BoxLife Magazine Free Preview (August 2017)

FREE 

PREVIEW 

JULY/AUGUST 2017 

train 

better 

5 Ways to Improve the 

Quality of Your Workouts 

Ron ortiz 

mastering the 

sport of fitness 

BODYWEIGHT & 

WEIGHTED EXERCISES 

FOR STRONGER ABS 

+ 

A BETTER RECOVERY DRINK 

WHY 4:1 MAY BE THE SECRET 

RATIO YOUR BODY NEEDS 

6 TIPS TO GIVE YOUR BODY AND 

BRAIN THE SLEEP IT DESERVES 

#livetheboxlife

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Photo Credit: nike 

BECAUSE THE LIFESTYLE DOESN’T END WHEN YOU LEAVE THE BOX... 

WHAT’S 

INSIDE... 

July/August 2017 

12 MASTERING THE SPORT 

Q&A with 2016 Masters 50-54 

Champion Ron Ortiz 

16 BOXLIFE BOOK CLUB 

Our favorite reads to help you forge 

some serious mental power 

18 SLEEP EASIER 

6 tips to give your body and brain the 

quality sleep it deserves 

20 ATHLETE PROFILE: 

SARA SIGMUNDSDOTTIR 

Her story and the changes she’s 

made to prepare for the 2017 

CrossFit Games 

28 NEXT LEVEL TRAINING 

Methods to improve your 

performance and the quality of 

your workouts 

20 

SARA SIGMUNDSDOTTIR 

She’s earned back-to-back bronze since 

her rookie debut at the Games in 2015. 

This year, she’s hungrier than ever to earn 

the title Fittest Woman on Earth. 

31 A BETTER RECOVERY DRINK 

Why 4:1 may be the secret ratio 

your body needs 

32 DEVELOPING ABDOMINALS 

Bodyweight versus weighted ab 

exercises, what’s the difference? 

36 THE SCOOP ON PROTEIN POWDER 

Is it worth it? And if so, which type 

should you drink? 

12 

RON ORTIZ 

Shares how his training, nutrition and 

mindset continues to evolve with the sport. 

28 

UP THE ANTE 

How EMOMs, interval training and other 

variations can help improve performance. 

32 

STRONGER ABS 

Exercises to build one of the most 

important muscle groups of your core. 

2 JULY/AUGUST 2017 

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Mastering the Sport 

RON 

ORTIZ 

A firefighter for 18 years, Ron Ortiz first found CrossFit eight years ago as a way to 

regain his fitness and keep up with the demands of his profession. Little did he know 

he’d soon compete at the Games for five consecutive years and earn his first podium spot 

in 2013 as the Masters 45-49 Champ. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks, the saying 

goes. And yet at 51, with another Games title to his name—this time of the Masters 50- 

54 Division—Ron Ortiz admits he’s always learning new tricks as his training, nutrition, 

and mindset continues to evolve with the sport. 

Photo Credit: Richwell Correa | Property of Rx Smart Gear 

On pacing during workouts… 

“If you come from a triathlete background 

for example, you know pacing. Those 

guys know their body, where they’re at, 

what they’re supposed to feel like...I have 

three amazing coaches. Duke Van Vleet 

is my gymnastics coach, Chris Hinshaw 

is my endurance coach and Jason Leydon 

is my CrossFit coach. Because they’re 

such awesome coaches, they allowed 

me to go to a seminar hosted by Ben 

Bergeron. I was super happy that my 

coaches are the way they are and allowed 

me to experience that because I think we 

all have a lot to learn from each other. 

As far as pacing goes, Ben talked about 

learning to work within your lactate 

level—finding that level and working 

out at that level all the time. Most of us 

train at a 69 to 70% level. He said Katrin 

[Davidsdottir] trains at 88% all of the 

time. We’re all different and we have to 

find that level for ourselves. We don’t 

like to be uncomfortable but that’s what 

he’s asking for. He’s asking for your best. 

