" the truth about sports products " bbc 1

stronginthesun

looks like water is all you need boys and girls

Defyand

No. I just spent load on "sports drinks"

essjaydee

stronginthesun wrote:

looks like water is all you need boys and girls

Drink when thirsty and don't forget the jam sandwiches

andy46

I missed this, is it worth watching on iPlayer before bed?

stueys

It was the usual panaroma, dumbed down tosh. They seem more interested in making sure the programme is interesting than providing useful info.

There was one quick line that the stuff may benefit intensive, endurance exercise. Then back to focussing on sensationalism. Bit lame, though the clip of young kids playing football and necking sports drinks was concerning....

CambsNewbie

Stueys wrote:

It was the usual panaroma, dumbed down tosh. They seem more interested in making sure the programme is interesting than providing useful info.

There was one quick line that the stuff may benefit intensive, endurance exercise. Then back to focussing on sensationalism. Bit lame, though the clip of young kids playing football and necking sports drinks was concerning....

Wouldn't be surprised if it turned out the producers handed out the drinks to the kids before hand to create the story..

It's always the caffeine drinks I see kids drinking, Red Bull, Monster etc. Then their parents wonder why they don't behave and don't sleep until 2am!

unixnerd

I thought the most amusing part was the reference to zero calorie sports drinks :-)

metronome

In a nut shell, This show suggested the following advice: drink water when you get thirsty, wear comfortable shoes and eat jam sandwiches. Though it took them about an hour.

kojomojo

unixnerd wrote:

I thought the most amusing part was the reference to zero calorie sports drinks :-)

Seconded, absolutely ridiculous

BruceG

kojomojo wrote:

unixnerd wrote:

I thought the most amusing part was the reference to zero calorie sports drinks :-)

Seconded, absolutely ridiculous

And wasnt that there point, that these are riduculous. So why mock the programme maker for bringing to everyones attention

klep

Nice that us non UK folks can enjoy this aswell...

DavidJB

Basically it was saying they are useless for gym fattys that do 30 min 3 times a week...shock horror...nothing new and probably the same people who stop when it starts to hurt.

That being said paying through the nose from 'branded' energy drinks is stupid when you can get the raw ingredients without the branding from a fraction of the cost.

Guess I'll leave the energy gels @ home during a 60 mile road race and get out me jam sarnies...thanks BBC.

NITR8s

Ive learnt the hard way the difference between water and energy drinks. I initially beleived that I could do 100 mile sportives on just water and figrolls/jellybabies. Yes I could but I felt like poo all the way. Started using Torq engery drink powder and wow the difference is incredable. No longer feel drained of energy and they task so nice.

Fair enough if your during 30 mins exercise, water will do but if your cycling for hours on end. Water is not enough! I dont care what anyone says, you dont see the pros using just water!

wishitwasallflat

If I ride with just water I get cramp in my calves and long adductors (inside of thighs) around the 20-30 mile mark
-
When I started adding a pinch of sea salt and drop of fresh lemon juice if was better but still an issue
-
Now I use Zero High5 tabs in my drinks its not - so I shall be sticking as I am thanks!

Amoger

"Sports drinks are worthless" (unless you're exercising hard, for a long time)
"Supplements, protein etc are pointless" (unless you're not eating a balanced diet, which if you're bodybuilding would need to be about 5 steaks a day)
"Trainers make no difference to injury" (except they do)
"Running barefoot is better" (but it depends on your running style, and there's no proof from studies).

In attempting to explode the marketing hype around all the above, they've come down on the side of looking like tits, particularly with the reporting from the London Marathon - one of the times when categorically some sports drinks are needed (Though good points on over-drinking - Tim Noakes has been saying for years that "drink before you get thirsty" is wrong).

Only thing I found surprising was the study on footwear.

t.m.h.n.e.t

Amoger wrote:

"Sports drinks are worthless" (unless you're exercising hard, for a long time)
"Supplements, protein etc are pointless" (unless you're not eating a balanced diet, which if you're bodybuilding would need to be about 5 steaks a day)
"Trainers make no difference to injury" (except they do)
"Running barefoot is better" (but it depends on your running style, and there's no proof from studies).

