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hammer vs accelerade vs clif vs gu ???

10K views 46 replies 25 participants last post by  BruceBrown 
#1 ·
It's time to step up from gatorade. i've used some drinks and recovery drinks and gels off and on but never in a consistant manner. i really just want to go to the store and buy a drink for while i'm exercising, one for recovery and a set of gels/gus. any strong recommendo's for anything in particular?
 
#2 ·
Eat whatever tastes good. :) For any given product, you'll find people that swear by it, and other people that hate it. I'm a big fan of the 4:1 carb: protein ratio (like Accelerade) and I think the evidence to support it's use is fairly convincing, but whether or not it helps *during* a race (as opposed to after it) is another question.

The most important thing is to provide easily digestible calories to keep supplying energy to your muscles, and to replace your electrolyte losses. I think all of the things you just mentioned (including gatorade) will work.
 
#3 ·
Hammer for me, but for you...

Ditto on the previous post. I prefer hammer stuff...hammer gel: not too sweet, lots of flavors and pretty affordable (~16 for a big jug). Drinks: Hammer's Heed is also good: Moderately low sweetness, no aftertaste, digests easily and has some electrolytes in it (sodium & potasium). For long rides/races (>4hrs) I swear by perpetuem fluid mix, which has carbs plus protein and some fat. Decent taste, but excellent performance.

Again, your milage will vary, so you should try out a variety of products to find out what works for you. And of course, don't try something new on race day.
 
#4 ·
With extremely limited data, I like Hammer Heed over Accelerade. I used Accelerade for a few months now, without any noticable effect. I know that this is all very subjective and again, this is very limited statistical data...

I ordered Hammer Heed and Sustained Energy. What I noticed in this limited data is that, Heed got me going three days in a row, through three for-me-strenuous rides. Something I couldn't do for a long time.

So, with this limited data (again :) ) I say that Heed has been amazing!

And here is another subjective point but I stand firmly by this one: Accelerade Lime I have right now is dyed green and it tastes awful, awful, awful! It is like liquid plastic! Disgusting!

Ali
 
#6 ·
mcd said:
It's time to step up from gatorade. i've used some drinks and recovery drinks and gels off and on but never in a consistant manner. i really just want to go to the store and buy a drink for while i'm exercising, one for recovery and a set of gels/gus. any strong recommendo's for anything in particular?
nothing wrong with gatorade. if it works why change?

as others have said, figuring out what works for you is a trial and error process. what works for one person might be a complete disaster for another.

personally i prefer gatorade, gu, and endurox.

gatorade during a race/training but cut with water - 3/4 water, 1/4 gatorade. lemonade flavor ONLY.

gu - tri berry, chocolate.....yep, that pretty much covers the flavors that don't make me want to yack instantly

endurox afterward - lemon/lime flavor is most palatable to me.

rt
 
#7 ·
I've used both the orange and the citrus flavored cytomax powders and like them a lot. They are not too sweet and you can vary how concentrated you mix them up. On road ride, I'll fill one bottle with cytomax and one with plain water. On the mtn bike, I put plain water in the camelback and carry a bottle on the bike.

As for gels, I like Gu. It comes in some great flavors.

I looked at the contents of the various sports gels. Gu and Power barshots seemed to have more electrolytes and vitamins than some other brands. Hammergel looked like it was mostly sugar if I recall correctly.
 
#8 ·
Try them all and use what you like best. I was sending out sponsorship applications last fall for a local team and the coach would NOT let me send out any food or drink applications Point being: Every rider has their favorites. We have about 100 riders in the club and about 100 different opinions on what works best.
 
#9 ·
thanks for all the responses, i guess i was just hoping that there was a "yeah, there system seems to work together best" or "this brand sucks" etc. i read all the propaganda on the hammer website and was just wondering if there really was a "better" system.
 
#10 ·
I like Accel Gels for during the race as I found the Accelerade gave me stomach isues. I wash down the gels with a 50/50 mix of gatorade and water. I like the Endurox for recovery. Try lots of stuff during training to see what works best for you. One guy I ride with likes granola and beef jerkey for his rides. To each his own.
 
#11 ·
So whaddayou guys think about gels with caffeine in 'em?

I've stopped drinking caffeine but had a Powergel Latte with 2x caffeine in my bag today. I took it after the first hour and felt great! Rode my second hour with no problems. I had Accelerade (Blue Raspberry) in my Camelbak the whole time. Started the ride with a powerbar.

But I wanted to know if you guys had heard any downside from using gels with caffeine. (Besides it being almost eleven p.m. and I'm still wide awake...)
 
#12 ·
I used Accelerade a couple of seasons ago and had cramping issues. After doing some experimentation I found that for me Hammer HEED is what works best. I dont usually use gels unless I am doing something epic though but when i do it is HammerGel. I use the HEED in training and races with great results. My races are between 1.5-2hrs and the HEED has never let me down. I usually add 2-3 Endurolytes to the HEED for races and training rides when the temps/humidity are high.
For recovery I make my own smoothies.
 