He’s asking you to allow yourself to be 

uncomfortable. Our bodies can sustain 

being uncomfortable for a long amount 

of time. It’s us who don’t like to be 

uncomfortable. It’s about learning to shut 

that switch off, hang in there and then 

give it all you got.” 

On a winning mentality… 

“Ben asked in his seminar, ‘Would you 

want the world to hear how you talk 

to yourself through your workouts?’ I 

thought, ‘Wow.’ There are all these times 

you’re thinking, ‘Why are you screwing 

up? You’re sucking right now.’ Instead of 

telling yourself, ‘Hey listen. All I want is 

your best, Ron. Let’s do this.’ I think that 

mental thought process changes how you 

develop as an athlete. It really helps a lot. 

It’s important to not worry about things 

that are outside of your control. Worry 

about the things that are in your control. 

And don’t worry about them. Fix them. 

Do something about them. If something 

happens within your control, you fix it. If 

it’s out of your control, don’t worry about 

it. It’s not going to change. It’s just going 

to take energy and time, instead of you 

focusing on the task at hand.” 

On the level of competition among 

Masters… 

“I didn’t really start out as a competitive 

athlete but as a CrossFitter. In 2011 is 

when it really kicked in. After that into 

2012 and 2013, a lot more time was spent 

at the gym. I have a wife who was really 

understanding of my desire to do well 

and supported me through it. Now that 

doesn’t mean there wasn’t some talking 

to about, ‘Hey listen. You’re getting home 

pretty late. Can you maybe cut it back 

a little bit?’ You sacrifice a lot. There’s a 

lot we need to put into performing at 

the highest level. The days of doing one 

WOD a day are not going to get you there. 

It just won’t. There are too many guys 

who are hungry and want that podium 

spot as much as you do, for you to just 

dilly-dally through it. I love doing what 

I do. I love competing. I love performing 

out there. I love getting out in front of a 

crowd, but the sacrifice is real. It’s there. 

I don’t care at what level you’re at, at the 

CrossFit Games you’re making sacrifices. 

You’re taking time away from something 

to do what you do. I’m glad CrossFit is 

beginning to recognize that too.” 

On training and recovering as an older 

athlete… 

“I might be incriminating myself here. 

I try not to share too much about what 

happens to me as far as injuries and stuff 

like that. Not too long ago, I twisted my 

ankle. I didn’t know if I was going to be 

able to compete. I thought I broke it. I’m 

always pushing the envelope of recovery. 

Thank God I’m 100 percent now, but 

even through injuries I think you’re still 

pushing limits. I get a call from my coach 

every day, ‘Ron, how’s the foot? How are 

you doing? What’s going on?’ He wants 

to know how I’m doing. I may get in 

trouble for saying this, but do I do extra 

stuff? Yeah, I do, so in that way I’m not 

good. Do I promote that? No. Do I preach 

recovery? Absolutely. But I think I’m sick 

in the head. I always feel like I have to do 

more. I have started to appreciate my rest 



Region: South East 

Age: 51 

Height: 6’3” 

Weight: 225lbs 

2016: 1 st place, Masters Men (45-49) 

2015: 7 th place, Masters Men (45-49) 


2013: 1 st place, Masters Men (45-49) 



5

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THE SCOOP: PROTEIN POWDER 

If you didn’t know about protein 

powder when you started 

CrossFit, chances are you do 

now. Gone are the days when 

only muscleheads touted 

around their protein shakes. 

Walk into any box and you’ll 

see the majority of athletes, 

chugging some kind of protein. As a 

matter of fact, no other supplement is 

consumed as much as protein powder. 

While it’s recommended you get the 

bulk of your overall protein intake from 

whole food sources, protein powders 

have wiggled their way into everyday 

life for most of us. As you reach for your 

next protein shake, it’s important to 

understand what exactly you’re taking 

when you consume protein powder. 

Types of Protein Powder 

There are several types of protein powders 

on the market including whey, casein, egg, 

soy and hemp among others. Of these, 

we’ll cover the more popular whey, casein 

and egg proteins. 

Whey Protein – When you think of 

protein powder, chances are you’re 

thinking of whey protein. It’s by far the 

most popular protein powder because it’s 

easily digested. 

How it’s made: Whey protein is a 

byproduct of cow’s milk during the cheese 

making process. To make cheese, milk is 

separated into solid curds and remaining 

liquid—the curds become cheese and the 

remaining liquid is whey. The liquid whey 

is then pasteurized, filtered and converted 

into two forms of protein powder: isolate 

and concentrate. 

Packaging will usually list whether the 

protein powder is concentrate or isolate, 

or a blend of the two. Whey concentrate 

uses heat to concentrate the protein along 

with other ingredients such as fat, lactose 

and cholesterol. Whey isolate, on the 

other hand, is filtered so that the protein 

is isolated from any other ingredient, 

resulting in 90-95% protein by weight, 

compared to concentrate’s 60-70% protein 

by weight. 

When to take it: Because whey molecules 

are small and simple in nature, they are 

quickly digested by the body, providing 

plenty of amino acids to fuel muscle 

growth. Ideally, you want to consume 

whey isolate protein within the hour 

before and after a workout. 

Casein Protein –About 80 percent of the 

protein found in cow’s milk is actually 

casein—and it also makes up 20 to 40 

percent of human breast milk. Though 

casein contains less lactose than whey, it 

may cause problems for those with milk 

allergies separate from lactose intolerance. 

How it’s made: To make casein protein, 

acid or heat is applied to milk to separate 

the solids and the liquids. Curds clump up 

and float to the top of the liquid whey. The 

clumps are skimmed off and dehydrated 

to become two forms of protein powder: 

calcium caseinate and micellar casein. 

Calcium caseinate is more than 90% 

protein and mixes easily with liquids, but 

it’s also more highly processed. Micellar 

casein is microfiltered rather than heated 



or treated with acid, meaning the protein is 

unaltered and therefore digested more slowly. 

When to take it: Unlike whey, casein molecules 

clot when they come in contact with the acids 

in your stomach and are therefore digested 

very slowly. Ideally, you want to consume 

casein before bed to help your body repair 

muscles overnight while your body is in a 

fasting state. Casein keeps your muscles fed for 

a longer period of time as your body works to 

process the protein. 

Egg-white protein – If you suffer from 

dairy allergies, egg protein may be a good 

alternative. Egg-white protein is a complete 

protein meaning it supplies all 10 amino acids 

you must get from food. 

How it’s made: Egg protein powder is made 

from pasteurized and pulverized egg whites 

which are then dehydrated and converted to a 

powder. 

When to take it: Like whey, egg protein is 

quickly absorbed by the body and can make 

you feel fuller longer. Side note about egg 

protein: It contains a high sulfur content 

resulting in stinkier than usual flatulence. You 

might want to re-consider starting your new 

protein regimen around any social or romantic 

escapades. 

Factors to Consider When Choosing 

a Protein 

Serving sizes can typically range from 15- 

30g of protein per scoop. When buying 

protein, look for high-quality options from 

organic and grass-fed cows. Depending on 

the brand of protein powder you buy, the 

calories and protein amounts will vary. If 

you’re looking for a pure protein source, opt 

for a protein powder that contains less than 

five grams of carbs and two grams of fat per 

serving. Choose a brand that’s low in sugar or 

sweetened naturally with organic stevia extract 

and natural sweeteners like cocoa powder or 

vanilla extract. 

Packed with Protein 

Other uses for your 

favorite protein powder 

High-Protein Oats 

Forget the sugar overdose 

that comes from flavored 

oatmeal. Sweeten your 

oatmeal with a scoop of your 

favorite protein powder and 

kick start your metabolism in 

the morning. 

Coffee Creamer 

Add some vanilla protein to 

your cup of coffee as a more 

nutritious alternative to 

traditional creamers. 

Protein Brownies 

Bake overripe mashed 

bananas mixed with almond 

butter, cocoa powder and 

your favorite chocolate 

protein powder for a paleo, 

vegan and gluten free treat. 

