Recovery

When training for any event or indeed any goal its important to be able to bounce back quickly from a training session.  The quicker you recover the quicker you can be out training and the easier it is to make gains.  As well as the importance on an increase in training the ability to recover fast also has its benefits when you have a family.  When you are dedicating large amounts of time running the roads its important to recover quickly.  As there are not enough hours in the day for a long run and a long recovery.

Ideally I like to get home shower and rest for 30 minutes and be back out with the family.  This can be incredibly tough after a long run as I am just too fatigued.  It takes all my might to drag myself up from the sofa and go out on a family trip.  Now missing out on those moments due to exhaustive training is a tough balance.

Do I train a lot and miss out? Or reduce my training and go out?

Well if you can recover quickly it is easier to match that balance, as you can train hard and still go out.  So its incredibly important to boost that recovery in any way I can.  So in order to do this I decided to look around for a recovery supplement.  I like the ease of use of a supplement as for someone who can’t see being able to take one scoop and add to some water is so much easier than preparing something (and with my preparation skills a lot tastier too!).

That is where Matrix Recovery XT — from their website:

Matrix Recover XT is a revolutionary new recovery formula harnessing the restoration powers of a detoxifying vitamin blend, multi-stage release carbohydrates, and a sustained release protein complex. Matrix Recovery XT repairs muscle from every angle, from eradication of damaging post-exercise free radicals to amino acid and muscle glycogen replenishment, providing you with the perfect platform to improve physical performance and increase muscle mass

Taste

One of the most important things for any supplement is the taste, if it tastes awful you are not going to use it.  Back when I was consuming masses of protein powder to gain weight I learnt this lesson.  After trialing dozens of protein powders the one I felt had the best taste was Reflex Instant Whey.  This then became my benchmark for supplements.  If it didn’t taste even close to Reflex I discarded it.

So when I first tried Matrix Recovery XT [chocolate] I was a little wary.  I ignored the instructions of mixing with water and decided to add to the milk.  Always a simple way to mask the awful taste of supplements.  It tasted nice, dare I saw it better than Reflex? The only problem was its thickness; mixed with milk it was just too thick (this might be why they suggest mixing with water).  So the next time I decided to attempt mixing with water.  This is usually where a lot of supplements fail, mixed with water they fast awful.  So adding a heaped scoop to 400ml of cold water and giving it a thorough shake it was time to take the first sip……. Ok that tastes alright…. Ok, maybe its alright actually… Ok I admit it, it tastes good even with water.  Not to mention it isn’t as incredibly thick! So from that point on it had achieved the holy grail of supplements: tasting good with water.

Does it work?

In order to test it thoroughly I decided to go for a long run and had planned a family trip out afterwards.  So it had to perform.  In short it did.  After returning home thoroughly tied I chugged a shake (with water!) and jumped in the shower.  After a little sit down I was able to jump up off the sofa and have a family afternoon out.  Even better I wasn’t a zombie on the family outing, I actually felt like I had energy.  For me thats the true test of speedy recovery.  But perhaps the more traditional way, I did feel I had fully recovered for the training sessions the following day.  Sometimes the following day can be difficult, on tired legs with a tired mind the miles can be tough.  But none of that seemed to be present and I was able to train the following day.  So for my Matrix Recovery XT really did work.

Not only did it work but it tasted good doing it!

You can check it out over at Matrix’s website, or here is a handy direct link to Recovery XT.

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