Drinks during a workout

Usually for workouts less than an hour, I just take water with some electrolyte added. Over an hour, I use an energy drink mixed at half strength . Sometimes I feel like using a recovery drink for a change , It provides enough energy to see me through, OK the protein content is higher, and it is more expensive but I do not need to maximise carb intake , I just need enough to see me through the longer suff workouts. Any comments?

Yep. Water for short rides. Longer, I’ll put 100 cal of some fruit juice in a 24 oz bidon along with a good pinch of salt and fill the rest of the way with water. For longer rides on the road where I need to stop for a refill, I’ll get Gatorade and put ~16oz in a 24oz bidon and fill the rest of the way with water. Nothing fancy. On the mtb, it’s just water as I use a bladder and rather not have to clean out anything that might grow mold.

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@alchurch, water is fine for shorter rides provided that you have a full tank (ie, muscle and liver glycogen stores are full or close to it) this is usually the case if you do your workouts in the morning or 1st half of your day. If this is the case you should have plenty of energy to get through. However, I prefer to always take in some electrolytes, even for shorter rides to replace electrolyte losses. Even though you can get away with water only, if you are doing lots of short workouts with water only, it is very easy to become electrolyte depleted.

Using a “recovery” drink is also fine, especially with shorter rides. There are certainly many types of recovery drinks with a variety of ingredients. But generally they are mostly carbs with added protein. Generally around a 4:1 ratio. Totally fine to sip these if your stomach tolerates it, especially for shorter rides. However, with longer rides, especially in a warm climate, recovery drinks can become a bit heavy.

Thank you Coach Jeff. The real question only revolved around using recovery drinks during a ride rather than energy specific. I was unsure if it was designed to Rush carbs into the system, cause insulin spikes and generally mess the ride up, as they were not designed to be used during riding. I only use it during a ride a few times each year, it just makes a change .My energy drink is 4:1 a High5five product I think the recovery drink is slightly higher in protein.

When I read the title of this thread, I thought is was an invitation. :beer: :wine_glass: :champagne: :clinking_glasses: :milk_glass: :bubble_tea:
Bit disappointed now…

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IMO, there is nutrition science, and there’s nutrition product marketing BS and hyperbole. The former is awash and drowned out by the latter.

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