Gels and other nutrional products

[sladnas]

Gu absolutely does not agree with my body. I unfortunately found that out on Noble. Clif Shot Blox are awesome, imo. They don't "hit" you the way Gu does. Shot Blox delivers a more consistent level of energy--for me at least.

I also can't say enough about Hammer's Heed. The stuff tastes like chalk, but it works wonders!

[allison]

Originally Posted by sladnas

Gu absolutely does not agree with my body. I unfortunately found that out on Noble.

What brands/products did you try? It may just be a particular kind or flavor.

I *really* like Hammer Gel, but I tried banana once I think at the top of WHT and I just could NOT stomach it. I didn't finish it. It was gross.

Also, while the flavor/after taste of Recoverite makes me want to hoark, I shared a bottle of it with Justin after our hell ride Thanksgiving weekend and then SS'd Daley the next day and felt great. So, I ordered a big container of that stuff

[sladnas]

Originally Posted by allison

What brands/products did you try? It may just be a particular kind or flavor.

Gu Energy Slime/Gel, Orange flavor.

I've found pre-ride nutritional intake to be way more important than on-the-ride (except possibly for longer rides). You have to have a solid foundation of energy stores to sustain yourself over longer periods. Just my .02.

- Mark

[allison]

Originally Posted by sladnas

Gu Energy Slime/Gel, Orange flavor.

I've found pre-ride nutritional intake to be way more important than on-the-ride (except possibly for longer rides). You have to have a solid foundation of energy stores to sustain yourself over longer periods. Just my .02.

- Mark

True dat, but trust me.. for long-azz rides like we do, on-trail nutrition is just as important as pre-ride. The thing I worry about least is post-ride nutrition. Usually I just try to get some food in me after a Guinness

If you remind me the next time we're on a ride, I'll bring a Clif Shot and Hammer Gel packet for you if you're interested in trying anything else.

That being said, if you aren't really interested in racing or endurance, stick to just eating Clif Bars, Luna Bars, Odwalla Bars, and then whatever other random snacks you like! No reason to spend the money on gel's just for recreational rides. An electrolyte/energy drink in addition to water is probably the way to go.

[sladnas]

Originally Posted by allison

True dat, but trust me.. for long-azz rides like we do, on-trail nutrition is just as important as pre-ride. The thing I worry about least is post-ride nutrition. Usually I just try to get some food in me after a Guinness

I didn't mean on-trail isn't important...but I'll damn near pass out in 10 minutes if I try to do any exercise w/o eating properly. Big bowl of oatmeal, bananas, berries, nuts, etc. make a perfect "base" for me. Your milage will very!

PS, I think I did try either a Hammer or Clif Gel from bjammin once, and it (a) tasted great (b) worked great (c) didn't leave me green in the face. I should find out which one it was...

[BSki]

Pilas Pretty much summed it up from my expierience.

Over the past 20 months I was training for Ironman Lake Placid. Much of that training was trying to figure out how many calories I burn an hour (roughly 800-1100) and how many calories my body can absorb an hour (right around 400) and how many calories my body keeps in stores (roughly 5000) I am 6' and 190lbs.

Every single person is different, and it also depends on weather conditions.

General rules:
Less than 2 hours: stick to water.
2-3 hours: 1 gel at the 1-1:30 mark sipping an electrolyte drink and water.
3-5 hours 1 gel every hour sipping an electrolyte drink and water
5+ hours is where you need to be concerned about your stores as you may start to deplete them. Take in a gel every 45 minutes. 16 oz of electrolyte and 10+ oz water. This can change with heat on the electrolyte thing, and salt tabs can compensate as well.

For Ironman, I took in one bottle of gatorade endurance and one gel every 45-50 minutes. I drank water throughout the day, but nothing in excess. This sustained me for 14 hours and I was never hungry.

If you get hungry, its too late, you are starting to bonk and need to slow down to help absorb more calories. The body absorbs slower during strenuous activity. Solid food does not absorb as quickly as gels, and gels slower then liquid.

All gels are about the same. Try the different ones out and pick what you like. I find Cliff products of all types to be the best tasting for me. Also, different companies have different consistencies in the gel.

But what do I know

[RidetheRAAM4]

Originally Posted by BSki

Pilas Pretty much summed it up from my expierience.

All gels are about the same. Try the different ones out and pick what you like. I find Cliff products of all types to be the best tasting for me. Also, different companies have different consistencies in the gel.

But what do I know

.


I stick to only cliff bar stuff. I tried lots of other drinks and gels and energy bars and all that stuff and always went back to the cliff stuff. I have their bars, gels, shot blocks, electrolyte drink. Haven't tried their recovery drink though. I always recommend cliff stuff.