Make your own Recovery Drink
In this article, I will present you with the options for the best P90X recovery drink alternative, depending on your personal goals and also the right choice for your budget no matter how big or how small.
If you have done or plan to do P90X, you have heard or will hear an earful from Tony Horton, as well as seeing an advertisement at the end of almost every P90X workout that endorses the P90X Results & Recovery Formula.
While I am all for having the best after-workout recovery drink, $56.90 for 25 servings of the P90X Results & Recovery Formula at Amazon.com, which is equal to $2.276 per individual serving, is a very steep price to pay – especially if you do not have a huge budget to begin with. I am not denying that it is worth the money, but that is a lot of cash for a supplement when there are so many lower price alternatives that may be just as beneficial to you after your workout.
Why You Need a Recovery Drink
After an intense workout like P90X, studies have shown that post-exercise nutrition is the key to improving your recovery rate. With the ingestion of the proper nutrients immediately following and up two hours after an intensive workout, recovery time can be greatly improved.
The purpose of a recovery drink is to replenish glycogen stores that have been exhausted during your work out, causing an increase in the rate of protein synthesis. Ingesting fast-acting simple sugar carbohydrates, like dextrose or sucrose increases the body’s insulin production, which results in greater protein synthesis.
Having a fast-acting protein, like whey protein, is also a crucial ingreident in the recovery drink. The added fast-acting protein increases the amount of insulin released by the body than the carbohydrate is capable of doing by itself.
P90X Recovery Drink Formula Ratios
A highly debated topic of post-workout recovery is the carbohydrate to protein ratio. It seems everyone has their own opinion on what the best ratio of carbohydrates to protein is for greatest recovery, and there is no clear winner in the debate.
Several recovery drink products for weightlifters have a 2 to 1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein. The ratio of carbohydrates to protein in the P90X Recovery drink is 4 carbohydrates to 1 protein. From my recent research, it seems this 4:1 ratio is growing greater in popularity among weightlifers and is the more popular option among endurance athletes like cyclists, tri-athletes, and long-distance runners.
The P90X recovery drink also has creatine and glutamine. Creatine supplementation is used by athletes to increase muscle size and athletic performance. Glutamine a non-essential amino acid may also help reduce the recovery time needed after intense exercise.
The Best P90X Recovery Drink Alternatives
An alternative to the P90X Recovery Drink should be nutritionally similar to the real deal. This means the drink must contain a 4:1 carbohydrates to protein, glutamine and creatine, as well as be around 220 calories.
Powdered Sports Drinks
The Endurox and Accelerade recovery drinks both contain the 4:1 ratio of carbs to protein, but neither product has creatine. Creatine is something that could easily be added separately.
From Amazon.com, Endurox costs $36.36 for 28 servings, which is about a $1.30 per serving. This is almost a dollar per serving less than the P90X Recovery Drink. But remember, Endurox does not contain creatine and is also a about fifty calories higher than the P90X drink.
Sixty servings of Accelerade, another 4 to 1 powder sports recovery drink, costs $33.11 from Amazon.com. However, to almost match the P90X recovery drink formula, you will need to consume two servings, which makes the cost per serving of Accelerade $1.10. A couple problems I see with Accelerade is that it does not contain creatine, uses sucrose as the main ingredient(P90X Recovery Drink uses dextrose), and has milk and soy proteins, which are slower acting proteins.
Low-Fat Chocolate Milk - A Cheap Alternative
Likely the cheapest P90X recovery drink alternative is Low-Fat Chocolate Milk. Using chocolate milk as a workout recovery drink is something of a new fad.
Low-Fat or Fat-Free Chocolate Milk has about the 4:1 carbohydrates to protein ratio that we are looking for. The brand I looked at had 28 grams of sugar and 8 grams of protein. To achieve the correct amount of calories you would need to consume a serving and half, or 12 ounces, to ingest the proper amount of nutrients.
