What\u2019s in sour cherry juice?<\/p>\n
The benefits of cherry juice come mainly from Montmorency tart cherries, a variety with unusually high levels of polyphenols, particularly a group called anthocyanins. These compounds are responsible for the deep red colour of the juice and are known for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.<\/p>\n
This matters because after intense exercise, especially multi-hour efforts like mountain stages, muscle fibres experience micro-damage. The body responds with inflammation and oxidative stress, both part of normal recovery. But when performance is needed again the next day, riders can\u2019t afford to wait. That\u2019s where tart cherry juice comes in. It helps accelerate the recovery process.<\/p>\n
How it helps recovery and performance<\/p>\n
Several studies<\/a> have shown that sour cherry juice can:<\/p>\n Reduce muscle soreness after strenuous exercise For endurance athletes, this is a valuable set of benefits. Recovery isn\u2019t just about comfort, it directly affects how well a rider performs tomorrow. By lowering systemic inflammation and supporting tissue repair, cherry juice can reduce the feeling of \u201cheavy legs\u201d that often follows back-to-back racing.<\/p>\n There\u2019s also a secondary benefit. Cherry juice contains a natural source of melatonin, a hormone that supports sleep quality. Sleep is critical for full-body recovery, hormone regulation, and even glycogen replenishment.<\/p>\n And if that wasn\u2019t perfect enough, cherry juice also contains a modest dose of carbs, which further supports glycogen resynthesis after hard efforts. So, it positively impacts three areas when it comes to recovery: muscles, glycogen stores, and sleep.<\/p>\n And cherry juice isn\u2019t only effective theoretically. In a 2014 study<\/a> by Bell et al., trained cyclists who consumed cherry concentrate for 7 days before and 2 days after a high-intensity cycling challenge recovered significantly faster than those on a placebo. Inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein were also lower.<\/p>\n A smart tool but not for every day<\/p>\n All of these amazing recovery benefits come at a cost. The body\u2019s response to muscle damage, inflammation, is a necessary part of how fitness adaptations happen. Blunting that response too often may reduce the training effect. This is why it\u2019s not recommended to use cherry juice all-year round. In the early parts of the season when improving fitness is the main goal, avoid regular use of cherry juice. Save it for racing season, especially if you have back-to-back events or stage races lined up.<\/p>\n Should you try cherry juice?<\/p>\n It\u2019s clear why the pros at the Tour use it. Unfortunately, research shows<\/a> that the effects seem to be much less noticeable in regular people. But at the same time, there are virtually no down sides, so feel free to experiment. If you\u2019re a well-trained cyclist with a VO2max<\/a> over 59 ml\/kg\/min, there\u2019s a good chance you may notice the effects.<\/p>\n How to use it<\/p>\n To get the full benefit, take 1 dose immediately after training or racing. Optionally, take a second dose 1 hour before bed to support sleep. For best results, begin 4\u20137 days before a key event and continue daily, as long as your key racing phase ends.<\/p>\n Look for products that use concentrated tart cherry extract, the pros use brands like Amacx or Enervit, and make sure the total daily intake provides a meaningful dose of polyphenols.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"What\u2019s in sour cherry juice? The benefits of cherry juice come mainly from Montmorency tart cherries, a variety…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":68275,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[4985,101,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-68274","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-cycling","9":"tag-sports","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68274","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68274"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68274\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/68275"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68274"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68274"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68274"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nLower markers of inflammation and oxidative stress
\nImprove muscle function recovery
\nEnhance performance the following day<\/p>\n