The Beachbody Performance Recover ingredients that set us apart make us more than just another protein powder. We’re not just padding stats: Beachbody Performance Recover’s blend of whey, pea, and casein proteins is very intentional. Find out how in this article by Denis Faye, M.S. from The BODi Blog.
Forgive us: We always get a little rankled when Beachbody Performance Recover is referred to as “just” a protein powder.
Yes, the timed-release whey, pea, and casein blend in Recover provides you with 20 grams of high-quality protein after a workout to help speed muscle recovery and support muscle growth — but that’s only half the story.
Also playing a huge role in helping you rebound faster? The 650 milligrams of ellagitannin-delivering pomegranate extract you’ll find in every serving. But, sure, let’s start with the protein…
The 3 Types of Protein in Beachbody Performance Recover
We’re not just padding stats: Beachbody Performance Recover’s blend of whey, pea, and casein proteins is very intentional.
Whey protein
Derived from the liquid in milk that’s left over from the cheese-making process, whey is probably the first supplemental protein that comes to mind. It’s also a complete protein, which means it contains all nine essential amino acids that are crucial to muscle recovery.
Whey is fast-digesting, allowing it to spring into action shortly after it’s consumed. Taken 1-2 hours after a workout, when your body experiences a spike in protein synthesis, it works quickly to repair the muscles you just broke down. So, now you’ve got post-workout covered — but what about post-post workout?
Casein
That’s where slow-digesting casein enters the chat to sustain the muscle-repair process. Also extracted from cow’s milk, casein is the main protein component that makes milk white.
So, like whey, casein is a complete protein, but instead of being quickly absorbed, it forms a gel in the stomach. This is what makes casein a slower-digesting, more sustained-release protein, steadily releasing amino acids over several hours.
Pea protein
Rounding out Recover’s signature protein blend is pea protein, chosen for its unique chemical composition. Among plant-based proteins, pea is notable for its concentration of leucine, a branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) that is especially important for muscular development.
Leucine works by signaling the molecule that regulates muscle growth, while also being a building block of muscle itself. Pea protein is particularly abundant in this essential amino acid, and accounts for all of the protein in the plant-based version of Beachbody Performance Recover.
Pomegranate Extract in Beachbody Performance Recover
While nutritionists have long known about the athletic advantages of increased protein intake, they’re really only just beginning to comprehend the fitness benefits of eating more phytonutrients: bioactive (i.e., they have an effect on the body) compounds found in fruits, vegetables, grains, and other “phyto” (plant) foods.
One phytonutrient has been studied to be particularly efficient at helping fight exercise-induced muscle soreness: ellagitannins. This type of polyphenol can be found in raspberries, strawberries, walnuts, almonds, and most notably for our purposes, pomegranates.
If you’ve ever felt sore a couple days after a tough workout (a phenomenon known as delayed onset muscle soreness, or DOMS), you know what a buzzcurl it can be for your next workout. That’s why we added 650 mg of pomegranate extract to Beachbody Performance Recover.
Packed with antioxidants and polyphenols, pomegranate juice has been shown to positively impact recovery from exercise. In a study at the University of Texas, participants who drank pomegranate juice experienced 25 percent less muscle soreness two hours after working out than the placebo group.
They also recovered 10 percent more of the strength they lost two days later following a muscle-damaging bout of exercise.
And in another study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, subjects reported less elbow soreness after resistance training when supplementing with pomegranate juice.
Combine this powerful phytonutrient with a rounded protein blend and you’re tackling post-exercise nutrition from two angles — addressing exercise-induced muscle soreness and muscle recovery ASAP so you’re ready to go hard during your next workout.
