sports drinks

I have tried most of them, but prefer Gatorade. But I find that I actually do better when I dilute it. I normally do a 50/50 to 60/40 mix with water in my water bottle for my long runs (10-20 miles). Just what I have found to work for me. I finish the workout off with Endurox (carb&protein 4-1 mix) as directed on the container. Hope this helps.

I just switched from Gatorade to Gookinaid. Gatorade gave me cramps during training. I am using the lemonade flavored powder. It has a very weak flavor which doesn't bother me and I think its making a difference.

Mike

I also prefer good ol' Gatorade, cheap (powder), easy to find, good variety of flavors. I dilute it slightly (probably 4:1) to make it easier on the stomach over time. "Thicker" might cause stomach distress and impede absorption of the carbohydrates.

I've tried Accelerade, Ultima, Cyclomax, many others that I can't even remember, and haven't experienced any benefits not found with Gatorade.

Edited by the bear 2004-07-08 9:48 AM

I've used gatorade for as long as I can remember, lemo-lime flavor only. Of course that's the only flavor they had way back when . I've tried powerade and can stomach it, but I prefer the gatorade. I too buy the powder mix because I'm cheap, adn go through so much of it. I don't see any sense in changing since it still works well for me

What about making your own sports drink? Has anyone tried that? I got all the stuff this weekend on my shopping trip but have yet to mix it up because Gatorade was on sale for 79 cents a liter. I only like the clear Gatorade -- the other stuff is way too sweet for me.

I found the recipe at this website: http://www.davidhays.net/running/sportsdrink.html

Wow, thanks for all the feedback Now I don't have to feel like I'm slacking by sticking with my good old Gatorade.

Wow, thanks for all the feedback Now I don't have to feel like I'm slacking by sticking with my good old Gatorade.

I too cast my vote for Gatorade. Seems to work fine for me.

I just thought I would pass on an interesting independent study which was literally just posted on WebMD comparing Gatorade to sports drinks which contain protein (such as Accelerade):

Longer Exercise, Less Muscle Damage When Athletes Get Protein/Carb Drink

It's an interesting read which you'll have to draw your own conclusions from. Hope you find it helpful!

Brian Shea
www.PersonalBestNutrition.com

I like Accelerade because it's more calorically dense than Gatorade. I think it has about twice as many calories per scoop, so you can make it half as concentrated and still get the same effect. However, I don't love the taste, so I usually mix a scoop of Accelerade with half a scoop of red Gatorade for flavor.

I don't use sports drinks very often. But here's an article I thought you might find interesting...

http://my.webmd.com/content/article/90/100586

Oh, LOL! Somebody already posted the article! I guess I should read the replys next time.... Sorry! :-O

I've been reading the Triathlon Training Bible by Friel - not done yet. Anyway, he explains pretty well how the body gets gains in ability from overcompensating from rebuilding from workouts. With drinks like Accelerade and Endurox shown to 'reduce' the muscle damage, would that correspond to a reduction in gains then? Would those drinks be better after you reach a certain fitness level, maybe? Or is this two different types of 'muscle damage'?

Just something i've been pondering latetly as I'm more in build fitness mode (and its related to the webmd article a bit.)

- Chad

The rule of thumb that I have always heard was.....up to 60 minutes, use water only.....anything beyond 60 minutes, you need a replacement type drink to replace the electrolytes/fuel the body. Seems to work well.

I have done three marathons training this way. If I am going longer than 60 minutes, I use gatorade (diluted with H20). Anything shorter, I use H20 only. After starting the gatorade past 60 minutes, I try for a few ounces every 20 minutes or so.

I carry two bottles on long rides. One with Accelarade mixed with Carbopro. And the other is Carbopro and water. The Carbopro is colorless and tasteless and has, I think 100+ calories and some electrolytes per scoop.
I also try to figure out what the races are handing out before hand. Most hand out Gatorade, so I will train with that sometimes as well.
Tom

My long training sessions are anywhere from 3 to 6 hours. Gatorade (for me) has proved insufficient for those endurance efforts. I have been using Accelerade, with two extra scoops of Hammer's Sustained Energy. I find the Accelerade a bit chalky, so I put slightly more water per scoop than they recommend. But all in all, it keeps me going! I'd probably use it for the shorter rides, but I'm cheap!!

It really has made a difference. I didn't start using Accelerade until I began to regularly bike over 30 miles/run over 10 miles.

Dana

I've been using SportSafe High Endurance drink mix lately and I like it. $2.99 a bottle at Big Lots and it comes with it's own water bottle! (Like I don't have enough of THOSE already...) It might not be the best one out there, but considering: I enjoy the taste, it doesn't glomp up my stomach, and it's got a good carb mix, I think it's as good as any. The biggest two to consider are how you enjoy the taste, and what it does to your stomach while training. It's good that you're trying these now, and not on race day!

As far as the recipe goes, I'd switch the sugar with dextrose. That is the main component in the powdered gatorade and accelerade...