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Science In Sport Rego + Fruitflow Recovery Gel

8
£2.29

VERDICT:

8
10
A new product to help recovery after training; aimed primarily at racers and high performers, with additional benefits for multi-day events.
Weight: 
60g
Contact: 
www.scienceinsport.com

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Rego + Fruitflow is a recovery product from Science in Sport (SiS). If you train hard and race hard, it may help you recover faster and improve your overall performance.

Unlike most recovery products, which are usually drinks or bars, Rego + Fruitflow is a gel. And unlike most recovery products, it does not contain much carbohydrate or protein. And unlike most recovery products, you take it before exercise, not during or after. Get the picture? It's different.

How does it work? Fruitflow is a brand name for a tomato extract that, according to SiS, contains naturally occurring compounds that reduce the muscle inflammation that normally occurs during strenuous exercise. By including this substance in the gel, it helps your muscles recover more quickly. The sooner you recover, then the sooner you can go out training again, and the more you train, the better you get.

The quicker recovery may also help those taking part in multi-day events.

Does it work?

That's the theory. Does it work in practice? Honest answer: I don't know. I tested Rego + Fruitflow gels a couple of times by taking them about two hours before a 90-minute slot of intensive indoor training (Sufferfest's Local Hero, since you ask).

A few hours later, my legs felt slightly better than they usually do the same period after a turbo torture session. But maybe it was my imagination, or maybe I was just having a good day anyway. Or didn't try as hard. I can't claim that my experience proves anything.

As well as the Fruitflow compound, the other main ingredients include chard (SiS call it Swiss chard; it's also known as spinach beet or silver beet, and is related to beetroot, although on chard the leaf is the major source of nutrition rather than the root) and good old water. There are also various sweeteners, preservatives and gelling agents.

The flavour of these gels is unusual, but OK. They're surprisingly sweet on the tongue at first, then have a slightly bitter after-taste. If I tried hard, I could just about get a taste of tomatoes – more like the sundried variety. I couldn't really taste the gel's advertised flavour which was supposed to be Banana & Mango.

The texture is quite runny, more like a drink than a gel. But that helps it slip down easily.

The only way to tell if Rego + Fruitflow gels work for you is to sample a few. They retail at £2.29 each on the SiS website, which isn't cheap, but won't break the bank to give it a try. Only you will know how your body normally feels after intensive training, so only you will notice the difference these gels might make to your recovery rate. On that basis, for the serious competitors out there, this is a product that's worth consideration.

Verdict

A new product to help recovery after training; aimed primarily at racers and high performers, with additional benefits for multi-day events.

If you're thinking of buying this product using a cashback deal why not use the road.cc Top Cashback page and get some top cashback while helping to support your favourite independent cycling website

road.cc test report

Make and model: Science In Sport Rego + Fruitflow Recovery Gel

Size tested: Banana and Mango flavour

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

This is a recovery product. Just to be clear, it's not a traditional recovery product. And it's not an energy product either. Each Rego + Fruitflow gel contains only 5% carb (much less than a normal energy product) and only 5% protein (much less than a traditional recovery product). Make no mistake – what you're taking this gel for is the Fruitflow, that clever stuff which SiS say will help your muscles more quickly recover after training, so you can go out and suffer all over again.

The SiS website also contains the following information:

"The world's first Fruitflow® recovery gel containing natural Fruitflow®; Fruitflow® is a clinically proven tomato extract which helps reduce over-stimulation of blood platelets; Reduces unnecessary total body inflammation during strenuous exercise, shortening recovery times; Designed to help you recover quicker when consumed before exercise."

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

The SIS website goes on to say that Rego + Fruitflow was:

"...developed to give your body a helping hand to cope with the additional stress of strenuous exercise."

Other technical information on the website included the following:

" Supported by human clinical trials Fruitflow® is the first natural ingredient with a scientifically approved health claim to contribute to healthy blood flow."

"SiS REGO + Fruitflow® gel will help reduce over-stimulation of blood platelets during intense exercise, reducing inflammation, which in turn can shorten recovery times."

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10

Peformance seems good, in that I tested Rego + Fruitflow gels a couple of times by taking them about two hours before an intensive session on the turbo trainer, and then a few hours later, my legs felt slightly better than they usually do in the same situation. But that obviously isn't a scentific test and I can't claim that my experience proves anything.

Rate the product for value:
 
8/10

Value is hard to pin down as there aren't any other energy products we're aware of that compare directly with Rego + Fruitflow. At £2.29 for 60g it's not cheap, but it's fair - and if it helps you train harder and race faster it may be a price you're willing to pay.

If you decide this is the stuff for you, then multi-packs are cheaper: six gels for £11.99, or a box of 30 for £56.99.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.

Would you consider buying the product? Probably not. For my level of training it's not necessary.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes, I'd recommend they try it, if they were training hard

Anything further to say about the product in conclusion?

It's hard to give an overall score to this product, as there's nothing else that's similar to compare it against. But, in my non-scientific experience, it does the job, and it's also fairly priced, so on that basis it gets a score of 8.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 51  Height: 5ft 10 / 178cm  Weight: 11 stone / 70kg

I usually ride: an old Marin Alp, or an old steel classic  My best bike is: an old Giant Cadex (can you see a theme here?)

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: A few times a week  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: touring, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding,

 

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