recovery and Energy drinks

chopperHarris

Whats the general concensus on these things? im not talking about cans of red bull or other such fizzy cr*p but the proper stuff, I used to use them last year (lucozade ones, body fuel and recovery drinks) and although i dont remember ever feeling like they did that much i am sure that my legs always felt better than they do at the moment!

Reasoning behind all this is that since my youngest was born last november i seem to be really struggling to do more than three days commuting on the trot (13 miles each way) possibly due to the lack of sleep (i dont get much more than 4 hours of uninterupted sleep a night, probably about 7 hours at the most all together) so dont think im recovering as well as i used to, am still also about a stone or so over the weight i want to be (but around the same as i was last year)

So if not recovery and energy drinks what else can anyone suggest to give me more stamina (and no i dont want to buy any viagara) I eat reasonably well, lots of fresh veg and fruit, muesli and porridge etc and loads of chicken and Pasta

Wooliferkins

The sleep thing will get you every time, making recovery harder. IMHO the drinks work but your body is battling fatigue and you are loading it more. As to overcoming this, I'm not sure how. Personally when doing ridiculous (24hr) shifts I found sleep the only answer and I guess the small one has other ideas.

roger_merriman

Wooliferkins wrote:

The sleep thing will get you every time, making recovery harder. IMHO the drinks work but your body is battling fatigue and you are loading it more. As to overcoming this, I'm not sure how. Personally when doing ridiculous (24hr) shifts I found sleep the only answer and I guess the small one has other ideas.

yup sleep it is, I don't thing the drinks could solve that really.

hells

I use SIS go gels, torq carbohydrate drink and SIS regro but I only use them on long training rides (50 miles +) and events not for commuting. You could use them for your commute but i think thats an expensive way to go. Shorter rides I jsut use normal cereal bars and water sometimes squash. Before leaving for work I have porridge and then a bannana when I arrive and a strong sweet tea. I take my time eating adn getting ready to leave the house because I hate rushing when I have just got up and like to be awake before sitting on the bike. I don't have a baby keeping me up but my job and its shift patterns mean I also only get about 4-5 hours sleep per 24 hour period until my rest day/s. I think the problem may be that I am used to having this amount of sleep whereas you with a new baby are still adjusting? Take it easier on the ride in until you have adjusted?

CiB

Nuun tablets chucked in your water bottle. Google them. They're not energy drinks, more mineral replacements. Over long rides they do the job for me with rich squash & adequate food - bananas, muesli bars, flapjacks etc.

Rich158

I use the High 5 recovery stuff, but that's purely because being a veggie I find it hard to get enough protein in my diet. It has made a huge difference to my recovery and I can now do a full 5 day commute plus a long weekend ride without too much trouble.

I also try to make at least two days a rest day, I still cycle in but use my heart rate monitor to ensure I stay below a certain level, and that's really helped. There's not much you can do about the sleep thing except try to get as much as you can. My sleep pattern is all over the place so if I have a rough night, I make sure the next days commute is a gentle one and that's worked for me.

Rapha

Energy drinks won't do much against lack of sleep. If they include caffeine then they will have some effect for example try the High5 X'treme drink.

If you are lacking energy because you don't eat enough then using proper Sports Nutrition will help you feel better. If you want the edge in races you could check out the High5 race faster guides (www.highfive.co.uk). They have really helped me be strong at the end of an event.

chopperHarris

I definetly eat enough (hence the excess weight!) whether its enough of the right stuff i dont know, i am not a racer (barely a roadie really) always been a MTB man but love riding to work as it gives me the exercise i need and also a bit of me time!

Unlike many on hear i dont use public transport at all, if im not on the bike im on one of my motorbikes so thats not really a factor either.

Have bought some Nuun tabs (thanks for the recomendation) as i do down alot of water on my commute in (empty stomach in the morning) and they are cheap so nothing to lose if they dont help!

My other issue is i am a bit of a speed freak (hence the motorbikes) and i tend to ride the push bike as quick as my legs and lungs will allow me, i do need to try to cruise a bit more after the first couple of days!

I also havent been out on the MTB since november last year which always gave me an endurance test, normally do at least 4 hours on the MTB whereas its 1 hour at the most on the road bike, again not sure if this is a factor but grabbing at straws here!

again thanks for the feedback

Paul E

Like others have said already it sounds like it's the lack of sleep that is doing you in, if I haven't slept well or enough my legs always feel like they have no power or a lot less than normal, your muscles need the sleep to rebuild. I have always found after a long MTD ride that the for goodness shakes erm shakes always helped in making me feel less sore the next day (talking about a 4-5 hour MTB ride).

If you can do them power naps do work, that's the excuse I use anyway!!

chopperHarris

Paul E wrote:

If you can do them power naps do work, that's the excuse I use anyway!!

Unfortunately i snore like a walrus with sinus problems so power naps at work at least are not an option!

gert_lush

Rich158 wrote:

I also try to make at least two days a rest day, I still cycle in but use my heart rate monitor to ensure I stay below a certain level, and that's really helped.

no wonder you can get so many miles in a week

barry_kellett99

chopperHarris wrote:

My other issue is i am a bit of a speed freak (hence the motorbikes) and i tend to ride the push bike as quick as my legs and lungs will allow me, i do need to try to cruise a bit more after the first couple of days!

I always chased the bigger gear and always chased that extra 0.1 mile extra on my speedo's average, Hence I would be wrecked in 2 days Commuting easily.

Now I singlespeed to work. Its just as much of a workout if not more but I find it more relaxing and i know its pointless trying to do more than 20mph on the flat as my hips will spin off, I get the workout on the hills, cruise on the flats and coast practically every descent on my commute. I'm convinced my body and legs appreciate it more despite the harder climbs.

Sleep is also a big issue for me. Currently I cannot function at all properly if I dont get 8 or 9 hours sleep a night, I am in bed at 10 at the very latest on every work night. And I have a little un on the way for July. I fear badly what it is going to do to me and my cycling, but looking forward to it more than I care about that really.