What's In That Bottle?

Supplemented Bottles:

For each ride I use these supplements in my bottles rather than a premix like Gatorade or similar drinks. I used Hammer Heed and Perpetuem for a while, but switched over to products like this several year ago. This is not an endorsement or a suggestion that others should use these products. This is just what I am currently using in my bottles. The adjustment that I make is with the Cytomax (maltodextrin) carbohydrates. Training sessions or rides that are less than two hours in duration I usually do not use maltodextrin in the drink and may use a gel packet instead.

The BCAA's, Amino Acids with additional Glutamine are what I call recovery insurance. Are they necessary and do they add anything to performance during a ride? Probably not, but I have noticed with the amount of training that I do that recovery does indeed seem to be a bit better with them than without. Plus I use a post ride whey protein drink before the drive home. A lot of this stems from my long background as a competitive bodybuilder and you know us bodybuilders have a deep attraction to protein intake. It's what we do :-)

The Trace Mineral drops are my go to electrolyte supplement. It is just a whole lot more convenient to put a few drops in the bottles before leaving the house than wonder when I am going to pop some capsules during a brisk pace. Once the ride starts I don't have to be concerned with it since it is already in the bottles. I'll have to admit that cramps for me usually stem from riding at level higher than I am capable rather than some electrolyte imbalance.

Maltodextrin has served me well as a carbohydrate source. I prefer it over other sources and I have rarely had an upset tummy with this source. I never use the full serving size as suggested on the container. I typically use one or two scoops based on the distance for the ride. As mentioned earlier I do not use maltodextrin on short rides for weight control. Other sources of carbohydrates during a long ride are gels from Hammer Nutrition or Gu and a Clif Bar.

There are reasons I have selected each of these that I am not going to go into detail as why I like each of these supplements. This post is just to point out what I am currently using.

One tip that I use a single water flavor packet like Hawaiian Punch or similar to cover the taste of the amino acids and BCAA.

CytoMax - CytoCarb
BSN (Bio-Engineered Supplements & Nutrition) - Amino X
BodyTech - Glutamine
Trace Minerals - ConcenTrace Trace Mineral Drops

 

 Post Ride: