Team recipes: our cyclist's protein recovery shake

Because it’s a whey isolate Neversecond’s P30 protein powder is very fast absorbing, high in protein and has all the essential amino acids necessary to support muscle recovery at any point in the day, and especially after a workout. These essential amino acids will stimulate muscle protein synthesis, which is a process that aids in recovery, the healing and rebuilding of muscle, and adaptation to exercise.

The milk in this recipe can be any form of milk or milk-alternative that matches your goals in terms of calories and body composition. There are benefits to using whole cow’s milk because of the fat-soluble vitamins it contains, and it will increase the calorie count of the shake. It can potentially slow down digestion because of its fat content, though there’s a lot of great research showing that this doesn’t have a large effect. Another part of the reasoning behind using whole cow’s milk is that it also contains protein and is another source of all essential amino acids, which we like because it’s a great way to increase the amount of overall protein in the shake, should you need to or want to. Additionally, dairy milk is made up of both whey protein and casein; Casein being the predominant source of protein within milk. Casein is a slower-digesting protein, and this will then give a staged release of fast-absorbing protein from the Neversecond P30 powder and then a slower-digesting protein from the milk.

We can then also include some fruit in the form of frozen bananas. Frozen because it adds thickness to the shake. Bananas will add carbohydrate to the post-workout recovery shake, which you may want. This is not necessary, it depends on the workout and you can add anywhere from one to three bananas here, depending on your needs. In terms of the type of carbohydrate that bananas offer, bananas provide a source of fructose. If you’re doing another session within eight hours of finishing your previous workout (for example, an evening session followed by early morning intervals) having some carbohydrate with a source of fructose in it also will help restore some liver glycogen as well as muscle glycogen. Fructose is primarily focused on the liver, so it replenishes that stored liver carbohydrate first, followed by muscle glycogen. So getting a combination of both fructose and glucose in your post-ride recovery shake is great as it enables both muscle and liver glycogen carbohydrates to be restored.

Finally, we can add to this any sort of spices or other flavoring that suits your taste. Cinnamon or other ground spices can be a nice addition. If you’ve had a particularly hot, depleting session, a pinch of salt will add some sodium electrolyte, and it can add a nice bit of salted chocolate flavor.

Add all ingredients to your blender and blend until reaching your desired consistency.