So, I ran out of Protein powder that I was using and decided to try Surge instead. I ordered it, but it hasn’t come yet, so I just drank a few glasses of 2% milk after today’s workout. It has carbs and Protein.
A drink that is intended for post-workout is better, I’d guess, but how is milk for situations where no supplements are available?
Depends.
Milk contains lactose, whey, and casein. Lactose is highly insulinogenic, which is good for spiking insulin. Since it contains whey and casein, you have something to feed your muscles. However, (in terms of 2%, not skim) the fat from milk is not optimal for quick digestion (fat is not digested quickly).
Also, you probably don’t have the stomach to drink enough milk to have a nutrient/calorie-dense shake. 2 glasses of milk is like 16 g protein, 26 g carbs. You want about double that, perhaps more depending on your lean bodymass.
However, if I had NO supplements or whey or anything, I would definitely choose milk as my post-workout drink.
It is excellent as a post workout drink.
I would drink 16 fl oz of WHOLE milk every hour for a few hours. There’s a lot of research stating that:
A) the combination of whey/casein is a better blend of protein for the PWO window
B) the body’s fat synthesizing mechanism is turned off in the immediate PWO window
C) Whole milk beats out skim milk for muscle protein synthesis (there was good research talked about by Alan Aragon somewhere)
Oh, and you don’t really need to spike insulin super high during the post workout - apparently, I’m just quoting research but don’t have much experience myself - because the body’s insulin sensitivity and nutrient partitioning is increased immediately post workout
I think for my next PWO shake concoction, I’m going to use Metabolic Drive instead of Surge with some glutamine and BCAA thrown in. Maybe some Ribose and creatine.
Chocolate milk PWO is great. Mmmmm. Chocolate milk.