Accelerade

Great article!

I suffered through many rides last year not understanding the importance of proper nutrition and also not knowing the benefits of energy supplements and drinks. I am unable to drink gatorade while riding or running as it makes me sick. Since I've tried accelerade and endurox, my performance levels have increased ten fold and I can maintain a faster, consistent pace and recovery time is cut in half!

I have not had the post-run/ride leg pain that I normally do after using these products, and have had no injuries - so I'm a believer!

Cant find the stuff in the UK though - who makes it?

Damon you can buy it on line at: http://storefront.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/store?eid=D3hgNSNBSqU&offe...
I have never used it, but I think I am going to move from Gatorate to Accelarade.

Thanks for sharing the article Antelope (run like an antelope - favorite phish song)

I usually end up buying mine through www.perfomancebike.com. As it always seems that I must have some new toy for the bike anyhow. They rountinely have some special running on it. Like I said I recomend both products, Accelerade and Endurox.

So, Accelerade is to be drinked during excercise and Endurox after?

I started this training completely thinking all these energy drinks/gu's and after-event drinks were completely hooooey.

On a whim I purchased Endurox and I credit it with really helping my performance, recovery, maintenance.....and like an earlier poster said...even if it's all in my head....I'm sold.

nt

Which flavor is the best? Do you drink it during the workout, before, or both?

I'm definately going to try this. you should be accelerade's spokeperson!

Yes. Endurox as close to finishing as possible. I regulary use Endurox but use Accelerade or gatorade depending on the funds at the moment. If I skip Endurox usually I will be falling asleep at some point in the day. If I drink the Endurox I feel great.

I like the Orange flavor. I think the Fruit Punch is terrible, horrible, vile stuff. Lemon Lime is pretty neutral. - Just one guys opinion.

I do find it on the chalky side though. So I dilute it a bit more than they indicate and then I'm fine with it. I usually use Lemon-Lime, but haven't tried the Orange yet.

(o:

Dana

I just wanted to add another tidbit to this thread. Endurox and Accelerade are very similar in compostion with the main difference being the Endurox includes specific nutrients which are designed to reduce fatigue post-exercise. Those items include added vitamin C&E, arginine and glutamine. The Endurox is also more 'potent' per scoop (basically it's a more concentrated formula).

I have literal volumes on the research conducted on Endurox/Accelerade, so please shoot me an e-mail if you'd like additional reading material.

Brian Shea
www.PersonalBestNutrition.com

"Which flavor is the best? Do you drink it during the workout, before, or both?"

So far this year I'm hooked on the orange flavor in the Accelerade and use it with every ride. 1 1/2 scoops in one water bottle the other bottle plain water. I think the directions call for two scoops per 12 oz water, that's too much for me, so by experimenting I've found this to work quite well.

The Endurox is a fruity flavor and it's ok, I thought I picked up the orange flavor but got the fruity punch by mistake - it's "endurable".

Before this riding season, I never used any type of supplement and after using these products along with gu and energy bars, there's been a dramatic improvement in performance. I've learned just by experimenting what to use when but far and away is the Accelerade. I never leave on a bike ride without one bottle of the stuff! It's great!!

I'll have to try some Accelerade and Endurox too. Thanks for the informative article. I've been using Perpetuem and really like it and it's effect on my training ability but I'm always open to new ideas.

I'm convinced - just ordered mine at performance bike. There is a "combo" sale going on now.

Malvey,

Sorry to do a little 'self promotion', but the Performance Bike 'special' is the same as PBN's price 365 days a year. Just an FYI :o)

Brian Shea
www.PersonalBestNutrition.com

Has anyone tried the Gel made by them, I think it is called accelgel?

I also agree with several posts above - 1 1/2 scoops of Accelerade per water bottle seems to be right. As far as flavors, I go with Orange Accelerade, Lemon Lime Endurox. I avoid the fruit punch - it tastes like red chalk.

I agree, I like the orange much better than the fruit punch. I would like to try thier gels, dose anyone know how they taste?

mindy

Well Brian - thanks for your "promo" - just checked into your site and I will be visiting again. Very good stuff there. Worth a visit folks!

I've used Endurox for all my training--its the best recovery drink out there. If you are under 130 lbs they say you can use one scoop instead of two. I like the fruit punch. I also will use it in my smoothies--just ad a scoop.

I've tried the Accelerade, but it upsets my stomach (orange flaver), but I would like to give it another try because of the added protein. What other flavors are there?

