Post cycling protein recovery shake fail.

My new favourite post-ride protein shake is a delicious milky chocolatey treat. Watch me as I completely fail to make one.

My son got me into these protein thingies. He’s just turned 18 and likes to move weights at the gym until his body has morphed into an adjective he describes as “hench”, whatever that means. It’s certainly working, he’s getting pretty hunky.

Anyway, having bought a variety of protein supplements from The Protein Works, I was curious to see if they had anything to offer us cyclists.

How to decide which Protein Recovery product to buy

Visiting the site for the first time, there’s a great great set of prompts that ask you what your goals are, and this produces some recommendations based on whatever your personal goals are, e.g. building muscle mass, endurance, etc.

The Protein Works has a clever system for helping to work out the best Protein product for your needs.

I fed in a series of answers that led me to the Recovery protein formula.
Having tried some of my son’s, I knew that I already liked the “Chocolate Silk” flavour so I went with that. Mixed up with milk, it’s very tasty.

You get quite a large pouch of the stuff, and there’s a measuring scoop included.

I got the Chocolate Silk flavour.

I’d strongly recommend getting a mixing jug to shake it all up in. If you simply try to stir the powder into the liquid (you can use water or milk), it will go very lumpy. With a proper shaker, it ends up beautifully smooth. The Protein Works sell them, obviously but mine is from Wiggle as it was a convenient top-up item to hit the threshold for free postage.

Top tip: do not try to make a shake with one hand whilst holding a video camera with the other! (See below!)

When should a cyclist use protein recovery shakes?

My tendency is to only use these after a long ride, or a hard ride. If you’ve put in some effort and gone into higher heart rate zones for some time, or been pushing big gears up hills to develop strength, for example. The specific protein formulation will aid faster recovery of your muscles, meaning you’re less likely to over train and injure yourself. Do be sensible with your rest days though, these protein shakes will not make you bionic! You’re still human…

A bonus offer for you – A TPW discount code

When you visit The Protein Works and use my promo code AT973159 you will automatically qualify for a FREE 250g sample of whey protein in your order, worth around £8.

When my son originally referred me, I got the free pack and it’s definitely worth taking advantage of this special deal.

Visit TPW and claim your FREE sample today! (Use code AT973159)