p90x supplements?

laura35

Cathlete
I was wondering if anyone has tried the activitamins or any of their other stuff like the shakes, or recovery drinks? If so what did you think of them? I am looking for a good vitamin for someone who is into exercise like all fo us here on this forum. something that you will feel the difference in. I have took vitamins before and never felt any different. I am trying a vitamin I got at cvs pharmacy that is called activlifestyles that so far is the best I have tried. Just wondering since I now have my p90x workouts in hand. thanks!
 
Hi Laura-
Week 3 of P90x here... I am using the Recovery Drink and the Protein Bar .... Both taste great to me.... I just replaced my daily MetRX Protein Drink & Protein Bars w/ the recovery formula & Bars... I have noticed some drop in BF% thus far as well as less overall bloat.. I really dont know if thats the rotation or the drink but.... although I still have DOMS I can tell ya that they are gone within 24 hours whereas before they could last 2-3 days. Again I cant swear its the recovery drink but it did all happen around the time I switched. Vitamins... Cant help you there as I take no multi just individual Vit & Min I feel I need.
Hope that helped a bit.:)
 
I haven't tried any of the P90X supplements. I'm thinking of trying the recovery drink because it has creatine in it. Right now I make my own recovery drink.
I make my own protein bars too. I tried a bite of the P90X sample bar and I did not like it at all. It's too processed for me.
 
Besides the creatine, check out the amount of sugar in both the recovery drink and meal replacement bars. It turned me off. But that is just me.

Lea
 
I bought the P90x recovery drink way before I went Vegan....and took a look at the sugar content in the recovery drink......and just said, "No way." My husband, who works out, won't drink it either and he will not turn Vegan in any way shape or form. I decided to follow Dr Fuhrmans lead and have a blender mix of greens and nuts for a recovery drink. I choose not to dose myself with pure sugar.

I do know many people love the flavor of recovery drink......I am just expressing my opinion that I will not drink it because I feel it is only sugar with flavor in a 4:1 ratio and I know I could do much better than that with "real" whole food. To me the drink is totally inconsistant with my goals. I absolutely refuse to put it in my body. To each his own........

So many of the bars and drink that advertise for fitness are nothing more than candy. You really need to be an educated consumer.
 
It took me awhile to like the tast of it but I LOVE it now particulary after PlyoX and the heavier lifting.

The big thing is keeping up with the diet plan (as closely as you can).
 
Apparently there is a science to the high GI content of a recovery drink. I was always told never to add fat (fish oil, nuts) to a recovery drink because it slows down the absorption.



From ABCBodybuilding:

Importance of consuming a combination of Maltodextrin & Dextrose


After reading Old School’s excellent article on post workout nutrition, the reader is now aware of the importance of consuming easily digested, high Gl carbohydrates at this time. But the question is, why a combination of dextrose and maltodextrin? Both are high in Gl rating, and easily digested right? True, but there is more logic than Gl rating to stacking these two powerhouses. Read on for the answer.

Beginning with the first concept discussed called, “gastric emptying.” Our goal post workout is to maintain a prompt digestion rate so nutrients can transport swiftly and efficiently to our muscles. With that said, it has been shown that this process slows when the ingested fluid contains a high osmolarity concentration (the second concept studied). Osmolarity is dependent on the number of particles in a solution. That is, a100-milliliter solution with 20 glucose molecules will have a higher osmolarity then a100-millileter solution that only contains 10 molecules. The shorter chain length a carbohydrate has, the higher it raises the solution's osmolarity. Therefore, it is no surprise that a pure glucose solution (or dextrose, a monosaccharide) induces very high concentrations of solute (1,3,10).

Fortunately these negative effects become greatly reduced when the drink contains a glucose polymer stacked with dextrose. However, a carbohydrate that is easily digested, and has a high Gl is still desired. Hence, a combination of dextrose and maltodextrin is advised. Osmolarity will be decreased, and glucose will still enter the blood stream at a proficient rate, thus maintaining its anabolic nature (1,3).

A second factor concerning osmolarity must now be examined. From a clinical standpoint, it is vital to take into consideration the fact that plasma (the liquid portion of blood) has an Osmolarity of 300 mOsm. This means that if one were to inject a solution with a greater concentration of solute into their blood, it would cause water from inside their red blood cells to leave by Osmosis (water always travels down its concentration gradient) and move into the plasma, in turn shrinking the erythrocytes (red blood cells). This is because the cells are iso-osmotic to the plasma (both have the same concentration of solute) (11).

