Recovery Nutrition ? An Untapped Retail Opportunity
Recovery Nutrition ? An Untapped Retail Opportunity
Recovery Nutrition – An Untapped Retail Opportunity
Since their inception, recovery drinks have been problematic. By definition, recovery drinks have protein and other not-so-tasty things that electrolyte drinks don’t have. Words such as chalky, heavy, sugary sweet, artificial, and expensive have all been used to describe them – all this and the fact that you have to remember to use them after riding makes them about as attractive as flossing.
So, that being said, why are so many companies expanding their offering to include a recovery drink and why should you put them on your shelf?
Because they are truly an untapped money making opportunity.
Only ten years ago, there was one recovery drink on the market – Endurox. Now there are nearly a dozen options. In the last year, GU launched their recovery drink and most recently the sports drink giant Gatorade added a one to their line, spending millions on advertising and promoting recovery nutrition. Another new brand, Fluid has capitalized on this emerging market by focusing on recovery products exclusively. All of these companies chasing the ever desirable dollar are raising the bar with new & improved formulas & better flavors than their predecessors.
When Alex Theumer, General Manager of Art’s Cyclery, was asked about the subject, he replied, “Our industry is entirely dependent on people being on their bikes. The more they ride, the more they love it and the more service and sales they create. A recovery drink helps all our customers get on their bike sooner and feeling better. It’s a no brainer up sell for us, and people come back thanking us later, it’s a beautiful thing.”
Recovery nutrition is without a doubt one of the most recent and ground breaking advancements in sports science, but it is often neglected and misunderstood. Here are some quick stats on how recovery drinks are performing in research. While reading these, ask yourself how these apply to your customers:
Distance runners who consume recovery drinks post-workout vs. carbohydrate beverages consistently report less muscle soreness.
Trained cyclists who consume recovery drinks vs. traditional sports drink show reduced post-workout levels of the enzymes CK and LDH, biomarkers of muscle damage and breakdown.
Non endurance athletes involved in resistance training show a 300% increase in muscle repair & development when they consume a recovery drink immediately after exercise vs. those who consume the same drink 3 hours later. Not only does this show the effectiveness of a recovery drink, but also illustrates the importance of timing.
Let me sum those up:
Feel better the next day! Not sore, achy & tired.
Riding is great but can break down the body, fight it with a recovery drink!
Speed muscle repair & growth, get stronger, faster, leaner.
Basically, recover better so you can ride the way you love. Let’s take some real life scenarios:
1. The “Get healthier/lose weight” customer – people ramping up their time in the saddle are going to feel it. They’re going to be achy, tired, sore, etc. A recovery drink is the perfect solution to that. Find one that fits their needs and explain it to them, they will thank you.
2. The “I work a lot and don’t get to ride enough” customer – If you work all week, then want to hammer on Saturday, a recovery drink will help you come back and do it again Sunday, and it will help you feel good going back to work on Monday.
3. The “I just want to get faster and stronger” customer – You want to smoke the group rides & climb up your racing category? Anyone looking to improve performance needs to understand that giving the body a head start on refueling, repairing, and rebuilding is the key to getting faster. This allows you to come back stronger and train again sooner.
Even more exciting, is the recent research done on marine recruits using a recovery drink over 54 days of basic training. The investigators report that, “Compared to placebo and control groups, the recovery supplemented group had an average of 33% fewer total medical visits, 28% fewer visits due to bacterial/viral infections, 37% fewer visits due to muscle/joint problems, and 83% fewer visits due to heat exhaustion.” Essentially, marines who consumed a post workout recovery drink made faster muscle recovery, and were overall healthier than their counterparts.
According to Professional Strength & Conditioning Coach Paul Goldberg, MS, RD, “The bottom line is that proper recovery nutrition has the potential to make a tremendous difference. Athletes who are serious about their performance should consume a recovery drink after every workout, practice, and competition. If you do so, you will be rewarded with less muscle damage, faster glycogen replenishment, improved performance in subsequent exercise, greater strength gains, and fewer injuries.”
If you are
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