Chocolate Milk is the Best Recovery Drink
I love a tall glass of chocolate milk but until a few months ago I rarely thought to make it. Now I have a great excuse to drink it all the time.
Since November I've been working out hardcore for at least one hour a day, five to six days a week. Save for the holidays and a couple colds, I've been fairly consistent. I'm doing P90X, a popular DVD set pimped through some rather compelling infomercials. (Yes, it's totally worth the price--but only if you commit to do it.) On every disk, the overly excitable trainer implores that you have a recovery drink after each workout. Not surprisingly, the company that distributes the DVD, Beach Body, also sells recovery drinks.
Skeptical, I did some quick research on the best recovery drink. Turns it's not some fancy laboratory concoction or even even Gatorade. You get the best recovery from plain old chocolate milk. According to a 2006 sports nutrition study, "The findings suggest that chocolate milk has an optimal ratio of carbohydrates to protein to help refuel tired muscles".
I usually throw in some protein powder and creatine with my chocolate milk. I've seen great results and I'm not spending a ton of extra money.
--Spanno
Katie on February 18, 2009 at 01:50 PM
I'm going to have to send this to my husband so I can start drinking this instead of my normal drink after my work outs.
Kat on February 18, 2009 at 05:39 PM
Chocolate milk IS the best recovery drink!!!
I'm doing P90X also and it is TOUGH! and quite frankly, there is nothing better than a tall, ice-cold chocolate milk after some of those workouts, especially plyo! Good call on this one Spanno!
Elizabeth on February 19, 2009 at 07:47 AM
And the good news for those Lactose intolerant or Vegan athletes like myself is Chocolate Soy Milk has the same ratio of carbs to protein! Keep in mind neither is an electrolyte replacement, just a darn good recovery drink.
Elizabeth on February 19, 2009 at 07:50 AM
And the good news for all the lactose intolerant and/or vegan athletes like myself is chocolate soy milk has the same ration of carbs and protein. Keep in mind neither offer electrolyte replacement, just darn good recovery drinks.
kate on February 19, 2009 at 03:20 PM
Interestingly enough, it's also fabulous for relieving hangovers. Probably for similar reasons....
Kate on February 20, 2009 at 08:58 AM
FYI the permalink and comments links on the newest post aren't working.
Samo on February 20, 2009 at 09:38 AM
Yes, chocolate milk has an optimal ratio of carbohydrates to protein. But Spanno, if you add protein to it then it no longer has that ratio! Americans eat waaaaay too much protein as it is, especially those who already eat meat. I implore you to save even more money and do away with the protein powder and creatine. A strength athlete needs no more than .75 grams of protein per pound of body weight. For a 200 lb. person, that is:
oatmeal
2 egg whites
cup milk
peanut butter and crackers
turkey breast sandwich with cheese
pretzels
chocolate chip cookie
1(or 2) cup(s) chocolate milk :D
6oz steak
baked potato
And that is plenty! All the fruits and veggies that need to be added to this also have protein.
Fi on February 25, 2009 at 08:58 AM
I can back that up. As a 10 year vegan, after working out you need a good recovery drink. I usually have a protein shake during my workout, and chocolate soymilk as a recovery drink. I'm also experimenting with creatine before working out, it does seem to help muscle fatigue.
I'm more into body building than strength, so my protein intake is higher, 1-1.5 g per lb of body weight. It works for me.
P90X is also a great program. Before joining a gym, I would use P90X as a supplement to weight training. If you can stick with it, you'll get great results.
frankie on March 03, 2009 at 03:13 PM
hey i just bought p90x and well to say that there recovery drink is not so cheap if chocolate milk works the same that more than great so do you drink it right after work out or do i wait a little??
Spanno on March 03, 2009 at 04:00 PM
I drink my choco milk immediately afterwards.
--Spanno
frankie on March 03, 2009 at 08:03 PM
is there a perfered brand?? or wich one works best??
Jennifer on April 02, 2009 at 04:04 PM
OMG, I have been doing P90X for about 3 weeks now and I absolutely love it! However, I wasn't buying the whole idea of 'now's the perfect time for a recovery drink' that Tony spits out on occasion. But I do feel I need to either eat something or have some type of recovery drink right after these workouts. I'm looking forward to trying the chocolate milk idea, sounds great! Do you buy the already premixed stuff or can I get sugar free hershy syrup with fat free milk? Thanks again for the info!
