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Waxy Maize - Best for endurance?

10K views 10 replies 7 participants last post by  jgiedt 
#1 ·
Who is using Waxy Maize? Its not really a carbohydrate sold by any cycling companies I know of.

Post workout its obviously superior, but what about pre-workout?

I have used it in training and like the results, but I'm interested in others.

Here is a pretty recent research summary on it I found...
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=63042907491&topic=10208
 
#4 ·
No I have not tried it. I hate spending my money on useless supplements so I tend to do a little research before I buy. If your goal is rapid abortion of a high glycemic carb post workout you are much better with plain old maltodextrin. It absorbs up to 250% faster than waxy maize. There is a study that supports this, from Purdue I think. Honestly I think you are better off with some fresh fruit post workout if you are trying to stimulate insulin production for muscle growth and glycogen recovery.
 
#6 ·
PRE work out...I'm in!

I've been studying sugars and how they are digested a bit the last few weeks, mostly from a dietary side and not a performance side. My kids eat way too much sugar and frankly, so do I. I stumbled across UCAN drinks, which a marathoner I follow uses (Meb). They utilize a patent pending starch modification that makes the starch slow to be absorbed when compared to off-the-shelf corn starches. I liked the logic. It really lines up with my "use less sugar" thinking and it also doesn't spike insulin, so it should help me to burn more fat during endurance events (I ride, but I'm mostly a marathoner).

Anyhow, like Beercan, I don't want to spend a bunch of money on supplements. That is EXACTLY why I'm going to try to replace my sports drink habit and use w/ some Waxy Maize pre-workout combined with some simple electrolyte tabs. Come on! This stuff is dirt cheap. I just found a 5.5 pound can for under 19.00. (UCAN isn't cheap, but waxy maize seems to be similar in that it is slowly absorbed, so you have a steady availability of glycogen without sugar rush spikes and constant dosing.)

It is the lack of insulin spike and steady absorption by the body that interests me most on this. I hope to see some good results.

Cheers- jg
 
#7 ·
It is the lack of insulin spike and steady absorption by the body that interests me most on this. I hope to see some good results.

Cheers- jg
There is no insulin released during hard physical activity like endurance cycling and you also couldn't consume enough calories whilst riding to elevate blood sugar levels too high without gastric upset so just choose what ever carbohydrates gives you the least amount of gastric discomfort be it in liquid form or solid food, for me sucrose and dextrose at 300 cal/hr works just fine.
YMMV
 
#8 ·
PRE work out...I'm in!

Please forgive me, as I'm not trying to be argumentative, but rather address the original post. The post is about being PRE work out ingestion. There is insulin release with sugar based drinks when you look at one of the studies (Roberts,Lockwood, Dalbo, Volek and Kerksick); they are obvious (both pre and post workout). And since gastric upset is being mentioned, the low osmolality of modified starch is also a bonus.

Reading last night, I also found that HR in subjects was significantly higher with maltodextrin use than when they used the modified starch. I maintain there is something here, granted a small benefit, but again, we are not talking about an expensive supplement. It is basically replacing your sports drink, drinking water mid-exercise ( and watch your electrolytes).

For the guy who started the post, I'm going to give it a go and will let you know.. Everyone else seems to be happy with their regime.

How did you ingest the starch? Did you just add water? Any recommends on mixing to provide decent taste?
 
#9 ·
I've been using Waxy Maize in my pre-workout mix for strength training for over a year now. I like it specifically because its dense and easy to take. I have a super ridiculous metabolism, so this helps keep me going a little longer. Its a little chalky, but not bad. Mixes well. Its nearly flavorless, so mixing it with your favorite supps doesn't change the flavor a bunch.

There are some studies that suggest Waxy-Maize at least partially bypasses the stomach and instead the bulk of what you ingest is digested in the intestines, due to its density.

This does two things: A. it may actually be available for use to the body more quickly than a carbohydrate digested first in the stomach.

B. If you take it with some protein and vitamins, it may pull some of that stuff with it into the intestines, making those things more quickly available as well. This makes it great for both pre and post workout.


Its not magic, but its cheap, easy to use, and has no drawbacks.
 
#10 ·
Sorry to bring this back from the dead.

I was just wondering what success any of you have had with Waxy Maize Starch?

I make my own electrolyte/nutrition blend for Endurance races and was looking to maybe add the WMS to supplement the Maltodextrin and Dextrose I use as a carb source.

Any feedback would be awesome!
 
#11 ·
Good results, still using it

I've done several marathons and 50k trail races, and all the associated long runs for training using my blend and like it. The drawback is that there is added hassle of carrying a 10oz bottle or two vs a tiny gel. In general, my fitness is getting to where I supplement much less anyhow, so I'm getting by with carrying less WMS blend then when I started using it.

Here's the blend I settled on:
Whey Protein Isolate Cold-Filtration 20%
Amylocel (Waxy Maize Starch) 80%
+ **Plain** (Unflavored) /
+ **UNSWEETENED** /
+ Electrolytes $0.65/
+ FREE Food Grade Bag /

I have some bulk-bought Stevia flavor powders to mix in and use a shaker bottle to blend it pre-run/ride. You have to watch mixing it too early or it separates badly. I make a very thick mixture that provides ~ 236 calories in 10oz of fluid (1.5 scoops + flavor).

My last buy was at $4.65/pound for 5 or 6 pounds of the above blend (flavoring's extra) and it seems to last forever. The electrolyte package is much better than what is in Ucan and the flavors are better for me too.

One marathon I took a full fuel belt with nearly 40 oz of this blend and really got sick of it towards the end, so now I try to include fresh fruits, dried fruits and nuts and apple sauce packs for any workout pushing 4 hours or more.

The other thing is that I also got an inexpensive protein powder and I make a blend that is more protein heavy, like 1 scoop of protein and 1/2 scoop of WMS/Protein/Electrolyte blend plus flavoring and mix that immediately after the workout as a recovery drink. I, of course, also include fresh, real foods (veggies and fruits) as soon as possible too. The whole system is working well for me.

My vendor is trueprotein.com.

'Hope this helps. If I wasn't clear on anything, feel free to ping me again. - Jeff
 
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