(Photos Credit: Adam Campbell)

We all know riding a dirtbike is physically demanding, requiring a ton of energy, endurance, and strength. Supercross has even been called the most physically-demanding sport in the world! After a long day at the track, it's important to give your body the proper nutrients it needs to recover and repair itself. Unfortunately, as a community, sometimes we neglect the importance of post-workout nutrition recovery, and how it can help you get back on the bike (or back into dadlife) day after day. Let’s talk about the importance of post-workout nutrition recovery and how you can use products like Arma’s Reload to fight inflammation and promote healthy recovery.

Why is Post-Workout Nutrition Recovery Important?

When you ride at the track, work out in the gym, or go cross-training on your pushbike, your body is put under a tremendous amount of stress. This stress causes micro-tears in your muscles, leading to inflammation, soreness, and fatigue. To repair these micro-tears, rebuild muscle, and reduce inflammation, your body needs the proper nutrients. If you neglect post-workout nutrition recovery, your body may not be able to repair itself as efficiently, leading to prolonged soreness, muscle loss, and a longer recovery time. Not only that, your daily quality of life suffers. As we age and our bodies lose resilience, it’s even more important to pay attention to our nutrition and recovery routine.

So, how do we go about recovering right? We need a few things, but the biggest is a high-quality, quickly-absorbing complete protein mix, like Reload, followed by a complete diet throughout the day. Whey isolate protein is one of the best options for immediate post-workout recovery when it’s most effective, as it can be rapidly digested, unlike a big hunk of steak, which can take several hours for your gut to break down. Protein is the key building block for muscle, and if you’re trying to make gains, or just keep the strength you’ve got, you absolutely have to be consuming it after workouts and throughout your day. If you’re working out and riding a lot, most experts suggest you should be consuming .8-1.1g of protein per pound of bodyweight per day. Reload can help get you there, with 25g of grassfed whey protein per serving. 

The Importance of Fighting Inflammation

Inflammation is a natural response to stress and injury, and it's essential for the healing process. It’s why your muscles swell after a workout or a heat, and why you’re sore afterward. However, prolonged inflammation can lead to chronic pain and other health complications. Lots of folks rely on Costco-sized bottles of ibuprofen and similar OTC medications to manage inflammation. While these are effective, they come with a host of side effects, including stomach ulcers, kidney damage, and increased risk of heart attack. That's why it's important to look for healthier alternatives to manage inflammation. Luckily, Reload contains a secret ingredient that gives it a yellowy hue: Curcumin. It’s a compound found in turmeric that has been shown to have heavy-duty anti-inflammatory properties. By including a full dose of curcumin in its recovery formula, Arma’s Reload can help fight inflammation and promote healthy recovery.

Absorption is Key

All the nutrients in the world won’t help you recover if you can’t absorb them. Luckily, Arma thought of that, too! It’s another compound lurking in your spice cabinet, and it’s called Piperine (or by its brand name, Bioperine). It’s a concentrated extract from common black pepper, and it’s been scientifically proven to not only make nutrient absorption faster, but also increase the amount of ingested nutrients your body takes in. Oftentimes, our supplements and food quite literally goes straight through us. Piperine works to counteract that, and Arma includes 10mg of it in Reload to make sure you get all the recovery you were promised.

Battling Brain Fog

Over the last few years, you’ve probably heard about MCT (medium chain triglyceride) oil in things like Bulletproof Coffee. MCT oil is a healthy fat that your body can rapidly convert to a special kind of brain fuel called a ketone. The effect? In some folks, it provides a high degree of mental clarity, and it can help beat that post-workout brain fog. Have a long day at work after your morning bike ride or gym workout? Reload’s got 6g of MCT oil so you can get the day done. 

Post-workout nutrition recovery is absolutely essential, and it’s why we made Reload. It’s what keeps the King of Supercross Jeremy McGrath going, 20 years after his retirement. But hey, let’s see what he has to say about it:

"I wish I had Arma Reload when I was racing. It's incredible how it helps me recover after a hard day of riding, even now that I'm retired. Whether I'm at the track, out in the truck, rallying in my SX, or just trying to keep up with my daughters, Reload helps me perform at my best." - Jeremy McGrath, Arma Founder

To help you recover faster, we're offering a special discount to spread the word. Until the end of next week, take 40% off Reload with code RELOADED.