What's better?

Since the forum has slowed down I thought I'd stir the poop a bit.

What do you guys find better cytomax, accelerade, or some other money wasting hydration product?

BTW beer is such an over killed joke. Don't be that guy!

Poos

Submitted by poopoopaddler on Thu, 01/25/2007 - 8:48am



Honey and a bit of cytomax, works great! On a slow day a shot of espresso really kicks it up a notch.

Plain cytomax/accelerade/gatorade doesn't taste too good 1 hour into the race....

pax


#1 Thu, 01/25/2007 - 8:59am


wahture wurks gud four mee. maybe a power gel or chocolate gu, but pretty much just wahture.


#2 Thu, 01/25/2007 - 9:28am


I use to drink Accelerade during the course of a race but switched to Cytomax because the protein in the Accelerade caused the drink to foam up in my stomach. I repeatedly suffered from a sea sickness symptom (i.e. the feeling of having to vomit) after drinking it for a season until I realized that burping relieved the symptom. You can see the formation of foam when you mix the powerder with water. I spoke to someone at GNC and he told me that the protein caused the formation of the foam. I don't have the problem with Cytomax because it doesn't have protein. I do prefer Accelerade over Cytomax. However, until I resolve the foaming issue, I'll stick with Cytomax. I understand Cytomax now comes in Beer flavor......look for Cytomax Lite next to the Heinekeins at your local grocery store.


#3 Thu, 01/25/2007 - 9:32am


Hammer Heed and hammer gel for runs less than two hours. Anything over that switch out Hammer Heed and replace with Perpetuem. Hammer Nutrition makes these products. Tastes good, too.


#4 Thu, 01/25/2007 - 11:55am


I'd agree with the Hammer HEED and Hammer Gel for runs of under two hours. Filled with complex carbs and some electrolytes. Only trace amounts of simple sugars--this means you burn evenly and don't have the up and downs associated with simple sugars.

On longer runs I will use either Hammer Sustained Energy or Hammer Perpetuem. The SE has some soy protein, while the Perpetuem has the soy and some good fats for the really long haul. I prefer the neutral taste of the SE--it also just seems to sit better in my stomach. The only issue with the SE is that it can go bad quickly in really hot (I live in Florida) weather. I'll usually mix it and freeze it or at least make sure it is mixed with a lot of ice.

Of course, these things work for me and I think the theory behind the products is sound. But, you have to try them and experiment--some things just don't go well in some people's stomachs. It took me going through Gatorade, Acclerade, Cytomax and others to finally get here.


#5 Fri, 01/26/2007 - 7:06am


Aloha friends,
This is an interesting discussion and I thought I'df submit my 2 cents for what its worth. I wonder about all this carb diet stuff. I personally find that I am far more able to sustain a long term workout having ingested a good mix of fats and proteins earlier in the day without any need for further carbs during the workout. Only water during the workout. For instance if I eat 2 eggs and bread with juice/coffee for breakfast I won't bonk even on a hard long workout later that day. If however I eat a bowl of cereal or a sugary breakfast, I don't so too well on workouts later that day even if I take in more carbs. Everyone's different but for me a heavy breakfast is more effective than carbs during a workout. I can't say what my blood vessels look like but I doubt the extra fats harm me much with the level of workout I normally do. Plus, these are within FDA's recent new diet guidelines. Maybe it also has something to do with paddling in a colder environment but I'm usually pretty warmed up after a few strokes anyway.
Cheers,
Bob


#6 Fri, 01/26/2007 - 7:48am


Bob's right, everyone is different, but don't just dismiss "carbs" outright. Just like there are good and bad fats there are good and bad carbs. Sugary breakfast cereal and refined grains are usually considered "bad" carbs. The more complex carbs--cereals that are whole grains for example--are what you really want. That goes for your pasta as well--stay away from your typical pre-race pasta dinners unless you know you are getting whole grain pasta. I really like the whole grain enhanced pasta by Barilla. Not too much more than regular pasta and filled with a lot more nutrition. Whole grain carbs are more complex and burn slower--so you don't get the up and down crash as with more sugary or simple carbs.

Now, pre-race meals are a whole other topic. I typically stick to things that are pretty light unless I have three hours before a race. If I have the time I have some whole grain waffles or pancakes with some soy yogurt or some soy "sausage". I'll avoid the real deal sausage because the grease upsets my stomach (sometimes it's all what you are used to). I also avoid milk products before races (purely because this big Swedish guy I race with told me to). If I don't have much time I actually will have a banana, maybe an organic food bar, and a serving or two of the Hammer Sustained Energy. Some version of that seems to keep my stomach calm enough to slam a Red Bull to get me amped for the start.

PS--it's good to always eat some type of protein with all carbs (at least this seems to work for me and I've heard it from some sports nutrition types) as it too helps moderate the absorbsion of the carbs and keeps you from crashing.


#7 Fri, 01/26/2007 - 9:19am


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