In attempting to explode the marketing hype around all the above, they've come down on the side of looking like tits, particularly with the reporting from the London Marathon - one of the times when categorically some sports drinks are needed (Though good points on over-drinking - Tim Noakes has been saying for years that "drink before you get thirsty" is wrong).

Only thing I found surprising was the study on footwear.

The target audience wasn't endurace sports or athletes it was couch poatos and gym-mums who walk on the treadmill for 30 mins 3 times a week.

They didn't actually say much about protein. The emphasis was on BCAA's which are a part of proteins sold separately at extortionate prices. But to say "expensive way to get a bit of milk" couldn't have been further from the truth,even if they were actually talking about protein.

For the target audience the program was largely correct,if selective journalism

ben@31

It's typical media scaremongering. If the story had nothing sensational to say, people wouldn't watch it.

What people have not mentioned is the psychological effects of sports products, not just the physiological. If these sports products make some fatty feel good doing his 30 min gym session, surely that's a good thing!!! It's better than the fatty not going to the gym at all.

t.m.h.n.e.t

ben@31 wrote:

It's typical media scaremongering. If the story had nothing sensational to say, people wouldn't watch it.

What people have not mentioned is the psychological effects of sports products, not just the physiological. If these sports products make some fatty feel good doing his 30 min gym session, surely that's a good thing!!! It's better than the fatty not going to the gym at all.

The feelgood factor from looking in the mirror and seeing yourself 1/2 the size you were is better no? The overweight population who do make it to gyms, deserve to be educated on their mistakes and how to not make them again. The program only hit on a small part of the overall problem.

simon_masterson

ben@31 wrote:

If these sports products make some fatty feel good doing his 30 min gym session, surely that's a good thing!!! It's better than the fatty not going to the gym at all.

If they're glugging Lucozade since it's a "sports drink" and therefore won't make them fat, or otherwise dutifully sipping it because they think it's some sort of magical elixir that will do them good, and therefore taking in more calories than they are burning, then no.

I'm with the right honourable gent above me. It's far better to get it right, and frankly I'd rather stick it to the 'ades' (Gator/Luco/Power/etc) for marketing themselves as the choice of serious athletes despite the fact that what you find on supermarket shelves that bears their respective labels is overpriced, full of horrible chemicals, and decidedly lacking in the good stuff that you actually need. Little more than overpriced flat pop.

springtide9

FYI
http://www.torqfitness.co.uk/news/panorama

Amoger

springtide9 wrote:

FYI
http://www.torqfitness.co.uk/news/panorama

Good article, don't disagree with much of that.

MartinB2444

I thought it was great to see some counter to the pseudoscientific mumbo jumbo put out by the manufacturers of sports food and drink products. They did expose the flimsiness of the evidence base for the products. Of course cyclists doing long rides will need to keep topping up on carbohydrates and fluids. You just don't need fancy products to do it. Having said that, as a medic I know that one of our powerful drugs is "tabs placebo".

Interesting that caffeine got the thumbs up though

Amoger

Caffeine heavily used by athletes, used to be on banned list above a certain level but came off in about 2003.

McQueen

cup of black coffee

making sure your properly hydrated

and a glucose/amino acids drinks on ride/post ride and a protein drink 30-60mins of a ride all you need.

friend of mine who cycles and weight trains regularly takes a supplement called jacked by usplabs and morph by isatori. He was spending 40-60pm on the stuff

i tried them once read what was in them and i bought the supplements raw material myself and made a supplement just as effectively at quarter of the price

glucose powder
beta alanine
amino acids
a touch of creatine
taurine
and a cup of coffee


be wary of all these products that advertise the earth and cost a fortune

i aint gunna name names but one well known supplement company charges a fortune for creatine powder and all it is is dextrose glucose powder and creatine powder mixed together ie 45quid for a 500gram tub. All can be made yourself a quarter of the price.