Can someone explain the tabs/powders stuff ?

dashik

The Bannana Milk blend is good for recovery? Why please

Gizmodo

Dashik wrote:

The Bannana Milk blend is good for recovery? Why please

See http://www.bikeradar.com/fitness/article/the-benefits-of-milk-25698/

... recent research on how skimmed milk is still the cycling super-drink.

“Our studies looked at the potential application of milk to the sports performer, with particular emphasis on endurance performance and recovery from strenuous exercise,” said sports nutritionist Dr Phil Watson from Loughborough University.

“The most striking outcome was the effectiveness of milk to restore fluid losses following exercise. This suggests that milk is indeed an ideal post-exercise recovery fluid, effectively replacing sweat losses incurred during exercise and replenishing the body’s carbohydrate stores.”

...

Stuart Phillips, from the Exercise Metabolism Research Group at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, also conducted research into milk consumption after resistance exercise, finding that drinking milk after exercise promotes better fluid retention than a traditional eight percent isotonic sports drink.

“Milk contains the protein that seems to suit muscle repair best. Its unique blend of casein and whey contain amino acids in a pattern similar to muscle protein,” says Phillips. “It also has other essential minerals and nutrients that our bodies need, so it’s a convenient package of nutrients and good for you.”

simon_masterson

Indeed; I usually have 500ml or so milk with 50g of dextrose and maltodextrin, powdered oats and unflavoured protein powder. Works very well indeed.

dashik

Ahh thanks for that So I'll get with the skimmed milk from now on I buy that anyway so a glass after a ride will be fine

paulus69

The zero ones are a good thing to flavour water and combat the electrolytes lost through sweat, maxi fuel (formerly maxi muscle) make a similar plink plink drink and these are now included in British army ration packs (so often swop with others).

dashik

Well the Banana smoothie with semi skimmed milk was delicous after my ride in the persisting rain this morning.

So I'm happy with my choices. I use the Zero high's for electolytes during my ride to stop me getting headaches from sweating as I sweat a lot and that's woking fine and now a Banana Smoothie to chill with at the end

So the tablet is 30p a ride and the Banana Smoothie is about 20p. So 50p a ride all in! Bargain!!! And apart from the tablets no additives

Sorted!!!

simon_masterson

Bingo - It needn't be expensive. As said above my shakes use bulk maltodextrin, dextrose, powdered oats and unflavoured whey protein from MP; I calculated it once and I think it comes out at 30p a go or something, excluding the milk.

As I see it the actual benefits of the ingredients (muscle recovery, replenishing muscle glycogen etc) are almost a pleasing aside; I know that when I come in from a ride I could easily eat large quantities of doughnuts/a large pizza/some other mountain of junk food - i.e. potentially 1000-2000 calories or even more, plus a lot of fat - so having something in place to knock it on the head is good. Fruit is usually sufficient if I need to top up afterward.

dashik

Indeed, In fact ever since my partner got Breast Cancer last year 2 things have become more important.

What we eat, i.e a lot less additives and more fresh home cooking and veg and looking at what I spend on stuff.

So a healthy additive free smoothie at a bargain price is a bonus.

charlie_potatoes

Simon Masterson wrote:

As I see it the actual benefits of the ingredients (muscle recovery, replenishing muscle glycogen etc) are almost a pleasing aside; I know that when I come in from a ride I could easily eat large quantities of doughnuts/a large pizza/some other mountain of junk food - i.e. potentially 1000-2000 calories or even more, plus a lot of fat - so having something in place to knock it on the head is good. Fruit is usually sufficient if I need to top up afterward.

I am just finding this out. Albeit using the high5 4:1 recovery drink as I got some cheap. It does seem to ward off that obsessive hunger that follows a long ride.

What ratios of ingredients do you use Simon?

simon_masterson

Charlie Potatoes wrote:

Simon Masterson wrote:

As I see it the actual benefits of the ingredients (muscle recovery, replenishing muscle glycogen etc) are almost a pleasing aside; I know that when I come in from a ride I could easily eat large quantities of doughnuts/a large pizza/some other mountain of junk food - i.e. potentially 1000-2000 calories or even more, plus a lot of fat - so having something in place to knock it on the head is good. Fruit is usually sufficient if I need to top up afterward.

I am just finding this out. Albeit using the high5 4:1 recovery drink as I got some cheap. It does seem to ward off that obsessive hunger that follows a long ride.

