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Beet Juice - Who Still Uses It?
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I have been taking beet juice for over 2 years now, but I haven't seen any ST threads on the topic recently.

Is anyone still using beet juice as a race day supplement?

I prefer the Beet-it sport shots rather than the straight juice, and personally I think it works.

The studies suggest there is a benefit or maybe its just the placebo effect, but either way at just under $4 a shot its not a huge expense.

But I don't do the 5 day pre-race load, rather just take a shot or 2 two hours before race time.

Does anyone know when the effects of the first dose wear off? For longer distances would you take an additional shot during the race - like in the middle of the bike of a HIM?

I believe that there is a powder available, as I can't imagine trying to drink one of those shots mid-race.

Oh and if anyone intends to point me to a study showing that beet juice doesn't work, keep it to yourself :) Even if it is the placebo effect, ignorance is bliss!
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Re: Beet Juice - Who Still Uses It? [Apollo71] [ In reply to ]
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On the contrary can someone point to study's saying it does or IT DOESNT work please.

Hate being cynical about everything then something comes along and is actually proven.
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Re: Beet Juice - Who Still Uses It? [Apollo71] [ In reply to ]
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Study (Dietary nitrate supplementation reduces the O2 cost of low-intensity exercise and enhances tolerance to high-intensity exercise in humans) available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19661447 . I kind of glazed over a bit reading the abstract, but the study participants had beet juice (or placebo) daily, not as a during-exercise sports drink per se. Beet juice tested favourably vs. placebo.

I have never used beet juice during an actual race, but we consistently eat beets (mostly just because we like them and eat A LOT of veggies) and I do occasionally mix beet juice in with my smoothies. That might be all you have to do but I'd be interested to hear otherwise.

Kiwami NA Racing Team
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Re: Beet Juice - Who Still Uses It? [Apollo71] [ In reply to ]
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Apparently Mathieu van der Poel still uses BeetIt.



I do too, but who's counting?
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Re: Beet Juice - Who Still Uses It? [Apollo71] [ In reply to ]
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I think the stuff works really well. And you can buy Beotta beet juice at the grocery store and just drink a couple of bottles of that the days leading up to the race.

Something that few people know is radishes have several times the amount of nitrates that beets do. You could just eat a few radishes the days leading up the to the race and be done with it. Arugula salad does, too.

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Re: Beet Juice - Who Still Uses It? [Apollo71] [ In reply to ]
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Apollo71 wrote:
I have been taking beet juice for over 2 years now, but I haven't seen any ST threads on the topic recently.

Is anyone still using beet juice as a race day supplement?

I prefer the Beet-it sport shots rather than the straight juice, and personally I think it works.

The studies suggest there is a benefit or maybe its just the placebo effect, but either way at just under $4 a shot its not a huge expense.

But I don't do the 5 day pre-race load, rather just take a shot or 2 two hours before race time.

Does anyone know when the effects of the first dose wear off? For longer distances would you take an additional shot during the race - like in the middle of the bike of a HIM?

I believe that there is a powder available, as I can't imagine trying to drink one of those shots mid-race.

Oh and if anyone intends to point me to a study showing that beet juice doesn't work, keep it to yourself :) Even if it is the placebo effect, ignorance is bliss!

In previous years I had a loose sponsorship with a company called BeetBoost. I really liked the product, was combination of Beets + Tart Cherries, the owner is a cyclist/chef. Used it religiously in races and lead up. The way I look at it, beet & cherries is more natural than Gatorade. Only downside was that sometimes I looked like I had been bleeding at the mouth when I arrived at T2. Beets do a great job of staining stuff and water bottles are notorious for leaking/splashing.

But yes, the owner wanted me to pitch it in such a sensational fashion, that isn't me, that I decided to no longer pursue it. I am on the hunt for some Beet Powder in bulk and possibly make my own.


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Re: Beet Juice - Who Still Uses It? [Apollo71] [ In reply to ]
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I haven't really used it for a performance boost, I just drink it daily as I've found it does a much better job at lowering my blood pressure than any prescription medications. Anything beyond that it might do in training and racing is just a bonus...

