Balancing riding with work, family, and everything else means recovery often gets skipped, but the Pure Sports Nutrition Recovery Shake aims to fix that. Designed for real world athletes, it delivers 20g of protein, 41g of carbs, and key electrolytes to support recovery after hard sessions. We tested it across back-to-back trail days and strength blocks to see if it actually helps tired legs bounce back between rides.
Pure Sports Nutrition is a New Zealand brand that understands the requirements of athletes – whether Olympic hopefuls or weekend warriors – and creates products that allow athletes of all levels to reap the benefits of their hard work. We tested their new Recovery Shake product to see if it could improve our performance in those glimmers of ride time between grown-up responsibilities like working, gardening and parenting.
Key Details: Pure Sports Nutrition Recovery Shake
- Brand: Pure Sports Nutrition (New Zealand)
- Product: Recovery shake (single-serve + pouch formats)
- Serving Size: 75g sachet
- Nutrition Per Serve:
– 300 calories
– 20g protein
– 41g carbohydrates
– Electrolytes: sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium - Main Ingredients: Skim and whole milk powder, Manuka honey, natural cocoa
- Flavour Tested: Chocolate
- Best For: Post-ride recovery, double-session days, quick turnaround training
- Diet Notes: Not suitable for lactose intolerant or dairy-allergic athletes
- Availability: puresportsnutrition.com
Pure’s Recovery Shake was recently released as single-serve sachets in addition to a full-sized pouch. Featuring 300 calories per serving, the 75g Recovery sachet offers 20g protein and 41g carbohydrates in addition to electrolytes (calcium, potassium, sodium and magnesium). The Recovery Shake promises to replenish glycogen stores, restore hydration and assist with muscle protein synthesis after a hard workout. Pure also produces a whey protein product with similar protein without carbohydrates if you prefer toast and a protein shake.
While I usually use ‘real food’ for recovery, there are times when a shake is very useful, especially as a convenience product after a race, when trying to increase your overall calories, or when you don’t have an opportunity for a meal straight after a session. The key use for recovery products for me, though, is between sessions on a double day.
The Pure Sports Nutrition Recovery Shake product couldn’t arrive at a better time. A hard week of riding in the holiday period left me feeling well and truly zapped, unable to make power on the bike and feeling the heaviness of fatigue in both legs and body. While a few days of resting helped a little, lingering fatigue meant I needed to bring out the big guns and hone recovery around sessions to get back on top of things. Could Pure’s Recovery Shake do the job?
READ: Pure Sports Nutrition Review
Mixing the shake is easy; simply empty the sachet into 450ml later and shake. The powder mixes easily with water; no gym junkie protein shakers or whisks are required. Taste-wise, it has a pleasant, subtle chocolate flavour that belies the carbohydrate content. It’s pleasant and inoffensive, a view shared with others who sampled the shake post-ride, and it lacks the chemical flavour I’ve experienced in many protein and recovery shakes.
With the main ingredients being skim and whole milk powder, this isn’t a shake for the lactose intolerant or those with milk-protein allergies. The shake is sweetened with multi-flora Manuka honey, cacao and natural chocolate flavour, and the ingredients don’t show any nasties or numbers.
So how did it go? Pure’s Recovery shake certainly made my legs and body feel a little less sad and sore. While it’s difficult to tell if it’s the shake’s composition, the extra caloric boost, or just organic recovery finally happening, I am happy to attribute feeling better to using the shake and prioritising good recovery habits.
READ: Pure Sports Hydration Mix
I’d recommend Pure’s Recovery Shake for riders requiring a recovery product due to heavy training loads, persistent fatigue or simply as a convenience product when training on the move. Personally, I see a spot for Pure’s Recovery shake on days where I both ride and strength train, as that has been a difficult day for my body to recover from. For those who have food intolerances and can’t eat the race-day sausage sizzle, Pure Recovery Shake in a single-serve sachet is a great convenience option. I’d also use this on the days when I go from being on the bike to in the office within ten minutes, so I can make my 9 am meeting while also meeting my recovery needs.
Pros:
- Tasty and hits targets for protein and carbohydrates
- Mixes well
- Natural ingredients
Cons:
- Expensive
- Not for lactose-free or milk-allergic athletes
