The University of Wisconsin-Madison, Sports Illustrated's declared Best College Sports Town in America,"" now has another thing to add to its bragging rights - its very own sports drink.
""Recovery Drink,"" an elixir formulated at the Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research, contains a whey protein that helps to rebuild muscles after a vigorous workout. Though the sports beverage was originally designed with Badger athletes in mind, ""Recovery Drink"" creator K.J. Burrington said the drink has something to offer to everyone.
In 2005, Burrington developed ""Recovery Drink,"" taking six months to tweak the formula and perform taste tests among UW-Madison athletes. Soon after, ""Recovery Drink"" was regularly offered to athletes. The drink comes in two flavors, orange and strawberry, and is available to consumers at the Babcock Dairy Store.
Many commercial drinks contain a lot of high fructose corn syrup and don't taste very good, said Ben Herbert, assistant strength trainer for the football team. According to Herbert, the protein in ""Recovery Drink"" provides for a better recuperation than drinks without it.
""Whey is used because it has the highest level of brain-chain amino acids,"" Burrington said. ""Whey metabolizes faster, making it more readily available for muscle repairs.""
The muscle repair process is important to the post-workout period, explained Jeremy Isenee, the former UW-Madison football team nutritionist. For a successful recovery following a work out, Isenee offered the following advice: ""Re-hydrate body. Refuel muscles. Repair muscles. Replace electrolytes.""
""[""Recovery Drink""] protein is there to enhance the [muscle repair] process, which was not happening with basic electrolyte beverages like Gatorade,"" said Isenee.
Herbert agrees. ""Protein and amino acids are building blocks of muscle,"" he said.
The men's and women's basketball and hockey teams have used the drink before, and the football team uses it everyday after lifting or practice. The successful taste tests have translated into successful usage of the drink.
""One of the best things is they formulated something that tastes good,"" says Herbert. ""Guys look forward to drinking them."" Surveys done by Burrington have found the orange seems to be the favored flavor of the team.
""It's like orange juice in the morning,"" says Kenny Jones, a sophomore offensive lineman majoring in music. Burrington herself prefers the sweeter strawberry flavored ""Recovery Drink."" By Herbert's count, the team goes through 150 eight-ounce bottles of recovery drink per practice day.
""Recovery Drink"" is not only for Badger athletes. People who are trying to maintain or lose weight may also benefit from the drink. According to Burrington, studies show a relationship between protein intake and sopaiety, a sensation of feeling full.
""Something with protein in it helps you feel full,"" she says. The protein also helps preserve lean muscle mass that is often lost when pounds are dropped. ""Using whey protein will help maintain body muscle mass,"" Burrington said.
Herbert agrees. Though he believes in ""food first, supplement where diet is insufficient,"" the trainer says he has given the drink to players who have forgotten to eat breakfast before a lift, just so there is something in their stomachs.
Differences have been noted since implementing the drink. Jones said after a hard lift or practice he isn't as sore as he was in high school.
""Normally after a high school game I was completely out of it,"" he says. ""I'm not as sore after a lift or hard practice. It does what it is supposed to do.