A similar concept can be applied to your post workout meal. If a competitor were to consume a solution that was hypertonic or had a higher concentration of solute then 300 mOsm, it could dehydrate them (showing why digestion is rightfully slowed in a high concentrated solution). The addition of maltodextrin once again solves this problem (2,13).

The next question is, why not just use maltodextrin, and eliminate dextrose since it is so proficient? Ah, once again it is not that simple. Shi. X et al.in an outstanding study, tested the digestive effects of two substrates (any substance acted upon by an enzyme) as opposed to only one substrate in the small intestine. What they found was quite fascinating. The solution containing two substrates stimulated the activation of more transport mechanisms in the intestinal lumen, than did its singular counterpart. Therefore, more carbohydrates were transported out of the small intestine (absorbed into the blood), which additionally aided a greater absorption rate of water into the blood stream (by osmosis). Thus, the higher activation rate of transport mechanisms, even with higher osmolarity facilitated faster energy uptake and hydration (12)!
__________________
 
From ABCBodybuilding.com:

Nutrient Timing—The Window of Opportunity
There is a short window of opportunity post exercise, in which glycogen replenishment and protein synthesis is optimized. If you wait to long to consume your post workout shake, this window of opportunity will be gone.
If carbohydrates are not consumed in a timely manner post exercise, glycogen replenishment is hindered.
If you do not consume protein immediately after a workout, performance, protein synthesis, and ultimately, muscular hypertrophy, will be delayed.
You should taper the post workout solution over 45-60 minutes. This will maximize nutrient absorption and decrease fat gain
For more information on this and references, refer to Pre Contest Week - An In Depth Analysis.
Protein Intake
Post workout, you must consume 0.22 grams of protein per pound of body weight no matter if you are cutting or bulking.
Optimal Carbohydrate Intake
Bulk-up:
5 grams of carbohydrates per every 10 pounds of lean body bodyweight.
Cut-up:
2.5 grams of carbohydrates per 10 pounds of lean body weight.
Lean body fat is your bodyweight after you have subtracted your body fat percentage.
Post workout Shake Supplementation Summary
Follow these supplement guidelines post exercise. We’ve divided up the supplements in two categories; absolutely vital and vital. While taking all of these supplements post-workout is optimal, we understand that not all athletes can afford such expenses. If this is your situation, we recommend the following:
Absolutely vital:
A 92% water solution mixed with sodium
5 grams of carbohydrates per every 10 pounds of lean body bodyweight on a bulk and 2.5 grams of carbohydrates per every 10 pounds of lean bodyweight on a cut. Your carbohydrates must come from a 50/50 combination of Dextrose and Maltodextrin
.22 grams of protein per pound of body weight or 0.48 grams of whey protein per kg of bodyweight. Your protein must come from Whey Protein and the solution needs to be tapered over 45-60 minutes.
Vital (Supplements rank ordered):
5-10 grams of creatine
5-10 grams of glutamine
 
There are a lot of recovery drinks in stores - you don't have to buy it online from beachbody. You can find one inexpensively at walmart, target, health store, etc and try it without paying a fortune and waiting for the mail. I just completed P90x and didn't do the recovery drink. I didn't want the sugar or calories. I did try to follow up my workouts with a small 4:1 snack or meal.

I do take protein shakes every morning with a multivitamin. I don't know of any vitamin that makes me feel differently from another vitamin - so I can't offer any input there.
 
Thanks Cynthia, I'm printing those articles. I usually take protein powder and dextrose, but not with the Malodextrin. My husband and I have been told by numerous bodybuilders, and I've also seen it on many bodybuiding sites, to mix protein powder with dextrose 4:1 for recovery.

Here is a link to a couple of years back on recovery drinks. I posted the recipe for the one I'm talking about. There are also alot of other ideas.

http://69.0.137.118/dc/dcboard.php?...88184&mesg_id=88184&listing_type=search#88280
 
I took none of their supplements. But I did add a post-exercise recovery drink (a chocolate-soy-milk beverage that had about the same macronutrient---carbs/fat/protein---as their 'recovery drink'). Other than that, I didn't follow their diet or supplement plan.
 
>So many of the bars and drink that advertise for fitness are
>nothing more than candy. You really need to be an educated
>consumer.

I agree!

I think someone could market an 'energy' bar or drink that was just sugar with some artificial flavoring and coloring (wait...maybe they already do? since "energy" seems to correlated to 'high simple carb content' in advertising).
 
Thanks again Cynthia-

JB is one of my favorites too. In the article you just posted, he has the same recipe for homeade as I have. So, really there is no need to buy the expensive drinks.:)

Not sure what vector is though, in his whole food recovery meal.
 

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