SIMPLE PROTEIN PANCAKES RECIPE 

INGREDIENTS 

1 scoop vanilla protein powder 

1/2 large banana 

1/2 cup oatmeal 

2 whole eggs 

2 egg whites 

Optional Toppings 

Almond butter 

Grassfed butter 

Blueberries or your favorite fruit 

DIRECTIONS 

1. Blend all ingredients for 30 

seconds or until you achieve a 

pancake-like consistency. 

2. Heat greased pan on 

medium heat. 

3. Pour batter on pan and cook 

each side for about 30 seconds 

or when it begins to brown. 

4. Add desired topping(s). 

NUTRITIONAL FACTS 

Calories: 547 

Fat: 18g 

Carbs: 48g 

Protein: 49g 


7

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BODYWEIGHT 

or 

WEIGHTED 

WHICH EXERCISES ARE BEST TO DEVELOP ABS? 

▶ 

For many, the physical 

results of CrossFit are 

a reflection of the hard 

work and commitment 

they put into their 

fitness (and nutrition) 

day in, day out. One 

of the most sought 

after physical rewards 

a lot of athletes hope 

to attain is a set of 

defined, ripped abs. Having rock-hard abs 

has other benefits too. As an integral part 

of your core, strong abdominals are vital 

for providing stability during movement, 

transferring force from one part of 

the body to another, and in initiating 

movement itself. Don’t be fooled into 

thinking that doing countless overhead 

squats will suffice in maximizing your ab 

strength. While compound movements 

such as the overhead squat will target your 

abdominals to some extent—as well as the 

other muscles that make up your core— 

you need to be supplement with specific 

ab exercises to ensure you’re maximizing 

the development of your abs. 

There are plenty of ab-specific 

movements to choose from—both 

weighted and bodyweight ones. But which 

type is best for the overall training and 

development of this part of your core? 

Bodyweight Exercises 

When training the abdominals, it’s 

important to remember they are a group 

of muscles, just like any other in your 

body. To develop them, they should be 

targeted in the same manner as if you 

were looking to isolate any other part of 

the body (glutes, hamstrings, shoulders, 

etc.). This means focused, direct 

stimulation with ample recovery time. 

Bodyweight ab exercises are versatile, 

meaning they can be performed almost 

anywhere. For the novice athlete, they 

are an excellent way of developing some 

“starting strength” in the muscles. They 

don’t place a lot of compressive force on 

the body (as your body and gravity are 

the resistive forces), thereby lowering 

the risk of injury and allowing the 

muscle to recover quicker. Bodyweight 

exercises allow you to perform high-rep, 

low-weight sets that will initially lead to 

the growth of the abdominal muscles. 

However, to see constant progression in 

muscle size and strength, muscles must 

be continually subjected to an overload 

stimulus (having to move a weight that 

the body is not used to). If you were to 

target your abs solely with bodyweight 

movements, you would experience what 

is called sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. 

This occurs when there is an increase 

in the volume of the non-contractile 

muscle cell fluid, sarcoplasm. The 

sarcoplasm of a muscle houses fluid and 

energy sources such as glycogen, water 

and ATP (adenosine triphosphate— 

which transports chemical energy 

within cells for metabolism) After a 

workout, your body’s energy sources 

will have been depleted. Thus, during 

the recovery period, your body will look 

to increase the amount of glycogen and 

other essential energy sources to prevent 

depletion in future training periods. 

As a result, the cross-sectional area of 

the muscle increases, but the density of 

muscle fibers decreases, and there is no 

increase in muscular strength. 

Now, bodyweight training helps to 

improve the muscular endurance 




9

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SA R A 

SIGMUNDSDO T T IR 

C H A S I N G S U C C E S S 

Interview by yeimilyn lorenzo 



Photo Credit: Preston Smith 

2017 Central Regional: 1st 

2017 CrossFit Open: 1st worldwide 

2016 CrossFit Games: 3rd 

2016 Meridian Regional: 1st 

2016 CrossFit Open: 4th Worldwide 

2015 CrossFit Games: 3rd 

2015 Meridian Regional: 1st 

2015 CrossFit Open: 3rd Worldwide 

▶▶▶ 


11

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Photo Credit: nike 

“I like long and brutal 

workouts where you really 

have to push. I usually break 

up the rounds in my head. If a 

workout is five long rounds, 

I prefer to tell myself it’s 

three rounds, then two, 

rather than counting up to the 

five rounds.” 

