energy drinks?
- Thread starter JMAC
- Start date
I use cytomax, but only cytomax not the full line up (before during (cytomax) and after.)
I does what it claims in my experience (big time in the acid reduction area) and if i did the full line it would probably be better, but oh well.
I have no experience with any other products.
cytosport is the company.
I does what it claims in my experience (big time in the acid reduction area) and if i did the full line it would probably be better, but oh well.
I have no experience with any other products.
cytosport is the company.
I've used Accelerade and Endurox. The Endurox is a nice recovery drink and I noticed that it does reduce soreness a little. Proper rest and a good diet is probably a better solution though. The Accelerade helps for really long rides but at full strength it is too sweet for me. I mix it at about 1/2 to 2/3 suggested strength.
used revenge, smart fuel, e-caps' sustained energy, gatorade, extran, and the list goes on. at of all of em i'd say that i'd buy the sustained energy and the extran and will probably use one of the two for most of this season. they are both extremely light on your stomach and have no over powering taste to them. e-caps' products take a bit getting used to the taste at first. it's supposedly a "no flavor" but it just tastes a bit odd to be frankly honest. it's definiatly worth a try b/c it works extremely well. oh and the gatorade (powder form) is good b/c it's cheap.....
Flat Mountain Dew mixed 1/2 & 1/2 with water and some electrolyte tablets. Eat a banana and some pretzils as soon as your race is over.
I have tried a similar combo, 1part water 1part Mt.Dew 1part gatoraid or acceleraid. It seemed to be a great mixture but I was afraid that the caffeine would dehydrate in the long run.
Does caffeine help your performance or just make you feel more energetic, your legs and lungs can only do so much???
cytomax! citrus cooler -- before & during race , in addition to just plan water. gatorate also seems to be a good option for me too...
after race: a can of COKE! good old coca-cola
then water water water.....
after race: a can of COKE! good old coca-cola
then water water water.....
My endurance experience comes from running 50K trail events - the energy output is similar to an XC race. Excessive amounts of caffiene can lead to dehydration but you are not likely to ingest enough to make a difference - your biggest problem will be salt loss and that can lead to dehydration and muscle cramps.
At mile 26 of a 31 mile trail run I like about 4 oz of flat coke and some salty pretzils... the burst of salt/carbs/caffeine cannot be denied. Simple sugars are simple sugars and, as long as I consume them at a slow but steady rate, I never get the crash or upset stomach other's sometimes complain about.
When I do use a gel I use plain GU or Hammer Gel, they both taste like crap but so what? It's ain't fine dining.
Hammer Gel makes a coffee flavored gel with added caffiene - it is very popular at ultra aid stations.
I don't see why not, 90 minutes isn't really going to deplete your resources and should not lead to significant dehydration. I usually do not bother with any replacement type food or drinks for efforts lasting less than 2 hours - plain water or gatoraid works fine for me.
If you find you are going to be racing in very dry or humid conditions you might consider GU20, I like it for warm weather efforts as it has more salts than other replacement drinks.
There is research to support using carbohydrate solutions to improve performance in events as short as a 10 mile time trial (20-25 minutes depending on one's speed). The fact that some folks seem to be able to race a 2hr XC race on just water boggles my mind. I have used all sorts of stuff...kind of partial to the Mango flavored Revenge, Grape Cytomax...and, like Indie says, cheap ol' powdered Gatorade. As for gels, I like Hammergel, primarily for taste and cost.
If you read the propaganda, each company will tell you THEIR product is best...but the reality is this is an individual thing. See what you LIKE, so you'll drink it. As for the simple vs complex carb issue (Hammergel beats this to death), see if you really have any difference. The addition of protein (ala Revenge, Accelerade, Sustained energy) may enhance exercise performance and uptake of carbs (there is some data, not actually all that much). The mythical/magical 4:1 ratio exists, because THAT is simply the combination that was tried in the research...no one has tried different ratios to actually see what is best...but that's typical marketing. Having said that, for AFTER racing, I have been using a "home brew" for a number of years, using a quick disolving maltodextran (originally sold under the Unipro label as "Carboplex") and a chocolate flavored whey protein isolate in roughly a 4-5:1 ratio.
If you read the propaganda, each company will tell you THEIR product is best...but the reality is this is an individual thing. See what you LIKE, so you'll drink it. As for the simple vs complex carb issue (Hammergel beats this to death), see if you really have any difference. The addition of protein (ala Revenge, Accelerade, Sustained energy) may enhance exercise performance and uptake of carbs (there is some data, not actually all that much). The mythical/magical 4:1 ratio exists, because THAT is simply the combination that was tried in the research...no one has tried different ratios to actually see what is best...but that's typical marketing. Having said that, for AFTER racing, I have been using a "home brew" for a number of years, using a quick disolving maltodextran (originally sold under the Unipro label as "Carboplex") and a chocolate flavored whey protein isolate in roughly a 4-5:1 ratio.
Ok well i think i'm going to get some of the Cytomax see what happens i never use drinks or supplements for training like i do 6 hour rides in the some with nothing but water and I do 1.5 hour race simmulated efforts with only a bottle of water I've never really paid any attention to what i'd eat before races. Would it be benificial to use cytomax during training.?
I think everyone is a little different. Even after 30 minutes of really hard riding I can start to feel my blood sugar levels drop. For any sustained exercise I need to eat or drink some kind of energy every 30 minutes or so. On the other hand I ride with some people who can ride for over 6 hours needing little more than a few sips of water.
Get in tune with your body and what it is telling you, try different things until you find something that works for you.
The stuff is nice, but its all a waste of money.
Honey water gets the job done for pennies.
Honey water gets the job done for pennies.
I use Cytomax and found it to be quite satisfactory. One word of caution though: it contains an artificial sweetener, Acesulfame-K. Both my boyfriend and I found that we experienced slight headaches and stomach discomfort when consuming the suggested serving. This happened on several occasions.
Now, we use slightly less, drink more water, and receive the benefits without the side efffects.
Now, we use slightly less, drink more water, and receive the benefits without the side efffects.
is honey an acid reducer?
In addition to Cytomax, I use a homeopathic tablet to ease cramping, and accelerate recovery. It's called Sportenine, made by Boiron. It hasn't failed me yet! 
Maybe i'll get some of that Sportenine stuff homeopathic stuff actually works really well.Originally posted by Mecannoman
In addition to Cytomax, I use a homeopathic tablet to ease cramping, and accelerate recovery. It's called Sportenine, made by Boiron. It hasn't failed me yet!