Best Legal Supplements for Cyclists

[ClearCut]

I will echo a couple things mentioned here as having worked great for me, and one or two others. (Nutrition fascinates me.):

- Whey protein (I like Isopure and Biotest brands), especially post-ride for recovery.

- Beta alanine, especially if you use enough of it. Not cheap, but does work.

- LightSpeed - 2 caps before a long ride and 1 later in the ride makes it much smoother sailing.

- Coconut water!! I just tried it recently for the first time and now I'm hooked! Better at hydrating than Gatorade, Powerade, etc., very mild and pleasant-tasting (like water but with just a HINT of coconut sweetness to it). My new favorite hydration drink! I've only tried the Zico brand so far. Haven't tried VitaCoco or the others yet, but I will.

 

[swampy1970]

Best legal supplement - an extra hour in bed if you didn't get your 8 hours in...

 

[mitosis]

You are all having yourselves on. How are you measuring the efficacy of these supplements when you don't have repeated tests and don't have a control?
Eat a balanced diet and save yourselves a packet.

 

[alienator]

Best legal supplements:

• The banana cream pie at Zinburger
• The Tres Leches cake at El Charro's downtown.
• Krispy Kreme donuts.
• Lucy Liu in a$$less leather pants.

 

[MizzouFit]

My favorite is pretty simple. It may not be the best for everyone but it is most certainly helpful in that prior to using this item I did not have the same feelings or performance outcomes as I do now with it.

Anjinomoto - AminoVital 7500ER Pharmaceutical Grade BCAA/Glutamine, VC powder. Taken during all my 1+ hour rides.

9 grams bcaa/glutamine
13 grams glucose polymers
90mg ascorbic acid with rose hips

My other 4 supplements are all used for my powerlifting performance needs.

 

[Froze]

Damn, of all wackiest and craziest things I have to say, I have to say this...I agree with the Alien from outer space!!!! I use food too because there's good sound science behind it and no marketing mumbo jumbo baloney as there is with supplements.

I tried supplements way back in the mid evil ages when I use to race and noticed no gain in performance whatsoever. In fact I didn't and still don't even take a vitamin supplement other then just a cheap multi daily.

I find more of a performance gain from drinking a cup of espresso about an 1 hour before I ride and on longer rides of over three hours, then I take a small flask of espresso and take a swig about every 30 minutes after the first hour of riding. Sometimes I do the coffee thing and sometimes I don't.

This is basically the same thing other performance riders do when they drink a flatted Pepsi or Coke or Mt Dew about 2 hours into the ride or when the Europeans drink tea.

But be warned, the UCI bans more then the equivalent of 6 or more cups of coffee's worth of caffeine.

Edit: there was one supplement I took when I lived in the desert area of California called Stim-O-Stam because of the heat I got cramps in my legs and Stim-O-Stam was the only thing that worked.

 

[djnoah]

Check out CycleTec - http://cycletecpro.com if you ask me. It's a combo daily multi and hydration drink boost powder - for the last few miles, it makes a huge difference -- whoosh!

 

[Froze]

Originally Posted by djnoah .

Check out CycleTec - http://cycletecpro.com if you ask me. It's a combo daily multi and hydration drink boost powder - for the last few miles, it makes a huge difference -- whoosh!

None of the ingredients in that stuff have ever been proven clinically! It's all hog wash designed to suck you in and spend your money. They have found in clinical studies that simply eating right did more then over dosing on B vit's in performance athletes and non athletes. And of course they don't mention side effects of Boswellia that can lead to

• Stomach pain;
• Diarrhea;
• Skin rash, burning;
• Stomach discomfort, including nausea;
• Acid reflux (heartburn);
• A feeling of fullness in stomach;
• Chest pain
• Tightness in your throat or chest
• Breathing problem
• Swollen skin
• Skin hives, rash, or itchy skin

And Ginger Root side effects are:

• heartburn
• diarrhea
• irritation of the mouth.
• may lead to dry and scaly rashes, which develop on the face and may move downward with time.
• long term use is visual sensitivity to bright light.
• consumption is not recommended for people with gallstones, as this herb increases bile production.
• Ginger should be avoided by people with bleeding disorders, ulcers and inflammatory bowel diseases.
• rashes. In some rare cases, eye irritation and pink eye has also been associated with consumption of ginger.
• There are also reports that suggest that ginger may also affect the blood pressure and heart rhythms.