It’s been a few months now since you moved to the States, 

what has the transition been like for you? 

RSS: In Iceland, I always trained alone. I would wake up on 

Saturdays at 7am and would train by myself while classes were 

going on. I met Rich [Froning Jr.] at the Games last year and 

I asked him if I could ever come train with him at CrossFit 

Mayhem. He said that I was invited whenever I wanted. So, I just 

took that chance this year. I decided in December and that’s why 

I came to Tennessee first before moving to California. It’s going 

to be pretty hard to leave Tennessee to be honest. I’ve made so 

many good friends here. It’s so much fun being around people 

that are doing the exact same thing as you. 

Has Rich taken on the role of a coach for you? 

RSS: No, he’s not my coach. If I have a question or need help, of 

course he’ll assist me, but I’m not working with a coach this year. 

I’m going to do this year by myself. I have so many good people 

around me. They can always help me if I need anything. I feel 

really good this year. For the last two years, I felt I wasn’t myself. 

I never had a coach before and suddenly with a coach, I had 

this pressure of somebody controlling me. I just think it isn’t for 

everybody to have a coach. 

How do you plan your 

training? 

RSS: I have a list of things 

I want to accomplish each 

week. I know I need to squat 

two to three times a week, that 

I need to do power snatches, 

squat snatches, power cleans, 

many reps of power cleans… 

If Mayhem is doing a 

team workout with the peg 

board, for example, I make an 

individual version for myself 

and then I’m done with peg 

SARA’S TRAINING SCHEDULE 

Mon, Tues, Fri & Sat: 6-9 hours 

Wed: 5-6 hours 

Thurs: 2 hours of active recovery 

7:30-7:45am: Wake-up 

8:30-9:00: Arrive at gym, 

warm-up & conditioning 

9:30am – 7:00pm: Two to three 

sessions of lifting, metabolic 

conditioning and gymnastics 

with meal and snack breaks 

in-between 

boards for the week. I keep checking and marking off the list and 

if there’s something I forgot, then I add it in. I want to surprise 

myself every day because I don’t want my body to know what is 

happening on any day. I want to surprise it like at the Games. 

Anyone who knows anything about you knows how much you 

love food. Do you follow a specific nutrition regimen? 

RSS: (laughs) Yes, I love food so much and I love to cook. For 

breakfast, I usually have 110grams of egg whites as an omelet, 



1 cup of oats with peanut butter powder, and broccoli. I 

like to eat a bar after my first session, and have a banana or 

apple and a protein shake. After the second session, I have 

lunch which can be chicken and rice or sweet potato, and 

broccoli or breakfast again because I love it so much. After 

my last session, I cook dinner at home and then I might 

have another meal right before bed. 

What’s your favorite meal to cook? 

RSS: My favorite meal to make is a homemade burger. It 

needs to be medium raw and with avocado, bacon and 

mozzarella cheese. I like it with half of the bun and sweet 

potato fries. 

We also know how much you love pizza. How do you like 

your pizza? 

RSS: I looove pizza with garlic oil instead of pizza sauce, 

and I like it to have all the meats available, bacon, sausage, 

everything, and lots of cheese. 

The best athletes are not only strong physically, but also 

mentally. Do you work on your mental strength? 

RSS: Yes, I’ve been reading a lot. Icelandic books and I’ve 

read “How Bad Do You Want It.” It’s about people who have 

worked hard and when they finally get the chance to show 

the world, they choke. The book talks about how they come 

back. It’s a really good book. I’ve also read “The Mind of a 

Champion”. 

