Has anyone ever tried this tea before? I’m a couple weeks into my IM training and have never used any products before for muscle soreness other than drinking a ton of water and stretching. This time around I’m looking for other suggestions, what has worked for you? Any insight would be helpful. Thanks.
Never tried it, but I’m dubious. Caffeine has some positive effects on post-workout recovery, and ginseng is a nice, mild stimulant. But there’s good research – Alex Hutchinson has written a lot about it – showing that anti-inflammatories, antioxidants, ice baths, etc., will blunt the improvements from training. I.e., the body’s response to post-workout inflammation is part of what makes you stronger/faster, so that blocking inflammation can limit improvement.
If you do periodic recovery weeks, that might be a good time for recovery potions. Same for the taper period, when you’re not adding much training stress.
I think post-workout carbohydrates and protein and hydration are many times more important for recovery than any supplement. Foam-rolling, hot tubs, recovery rides all work. Contrast baths can help a lot with soreness, but contrast baths include cold dips / ice baths, and those can present the same problems as anti-inflammatories and antioxidants. I’m not sure if contrast baths present the same problems as cold dips alone.
Taking any supplements?
I don’t really believe getting a large portion of nutrients from supliments, but during big training blocks or if my body is feeling a bit tired, I will add small amounts of protein and healthy doses of glutamine post workout to help with muscle recovery. Could be mental or it could really be working, but I find it helps