And yet there we go with the supposedly "natural way"...naturally making us sicker and in some cases naturally killing us.

Then in the over abundance of taking vits the body will just pee out the excess and the body never uses about 95% of it! So your just peeing money down the toilet. Believe it or not our government did get something right, and that was the daily recommended allowances of vits levels. Follow their recommendations and all you will ever need to buy is a cheap one a day vit. I personally don't take any vits, and haven't for years, the body processes vits better through food then through pills anyways, so why waste money on pills when you can just simply eat better food.

 

[maydog]

Caffeine - I consume very little caffeine in a normal week. Before a big ride or event, I will take 50 to 100mg of caffeine. This is equivalent to 1/4 or 1/2 of a No-Doze pill. There is a lot of research around its use and most studies I have found indicate that it is effective in endurance events. Anecdotally, I find it easier to push myself harder for longer after caffination, so much so that I can get cramping, which I think is from the extra exertion but the caffeine itself my play into it.

Chocolate milk - I think this is overlooked as a sports drink. I sometimes carry a bottle of milk on my longer rides, it has all of the good stuff - water, carbohydrates, fat, protein, calcium, vitamin D, B vitamins, potassium and phosphorous. Most of the literature discusses its use in recovery, but I have never had a issue consuming it during a ride.

 

[Froze]

Originally Posted by maydog .



Chocolate milk - I think this is overlooked as a sports drink. I sometimes carry a bottle of milk on my longer rides, it has all of the good stuff - water, carbohydrates, fat, protein, calcium, vitamin D, B vitamins, potassium and phosphorous. Most of the literature discusses its use in recovery, but I have never had a issue consuming it during a ride.

Chocolate milk is overlooked, and it's a quick thing to find in a small roadside store. I never take it on ride though, but I have gone into stores along the way and got some. I agree, it's great for recovery and it's also great during a ride. Some people may not be able tolerate chocolate milk in their stomach while riding so be careful, you don't want to try something new to find out you need a restroom (or tree) while riding!!

Also V8 juice is overlooked and it's probably better for you on a ride then Chocolate milk, they have they same basic contents but V8 adds more salt, and the milk adds more protein. It's the protein that people argue about Chocolate milk being a great recovery drink, and it works for that purpose just as good as expensive bike boutique drinks that will cost at least 4 times more. I prefer V8 during a ride and chocolate milk after, but I think it really matters.

 

[Reid2]

Dear Froze and others, I have loved skim milk with cocoa powder since a lad. Memory of chocolate milk decorates dreams.
Used to drink a gallon per day of skim milk. It's hard to overdose on that stuff, and if you adopt skim,
whole milk then tastes too rich. Add Nesquik ® for a wonderful time.

The Kat

Made a gift, long ago to a visitor, sharing a saucer-full of chilled chocolate milk. Error. Euewwwww!
It was a pitiable stray, hardly weaned, at Ponce Jr. High, wandered into the gym, mewing for food, so cute.
Left a brown streak across the span of polished maple floor. We tried to shoo kitty but our solicitude only produced
a wider arc of pattern.

 

[Reid2]

oops, double post error, pardon my mess?

 

[Froze]

Originally Posted by Reid2 .

Dear Froze and others, I have loved skim milk with cocoa powder since a lad. Memory of chocolate milk decorates dreams.
Used to drink a gallon per day of skim milk. It's hard to overdose on that stuff, and if you adopt skim,
whole milk then tastes too rich. Add Nesquik ® for a wonderful time.

The Kat

Made a gift, long ago to a visitor, sharing a saucer-full of chilled chocolate milk. Error. Euewwwww!
It was a pitiable stray, hardly weaned, at Ponce Jr. High, wandered into the gym, mewing for food, so cute.
Left a brown streak across the span of polished maple floor. We tried to shoo kitty but our solicitude only produced
a wider arc of pattern.

And NesQuik is so much cheaper then those Bike Boutique drink mixes and it does the same thing...but you can't convince people of that. And a lot of those bike boutique drinks are actually hard on a lot of peoples stomachs.

 

[Reid2]

Ha ha, yeah! Chocolate and skim milk agree with me, but chocolate is not good for cats nor dogs, I later learned.

We humans can eat all sorts of expensive stuff and not get the runs when we run. We're lucky cats.


