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Supplements and vitamins?

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  • January 23, 2014 at 7:55 pm #20552
    allez neg

    I know there’s no ethical quick fix to boost speed and/or endurance without putting the miles in, but have any of you had positive results from any of the multitude of supplements out there?

    My diet is pretty good (maybe hitting the coffee a bit too much) but shift work and family stuff doesn’t make for good regular miles, although I rarely get ill, and my weight is moving in the right direction (85kg, just about 6 ft tall, 39 yrs) so my general wellbeing seems ok.

    I’m hoping to have the best year of riding and hammer a few of my riding buddies, most of whom are younger, get in more miles, or both.

    I’d just like to feel a bit more energetic, and in particular it’d be great to have another gear on the hills – I can grind up ’em at a vaguely respectable pace but can never accelerate on them.

    Also, anything that will alleviate the deadness in my legs after a ride and achey calves. I do try to stretch them out when I remember, and either wolf down a can of tuna or a protein bar post-ride.

    I was looking at recovery shakes, iron supplements, stuff like that.

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  • January 25, 2014 at 7:19 pm #770281
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    edster99

    Personally I have felt the
    Personally I have felt the benefit of protein / carb drinks after every workout – but then I eat very little meat so that may be why. For me, it really is a direct relationship between aches / no aches.
    I dont know about multivits, but its probably true that if you exercise a lot, you’ll need more than if you are entirely sedentary. How much more? Do you already get enough in your diet anyway? Thats a good question.
    What is ‘a good diet’? That can be controversial too. If you listen to the Paeleo diet people, they wouldn’t agree with the current perceived wisdom of what we should be eating.
    Good stretching post workout also helps me.
    I’d also echo the advice of ‘get plenty of rest’. During the later stages of sleep is when you release HGH which repairs and builds muscle. Short nights of sleep don’t allow you to do that.
    If you want to be able to go ‘another gear’ I’d say there are two things you’ll need – one, a good FTP level, and two, a well developed ability to spin the legs up to a high speed and develop a lot of power, whilst flushing out the lactic acid efficiently. So that would be lots of long, slowish aerobic training for one) and lots of intervals for two).
    But, you probably knew that all anyway!
    Good luck.

    January 25, 2014 at 6:51 pm #770279
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    glynr36

    Simon E wrote:glynr36 wrote:A

    Simon E wrote:
    glynr36 wrote:
    A page of sales guff isn’t a peer reviewed paper.
    That’s no better or worse than someone linking a page from a multi v manufacturer on the benefits of multi v’s.

    I understand your point but I disagree. What are they selling?

    Nutrition plans.

    http://www.precisionnutrition.com/coaching/lean-eating-for-men

    $99 to sign up, and $99 a month, if you get on the presale, or $150 instead!

    January 25, 2014 at 6:43 pm #770277
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    Simon E

    glynr36 wrote:A page of sales

    glynr36 wrote:
    A page of sales guff isn’t a peer reviewed paper.
    That’s no better or worse than someone linking a page from a multi v manufacturer on the benefits of multi v’s.

    I understand your point but I disagree. What are they selling?

    January 25, 2014 at 9:10 am #770275
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    glynr36

    A page of sales guff isn’t a
    A page of sales guff isn’t a peer reviewed paper.
    That’s no better or worse than someone linking a page from a multi v manufacturer on the benefits of multi v’s.

    January 24, 2014 at 10:01 pm #770273
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    Simon E

    Unless someone is genuinely
    Unless someone is genuinely deficient in essential vits and minerals then taking multivitamins is a scatter-gun solution looking for a problem. On top of that, they invariably use processed (and often synthetic) sources.

    https://www.precisionnutrition.com/food-is-not-fuel

    January 24, 2014 at 8:19 pm #770271
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    glynr36

    Argos74 wrote:Protein

    Argos74 wrote:
    Protein supplements/bars/drinks – avoid, unless you’re on a vegan diet and need to up your protein intake, or are doing some serious damage in the squat rack.

    Balanced, nutritious diet, hydrate lots, rest lots and what Le Grindeur said about targeted, intelligent training.

    So do you not eat protein sources either, unless you’re doing weights?

    Thats all protein shakes are, no different to getting protein from meat etc.
    Sometimes it’s quicker, I use them as a meal replacement at times when I don’t get chance to sit down and eat at work. They also make it easier and cheaper to get in the protein you need.

