What sort of supplements does everyone out there take on a regular basis? Vitamins? BCAA’s? Melatonin? Glutamine?
Daily? When training? During races? …
Picked up a brochure from Hammer Nutrition and it seems that one would be taking dozens of pills if their protocol is followed.
You’d be taking dozens of THEIR pills if you followed their guidelines.
I take:
– Glutamine (5-10g, couple times per week),
– Extra Protein (I like CytoSport whey, but I usually mix whey and soy), usually about 70g extra per day (I workout A LOT, so I burn A LOT of calories, and had to up my protein cause I was losing weight).
– my regular daily Centrum,
– Vit-B Complex (like one of those “B Complete” that has B-12, B-6, Thiamin, Niacin, etc.),
– Extra Vit-C (1000mg).
Sometimes some extra Zinc if I feel like I’m starting to fade a little bit health wise. Don’t bother with a lot of that Hammer mumbo-jumbo. Do the research on PubMed. CoQ10 and a lot of that other stuff has like ZERO evidence behind it…
I used to take a lot of supplements. I got really into the ATP building blocks (Pyruvic Acid, Lipoic Acid), CoQ10 and a lot of that stuff when I first started endurance training (for crew). I don’t think it helped at all. I was healthier when I didn’t take it, but that probably had more to do with better and smarter training.
If you eat sensibly, I think it is a waste. Protein supplementation and some of the post-workout drinks (Endurox) are nice, because it is easy calories at a time when your body needs it. But the pills and potions, I don’t think ya need. Power to the people that use them and have benefitted…
I’ve been a faithful Hammer Nutrition user for several years. I’m not exactly the healthiest eater, so I started with the Premium Insurance Caps as a good multi-vitamin/mineral source. Since then, I’ve started using Race Caps Supreme, Mito-R caps, and Phytomax for some green-veggie-like energy. I’ve tried nearly everything they sell, but those are the ones that work best for what I need (primarily IM and 1/2 IM). I’ll let you know when I get a little more experience with the anti-fatigue caps. I race with Perpetuem and Hammer Gel…I can’t handle simple sugars at all during a race or long training, especially from Gatorade and sometimes even the small amount in Gu sets me off on a vomiting spree. Everyone I know that uses their products without trying to throw in some simple sugars for bursts of energy talks about how their energy level is constant during long rides/runs.
Call the guys at Hammer, 1-800-336-1977 and they’ll talk you through what you need. They’ve never really pressured me to buy anything, but I’ve seen good results from all of their suggestions, so now I kind of just go with what they say.
Hope this helps
I really like the Hammer Nutrition stuff - they have a good crew doing the research. It is over the top for most people to take all the e-cap pills. The gels, HEED, Perpetuem, Endurolytes and Recoverite rule though.
Endurox is okay but one of the main ingredients is simple sugar. Read Labels and make educated decisions. The amount of carbs from simple sugars is amazing in most gels, drinks and bars.
BTW - Soy protein before & during workouts and whey protein after. Whey protein causes the body to produce more ammonia which in turn generates lactate acid.
I disclose that I use Hammer products from start to finish with some Lava gels and Nuun as well. I get none of these products free.
Good post! I was just wondering about this the other day.
I take the following daily: Glucosamine Chondroitin (joints and cartilage), MSM (same), Centrum Silver (I’m only 29 but heard its better for men than any other multi), Flax Seed Oil, Vitamin E, protein powder, and occasionally Creatine when I was lifting a lot.
Curious what others take and why…
Sailnfast, Centrum Silver has VERY LITTLE IRON (maybe none). Be aware of that. Older people can have problems with iron. But you don’t want to be short on your iron RDA.
I loved Centrum Forte, which you can only get in Canada. Extra B,C, & E and some other stuff, but not too much. Stupid FDA…
And yes, Soy before/during, Whey after. I stopped taking Accelerade because the whey in it gave me cramps during workouts…
I also like the Hammer workout products; it is the eCaps stuff I have a problem with.
I train on CytoMax or RevengeSport. But I buy regular Gatorade at 7/11 when I run out during long rides, and it works just fine…
Like has been said by others, call or email the crew at hammer. Everything I have used from Hammer Nutrition has worked as advertised and I am a firm believer in their products. I use all of their nutrition products and pick and choose what supplements I use, talk to Hammer and see what they think will work for you.
daily: 1200/1500 gluchosamine chondroitin, a multivitimin, maybe an advil … and a sugar free red bull to wash it all down
How does the Recoverite taste? I use Hammer Heed, Perpeteum, and gels, but the gels are the only thing that I really like the taste of. I love the taste of Endurox and the Powerbar mixes, but probably because of all the simple sugar.
Are the caps or Endurolyte powder easier? I tried some once racing an Ironman and my throat was too dry so it was stuck there for a while before I washed it down. Pretty amusing looking back, but not really at the time.
Barefoot
I take glucosamine and chondroitin for my knees and that’s it. I have some whey based protein powder that I should be taking every day but I just don’t. I don’t take any multivitamins because I eat a fairly balanced diet as it is and I’m pretty sure that I get 100% of everything. Plus, my protein powder is fortified up the yingyang and every serving has 25% (I take only 1 scoop, not 2) of nearly every vitamin under the sun. Here is the link:
It’s good stuff.
Interesting thread. I’ve been wondering if people get a benefit out of some of the supplements out there.
I take:
B-complex vitamin.
flax seed oil
zinc every other day
calcium/magnesium supplement
I’m a vegetarian, so I try to make sure I’m covered. I think I need to supplement protein, so if anyone can recommend a tolerable protein shake, I’d love to try it.
I tried taking BCAAs for awhile. I didn’t notice any difference in my performance or endurance. I have found that drinks like Cytomax with the BCAAs in them cause me to have stomach cramps. So I’ll be sticking with Gatorade Endurance for awhile.
Barefoot,
The Recoverite is pretty mild tasting. I just mix it with water. It dissolves easy enough and doesn’t clump like some other products that require some chewing.
The Endurolyte powder can be mixed in a flask of gel or the “pancake batter” of Perpetuem in a flask that I use for some serious calories.
I used to crush Lava Salt Tablets in the gel flask which worked well but I wanted more than just sodium. I always feared the cap caught in the throat - especially when in the aero position (15cm drop for me)
Hey, can you point me to some research about that Whey vs Soy comment. I know Whey is more completely absorbed and has a better blend of amino chains, but I’ve also heard that soy is better for increasing antioxidants in the system as well.
Cheers
Steve
I should really spell check B4 posting rather than after…
I take the Pharmanex LifePak (two packets of 4 pills/day). I also take an E and a C after especially long or hard workouts or races. I also pop some amino pills during the night when I remember.
well the only research I’ve seen on the Soy versus Whey and when to take them was provided by Hammer Nutrition. I personally use all thier products and now am lucky enough to not have to pay for them (sponsorship). Thank god because I couldn’t believe how much I used to spend on H-gel and perpetuem. I personally don’t like Whey protein during workouts though. I just never felt right using it. Perpetuem has worked well for me both before sponsorship and now as well. I tried the Perpetupaste the other day and am going to use it during a half IM in two weeks.
Supplement wise I take Hammer’s Premium Insurance Caps daily and use Hammergel (Espresso mainly), Mandarin Heed, Perpetuem for longer rides and Endurolytes pretty much daily. I also like Green apple power gel, and chocolate GU. A nice protein/banana/soymilk/pb shake after a workout or Recoverite if I’m not ending at home.