Evelyn

Dan,

Wow - now that's a BIG question!! Very often I am asked, 'Please tell me what I need for my upcoming XYZ triathlon.' I try to answer this based specifically on their individual goals and what they are aiming for. In your post you mention a few different categories which I'll try to address:

Nutrition During Training/Racing
You've listed Accelerade and Cytomax under the category of recovery drinks, but I would definitely consider these (2) items to be used more during workouts.

As you've seen in the above posts, there is not a right or wrong choice when it comes to what to use during workouts. The key is to experiment with different items and determine what works best for YOU. To this day I still make slight variations to my nutritional strategies as I continue to learn what will get me to the finish line faster.

To answer your question, Accelerade and Cytomax are both meant to be used during exercise, but approach it from different angles. Accelerade uses the 4:1 ratio of CHO:PRO as it's research determined that this is optimal during workouts. Cytomax contends that this information is less fact and more opinion, so the product does not contain additional protein, but does have other added ingredients said to increase endurance.

My personal opinion and what I do in my own race situation is to use Cytomax exclusively up to Olympic distances, and then combine Cytomax with other products, such as Carbo-Pro and Perpetuem, which includes PRO, at the 1/2 and full IM distances. Your nutritional strategy will vary tremendously based on what distance you're training for, so keep that in mind when reviewing my race reports on the PBN Forum.

Recovery Drinks
For years the king of all recovery drinks has been Endurox R4. I have considered this one of the staple products as recovery should be at the forefront of every endurance athlete's mind. If we are not recovering from one workout to the next, all the training in the world is not going to do any good. I still believe firmly that Endurox R4 is 2nd to none, but I have been getting some VERY positive feedback on Ultragen as well. Ultragen is the new kid on the block when it comes to recovery and in my opinion is the 1st which has put together an extremely high quality product to compete with the history of R4.

As a long-time R4 user, I LOVE their product, but must say that I am using the Ultragen more and more and as the season progresses I will need to assess what will be the most effective recovery product as Kona draws closer.

These two products report similar benefits with regards to recovery, so just as it would not be necessary to have both Accelerade and Cytomax, it would not be necessary to have both Endurox R4 and Ultragen.

Endurance/Performance Enhancers
As I am always the 1st to say that speed is not found in a bottle, but I will say that there are products out there which will enhance the effects of a quality training program. Among others, the products which I consistently use and recommend in this category are Optygen and Endurox Capsules.

Whenever you go on a 'Performance Enhancer' it's important to treat yourself like a test subject. What I mean by this is take note of when you begin taking the product and make notation in your training log (you BETTER have a training log!!) as to any differences you notice. Differences could include lower exercise HR vs. RPE (rating of perceived exertion), improved recovery, faster times in training/racing, etc... It's important to try and quantify these improvements because if you're not seeing gains, why would you take something unnecessarily.

In summation, to answer your (3) questions:

1. Sports drink during exercise, also recovery: See Above

2. A protein formula that will help strengthen my quads/shoulders without causing overall "bloat": If you're looking exclusively for a protein formula (not mixed with a CHO like Endurox R4), my favorite is Complete Whey by Cytosport (the makers of Cytomax). This is one of the best quality protein supplements on the market and is very good when you just need additional protein. You're going to need some additional training stimulus to get those strong quads/shoulders, but that will need to be in a different reply!

3. Endurance booster to increase VO2, performance, endurance, lung function etc..: See above

Please let me know if you have any other questions or visit the PBN Forum as we've address many questions which come up on this board.

Good luck, keep the questions coming and enjoy your holiday weekend!

Brian Shea
www.PersonalBestNutrition.com

As always, Brian--your info is sooooo helpful for newbies like us! Looking forward to this summers first 1/2 IM and I've been taking Brian Shea notes!!

Dana

Your info on workout and recovery drinks is fantastic! That answers part of my question about nutrition that I posted today.

They other half concerns this -- where do things like GU and cliff bars fit into the picture? What are they for and how should I use them properly?

Looks like questions for Brian have hijacked this thread. First, let me say thanks for pointing out Endurox. I am going to look into buying some of that and drinking it after workouts to facilitate recovery. Here's my question. I bought some Gatorade Endurance Formula, mostly because of the additional sodium and potassium that it has because I am a heavy sweater. How does this product compare to Accelerade and Cytomax?

Thanks in advance for the advice...