"I'm thinking of a number between 1 and 10, and I don't know why!"
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Re: Beet Juice - Who Still Uses It? [Thomas Gerlach] [ In reply to ]
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I don't think powder works. Andrew Jones @andybeetroot had something some ears back about nitrates not being there in the powder form. I can try and look at his tweets but this was a few years back.

EDIT:
Andrew Jonesā€¸ @AndyBeetroot 8 Dec 2012
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Replying to @makeupbyalicia
@makeupbyalicia I wouldn't bother with powder - there is hardly any nitrate in it so unlikely to be effective. Stick with juice or whole veg

and

@AndyBeetroot beet powder is not as effective?
11:38 AM - 9 Feb 2016
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    2. Andrew Jonesā€¸ @AndyBeetroot 9 Feb 2016
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      Replying to @marianagodoymv
      @marianagodoymv Not usually.
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    3. Mariana NutriciĆ³nā€¸ @marianagodoymv 9 Feb 2016
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      @AndyBeetroot why is that? can you explain to me a little bit more?
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    4. Andrew Jonesā€¸ @AndyBeetroot 9 Feb 2016
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      @marianagodoymv It's usually dessicated - beetroots are boiled first then powdered - but nitrate is water-soluble so is lost in the process.


Last edited by: Racing Yoda: Jun 14, 17 17:54
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Re: Beet Juice - Who Still Uses It? [Apollo71] [ In reply to ]
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I use 10 grams of beetroot powder from HumanN/BeetElite.

Have used it for the last two cycling seasons. Like it a lot.
Last edited by: rubik: Jun 14, 17 17:44
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Re: Beet Juice - Who Still Uses It? [ErickBar] [ In reply to ]
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There are some studies including one with elite athletes who did not receive benefit. Pay close attention to who the subjects are in research. An active persons response to stimulus is different than an elite athlete response. I will let you do the research, I have already done it.

BoulderCyclingCoach.com
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Re: Beet Juice - Who Still Uses It? [ErickBar] [ In reply to ]
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ErickBar wrote:
On the contrary can someone point to study's saying it does or IT DOESNT work please.

Hate being cynical about everything then something comes along and is actually proven.
But it says that it improves performance on the Beet-it website!

Here are a few studies that I found showing increased VO2 and greater time-to-task failure, but there are also two cycling specific studies done in 2011 and 2012 that I can't seem to find now.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24089377

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23640589

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/...articles/PMC5295087/

If you're planning on taking beet juice, just remember that it can turn your pee red.

After an Olympic last year I asked my wife (a nurse) if there is any reason that my urine would be red after exercise. She said it could be rhabdomyolysis which is caused by extreme exercise and breaks down your muscle fibres which can cause your pee to go red. Apparently very common in cross-fitters and pretty serious stuff. It took me a few minutes before I remembered that I took a double shot of Beet-it before the race.
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Re: Beet Juice - Who Still Uses It? [Apollo71] [ In reply to ]
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Apollo71 wrote:
ErickBar wrote:
On the contrary can someone point to study's saying it does or IT DOESNT work please.

Hate being cynical about everything then something comes along and is actually proven.
But it says that it improves performance on the Beet-it website!

Here are a few studies that I found showing increased VO2 and greater time-to-task failure, but there are also two cycling specific studies done in 2011 and 2012 that I can't seem to find now.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24089377

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23640589

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/...articles/PMC5295087/

If you're planning on taking beet juice, just remember that it can turn your pee red.

After an Olympic last year I asked my wife (a nurse) if there is any reason that my urine would be red after exercise. She said it could be rhabdomyolysis which is caused by extreme exercise and breaks down your muscle fibres which can cause your pee to go red. Apparently very common in cross-fitters and pretty serious stuff. It took me a few minutes before I remembered that I took a double shot of Beet-it before the race.

That's not the only thing it turns red! Your poo too! So don't panic, you're not shitting blood!

Been using it for years and I'll swear by it, stack it with caffeine.
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Re: Beet Juice - Who Still Uses It? [Jackets] [ In reply to ]
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Do you have to drink it or can you take a beet juice capsule thing and still get the same effects?


