and banana.

In addition to Val's quotes, this one gives you an idea of the athletes that they talking about:

QUOTE:
“You’d have to control everything, what they do, how they train, and also their carbohydrate and protein intake,” Dr. Jeukendrup said. “Those studies become almost impossible to do.”

When I was seriously bodybuilding, I controlled anything and could have gotten 20 people (without even trying) in my gym that I knew did the same. This article was for the general population not top performers.

Having said that, you can do without them. The question is whether or not the cost/benefit equation is in your favor. For many people the answer is no.

Also after a serious workout your body needs to nutrients asap. It doesn't want to wait and digest things like chicken/eggs. It's in a state of shock and needs to repair with quick absorbing nutrients (bananas, waxy maize carbs, whey protein, etc.).

what food/fruits would be good for recovery? i don't want to do the drink/shake thing so after a workout, should i just eat 2 bananas or something like that? (i'm 6'1, 185 lbs male about to start the p90x in another week).

There really is no recovery food besides yougurt or bread and button. But you might miss your window because food takes longer to digest. Chocolate milk is a good choice!

We've all seen the ending to some videos where they talk about the recovery drink. Well thats great and all but it's only use is electrolytes.

I would not necessarily say your body is in shock. It's just your blood is flowing more so it's easier to spread nutrients fast! Your cells really do not absorb more then they usually do. But don't take that as they do not because they slightly do. Your blood stream is like a big factory with a big conveyor belt. Workout calls all the people to the belt and makes them ready to take what they need. Instead of just "walking" over there when it really needs something!

Also storm's recovery drink is great! I would just toss in some Gatorade for electrolytes but you don't need much. Gatorade is too sugary which I hate. But chocolate milk is a touch of creatine is what I do.

Best recovery is a combination of 2:1 Carb/Protein.

You want to avoid fat (IE Chocolate milk) because it slows the absorbtion of carbs.

Best post workout are fast carbs (fruits, etc) and protein for rebuilding.

Uh.... the best recovery depends on your diet and your workout. Mine is a 4:1 Carb/Protein

And yes fat can affect the absorbtion but its a cheap alternative. Thats what alot of people are going for here.

This is the P90x forum. I would assume that everyone in this forum is on the same workout plan and similar diet plans. If not then you're not really doing the program... right?

kahunaman wrote:

QUOTE:
Best recovery is a combination of 2:1 Carb/Protein.

You want to avoid fat (IE Chocolate milk) because it slows the absorbtion of carbs.

Best post workout are fast carbs (fruits, etc) and protein for rebuilding.

so could i eat a 1/2 a banana + a spoon of peanut butter?

or possibly a slice of turkey breast and a 1/2 glass of soy milk?

i want to make the recovery snack light since i will probably be eating dinner about an hour after i workout. also, i'm trying to lower my cholesterol so i would like to stay away from dairy as much as i can.

If your going to be doing P90X I wouldn't skimp out too much on your recovery drink / meal. Your Pre & Post nutrition make up the most important meals of your day, you want carbs that will be taken in quickly, bananas are one of the more common ones, you also want carbs & protein, I think this was also mentioned. I've been following the diet / routine for 2 months and will be entering Phase III next week, I also eat dinner about an hour to an hour and a half after my workout, what I've done is this...

Pre Workout I have:
3/4 Cup of oats
1 Small apple
1 Scoop of Whey
1 TBSP Flax

Post Workout, about 6:30pm I have a recovery drink called Torrent. This is a blend of Waxy Maize carbs (fastest absorbing), Whey, 3000mg of creatine & a recovery blend of Leucine, Glutamine, etc. It comes out to 302 calories, then an hour and a half or so later I have my dinner (6oz of chicken/lean meat + green veggies).

The drink has 45g of carbs & 20g of protein. The P90X recovery drink has more sugars than I would like so I've subbed in Torrent because it has a great profile with creatine in it as well.

Cronos1247 wrote:

QUOTE:
If your going to be doing P90X I wouldn't skimp out too much on your recovery drink / meal. Your Pre & Post nutrition make up the most important meals of your day, you want carbs that will be taken in quickly, bananas are one of the more common ones, you also want carbs & protein, I think this was also mentioned. I've been following the diet / routine for 2 months and will be entering Phase III next week, I also eat dinner about an hour to an hour and a half after my workout, what I've done is this...