From my grocery store, a gallon of low-fat chocolate milk costs $3.99. Consuming 12 ounces as a recovery drink would make the gallon last for about 10 servings. This makes the cost at $.38 per serving a very attractive option.
Of course, there are a couple of problems with using Low-Fat Chocolate Milk as recovery drink that I find. For one, it is 80% casein protein. This slower acting protein will take the body longer to process, and the sugar in chocolate milk is also slower acting than the carbohydrate used in the P90X recovery drink. Low-fat or Fat-free hocolate milk does not contain creatine or any added glutamine.
Best P90X Recovery Alternative
In my opinion, the best after-workout recovery drink is the one you can create yourself for a very reasonable price. A mixture of Gatorade powder, whey protein, and creatine is what I have used after my P90X workouts.
Gatorade powder can be found at most grocery stores in the drink mix aisle. For 3.3 pounds, I paid $13.00. 1 Tbsp of Gatorade powder is 50 calories and has 14 grams of carbohydrates. The cost per serving is about $.40.
My whey protein of choice, as far as taste, quality and value go, is Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Gold Standard which already contains glutamine. 5 pounds (74servings) can be purchased on Amazon.com for about $45. You only need half a serving mixed with Gatorade powder to obtain the 4 to carbohydrate to protein ratio. Cost per serving is about $.30.
Creatine can also be added separately to this mixture for cheap. I, personally, do not add creatine to my after workout shake, but 600 gramsof Optimum Nutrition Creatine Powder can be bought on Amazon.com for $15. Adding 5 grams to each drink would cost about $.13.
The above mixture of Gatorade powder, protein powder, and creatine would cost about $.83 per serving. This is more than $1.40 less per serving than the P90X recovery drink. Plus, you will get about the same nutritional values of 42 grams of carbohydrates, 12 grams of whey protein, 5 grams of creatine at 225 calories.
What I like about this P90X recovery drink recipe is that I know exactly what is being put into to it. It is a very cheap option and has about the same amount of calories as the P90X drink, which is rather important when counting calories.
The best part about making your own recovery drink is that it is very easy to adjust ingredients, such as adding more protein or using less Gatorade(carbohydrate), or if you don’t want to use creatine like me. For instance, after the P90X weightlifting workouts, I commonly add an extra scoop of protein to the recovery drink. I find that my body fares better after the demanding P90X workouts with the extra protein.
Final Thoughts
The above is just my take on P90X recovery drink alternatives. Like I said, I make my own. However, there are thousands of people who use the P90X Recovery & Results Formula and many of them have had better results than myself. Honestly, I would use it myself if I wasn’t so cheap.
Thank you so much. I have been looking for an alternative but never fouond one that I actually liked. I tried chocolate milk but I don’t feel like it works so good for P90X. Also I was looking at Accelerade and Endurox and they are almost as expensive as the P90X recovery drink (I live in Canada).
Your recipe sounds amazing and seems pretty cheap. Thanks so much!!!
I get the mixing portions, but how much liquid are you adding? Thanks so much!!!
Hi Justin beiber,
Hope you are looking to add some mass with P90X.
I use about 6-8 ounces of water, it is not the best tasting concoction, but it gets the job done.
Which do you think is better Endurox or your own creation? This is assuming that price isn’t an issue.
I can’t say as I have not tried Endurox yet, but plan to during my next round of P90X.
Ok i’m a little confused. I’m in the middle of ordering now and i’m on a bit of a budget. I get 5hr energy drinks to get ready for a work out. but i’m ordering a nitric oxide xplode for that. Then i have the whey powder drink. And the ingredients i’m going to add with it to make my recovery drink. You drink the recovery drink after a hard workout. But when do you drink the Whey protein first thing in the morning? a couple times a day? when?
Hi Alan,
Everyone is different and you will have to find out what works best for you.
For myself, I would have whey protein in the morning. On weight training resistence (day 1, 3, and 5) I would also have whey protein a half hour before training.
The whey protein is also used in the recovery drink after each workout, about 10 grams of protein per recovery drink.
