Recently, I received three new Torq recovery products. I’ve been using them for past couple of weeks.
- Torq Recovery
- Torq Recovery Plus. A hot cocoa drink – which is designed for more intense training sessions – designed to be taken twice a day.
- TORQ Energy Natural Organic – higher in carbohydrates. Based on a flavourless maltodextrin. Designed to provide help in restoring glycogen stores after long ride
I also got a mixer bottle.
The first thing I noticed was some instructions on how to actually mix recovery powder. I usually put some powder in a water bottle, fill up with water and shake. But, it always seems to leave a wedge of powder at the bottom of the bottle, which seems to stay there no matter how long I shake.
Torq advise, adding powder to a small amount of water, mixing into a fine paste and then adding more water. Using the instructions, and shaker bottle, it was much better at mixing all the powder. The wonders of modern technology or reading the instructions.
Torq has a pretty good website with articles on the science behind the recovery system. There was also an interesting article on the Panorama documentary about sports energy drinks. I might come back to that later.
Torq recovery is the main recovery product. It is based on
- Carbohydrate (maltodextrin, fructose mix
- Whey protein (milk powder.
- L-Glutamine (an amino acid)
- D-Ribose (a naturally-occurring sugar)
Torq recovery Plus
includes:
- HMB (a metabolite of the amino acid Leucine)
- Beta-Alanine and Sodium Phosphate
Torq recovery is specifically for after a heavy training load.
Torq recovery plus is designed to be taken continually during heavy training loads. It is a supplement to Torq recovery.
Review
After all that science and careful research, you feel a bit of a Joe Bloggs for only thinking, yes but what does it taste like? That’s the sad thing of how I tend to evaluate recovery and energy drinks. For the Torq Recovery, there are a few flavours Mandarin Yoghurt, Strawberries & Cream, Banana & Mango and Chocolate Mint. Mine was Mandarin Yogurt, it was OK, but definitely isn’t my favourite. I would choose another variety next time. To be fair, they don’t use any artificial sweetners – so although it is less sweat than other varieties, it doesn’t have any of the side-effects.
The Torq Recovery plus only comes as Cocoa flavour. This is good.
The Torq natural energy is a neutral flavoured maltodextrin, unflavoured is always good and often hard to fin.
Aside from the flavour. The logic behind the different components and micronutrients, is pretty impressive. The only thing is that I’ve been taking Beta Alamine pre-ride. Having it post-ride means I might need to cut back on pre-ride Beta Alanine.
The other issue is the complexity of having two recovery products. I know that two is not exactly that complicated, but I wonder if people will want the idea of having two to maximise recovery. Torq do explain there is a logic to taking separately.
If you want only one, you can just take the Torq recovery to play role of normal recovery product. Personally, I’m not sure I would get round to mixing two different drinks, even if I had good intentions. If the HMB (a metabolite of the amino acid Leucine) supplement helps recovery from intense sessions, I would probably prefer to take in tablet form.
I like the TORQ Energy Natural Organic. As a simple maltodextrin powder it is easy to supplement glycogen stores during heavy training sessions. I haven’t taken this yet, because with short hill climb efforts, I don’t need that kind of calorie depletion kind of recovery. However, if you’re riding for a long time, I find that the amount of solid food needed to recovery energy can be taxing on my stomach (leading to diarrhoea). This is the time to take liquid supplements.
For 500g tub, £15 tub. Fair value.
Overall, good. I like the science and explanation. I would be happy to buy again.
Some tips on Recovery from Torq
- HMB nutrient has nitrogen-retention qualities, which makes it both naturally anabolic (body building) and anti-catabolic (prevents muscle breakdown). Best use comes from taking daily.
- Main aim of recovery is to restore muscle glycogen stores. One of best ways is
- Carbohydrate / protein ( 3:1) helps maximise recovery
- Also taking carbohydrate in mixture of (Maltodextrin and Fructose) helps gain increased uptake rate.
- Timing of recovery is important. From 15 minutes to upto 6 hours after exercise.
- L-Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in the body. Taking supplements after training can prevent body breaking down muscle to replace lost stuff.
More on Torq
- Torq Recovery System – article at Torq.
- Torq recovery products at Wiggle
Related
Probably worth mentioning (for those happy with food for recovery) that the main ingredient L-glutamine is available in real food form too, Wikipedia says:
Dietary sources of L-glutamine include beef, chicken, fish, eggs, milk, dairy products, wheat, cabbage, beets, beans, spinach, and parsley. Small amounts of free L-glutamine are also found in vegetable juices.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glutamine