Last year, I forgot to enjoy CrossFit. It became so hard 

for me all of a sudden because I just wanted to win the 

Games so bad. When I trained for the 2016 Games, I forgot 

why I started CrossFit, why I loved it. Now I’m enjoying the 

journey to the Games, rather than just thinking of the main 

goal of winning the Games. 

I also visualize. I go through workouts in my head with 

a positive attitude. Even sometimes when I’m just going 

through the workout in my head, I start breaking down. 

It’s just the brain and that voice in your head. That’s why 

visualization is good. When that happens, I tell my head to 

stop, and I think about something that makes me smile like 

my dad or my mom and I imagine them cheering me on 

and how much that makes me happy. That’s what I’ve been 

trying to work on now, to shut down that voice. 

I want to show girls like me that you can do anything. 

When I was younger, I never believed that I could do 

anything because I wasn’t good at anything. All of a 

sudden, I’m a person that people look up to. It was kind of 

a shock to me because I was always the person looking up 

to everybody else and jealous of their athletic background. 

I always wished I was good at soccer, or this or that, and 

I was never good enough. Then all of a sudden, I found 

something that I just love, and realized that if I work hard 

I can be good at it. I want to show girls, and also guys, that 

if you put your head into something and you work really 

hard, you can achieve anything you want. 

What is your favorite kind of workout? 

RSS: I like long and brutal workouts where you really 

have to push. I usually break up the rounds in my head. 

If a workout is five long rounds, I prefer to tell myself it’s 

three rounds, then two, rather than counting up to the five 

rounds. 

BOXLIFEMAGAZINE.COM JULY/AUGUST 2017 13 

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5 WAYS TO IMPROVE THE 

QUALITY OF YOUR WORKOUTS 

While there is no perfect training volume and frequency, there are several ways to 

improve the quality of your workouts and your overall performance without beating 

yourself up too much. Here are some ways to take your training to the next level. 

by isaac payne @isaacpurepayne 


FACEBOOK.COM/BOXLIFEMAGAZINE 

Photo Credit: Loretta wang photography

INCORPORATE MORE 

UNILATERAL EXERCISES 

Unilateral exercises are single arm, single 

leg exercises. Outside of pistols (which 

is an advanced movement), there isn’t 

a whole lot of unilateral movement in 

CrossFit. Lower body exercises such as 

walking lunges, Bulgarian split squats, 

and single leg deadlifts and upper body 

exercises such as 1 arm dumbbell push 

presses and 1 arm dumbbell rows are 

great accessory exercises. You may 

never have to do these movements in 

competition but that does not make them 

any less valuable to your overall fitness. 

DEVELOP A THOROUGH AND 

CONSISTENT WARM-UP ROUTINE 

The more advanced (and older) you get, the more important it is 

to perform quality warm-ups to get the blood flowing, increase 

range of motion, and wake up the nervous system. Although 

sometimes tedious and time consuming, a good warm up can 

make the difference between a mediocre workout and a great 

workout. Taking 10-15 minutes to mobilize tight areas, as 

well as performing adequate warm up sets before starting your 

workouts will go a long way in both improving performance and 

preventing injury. 

Here’s a simple yet effective barbell warm-up that you can do 

before any of your workouts: Perform three sets of five of each of 

the following exercises with an empty barbell: good mornings, 

overhead squats, shoulder presses, front squats and Romanian 

deadlifts. 

BOXLIFEMAGAZINE.COM JULY/AUGUST 2017 2016 

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Photo Credit: Bruce Williams @baw3_photo 

INCORPORATE 

MORE HORIZONTAL 

PUSHING AND 

PULLING 

Most of the training we do 

is primarily in the sagittal 

(vertical) plane for example 

pull-ups, clean and jerks, 

thrusters, etc. Many times 

meaning little work being done 

in the transverse (horizontal) 

plane. 

To prevent injury and 

muscular imbalances, it’s 

important to include horizontal 

presses like push-ups and 

dumbbell bench presses as well 

as horizontal rows like bent 

over rows and inverted rows 

into your programming at least 

once a week. This will help to 

strengthen supporting muscle 

groups and prevent nagging 

shoulder injuries. 