Thanks for posting this.
I have tried EnduroxR4 and RR from beachbody…and they do the job equally good. They are really for those days when you are feeling fatigued and mostly have placebo effect…plyo and kenpo. I have worked out without them and can’t say I felt ‘worse’ or more sore or that I was missing them.
In other words, water, water, water and some gatorade at the end will do the trick. Timing is more important than sugar crap they stick in so just make sure you are not dehydrated. You can do gatorade and l-glutamin mix if you want to dodge using creatine.
For those days when you are working with weights and upper body just go with Hydro Whey protein before or after workout and you will be better of ‘feeding’ you muscles rather than ‘faking them out’ with water plumped cells with creatine.
Did you notice how often Tony pushes their supplements? Perhaps a quick vid at the end of EVERY DVD is a hint? LOL
Trust me, they don’t make $100 mil a year of the DVDs. Never the less, workouts put together are great choices by Tony and are legit just stay away from supplement hype and you will be fine…you digestive system, kidneys and liver too
Best of health to you!
I agree 100% with everything you said.
I love the workouts and could not be happier, but pushing the supplements at the end of every video is irritating to me. Maybe, they should give some sound nutrtional advice at the end of each workout instead of pushing supplements with ingredients which have no long term trials of how they will affect the body in twenty-thirty years.
confused about the numbers…..gatorade has 14 grams of carbohydrates, and you said you used a half a scoop of the Optimum Nutrition , which is 1.5 grams of carbs. so that is 15.5 grams of carbohydrates, how did you come up with 42 grams of carbohydrates in the mixture?
I use three servings of Gatorade powder. 3×14=42
Three servings is supposed to make a quart of gatorade…in one glass that can’t taste good?
Hi Aaron, Just to clarify.
Three scoops makes a quart.
Three servings is 3/4 of a scoop.
wow the last two posts really hit home, i definitely agree with level99 that there’s way too big of a “supplement hype” going around.
Your mix of gatorade and whey protein sounds like a great alternative, but how’s the taste? I’d really rather not have some awful tasting drink every day after my workout. and if it does taste terrible, could you just drink the whey protein shake by itself and then drink the gatorade by itself? It would still give you the same ratio just you wouldn’t have to mix the tastes, right?
Thanks
I drank the combination of gatorade and whey protein together, taste was not that bad, but I would see no problem drinking the two seperately if you can’t stomach them together.
Great posting…
I am starting the insanity workout program. Is this alternative a good formula for this?
Also, I’ve noticed some muscle soreness. Is there any antioxidants additive to help reduce muscle soreness.
Is once a day drink good enough for the insanity workout
Thank you very much for sharing your formula and commnets…
Yes, I believe this P90X recovery drink alternative would be great for immediately after Insanity workouts also.
For muscle soreness, you could take a couple of Ibuprofen and use an icepack on the affected area for 15-20 minutes.
@level99
Level99,
Nice response on just using gatorade for recovery. I have done P90X a couple of times now (dropped out after 2 months on my first run due to knee injury and working on my second go with it now) and I never tried the recovery drink and instead used gatorade. I have been very good about following the diet and feel that you get plenty of protein through the regular diet. And just as you said, on weight training days my “recovery drink” is a protein shake and on the cardio days I go with a gatorade for recovery.
Maybe I am missing out on something, but it doesn’t feel like it. After my first 2 months I dropped 20 pounds and lost 3 inches in my waist. My abs are starting to show again for the first time in about 5 years too.
Bottom line – I couldn’t agree more!
So have you tried Endorux R4 for your next p90x round? I just read your post and wanted to know if I did mistake spending $40 for Endorux RD.
I have not done a second round of P90X, but am hoping to soon.
Can anyone give any recs for the Gatorade/Gold Standard Whey mix regarding flavors (i.e. which flavors go best, or at least are tolerable together)? I would love to try this out as opposed to the P90X mix, which I’ve been using, but which is crazy expensive, but am a little nervous about making a really foul mixture that I can’t gag down…
I have been using chocolate whey with orange gatorade mix and I think it tastes fine. The 3 tbsp of gatorade overpowers everything.