#13 ·
I used to use gels, but started using drink mixes about two years ago and find I like the drinks much better. I use PowerBar Endurance most of the time and HEED for races or just for a change, but both seem to work well. I think the drink mixes are more economical than gels and easier to use. Seemed like I always got sticky fingers with gels. I still carry a gel or two with me on long, epic rides, just in case I run out of everything else, my back up. I make my own smoothies for recovery.:)
 
#14 ·
test it under race conditions

-1 for HEED. Gave me stomach gas faster than brocolli.

Get what tastes good to you and makes your drink more. Period. Surprise surprise, research shows that athletes consumed more of an energy drink that they found palatable.

Just be careful of combining Gels and Energy drink. Depending on your stomach you can create a very bad situation. Gels are highly concentrated forms of carbs. They require a fair amount of pure water (approx 8oz/gel) in your stomach in order for the concentration of sugars to be diluted to a level that is easily digestible under high intensity conditions.

Taking a gel and washing down with Energy drink can be berry bad for those of use with thensitive stomachs.

Also follow the direction of the energy drink. Typically they will provide mixing instructions that will dillute the drink to a 6-8% concentration. Start there and vary (dillute or mix stronger) depending on your stomach's ability to clear the fluid which can vary significantly under different intensity levels.
 
#15 ·
*rt* said:
nothing wrong with gatorade. if it works why change?

as others have said, figuring out what works for you is a trial and error process. what works for one person might be a complete disaster for another.

personally i prefer gatorade, gu, and endurox.

gatorade during a race/training but cut with water - 3/4 water, 1/4 gatorade. lemonade flavor ONLY.

gu - tri berry, chocolate.....yep, that pretty much covers the flavors that don't make me want to yack instantly

endurox afterward - lemon/lime flavor is most palatable to me.

rt
I assume you thin down gatorade due to it having so much sucrose syrup & glucose-fructose syrup, but that also means it is not nearly providing enough sodium, potassium or calories that your body needs.

some interesting info at Hammer
 
#16 ·
HarryCallahan said:
I looked at the contents of the various sports gels. Gu and Power barshots seemed to have more electrolytes and vitamins than some other brands. Hammergel looked like it was mostly sugar if I recall correctly.
Wrong. Hammer Gel, beside Carb-boom has the best ratio of carbs to sugars (meaning the least sugar) of most, if not all widely available gels on the market today. Only about 7-10% (depending on flavour) of their carbs are simple sugars. On the other hand, brands like Power Gel, Cliff, and Accel Gel have the most - 25, 32 and 50% respectively...

Taste preference aside - which of course plays a huge role (hey, some of my buddies bring Mars and Snickers bars on their rides :)) - Hammer gels, and their products in general, seem to have the best nutritional content for their intended purpose.

Arek
 
#22 ·
Not getting stomach cramps is the big issue for me and I race Expert so I need more then water!!! Here is my .02 cents
I use Hammer gel mixed with water in the tube they give you...any flavor is ok,
When I race I have a bottle of Heed and wash it down with WATER from my small camel back. I need to be real careful not take in to much carbs at once or I get stomach problems. having water in the camel back helps a lot
After race and workouts ENDUROX! This stuff really works, but man does it give me gas :p
A little off topic...Sportlegs before & during the race to avoid cramps in the legs.:thumbsup:
 
#23 ·
homemade recovery drink

I like to make my own recovery drinks. In college and its definitly cheaper than endurox. And if you experiment you can make it taste way better. This is not something I would use on the bike though, strictly post ride.
A wand type blender is needed (easier to clean than a normal blender). $12
I buy frozen fruit at walmart for $3/ pk. I use it sparingly and can get a full week out of one pk. I also buy the generic whey protien at vitamin shoppe. 5lb bottle. 79 scoops in a bottle and $30/bottle. Vanilla flavored. Preffer the natural flavor of the Designer Whey brand but the house brand is cheaper.

In a large cup:
1/8-1/4 full with frozen fruit
two scoops of whey
Two scoops of table sugar
Can use either milk or oj for the liquid.
Sometimes I use half oj and half diet mtn dew (for the caffine)
Mix with a blender and drink.

The frozen fruit really gives it the taste. You can mess with the amount of sugar and protien too. Two scoops of each is just the a generic # I picked and used. If you do some research there are #g of protien and sugar per kg of body weight that the scientists will tell you to use. I havn't had time to research a proper amount of sugar and protien, so for now thats what I do.
 
#25 ·
I use Nuun or Endurolytes for Electrolyte replacement...but I like Nuun better because i can mix it with water and put in my camelbak. I use it in comination with Hammer Gels and Cliff bars. I also have Sustained Energy in my water bottle and take a sip every 1/2. I tried HEED on a 2-3hr xterra event once, and it almost made me almost puke...but I don't know if it was the drink or just hit at a bad time. What I just described are for rides of 6+hrs...not the 2-3hrs. Sustained Energy also worked for marathons and Ultra-marathons I have done. No gel has worked better than Hammer for me.
 
#26 ·
douglas said:
I assume you thin down gatorade due to it having so much sucrose syrup & glucose-fructose syrup, but that also means it is not nearly providing enough sodium, potassium or calories that your body needs.

some interesting info at Hammer
i dilute the gatorade for no other reason that i think it tastes better diluted. the OP asked what people do that works for them and that's what works for me.

rt
 
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