    Decent diet is key though, the clue is in the name of ‘supplements’ but no harm in using them, they work for some and not others.

    I use a multi-v, whey, casein, BCAA and creatine. Took a while to find my balance though.

    January 24, 2014 at 8:15 pm #770269
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    allez neg

    Some good advice, thanks all.
    Some good advice, thanks all.

    For now, I’ll just focus on staying hydrated, which is something I forget to do on cold rides and carry on the weight loss and sensible nutrition.

    As to Le Grindeur’s comments about lactic acid, well, I’m falling into the same trap on bicycles that I did with my motorbike – time constraints mean short intense bursts trying to go fast as possible rather than relaxing and savouring the ride. That said, I think I’ve done more January miles this year than I have for absolutely yonks – I’m preaching to the converted here but buying a bike I’m not that bothered about keeping pristine was a bloody good idea.

    January 24, 2014 at 7:19 pm #770267
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    Argos74

    Protein
    Protein supplements/bars/drinks – avoid, unless you’re on a vegan diet and need to up your protein intake, or are doing some serious damage in the squat rack.

    Balanced, nutritious diet, hydrate lots, rest lots and what Le Grindeur said about targeted, intelligent training.

    January 24, 2014 at 12:32 pm #770265
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    mooleur

    Simon E wrote:Re. diet – it

    Simon E wrote:
    Re. diet – it depends what you mean by “pretty good”. Lots of people think they eat well but often in reality they don’t.

    IME the persistent dead legs feeling is often related to inadequate rest or poor sleep. Powders and vitamins won’t fix that.

    They won’t give you an extra gear anywhere either. Being able to ride hard or accelerate on climbs requires a really good level of fitness. It’s easy to underestimate how long that takes to develop.

    ^^ best advice yet.

    Can confirm rest is best – I spent my first year nailing the protein shakes & ruining my tummy and not really going too far – into the second year I quit the supplements and went for afternoon naps, NAPS are the way forward. And 8 hour a night sleeps.

    And great food, balanced well. Myfitnesspal, while predominantly being a calorie tracker, can also help you graph your nutrient intake which is very handy for balance control.

    Personally as soon as I quit supplements I began to improve. The only extras I take at the moment are vitamin C and beetroot juice before races.

    January 24, 2014 at 12:16 pm #770263
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    Simon E

    Re. diet – it depends what
    Re. diet – it depends what you mean by “pretty good”. Lots of people think they eat well but often in reality they don’t.

    IME the persistent dead legs feeling is often related to inadequate rest or poor sleep. Powders and vitamins won’t fix that.

    They won’t give you an extra gear anywhere either. Being able to ride hard or accelerate on climbs requires a really good level of fitness. It’s easy to underestimate how long that takes to develop.

    January 24, 2014 at 11:40 am #770261
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    mooleur

    Get some beetroot in yer.
    Get some beetroot in yer.

    January 24, 2014 at 9:31 am #770259
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    oddbydefault

    I’m not a huge proponent of
    I’m not a huge proponent of supplements to be honest, but you could try magnesium salts. Pour several handfuls of the salts in the bath after a hard ride, or you can buy magnesium oil in a spray (it’s not cheap though). There is some scientific evidence of its (varying degrees of) efficacy out there.

    One thing I know that works for me if I start feeling fatigue generally is Floradix (either tablets or the liquid – definitely an acquired taste). It’s very easily digestible iron, as well as other nutrients and minerals, in an entirely ‘natural’ form. Iron tablets in themselves mess with people’s stomachs and aren’t digested well anyway. Might be worth giving it a shot and seeing if it has any effect. Even a small iron deficiency will affect your performance, recovery, and general feeling of fatigue.

    January 24, 2014 at 7:56 am #770257
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    pants

    archie gordon wrote:try my

    archie gordon wrote:
    try my protein . com lots of supplements at a good price

    I read ‘try my protein’ and laughed until i read the rest of your sentence.

    January 24, 2014 at 7:55 am #770255
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    pants

    archie gordon wrote:try my

    archie gordon wrote:
    try my protein . com lots of supplements at a good price

    I read ‘try my protein’ and laughed until i read the rest of your sentence.

    January 23, 2014 at 8:49 pm #770253
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    archie gordon

    try my protein . com lots of
    try my protein . com lots of supplements at a good price

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