So here is my anecdotal evidence supported rant against the plethora of supplements companies foist upon unsuspecting athletes. . .
I have been at this endurance game quite a long time. . .over 20 years. I’ve also spent considerable amounts of time dabbling in the powerlifting/weight training realm as well. During that time I’ve bought a small fortune in powders, pills, serums, bars, liquids, etc that purportedly would enhance my performance. The last several years in particular have been devoted to trying all sorts of “recovery” drinks and bars in an effort to train harder and more often. You name the fad supplement, I have taken it. . .BCAs, the myriad Protein powders, Creatine, Andro in several forms (though admittedly this phase was SHORT lived, as it came too close to the line of illegal performance enhancers for me), R4 and derivatives, Cyto, probably the entire EAS catalog, Cybernetics(? I can’t even remember the name), Ephedra/Caffeine stacks, etc, etc.
Now I will NOT sit here and claim that none of this had ANY effect or wasn’t helpful. Indeed, most of it was used in place of “real” food in managing the diet. Creatine made a small difference in a short period of time in my max strength when I was trying to compete in the weight room with my younger peers who’d just graduated college playing some sport. (BTW, that’s a mistake for an endurance guy. Its taken me years to get rid of that extra lean mass on top. It definitely slowed me down for a while)
So anyway. . .here’s my dirty secret that these companies do NOT want you to hear. . .except for Gatorade on the bike and run, and an occasional Cliff Bar or Gel on the bike or run. . .since my accident last year I’ve been managing my nutrition based on “real” food. No more wads of cash wasted on protein powders or R4 recovery type drinks, supplements of any sort, MetRx bars out the wazoo, etc. etc. . .
And here’s what I’ve found. . .NO DIFFERENCE. Hell, I get by just as well on a 4 hour bike with a whole wheat PB&J as I do with any bar. Lots less $$$. Recovery drink? What else. . .chocolate milk. . .check it out. . .close enough to R4 for me. In fact, I’d say I feel a hell of a lot better these days. And my annual triathlon support budget, even meticulously accounting for “real” food used for training. . .has been cut by 1/3.
Pssst. . .Don’t tell the GNC mafia and their supplement company underlings!
The only thing I can disagree with is that for anerobic exercise or when really pushing it, I need energy in a gel or liquid form, as the PB&J will find itself on the pavement. I’m also not a fan of the sugar combo used in Gatorade and need a little more minerals. None of what I stated improves my performance, only keeps me going longer. Slow it down and I too would do just fine on Gatorade and PB&J, but some of us need to be at our Anerobic max just get over 23 mph.
I have taken a number of supplements as well and also spent some time in the weight room where supplements are a much bigger part of the scene than endurance athletes. I would agree that you can get your nutrition from natural food. If people believe they need those things to make gains they are wrong. One example I point to is look how big some guys get in prison, they don’t have $200/month of supplements and their diet is basic. You make gains from hard training + good nutrition + good recovery. They are supplements, they supplement your diet. If you are living off of those then you are cutting yourself short.
I know a pro body builder who is uses tons of stuff and the issue is efficiency. He can calculate every gram and every percentage easier if he uses those products with his natural food, but he still eats natural food. He gains time and precision from those supplements. That said, there are supplements (you mention andro) that do have a direct effect on your body and is very powerful (not all the power is positive) stuff.
If you use powders, goos, gels, pills as a silver bullet you will be dissapointed. I believe you use them because (the quality ones) are easy to use, efficient and in in some cases provide correct ratios or percentages that you would otherwise have to mix on your own. I am too lazy.
Just like other purchases you make, you have to do some research eventhough sometimes that is conflicting and make informed decisions on what really will be a benefit to you. There are tons of companies scamming athletes with products that just don’t work.
over the last couple of years ive noticed that at the end of my long training days ive felt like crap. not because im tired but my stomach feels gross and i dont want to eat any food. my long workout day calories have always come from bars, gels and drinks. at the end of last year i started eating the old PB&J and found that i felt much better than when i ate ‘food product’. this year ive taken it a step further, ive been focusing on eating even better food for breakfast (in the past it was always heavy duty whole wheat pancakes)…so now, its like eggs, fruit and maybe one or two pancakes instead of 4 or more. once again, im seeing that im functioning better. last weekend after 4 hrs i stopped, had a glass of OJ, an orange and a banana and felt great. I think the fruit provides a ''cleaner burn" than the processed food. the only question i pose is what am i supposed to do in an IM? i mean, id have to carry a trees worth of bananas and a sack of oranges on the bike, which may slow me down a tad.
anyway, based on my totally unscientific experimentation, real food is better, but not quite as portable.
I used to buy into the “efficiency” argument as well. I guess that’s part of what I was getting at and didn’t get around to discussing it. I’ve found that it really isn’t that much more “inefficient” to focus on alternatives to cramming the next MetRx or ProMax bar into my gullet. The initial learning curve that went into actually making this switch a reality was painful. Luckily my accident injuries had slowed me down enough that I could devote a little extra time to this effort.
As far as nutrition while exercising. . .I definitely hear and understand the other poster who needed gels or liquids only. In the middle of an exercise bout its about what your system can tolerate. There are plenty of options out there. Come race day you’ll find weak Gatorade in my bottles and Cliff bars in my pocket(s) if the race is long enough.
I’m not arguing that many of the supplement market’s products don’t work. I’m just arguing that they are unnecessary, given a very small investment in time and effort.
Last year I started eating graham crackers and/or oatmeal cookies before races, instead of energy bars. I feel that I perform as well, if not better without the flashy bars too. I do continue to use an energy gel and old school Gatortade. Chocolate milk, yum.
Here are some great snacks and meals that can also have the same 4:1 carbs-protein ratio proven optimal for training and recovery: sushi chocolate milk (exactly 4:1) milk and cookies tuna fish sandwich and an apple cheese sandwich “Hungry Man” salisbury steak dinner “Broasted” chicken and a coke Beef Jerkey and a twinkie cheese pizza
You don’t have to eat astronaut food to perform well. I’ve had all but the Salisbury steak dinner in the middle of my workouts and they all worked fine for me.
The big 1-4 cup serving of Nesquick laced 1% milk has restored my faith in yum. SOOOOOOOOOO much better than some 1/2 chunky-dry-as-a-popcorn-fart-protein-laced-powdered-liquid that someone mistakenly labels “lemon-lime” or “fruit” flavor.
Not sure if this is related, but during last Sunday’s six hour ride, I stopped at a Wendy’s at the four hour mark for a bathroom break and a Wendy’s single cheeseburger. It went down well and I thoroughly enjoyed the remaining two hours of the ride.
The only thing I can disagree with is that for anerobic exercise or when really pushing it, I need energy in a gel or liquid form…
I’ve had good luck with natural maple syrup as a gel replacement.