What ratios of ingredients do you use Simon?

I haven't ever thought of it in terms of ratios (doesn't help that I'm not very mathematically minded!), but a quick calculation suggests that it must be about 6:1 carbs:protein. Or rather, 150g carbs to 25g of protein powder. That's somewhat of an oversimplification as it's only based on the number of grams of carbs and the number of grams of protein powder. The exact recipe is 100g of powdered oats, 50g of maltodextrin and dextrose (approx. half of each) and 25g of unflavoured 'Impact' whey protein from MyProtein (from whence all of the ingredients come).

I'm not a sports scientist, and no doubt could be using a more effective mixture if I knew what I was doing. I've read various articles on the subject, but I've mainly used the suggested doses on the products, which makes measuring out very easy at least! I only know that it works, and it really does.

charlie_potatoes

Thanks Simon. How much milk would you mix with that?

simon_masterson

Charlie Potatoes wrote:

Thanks Simon. How much milk would you mix with that?

No problem. I usually use about 500ml, since it's for rehydration as well as muscle recovery and so on. (body builders and the like seem to use less, or water)

godders1

Charlie Potatoes wrote:

Godders1 wrote:

pardonthewait wrote:

The zero ones do seem to help with leg cramps which I otherwise get quite often, I've only used them a few times so far but no cramps... this is not very scientific though and could be placebo but if it's replacing stuff I lose riding then I don't see the harm.

Cramp during exercise is usually caused by low sodium so it absolutely makes sense that an isotonic drink will pevent it.

According to the NHS website the cause of leg cramp is unknown.
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/legcrampsunknowncause/Pages/Introduction.aspx

That link says that causes of idiopathic leg cramp are unknown (hence the name).

It says the following about secondary leg cramp:

Causes of secondary leg cramps include:
pregnancy – it is thought that the extra weight that women have to carry during pregnancy can strain the leg muscles, making them more vulnerable to cramping
exercise – many people experience leg cramps when resting after exercise
neurological conditions (conditions that affect the nerves that control your leg muscles) – for example, motor neurone disease (a condition where the nerves in the brain and the spine gradually lose function) or peripheral neuropathy (a condition where the nerves inside the leg are damaged)
liver disease – once your liver stops working properly, toxins inside the blood can build up, which can make your muscles go into spasm
infection – some type of bacterial infection, such as tetanus, can cause muscle cramps and spasm
toxins – high levels of toxic (poisonous) substances in the blood, such as lead or mercury, can cause leg cramps in some people
dehydration – a low level of water in your body leads to a similar drop in your salt levels, which can trigger muscle cramps in some people

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/legcrampsu ... auses.aspx

charlie_potatoes

So making sure you are not dehydrated can help in some cases? Makes sense.
Thanks Godders

ETA The BBC website has a couple of recipes for homemade Isotonic Drinks for those looking to save some money.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sportacademy/hi/sa/healthy_eating/newsid_2132000/2132209.stm

charlie_potatoes

Simon Masterson wrote:

Charlie Potatoes wrote:

Thanks Simon. How much milk would you mix with that?

No problem. I usually use about 500ml, since it's for rehydration as well as muscle recovery and so on. (body builders and the like seem to use less, or water)

Thanks once again Simon. I think I will give it a go.

g00se

Just another 2pth worth...

If you're not putting too much effort in, then your body can burn fat as well as any blood sugar. So if you're going on a long steady ride, just drink water (or zero-tabs/nuun-tabs if you're getting a sweat on and are susceptible to cramps) and stop and eat something if you're hungry.

If you're cycling hard, then your body can't burn fat fast enough and will rely on blood sugar and carbohydrate intake. If you're just out for a few hours, have a good carby meal before you go out to get the levels up, and take water/zero drinks. Take something to eat or a carb-gel with you just in case you bonk.

Now, if you're going out for 5-6 hours will a lot of effort - you'll need to consume carbs on the trip. This is where sports drinks and gels come into it - predominantly if you're not stopping and are eating on the bike. Simplistically, your body can only consume/process around 70g of carbs an hour, so when you're in a position where you're having to top up your blood-sugar levels with sugary stuff, it's a little, often. You can use energy drink and bars/gels together - or water/zero drink and bars/gels on their own - just work out what you need to consume to get the right levels going in. But if you're stopping regularly, you can just eat normal food - ideally something slow burning like flapjacks or malt-loaf.