Spanno on April 02, 2009 at 04:12 PM
I'v found that 2% milk with regular Hershey's syrup is more satisfying and filling. It makes me eat smaller portions at dinner.
Jennifer on April 02, 2009 at 07:53 PM
Okay, thanks. I have been eating dinner around 5pm, working at around 8pm then I will finish with a recovery drink then off to bed by 10pm. I hope to see results doing this. Their nutritional guide is so confusing so I've been just eating a clean, well balanced diet, no crap so hopefully the milkshake will give me the edge I need.
Cyndi on April 03, 2009 at 07:11 PM
I have also been doing PX90 but didn't really want to spend the money the Recov Drink. I read where Micheal Fellps ( Olympic swimmer) drinks Carnation Instant drink as a recov drink. After reading this Hershey's is a lot cheaper. I matched ingrediants from the Px90 recov and the Carnation Instant drink. The only thing that is differnt is that the Carnation does not have the LArginine, LGlutamine and the Creatine Monohydrate. My question is do you need all of these ingrediants plus all the vitimans to recover?
Help!
Jennifer on April 05, 2009 at 05:39 PM
My brother did this program and he didn't do the P90x recovery drink. He recommended to me to just have a clean diet so that is what I'm doing. Although, after these intense workouts, it makes sense to fuel your body with something to replenish tired and sore muscles right away such as a recovery drink. I am trying chocolate milk for now and will see how it helps during my recovery time. As for those three missing ingredients, I will do some research on those. I am not lifting heavy weight and am doing the lean version so I think I'm okay. I'm on to week 4 the recovery phase. Wish me luck.
Spanno on April 06, 2009 at 09:45 AM
L-arginie, L-glutamine, and creatine all help with protein production but are not essential for recovery. However, they might make your muscles bigger.
Marcus on April 15, 2009 at 06:20 AM
I just starte my P90X and I was looking around for a recovery drink. My qustion is, would you suggest eating after my workout and my recovery Chocolate milk or should I refrain from intaking foods? And what is your take on between meal snacks?
Spanno on April 15, 2009 at 08:28 AM
It depends on when you work out. If you work out in the morning, do it before you eat and then have your recovery drink and breakfast. If you work out later in the evening, eat dinner, wait at least an hour, then work out. Personally, I work out when I get home from work, then have my recovery drink and dinner.
I eat small meals and have healthy snacks between them.
--Spanno
jennifer on April 21, 2009 at 01:45 PM
WOW! I am also doing P90X and I didn't want to spend the $60 on the recovery drink if I didn't have to. So I was looking around and stumbled on this website and I'v heard chocolate milk was a good recovery drink. With all the good feed back about it I am definitely going to try it and see how it works.
James on April 28, 2009 at 04:59 PM
How much chocolate milk?
12 ounces or 8 ounces?
thanks
Spanno on May 04, 2009 at 08:41 AM
8 ounces (1 cup) is the recommended amount.
--Spanno
jon on May 20, 2009 at 05:42 PM
i tried mixing half a scoop of carnation instant breakfast and half a scoop of protein powder with milk as a recovery drink. tastes pretty good. i just started p90x 3 days ago and cant wait to see the results!!
jr on June 07, 2009 at 11:42 PM
Didn't one of the things about the study say that milk did a better job recovering and rebuilding muscles than soy? I remember reading that.
Mofury on July 24, 2009 at 12:21 PM
That study from 2006, although a good study, was funded by the Dairy Association. Yes, they determined that Chocolate Milk was good, but they could have done a more scientifically controlled experiment. I'm not saying the information about choco milk is wrong. I'm just saying to not take it as a proven fact. It is at best, a good theory that may work for some.
Ive been doing the p90x for about a week and if i drink thick stuff, like shakes and milk, directly after the workout i get sick. I usually put 4 ounces of 100% Juice/Cran-Grape in a 32 ounce Nalgene and fill the rest with filtered water. Then drink that over the next 10 minutes to rehydrate. Only once my body has started to come down a bit and my stomach settles can i have my 8 ounces of Chocolate Soy Milk. MMMMMMMMMMM that's good! ...and good for you, too.
Bananas help too.