P90X Recovery Formula Alternative

I get asked quite often if there is a P90X recovery formula alternative. A lot of people including myself are on a budget and half to spend your money on the supplements that get you the most bang for your buck. Usually its the recovery formula that is one of the first items to go. So what can you take instead to ensure proper muscle recovery? After all…muscle repair and growth happen at rest…after your workout. So its important that you use something for recovery. I am not about trying to sell you the Results & Recovery Formula even though I highly recommend it if you can fit it in your budget, so what I want to do is take a look at some P90X recovery formula alternatives for you to use.

 

Understanding Post Work Out Needs – P90X Recovery Formula Alternative

Before getting into the alternatives to the results and recovery formula, I want to be sure you understand what your body needs post workout for effective recovery.

After an intense workout with a program like P90X or Insanity, studies have shown that post workout nutrition is the magic key to unlocking increased recovery rates. What does that mean. That means your muscles repair faster, you are less sore, and you can push harder in your next workout. All this adds up to better results.

The ingestion of proper nutrients post workout have shown to be most effective in a 45min – 1hr “window of opportunity”. This means that immediately following intense exercise, your body is begging for key nutrients 45 minutes to an hour after your workout.

The purpose of a recovery drink is to replenish glycogen stores that have been depleted during high intensity activity. This glycogen fuel-up increases your rate of protein synthesis (your DNA’s ability to create proteins). When you ingest fast-absorbing simple sugars or carbohydrates like dextrose, your body increases its level of insulin production which results in the increased protein synthesis.

Having a protein that metabolizes quickly, like whey protein is essential as well. This will aid the carbohydrates in the increased insulin production.

Its simple really, you increase your protein synthesis and you increase your recovery time.

 

Optimal Carb To Protein Ratio – P90X Recovery Formula Alternative

This is something that is highly debated in the sports supplement community with no clear winner, but the optimal ratio of carbs to proteins that seems to be emerging as the winner amongst athletes, and the ratio that I recommend targeting, is a 4:1 carb to protein ratio. This means that if you have 4g of carbs, you should have 1g of protein…40g of carbs, 10g of protein…you get it.

In addition to the optimal 4:1 ratio you will want to be looking for in a recovery drink, you will also want to look for creatine and glutamine. Both are essential for increased recovery and muscle building, and both are included in the P90X Recovery Formula.

 

P90X Recovery Formula Nutrition Facts

One thing to keep note of is that if you intend to use an alternative P90X recovery drink, then be sure the nutritional macros/ingredients are similar. You want similar carb, protein, fat, and calories if you want a true alternative. Below are the P90X Recovery Formula Nutrition Facts:

 

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Now For The P90X Recovery Formula Alternatives

 

Powdered Recovery Drink Alternatives

Endurox R4: You can find this on Amazon.com for around $49 for a 28 serving tub, which works out to about $1.75 per serving. I have taken This before and was not too fond of the taste. While it does have the optimal recovery ratio of 4:1, it does not include creatine or glutamine. Of course, those could be added separately. But if you are looking for a cheap P90X Recovery Formula Alternative, then that might not be your best option.

Accelerade: This is similar to the Endurox R4 recovery drink in that it still has the 4:1 carb to protein ratio, and it seems quite a bit cheaper at about $36 for 30 servings on Amazon.com, which works out to around $1.22 per serving. However…to match the P90X Recovery Formula for a true alternative, you would need 2 servings of Accelerade as a recovery drink, doubling the price to $2.44 per serving.

In addition to the increased price, Accelerade does not contain creatine and it uses sucrose rather than dextrose. It also uses milk and soy proteins which are much slower to absorb, defeating the purpose of fast-acting proteins needed in a recovery drink.

 

Low Fat Chocolate Milk After Workout

Probably the cheapest P90X Recovery Formula alternative is Low fat chocolate milk. This is something fairly new and is growing in popularity. The brand that I looked at was Oregon Dairy – Low Fat Chocolate Milk which contained 26g of sugar, 8g of protein, 2g of fat, and 160 calories in a 8oz serving.

To get the proper amount of nutrients from this, you would need 1.5 servings, or 12oz. The average cost of a gallon of this Low Fat Chocolate Milk is about $3.75-$4.00, making about 10 servings at a price of $.37-$0.40 per serving. Now this is obviously a very attractive price, but there are other things that you need to consider before deciding that this a a proper P90X Recovery Formula alternative.

Consider that 80% of the protein in low fat chocolate milk is casein protein which is a much slower absorbing protein than whey. The sugars that are contained in the chocolate milk also do not metabolize as quickly as the simple sugars in the P90X Recovery Formula. Nor does chocolate milk contain any creatine or glutamine.

While the price is definitely right up my alley, I would rather have nutrients that were specifically designed for optimal recovery and not just sort of do the job. Its up to you though. Thats why I am writing this article!

 

The Most Simple and BEST P90X Recovery Drink Alternative

This is what I do when I run out of my P90X formula for a post-workout recovery drink. Its cheap, its natural, and it achieves the desired results! Its a mixture of Protein whey, fruit, and creatine, all blended together! Simple, I know right!

For protein whey, I use Optimum Nutrition’s Gold Standard Natural Whey which I get on bodybuilding.com for $54.99. Its a 5lb tub and contains 71 servings. Since each serving (1 scoop) contains 24g of protein, I only use a half serving which works out to $0.38 per serving.

For the fast acting carbohydrate to stimulate protein synthesis, I use a large apple or banana. This has natural sugar and it tastes phenomenal when its blended with chocolate or vanilla protein whey. At an average price of about $0.55 per lb, I can have a piece of fruit for about $0.20.

For the creatine, I get a killer deal on bodybuilding.com on MusclePharm Creatine. This is a flavorless creatine so it can be added to water and still taste fine. The cool thing aside from MusclePharm using the most pure form of creatine, creapure, is the price. bodybuilding.com is always running a buy 2 get 1 free promotion on this stuff. So for 180 servings you only pay $43.98. There are 3 scoops in a 5g serving, so it ends up costing you $0.73 per serving.

So the total cost for the most simple, cheap, BEST P90X Recovery Formula alternative is only $1.31. Compare that to the P90X Recovery Drink at a price of $1.66 per serving, you got quite the deal!

On the other hand, as a Team Beachbody Coach, I get a 25% discount on my Results & Recovery Formula which makes it $1.24 per serving. Becoming a Coach is the easiest way to cut your cost on supplements!

 

 

So Why Use The P90X Recovery Formula?

For me, its convenience, taste, and assurance that I am getting the EXACT nutrients I need from one single source. Its worth the extra $0.35 per serving for an orange creamsicle, that delivers exactly what your body needs without having to worry about some fruit going bad, or making a ton of trips to the store for ingredients. You have an entire months worth of perfect post-workout nutrition in a tub.

 

If you found my post on a P90X Recovery Formula Alternative to be helpful, be sure you like/share below on facebook. Also, be sure you leave a reply in the comments section and let us know what you use for a recovery drink or if you have a good Recovery Formula alternative!