I'm going to try this stuff out. I've been getting calf cramps the last 30 minutes of 90 minute workouts, depending on the types of sets we're doing (it's worse on distance sets).
I saw a guy in my group chugging something after workout and he said he's less sore the next day if he drinks it.
Fair enough. I often go home and have a full meal after I work out, or I buy something on campus.
When you get older, you won't live on campus. :banana:
Thank you, thank you, I will be here all night.
But in general, I agree with you and Chris more than I disagree. Nutrition seems to be one of those areas where quality and time are inversely related.
Balance Bars aren't bad. In your situation, Fort, I would go with one of those plus a banana. Multiply by however hungry you are. I'm not as steadfast as qbrain about high GI post-workout. Since I generally eat low GI, that recommendation always seemed a bit suspect to me.
My post swimming meal is loaded with sugar, that is true.
Post lifting I usually just eat a normal meal since I lift at home and lift right before dinner.
I am not advocating that you eat chocolate cake after workout (but it has eggs. It has milk. It has wheat. Nutritious!).
I am not advocating that you eat chocolate cake after workout (but it has eggs. It has milk. It has wheat. Nutritious!).
Hey, can I get you to delete this post before my hubby reads it? Otherwise he'll try to use that "nutritious" argument on me. I already feel like the "nutrition cop" around here... :coffee: :cake: :dinner:
I like Accelerade although I make it as 3 parts Lemon-Lime or Orange Accelerade/1 part Gu Tri-Berry gel. It cuts the sweetness (important since I don't have a sweet tooth) and seems to work as well as pure Accelerade.
BTW, if you don't like the price of Accelerade, you can make your own with some effort for alot cheaper. Just get the patent number(s) off a can, go to the US government's patent office web site and look up the patent. The ingredients are listed and you can figure out the amounts. Then get the basic ingredients from a discount health website or similar and make your own. You can do this pretty much for any supplement with a patent number.
-LBJ
my accelerade is also mostly water. it says one scoop to 12 ounces, but mine is more like 1 scoop to 14 or 16 ounces. sometimes it i mix it too sugary i chase it with water. not often though.
i do think it bloats you. that's why i quit drinking powerade. i used to drink only water but i always felt out of energy and weak .
After I swim or workout, I'm usually in the car for at least an hour driving kids to practice. Not conducive to food/milk so much, and I hate milk anyway. I have a stash of balance bars in the car. Because I have some trouble with recovery, I feel I need to try something. I'll switch to gatorade or endurox and see how that works.
Fort, I haven't kept up with this whole thread, but the best testing & most easily digestible protein-oriented bar I've found is a 30g Protein bar from Premier Nutrition. I pick these up from Costco and usually carry them with me on business travel to avoid the Mongo Choco Chunk cookies I see at every airport. I'll often have one during non-travel days as a snack.
My wife and I also have been using Heed recently as a drink, she for running and me for swimming. It seems to go down more smoothly than the others, as well. Very mild, but good taste.
I haven't been drinking any of this stuff before or after workouts lately. Tonight while warming down, the last 25 I decide to practice a backstroke start. Well, right after the start I got a positively brutal cramp in the right calf. I mean, the muscle was cramped up hard as a rock for 30 seconds, shaking or stretching did nothing, all I could do was wait. You'll know what I'm talking about if you've ever experienced it.
After workout I went straight to the nearest store and bought a gatorade and banana which I immediately consumed. Once I got home, still sore, I decide to try two scoops of endurox. I'll post an update tomorrow.
Still quite sore today, I kind of have to hop around. I'm now keenly interested in how to avoid a repeat in the future (drinking something before and during work out), because once you've had one of these I think what you consume afterward is not going to help much in reducing soreness.
I had such a cramp on the start of the 100 back at Nats last summer. It was excruciating, and ruined my race. :( I had a massage afterward that helped. Then I dosed myself with Gatorade,coconut water and used a product called Leg Cramps. Gull doesnt like this product because it contains quinine, which apparently can have side effects. So I tend to only use it when racing. Maybe take a foam roller to the calf? I think you just need to stay extremely well hydrated, and not just with water.
Still quite sore today, I kind of have to hop around. I'm now keenly interested in how to avoid a repeat in the future (drinking something before and during work out), because once you've had one of these I think what you consume afterward is not going to help much in reducing soreness.
Still quite sore today, I kind of have to hop around. I'm now keenly interested in how to avoid a repeat in the future (drinking something before and during work out), because once you've had one of these I think what you consume afterward is not going to help much in reducing soreness.
Endurox isn't magic. It decreases recovery time by providing fuel to load back into the muscle at the optimal time, right after workout. This helps for endurace training more than strength training.
Any electrolyte solution should help with cramps (pedialyte, gatorade, banana juice, etc).
No drink that I know of will help you with muscle damage, which is what is making you sore. There is probably something, but it is still a healing process, so I would imagine you would just decrease the length of time being sore.
Eventually you body will adapt to this work load and you won't be sore unless you increase the work load. Of course, this cycle is what makes us stronger/faster and why some people are constantly trying to train to soreness. Just short of soreness is much more pleasant and might be a faster path to greatness.
If you are a little sore each day, and can fully recover in 24 hours, you can workout to that level each day. If you are REALLY sore, it will take longer to recover, and you will not be able to workout at that level again until recovered.