INTERVAL TRAINING 

Doing WODs day in and day out can 

be quite taxing on both the muscular 

and nervous system after a while. 

A great way to train with intensity 

without destroying your body is to 

do more monostructural interval 

training. 

For example, intervals performed 

on a rower or assault bike can 

provide great conditioning stimulus 

without creating as much muscle 

soreness allowing for better recovery 

throughout the training week. Here 

is a great interval workout you can 

try on the rower: 

Row 5 x 500m with 2 min rest 

between rounds. Pick a pace you can 

sustain for all 5 rounds. 

Swapping out a WOD here and there 

for some intervals every now and 

then might be just what you need. 


EMOMS 

The Every Minute on the Minute (EMOM) 

has become very popular and for good 

reason. The EMOM is a type of interval 

training where a certain amount of work is 

performed and then the remainder of the 

minute is used to recover. 

This training method is an excellent 

way to learn how to pace yourself during 

workouts, and to find your threshold for 

various movements and loads. The EMOM 

will also help you to better manage the 

intensity of your training. 

Taking time to do the little things, like 

warming up, adding accessory work to your 

training, and not beating yourself up with 

high volume/intensity every time you train 

will make a world of difference. Training will 

also be more enjoyable and you’ll see better 

gains in the long run. 

16 JULY/AUGUST 2017 2016 


4:1 CARBS TO PROTEIN 

A better recovery drink? 

Most of us have 

probably heard 

about the benefits 

of drinking 

chocolate milk 

post-workout. A lot 

of health conscious 

individuals, despite 

knowing that a beverage like chocolate milk can 

be beneficial for recovery, are hesitant to start 

chugging down Yoo-Hoos and, instead, opt for 

the traditional protein shake. In doing so, these 

people are missing an important component of the 

recovery process that involves restoring muscle 

glycogen. 

It’s common knowledge that carbs are an 

important source of fuel to maintain adequate 

energy levels–especially if you’re active. For some 

reason, a lot of people forget this detail when it 

comes to their recovery beverage. After prolonged 

or intense physical activity, your blood sugar (and 

the sugar stored in your liver) is depleted. Which 

is why it is essential to replenish muscle glycogen 

immediately after a workout with a carb-loaded 

beverage. Studies have shown the ideal ratio is 4:1 

carbs to protein. Even if your muscle glycogen 

hasn’t been completely depleted, replenishing your 

glycogen reserves is important to be able to attack 

your next workout. 

A study published in the Journal of Sport 

Science and Medicine investigated the effects of 

different post-workout beverages (containing 

varying macronutrient ratios) and found that 

subjects that received a combination of carbs 

and protein after working out had greater muscle 

synthesis rates and lower urinary urea excretion 

(indicating reduced muscle protein degradation). 

Carbs alone were shown to have minimal effects 

on protein synthesis in the absence of protein 

ingestion although carbs do help minimize muscle 

breakdown. 

It’s best to take your recovery shake 

immediately after working out so that you can 

replenish glycogen storage right away. Other 

than the 4:1 carb to protein ratio, there are other 

important things to consider when determining 

what goes into your shake. Different kinds of 

carbs initiate different outcomes. Carbs derived 

from foods with high glucose indices like fruits 

or honey have been shown to be the most 

effective since they’re quickly absorbed into 

the bloodstream. Fruits and sugars containing 

minimal fiber and packed with carbs are key 

ingredients. When paired with a little bit of 

protein powder or a handful of nuts and seeds, 

you’ll ready for your next workout in no time! 

4:1 

RECOVERY 

DRINK RECIPE 

Ingredients 

1 cup of 100% 

natural orange 

juice 

1/2 a scoop of 

vanilla protein 

1.5 tbsp of honey 

A pinch of salt 

Nutritional Info 

Calories: 234 

Fat: 0 

Carbs: 44g 

Protein: 14g 

Directions 

Add ingredients 

to a blender 

and blend for 

20-30s. Drink 

immediately 

after training. 

BOXLIFEMAGAZINE.COM JULY/AUGUST 2017 17

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