Would you say 1tsp would give me the 5 grams of creatine?
Most brands, Yes. But, check the label to be sure.
Hi,
Quick question, instead of the gatorade powder, can i use apple/grape juice instead?
Thanks!
Yes, you can substitute apple/grape juice for the Gatorade, but it is highly recommended to use something like Gatorade that is dextrose, fruit juice is sucrose which does not restore muscle glycogen as effectively.
I was actually doing this mix for a recovery drink already so I was glad to see someone else posted about this. However, I believe I dont have the correct ratio going for the 4:1. Im doing the following ratio of scoops:
- 1 scoop (using provided scoop) of gatorade mix
- 1/2 to 1 scoops (using provided scoop) of Whey protein
- 1 serving of creatine
- 10 to 12 ounces of water
Is that giving me a 4:1 ratio? If not, can you please let me know so I can obtain the proper 4:1 ratio. I use this drink everyday besides YogaX and StretchX days.
Thanks!
Looks good to me Doug!
hey there, great article.
i want to do the whey/gatorade option. now, there are several kinds of gatorade mixes out there. what is the one that i should be buying?
G-Series ?
I used Gatorade G Series Lemon-Lime flavor. Use whatever flavor you like most.
So just to confirm, you reccomend 3 servings of gatorade powder, half a scoop of optimum whey, and 5 grams of creatine (if you want), right?
Also, can I ask why you choose not to use the creatine?
Yes, 3 servings Gatorade, 1/2 scoop whey protein, + 5 gr. creatine.
I personally don’t use creatine because it gives me nausea.
Lemon/Lime gatorade and Strawberry whey protein actually tastes pretty good…gotta keep stirring though cause I find the creatine mix to sink to the bottom.
Do you think that the 3 tbsp of gatorade is too much sugar?
Good call on the Lemon/Lime Gatorade with Strawberry whey flavor, pretty tasty.
The sugar is imperative after working out as it will spike your insulin levels, insulin is essential for glycogen(low glycogen leads to muscle breakdown) and protein synthesis which in turn results in an increase in lean muscle mass.
If anyone is into advocate I use the rehydrated which is great! The Gatorade sounds like a great alternative as well.
Good post. I have used the same protein powder for my recovery drink for some time now (with Insanity and P90x), but I use Nestle chocolate syrup or strawberry syrup for the carbs. It’s almost pure sugar, so if you want a 4 to 1 ratio, you just add 4 tablespoons of syrup to one half scoop of whey powder, and mix with about 12 oz of water. Cheap, and tastes great!
Just be careful as the sugar in Nestle Syrup is sucrose.
While sucrose does restore glycogen, it is not as effective at transporting protein as dextrose the sugar in Gatorade is.
What about L-Arginine? I don’t see that in any of the things you are showing as an alternative and that is present in the P90X formula. Just wondering if that was omitted for some reason or if it is even necessary.
Yes, the P90X formula does include 700 mg L-Arginine. I did not include it since arginine is a non-essential amino acid(non-essential amino acids do not help build muscle like essential amino acids do) that is already produced in the body.
That being said arginine does improve blood flood and you may get more of a pumped feel by using it. The only studies I have read say it may reduce muscle wasting in people with auto-immune disease, but has no effect on the muscle of healthy people.
Thanks for this helpful article. I’m on day two P90X, and used your Gatorade/Whey Protein mix for the first time, today, after having had some emergency chocolate milk, yesterday.
However, my stomach now hurts. According to the nutrition facts on my Gatorade container 3 tablespoons contain 33g of carbs. The whey protein I’m using is 25g protein per scoop. So I took 4 tbsp of Gatorade powder, and half a scoop of whey protein, resulting in 45g of carbs and 12g of protein, which seems to be pretty close to the 4:1 ratio. Regarding calories I get exactly 220 calories which according to my research is the same amount as in the original P90X recovery drink.