--Chris
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Re: Beet Juice - Who Still Uses It? [chriselam] [ In reply to ]
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chriselam wrote:
Do you have to drink it or can you take a beet juice capsule thing and still get the same effects?
As Racing Yoda points out above, there have been studies on the powder which I believe is in the pills and it does not appear to have the same effect (or may have no effect). But, I believe that the Beetelite powder is the exception (not a pill) and works quite well.
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Re: Beet Juice - Who Still Uses It? [Apollo71] [ In reply to ]
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Apollo71 wrote:
chriselam wrote:
Do you have to drink it or can you take a beet juice capsule thing and still get the same effects?

As Racing Yoda points out above, there have been studies on the powder which I believe is in the pills and it does not appear to have the same effect (or may have no effect). But, I believe that the Beetelite powder is the exception (not a pill) and works quite well.
I'll x2 to what Warbird said. And that's easily quantifiable.
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Re: Beet Juice - Who Still Uses It? [ZenTriBrett] [ In reply to ]
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ZenTriBrett wrote:
I think the stuff works really well. And you can buy Beotta beet juice at the grocery store and just drink a couple of bottles of that the days leading up to the race.

Something that few people know is radishes have several times the amount of nitrates that beets do. You could just eat a few radishes the days leading up the to the race and be done with it. Arugula salad does, too.

That's what I've done too, drink a couple bottles of Biotta over the three days leading up to a race. No idea if it helps.
I didn't know about radishes. Why all the focus on beets if radishes have more??
I hate the taste of beet juice, would much prefer to eat radishes!!!
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Re: Beet Juice - Who Still Uses It? [Jackets] [ In reply to ]
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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22882425

dark leafy greens are a big source too.

To ErickBar--Not sure you're gonna find exactly what you're looking for. Works as an ergogenic aid? It (beetroot juice, or other sources of dietary nitrites) does cause vasodilation. For people who regularly consume sources of nitrites, you probably won't see a big jump in ability if you take more. OTOH, if you never eat your veggies, you might get a boost.

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Re: Beet Juice - Who Still Uses It? [Apollo71] [ In reply to ]
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I use it, I like it. I buy the powder from Core4 (apparently that's the new name, used to be PureCleanPowder)

http://www.core4nutrition.com/pure-clean-beet


I think it's based in Bend. Anyway, I mix 20g in a cup of juice in the few days leading up to a race. I use it most often in the fall when I'm racing CX every weekend. I start taking Wednesday or Thursday and then race on the weekend. I guess I don't use it every day because of the cost.


Interestingly, my pee stopped turning red a couple of years ago on this program. No idea why. I feel like it does give a bit of a boost, but I can't quantify that. But it's also healthy and a great way to get extra veggies. I don't actually like beets (couldn't dream of drinking this mixed with water instead of juice), so this is a way to get veggies that I wouldn't normally get.

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Re: Beet Juice - Who Still Uses It? [SBRcoffee] [ In reply to ]
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SBRcoffee wrote:
ZenTriBrett wrote:
I think the stuff works really well. And you can buy Beotta beet juice at the grocery store and just drink a couple of bottles of that the days leading up to the race.

Something that few people know is radishes have several times the amount of nitrates that beets do. You could just eat a few radishes the days leading up the to the race and be done with it. Arugula salad does, too.


That's what I've done too, drink a couple bottles of Biotta over the three days leading up to a race. No idea if it helps.
I didn't know about radishes. Why all the focus on beets if radishes have more??
I hate the taste of beet juice, would much prefer to eat radishes!!!

If you do some google research, you'll see that lots of veggies have more than beets. I think the trick is beets are something you can actually make juice out of to concentrate it. As untasty as beet juice is, arugala juice is probably terrible. But if you eat tons of healthy greens and radishes and other stuff, you will have your bases covered. Which makes me wonder if that's one of the reasons people that eat tons of salads and veggies always feel so good and are healthier. The nitrates increase blood flow to the frontal lobe and possibly associated with reduced risk of dementia and alzheimer's, so connecting all the dots suggests we should double up on our veggies and we'll both race better and live longer. :)

----------------------------------------------------------
Zen and the Art of Triathlon. Strava Workout Log
Interviews with Chris McCormack, Helle Frederikson, Angela Naeth, and many more.
http://www.zentriathlon.com
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