Pre Workout I have:
3/4 Cup of oats
1 Small apple
1 Scoop of Whey
1 TBSP Flax

Post Workout, about 6:30pm I have a recovery drink called Torrent. This is a blend of Waxy Maize carbs (fastest absorbing), Whey, 3000mg of creatine & a recovery blend of Leucine, Glutamine, etc. It comes out to 302 calories, then an hour and a half or so later I have my dinner (6oz of chicken/lean meat + green veggies).

The drink has 45g of carbs & 20g of protein. The P90X recovery drink has more sugars than I would like so I've subbed in Torrent because it has a great profile with creatine in it as well.

how many hours before you work out do you take your preworkout snack?

60-90 Minutes pre-workout. If the workout is something like Plyo, I go for a minimum of 90 minutes, resistance workouts I like to have it closer to 60 minutes pre.

kahunaman wrote:

QUOTE:
This is the P90x forum. I would assume that everyone in this forum is on the same workout plan and similar diet plans. If not then you're not really doing the program... right?

Wrong, there really is not right or wrong to nutrition. I have an high metabolism, take testosterone enhancers, plasma enhancers, creatine, and whey protein. So my diet revolves around the things I do.

And if P90X was not designed for a 4:1 combo; then why is the recovery drink that is made for this program, a 4:1 protein/carb combo?

Look this an advice board. Not who is the bigger man. If you got a problem with my posts then you should PM me and we can talk about it.

Mr. Phil, have you completed the P90X program? I mean with the outlined nutrition program. I ask because I'm entering Phase III, which is outlined to be a high carb & low protein approach, which is an approach I've never taken when changing up my diet, it just doesn't sound right to me hah. What were you results during the last phase if you did it like it states?

Cronos1247 wrote:

QUOTE:
Mr. Phil, have you completed the P90X program? I mean with the outlined nutrition program. I ask because I'm entering Phase III, which is outlined to be a high carb & low protein approach, which is an approach I've never taken when changing up my diet, it just doesn't sound right to me hah. What were you results during the last phase if you did it like it states?

Yes I have complete the p90x and going for another around pretty soon. The phase III is designed like that to promote more cardio in your body and recovery. It does sound odd but it does work.

I will be starting P90X next week, and am trying to figure out my recover food. I am allergic to dairy (and chocolate too, I get asthma), so I am unable to use the P90X recovery drink or bars.

I found an egg white protein powder (24g protein, 4g carbs), which I am planning to use, as well as a 20g protein bar with 30g carbs. I was thinking of just eating some fruit or other carb with the shake, as the powder I have doesn't have any carbs to speak of. I take a multivitamin every day. There's another bar that I like which is 5g protein & 26g carbs (5:1), I guess I could eat that with the shake and the protein bar.

The shake has the following add'l ingredients:

Isoleucine (BCAA) 1597mg
Leucine (BCAA) 2509mg
Valine (BCAA) 2053mg
Alanine 1825mg
Arginine 1711mg
Aspartic Acid 3024mg
Cysteine 798mg
Glutamic Acid 3878mg
Glycine 1027mg
Histidine 684mg
Lysine 1884mg
Methionine 1111mg
Phenylalanine 1740mg
Proline 1141mg
Serine 2024mg
Threonine 1339mg
Tryptophan 486mg
Tyrosine 1170mg

What else should I take as my recovery food? Is creatine a powder or does it come as a capsule/pill?

Welcome to the P90X community!

Creatine comes in many forms, you can take creatine in a powder or a pill. My personal favorite in Krealyaline. You can get it at GNC for a pretty cheap price. It's PH balanced so its easier on the body and heart. The capules are filled with the powder so what I do sometimes is break them open and mix them in my shake. Or you can just take it as a pill.

Now as far as additives go, the are 100's upon 100's of stuff you could add. And honestly, I would just stick to what your shake has. Now since you say you are allergic to dairy, I'm assuming you are stay away from Whey protein although I don't think it would hurt. But don't take my word for it because I don't know exactly whats wrong.

I have an acute lactose intolerance but that does not stop me too bad. But sometimes I'll resort to Monster Milk since it is lactose free and 50g of protein. I just get a rumbley stomach and I can't workout afterwards. However some people are allergic to milk protein (whey) and have to revert to Soy protein. Which is slower digesting but just as good.

But before I get off topic,

If you take a multi-vitamin, thats good enough. Along with a proper diet. You'll get what you need to absorb protein and other engery.

Hope this helps!