: )

((thanks, Froze, for encouraging people to spend their money on practical things that help cows from being too full))

 

[Froze]

Originally Posted by Reid2 .

Ha ha, yeah! Chocolate and skim milk agree with me, but chocolate is not good for cats nor dogs, I later learned.

We humans can eat all sorts of expensive stuff and not get the runs when we run. We're lucky cats.


: )

((thanks, Froze, for encouraging people to spend their money on practical things that help cows from being too full))

We don't want cows to blow, what a mess that would make all over our lovely green pastures!

Actually my dogs have ate chocolate, one in particular ate a lot one night and all it did to her was make her very hyper. I was afraid she was going to have a heart attack, but she didn't and she had no after effects from it.

 

[Not Sure]

I have to say, the writing on these boards is very nice to read.
Most of the writers use correct grammar, punctuation and paragraph separators. Nice compared to most U.S. based boards.

I guess it depends on what is "legal" and who you are. What are your goals?

If your goal is to finish a 126 mile ride over 15,265 ft vert, No Explode is nOt going to help.

There is a nice write-up in Outdoors magazine by and about a guy who used testosterone cream for a "seaon".
He claims it helped him quite a bit. I don't doubt it. Again, are you being tested and do you want the fitness gains?

If you are looking for fitness gains, taking drugs will prevent them.
Drugs such as EPO and testosterone will help you go fast and far,
so your body is not forced to adapt. No adaptation = no gain.

People's bodies and minds react differently to different substances.
200mg of cafeine w/ a 10k mg vitamin C chaser may freak some people out.
Some people like it.

If you're looking for supplements that work in harmony with your body to provide it with what it needs
in a minimally invasive way, then stuff like CARBO PRO, CARBO GAIN, RECOVER, [COLOR= #ff0000]probiotics[/COLOR], Thermolyte and Powerbars will do the trick.

None of this stuff is a magic bullet. You can't just slam it down and expect it to work. It has to be used in the right amounts at the appropriate times,
or, you may just as well not use it.

And I'm still,


Not Sure

 

[marilynrose]

Even I've stopped on riding a bicycle last year or let say I'm not so active with this activity today, Supplement I've take multivitamins and calcium supplement. For multivitamins like what I've stated a while ago in one thread, to acquire minerals and vitamins that my body needs and on more benefits, to reduce symptoms of menopause and fight signs of aging. While on Calcium supplements, I take MX Calcium Complex for balanced support for my bone health and protection against osteoporosis. Even I've stopped on doing cycling, I've still taking this 2 supplements for a better health now and for the future.

 

[Leeber Gregory]

RE the comment on NO and Ocular health==> my understanding is that blood flow and vaso dil improve eye health. In fact NO intoxication has been shown to improve almost every function in the body. There are a number of studies that actually put NO directly in the eye and it decreased ocular pressure profoundly. Does anyone have a specific article on that because it seems very contradictory with the active and acute function of NO. It's interesting to me so I like to know more..

 

[Yellowcat2354]

The talk of Chico milk is an insult to this thread IMO, The following list is what I use and have used in the past HMB- basically produces an enzyme that stops your body breaking muscle protein down and uses fat stores rather - I rate this stuff pretty highly but gives you sleeping issues D ribose or just ribose - 5 carbon sugar which starts the metabolic process for the production of ATP- this is probably the best stuff I have ever used it's results are outstanding and gives you alot more anaerobic sprint energy Glycerine or glycerol acts as a water sponge in body. Is meant to keep you better hydrated research sounds promising I have used it I didn't notice much whilst training Secondary use is if put in your water bottle lines your throat so it doesn't become dry and scratchy in dusty environments. A national road race champ I used to be good friends with and train together used to put 2 tablespoons of cooking oil in his bottle for on a ride for the same reason. I used to di this aswell. Worked well in dusty and hot places. Although now my thought are that the fat content would block water absorption MCT real good stuff - good stuff for on long hacks and also recovery drinks Caffeine Nos etc - my take on it is if you don't consume lots naturally in your life style. Don't start taking shed loads to boost cycling performance. U will just end up with the ***** whilst shaking like a little girl At the end of the day if you train smart and wise up and don't murder yourself everyday then you will be fast without the money outlay of fancy kit supps etc. Outside of cycling I have used other stuff but that's a different story hope this helps some

 

[ghedzzz]

does anyone know if the supplement APS Mesomorph is legal in cycling????