Labrada Power Carb Review

Post Workout Recovery Drink

A few days ago (Oct 7th) I wrote an article covering the top 5 tips to get an effective workout when hiking Camelback Mountain. (Click Here to View that Article) I wanted to expand upon Tip #2 which is Take a Recovery Drink and Hydrate. Specifically, I wanted to briefly cover the best recovery drink (carb supplement) I have found for post workout glycogen replenishment. I’ll also cover what I put in this shake to help prevent muscle loss and prepare the body to receive protein for growth.

Quick Review – Why Carbs are Key Post Workout

Without getting too scientific, lets quickly look at why contrary to popular belief, carbs are better immediately after workout than a protein shake. This is especially true with a highly aerobic workout like that achieved when hiking either Echo Canyon or Cholla Trail.

After roughly an hour of exercise, the body begins to go into starvation mode. This can vary widely based on the individual and the specific activity but a general rule of thumb is approximately an hour. When you begin working out your body burns fat and glycogen (carbs) for simplicity at a 50:50 ratio. As your glycogen levels are depleted, your body taps into your fat stores and you burn more body fat. After an extended period of time however, your body will begin to believe you are literally starving and release cortisol which is a fat retaining hormone. At this point your body will turn to muscle tissue to get energy. This means that if you don’t get in calories during this period your body will catabolize muscle.

For an active metabolism and effective fat burning/muscle building it is important to ingest carbs after a workout, with liquefied complex carbs being the best alternative. Many avid bodybuilders, hikers and figure competitors find it convenient and effective to utilize a carb supplement post workout for the following reasons.

Powder form does not go bad in the heat
Powder form is easy to transport in shaker cup
Carb drink absorbs faster than edible food
Carb drink allows adding additional nutrients and flavors
Carb drink is less filling and allows for Protein consumption shortly after

There are dozens of carb supplements on the market and I have personally tried 7 or 8 of them over the years based on recommendations of professionals and through pure experimentation. I have found in that time one to be better than the rest based on three factors

Contents / Nutrition
Price / Value
Availability / Company Rep

Power Carb from Labrada Nutrition

Thus far my favorite and what I consider to be the best post workout carb supplement is Power Carb

1.) Nutrition Facts

Power Carb is a pure carb supplement meaning that it only contains carbohydrates derived from potatoes, rice and corn. This makes it a great building block supplement and one easy to stack with other nutrition. Power Carb can even be combined with whey protein to create a hyper-lean meal replacement. I also like that Power Carb contains an even 25g and 100 calories making it easy to calculate caloric intake. After hiking camelback I will take two scoops because of the exercise duration and intensity. After a less intense workout such as recreational rock climbing I might only take one scoop.

I recommend getting the unflavored version of this supplement, so that you can combine it with any other flavored supp. It will taste awful by itself unflavored so if you don’t plan on combining it with anything you can get a flavored version or add some juice powder such as Crystal Light.

2.) Power Carb Cost

At roughly $30 online for 40 servings it costs only 75 cents to a $1.50 per shake. This is an extremely affordable option. I think the only way to get more pure simple carbs for less would be to buy bulk rice from Costco. This however would be much less convenient and in my opinion trying to suck down rice after a workout is not fun, trust me I’ve done it. Remember Power Carb is a building block supplement with nothing added so when you are comparing other supplement be sure to look at the added contents, if there are any, along with serving size and container volume.

3.) Power Carb Reputation

The supplement industry is packed with fly-by-night companies that come and go. This is due to the lack of FDA approval need to produce an item along with other factors. While I think that less government regulation in consumer affairs is a good thing, its important to buy products from a company with a solid rep that you can trust. Labrada Nutrition is one of these companies. Lee Lebrada is a former body builder who founded the company in 1996. Lebrada produces many high quality supplements other than just Power Carb, including their popular Lean Body and ProV60 series of meal replacements.

Adding BCAAs (Branch Chain Amino Acids)

While Power Carb by itself is enough to help your body recover after a strenuous workout like hiking Camelback, those who look to build muscle and create a lean traditional physic may want to consider adding Branch Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) to their carb shake. Rather than completely explaining what BCAAs do, I am going to refer you to a good video that explains them in detail. (See Vid Below)

I have not currently settled in on a BCAA supplement as strongly as I have Power Carb however I am a huge fan of Dynmatize products and thus I am currently using their Elite Recoup product. Elite Recoup is great because not only does it contain BCAAs but also Glutamine, two key pieces of nutrition that stop muscle degradation and help rebuild them for growth and strength.