But because 3 tbsp make 500 mL of Gatorade, I added a whole bunch of water to the mix, probably a quart in total. I had to gulp all that down, because all the nutrients were now in all that water. That’s why my stomach hurts so bad, now. I had plenty of water before and during workout.
I should have read some of the comments and your replies, above. Do you really only add one cup of water to that mix? Can you still drink that or would you rather recommend a spoon for that
Another question regarding the whey protein. I went to the grocery store, and was standing before all those different containers. I had never imagined that there was such a wide variety. However, I went with the only one that didn’t have a flavor in it, like vanilla or chocolate, as I thought that wouldn’t go to well with the Gatorade. Is that right? Because I think that stuff is pretty untasty and tastes like saliva. Are you using unflavored whey protein, too? Maybe I’m just not used to the taste of it, and will have to give it some time.
Thanks again for this awesome blog post.
Hi Jan,
Sounds like you have the 4 to 1 ratio down.
Not sure I understand your first question. I at first used only used a glass and a spoon to mix the drink, now I use probably about 12oz. of water and a Blenderbottle.
I’ve tried unflavored whey protein and can relate that the taste is pretty bad. You should get used to it, but next time I would get a flavored protein.
I just tried a mix of Lemon/Lime Gatorade with Strawberry flavored whey that a commenter recommended and it was actually pretty good tasting.
Hope that helps.
This post is awesome, man. I was looking for a good recovery drink after I found out that my Whey protein and almond milk wasn’t really a good recovery choice. I have a question about which days I should take a protein shake and recovery drink.
Today is my 2nd day doing P90X and I’m not gonna lie, It’s brutal but it’s exactly what I need. I had to stop 3/4 of the way through yesterday because I felt sick and light headed. any reason for that? or could it just be because I am new and my body isn’t used to it?
Should I drink a protein drink in the morning on the days I do strength training or everyday?
Should I only take the recovery drink (Whey,Gatorade, and maybe some creatine) on strength days or everyday?
I want to lose about 60-70 pounds and be ripped so is creatine good to add to the recovery drink or should I leave it out?
Thanks in advance for your response. I look forward to it. Again this was an awesome post. Glad I found it.
Hi Eddie,
I’ll try my best to answer your questions.
“I felt sick and light headed. any reason for that? or could it just be because I am new and my body isn’t used to it?”
There are a couple of common reasons for feeling light headed when exercising.
1.Your blood sugar levels may have been low. When exercising, your body first burns blood sugar calories – low blood sugar levels can cause you to feel light headed/dizzy.
To combat this, try eating a small meal or snack about an hour before working out, like fruit or vegetables, or low-fat cheese.
2.Dehydration. You also could have been dehydrated. The P90X workouts are very intense and you’re not only sweating water, but also nutrients.
On some of the more intense P90X workouts like Plyometrics and Legs & Back, you may want to start sipping your recovery drink halfway through the workouts. This way, you will be replacing the water you sweat out and also the sodium and potassium.
If you continue to get the light headed feeling, it may be a good idea to contact your doctor to ensure there are no hidden problems like heart disease.
“Should I drink a protein drink in the morning on the days I do strength training or everyday?”
A whole food meal in the morning is best if you are able to. For me, I needed convenience, so a scoop of whey protein mixed with low-fat milk and a piece of fruit was my breakfast.
“Should I only take the recovery drink (Whey,Gatorade, and maybe some creatine) on strength days or everyday?”
Everyday except rest days and after Yoga is optional. However if you feel drained of energy, drink it.
“I want to lose about 60-70 pounds and be ripped so is creatine good to add to the recovery drink or should I leave it out?”
Creatine has its pros and cons when trying to lose weight. Creatine causes water retention. It is not uncommon for athletes to gain 1 to 3 pounds of water weight after a couple of weeks of creatine use. Not exactly what you need or want when trying to lose weight.
