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Post-event nutrition is key to proper recovery and long-term performance. Of course, on a mission away in the mountains or on the river, dialing it in precisely can be damn hard.

However, back in civilisation, doing all your conditioning prep for the “big show” is not only super easy but, you would be crazy not to get it right. Nutrition expert, Dr. John Berardi considers it, “the most important aspect of exercise nutrition”.

So, what is the answer? What do YOU pack in your kit bag for post-training re-fuel? Regardless of your training type, it has been made clear that a meal high in carbohydrates is required to feed depleted muscles. Why carbs? In a nutshell, carbs initiate a realease of insulin. This is the hormone responsible for shifting carbohydrates and amino acids into the muscle. In doing so, carbohydrate resynthesis is accelerated and protein balance becomes positive, leading to rapid repair of the muscle tissue. You must therefore, by consume a large amount of carbohydrates, to promote a large insulin release, increase glycogen storage, and thereby increase protein repair. Phew! Sounds complex eh? Luckily, there is a viable answer, available in a supermarket near you!

Here in the UK, there has been a huge marketing push in the last month (superbly timed to coincide with the Beijing Olympics) for a product called, For Goodness Shakes - a post-event nutritional shake. The manufacturers boast of 3640 elite athletes over 46 sports using the shake and are the preferred provider of nutritional products to the English Institute of Sports. Something, that in the past would not have done a much to convince me of it’s worth, but the last week of the Olympics has seen the Brits shake things up a bit.

Straight-up I was skeptical and not just thanks to the naff name! How can something sold in a supermarket, alongside Lucozade, Ribena and other flavoured milk drinks be any good? Well, I was pleasantly surprised.

The company was founded by cyclist, Stuart Jeffreys after becoming a little sick and tired of mixing up endless potions and powders following training rides. Interestingly, he chose to target the big supermarkets instead of sports supplement retailers. Good move. Instead of distributing to a few hundred small shops he now supplies all the big stores. It seems the shake has become popular both as a serious tool for athletes and those who just love their shakes anytime of the day. Hence, my initial apprehension.

Checking out the shake’s nutritional breakdown is not surprising or revolutionary. What makes the shake worthy of a chance, in my opinion, is the combination of it’s availability (eg. pretty much any supermarket you walk in to) and it’s nutritional make-up, which is not too bad.

For Goodness Shakes Choc-Malt breaks down as follows per 500g:

Energy (kcal) - 353.4

Protein (g) - 16.7

Carbs (g) - 59.1

- of which sugars (g) - 55.1

Fat (g) - 8.2

- of which saturates (g) - 5.1

Like I said, not bad, but…could be better. Research has shown that post-event carbohydrate ingestion of 0.8 to 1.2 grams per 1 kilogram of body weight maximizes glycogen synthesis and accelerates protein repair. The upper end of this range is pushing things unless you’ve had a hella long and intense workout, so 0.8g of carbs per kilogram of bodyweight is better suited. For me personally, the amount of carbs supplied in 500g of the shake (1 bottle) are just about right.

It does lack a little in the addition of protein to the mix. Don’t get me wrong, it’s there, just not enough. Anywhere from 0.2g - 0.4g of protein per 1 kilogram of body weight is what you’re after. As opposed to shooting for the lower carb ingestion above, you should try and reach for the upper end of the protein range to maximise muscle rebuild.

Another requisite for a good post-exercise shake is no fat. Unfortunately, a bottle of For Goodness Shakes contains 8.2g, of which 5.1g are saturated. Not great. You should be aware, that essential fats at other times as part of your nutritional intake are much needed. However, in the post-exercise period, you do not want them! Ingesting fats actually slows down digestion, meaning that your desire to promote rapid delivery of carbs and protein to your muscles is thwarted.

That said, I reckon For Goodness Shakes is worth a look at. Best grab one before your workout so you can get it in during that all important post-exercise window. If you’re not getting this right, you are putting yourself through hell for limited returns.

To get the full story (from the blokes that sell the shake, so keep it in perspective!) go to the website here. You can even score a free bottle to test it out for yourself.  For Goodness Shakes are running a special promotion where you can redeem a voucher at a few of the major supermarkets.  To grab one please go here.  I really recommend you do!

For more info on post-event or post-workout nutrition you need only listen to the good word of Dr. John Berardi.

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