Without getting into too much detail here, there is also a positive effect of creatine on weight loss. Creatine will help you squeeze out a couple more reps, which will lead to a greater gains in lean muscle mass. Lean muscle mass will help you burn more calories, which will lead to a greater amount of weight loss in the long run.
My advice would be to use creatine until you are within 5 to 10 pounds of your goal body weight, then cut it from your diet.
That all sounds good man. Thanks. I think it might have been good with the whole lightheaded and dizziness. I had an apple and some almonds an hour before my workout yesterday and had no problems.
Should I have a protein shake during the day as well as a recovery drink? Like maybe as a snack just to get that extra protein in the nutrition plan?
I appreciate your response. Thanks a lot.
Awesome article, and I have nothing to include but this.
My first time around with P90X I tried “doing things on my own”. I didn’t bother to follow a diet, etc. This time around I decided to follow (comfortably..) the P90X Nutrition Plan. It has a great guide for food and Recovery Drink / Protein Shake consumption. This menu has helped me not only lose weight but keeps me on track for when I should drink my Protein drinks. If you don’t have it I believe you can purchase it from the P90X website. IT is truly valuable!
Yes, you can have a protein shake during the day to fill in a protein block or two. I often did this during Phase I of the P90X diet.
hi awesome article but i have one question… ive been doing the p90x program for 2 weeks now but i do not have a recovery drink. i read that it is basicallly to gain mass but i do not want mass i like being skinny. im skinny but flabby im not muscular at all.i just want to get stronger, leaner and more defined. what would you recomend for me??? is there a special drink i should buy??? thanks alot!
Hi Martin, the recovery drink options in this article will not make you gain mass/weight, they are not high in calories.
The main point of using a recovery drink is to help your muscles recover faster from the workouts than they normally would. This allows you train harder, longer and more frequently than you could with no recovery drink.
Hope that helps.
I know that above you recommended Optimum Nutrition, but what about the Body Fortress Whey Protein powders that Walmart sell? They are considerably cheaper…are they a decent alternative to Optimum Nutrition or is there no comparison?
Hi Wayne, I have used the Body Fortress from Walmart and found it to be very gritty and it would stick considerably to the side of a glass when mixing with a spoon. Personally Optimum Whey is my favorite, it used to be much less expensive, but I still believe it is the best value whey protein on the market today.
I have using your recovery drink alternative since I started the Insanity program a little over a month ago. I found that it does help me out alot, but since I have started Month 2, I am not feeling “recovered” at all. I have been like a zombie at work all day (I work out at 5am) and havent been able to shake it. Is there anything that you can reccomend to improve my recovery?
Also, I havent lost 1 lb on Insanity program – I’ve actually gained 3! I am working hard and eating well so I was wondering what your thoughts were with regards to the creatine in the drink – do you think that this could have caused my weight gain?
Hey Rob, Have you increased your intake of complex carbohydrates? If not you may want to add 200 calories of complex carbohydrates to your diet. You may also want to look at taking a multivitamin if you are not already, two that I can recommend are Optimum Nutrition Opti-Men Multivitamins and Universal Animal Pak Sports Nutrition Supplement.
Creatine can definitely be the cause of some water weight gain plus you could have also added a few pounds of lean muscle mass. Instead of using the scale you could take measurements and use photos to track your progress.
I would recommend looking into Ensure (muscle health shake – revigor) as an alternative. It has been working great for me as a recovery drink, but I don’t have a comparison as I have not used other supplements. Nonetheless, it has: 250 calories, 13g protien, 32g carb (2:25 carb/protien ratio mentioned above), HMB which is said to cut down muscle protein breakdown, etc. Your thoughts? Oh, and at $6 for a four pack = $1.50 per bottle. Not bad.
Hi Victor, I took a look at Ensure(revigor) a couple of problems I see for it being used as an after workout recovery drink is the sugar in it is sucrose a slower acting sugar than dextrose, it is also contains less than .5% whey protein a faster digesting protein, the main protein in revigor is milk and soy proteins, slower acting proteins. With that said, I do think it would make for a great addition to a healthy diet as a snack for convenience or even as a small meal replacement shake just not optimal for a recovery drink.
The usefulness of Beta-hydroxy Beta-methylbutyrate (HMB) which is formed naturally in the body by a breakdown of the amino acid Leucine has been highly debated over the last few years. The only major study that was performed found that it did preserve muscle mass in people with auto immune dysfunction, but no major studies have been performed with weight training athletes. Smaller scale studies do suggest it may increase strength/muscle mass and decrease muscle soreness, but these studies have to be taken with a grain of salt as many are performed by companies that are selling the supplements. In the end if you find it helps you recover better I would continue to use it as it has no known negative effects.
Thanks for your informative reply! We were debating it at work; others prefer the P90X (RRF). One thought HMB was banned from the Olympics (not a worry to me) but I haven’t found evidence of that. Anyway, they let me try one of their P90X formulas. So far it’s a little chalkier and different in that it’s smooth orange. I’m sure it’s grate for me. In humor, maybe I should take some strawberry Ensure (revigor) and mix it with low fat chocolate milk! All the nutritional benefit and tastes like chocolate covered strawberries!
HMB is not on the banned list of supplements by the Olympic committee, it was however illegal in Australia when it first appeared on the market, but has since has been deemed safe and is now legal.
I saw that you told an earlier poster that 100% fruit juice would be suitable substitute for the Gatorade.
The fructose in the fruit juice will mainly restore glycogen in the liver. Very little goes towards restoration of muscle glycogen.
Thank you, the comment has been corrected.
Hey! I wanted to ask will i still gain muscle mass if I do p90x+ without a recovery drink or a protein shake?
Hi Joseph, the recovery drink in my mind is essential, your body burns lots of carbs during the workouts and breaks down muscle tissue, a recovery drink greatly improves your body’s ability to recover faster.
Protein shakes are often used for convenience and not necessary, a healthy whole food meal is just as good if not better.
Yes, you can still gain mass without using either, but I would at least try to use a recovery drink after workouts.
Very helpful information. My question is on the amount of creatine suggested. If I’m reading the P90X label correctly it looks like they only include 1/2 gram of creatine per serving. Is your suggestion of 5 grams of creatine necessary for someone not looking to “bulk-up”. I’m not really sure if creatine is necessary at all honestly, but was curious if the smaller amount in the P90X drink is for muscle maintenance and reducing soreness. I’m not personally looking for big muscle mass, just strong muscles and general good health. Hope the question makes sense. Thanks again for the research…
Hi Chris,
When creatine was first introduced to the market it was recommended to go through a loading phase of 20-25 grams of creatine for 5 to 7 days and then follow this with 5 grams a day for maintenance. Most today don’t believe this loading phase is necessary to achieve creatine muscle saturation and 5 grams is optimum for use.
Creatine to me is not necessary in a recovery drink, yes it can help people get an extra repetition or two at the end of set, but for someone who just wants to be in good shape/healthy creatine is not going to make or break them.
Thanks, great article.
A lot of people inquired about taste. I went through a jar of the P90X recovery drink and really liked it. I tried Accelerade and the taste was bitter. I use your formula with orange Gatorade and vanilla whey protein and it tastes almost just like the P90X recovery drink, orange creamcicle (if I remember back in the day). Thanks
I work out at 5 am on the Insanity program and will soon be transitioning to an Insanity/P90X hybrid. Regarding your formula, would you drink it after a workout AND have a full breakfast. I typically drink 8 oz milk plus a scoop of the Optimum Nutrition whey protein and some fruit for breakfast. Should I drink a RR formula in addition to or instead of breakfast?
Hi Michael, drink the recovery drink in addition to your breakfast. Drink your recovery drink immediately following your workout – then, eat your full breakfast an hour after that.