A couple more posts before I switch over. I got an email asking about First Endurance products. I thought it would make a good blog topic, so here goes....
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Brandon, I have followed your blog for some time now and really enjoy it. I wanted to ask a couple of questions about First Endurance products if you
had a few moments to answer. I will be training for my first ironman in 2010 (Louisville) and I am doing some testing and research on what nutrition strategy will be best. First Endurance is really intriguing because of how many triathletes they have using it and all of the positive press they have received. I noticed you have put a few race reports on the site and seem to like them as well. Do you feel their products have helped you more than what you were doing in the past? If so, do you use all of their products or are there specific ones you recommend?
I have primarily used Hammer products but this will be different because of
the distances involved and how much more training I will be doing. I just
want to look around and make sure I know what all is out there. I realize
an ironman race can be somewhat of a crapshoot, especially with nutrition
but I want to try to nail it down as much as I can.
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I think that the FE products are great. And, this year Amy and I will be sponsored by them, so up until this year I have purchased 95% of what I have used. I don't think that the athletes using the FE products are necessarily successful because they use them, but the main thing is that they seem to work well for a lot of folks. As for me and Amy, I think that they have worked really well because we have figured out which mix works for both of us. That is the main challenge in long course fueling. I suspect that I could still manage to take in a bit more calories to push though that marathon. I use only FE products when possible. Amy uses FE and some Clif products (bloks or a bar). Jordan Rapp uses a mix as well.
We have used all of the products. I'll give you my run down of what we've used and my thoughts for each.
- Multi-V: I think that a multi is good 'insurance', so if I didn't use the FE multi, I would use another one. I am o.k. spending a bit more on this one b/c I know that they test their products and there shouldn't be any cross contamination. I am not currently in any WADA drug-testing pool, but with the proposed WTC testing, I guess that I will/should be.
- Optygen: It is a relatively expensive supplement. It had some reviews on slowtwitch. Oddly enough, those who didn't use it questioned it. Those who used it, liked it. Placebo effect? I don't think so. I know that I have had more 'on' workouts and fewer 'off' workouts during the season while taking optygen. If you can swing it, this one is worth it.
- EFS Drink: I've used this one for years. The new formulations are great in that they mix better, etc. If this is all you use, in theory, you should not need supplemental electrolytes, but that is individual.
- EFS Liquid Shot: Fast replacing the drink for me. Lots of calories in a small package, mixes well with water, tastes good. I defnitely recommend this one, especially for the IM run.
- Ultragen: Great for recovery or at least for workouts that require a recovery drink. I will use it after 90+ minute workouts with intervals. And, I try NOT to eat for the 30-45 minutes after taking it so that it gets absorbed or at least does its work. If you have a recovery drink that works for you, great, if not, it is worth a shot.
- EFS Bars: Great for on the bike and before workouts. I used one on my IM bike with no problems. It really tastes pretty much like a chocolate bar, so it's easy for me to eat on the bike.
- Pre-Race: I used it a few times. I am sure it works, I just haven't used it enough to really see for sure. I don't drink coffee, so the caffeine in this can really get me going. And, it does seem to help 'focus' during races.
If I were ranking them in terms of value or what I couldn't live without during the season (off season fueling/nutritional needs change a bit):
- Liquid Shot;
- EFS Bars;
- Optygen;
- Ultragen;
- Multi-V;
- EFS;
- Pre-Race
Hope that helps. Good luck at Louisville...don't really start IM training until about June!
-Brandon
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3 comments:
Since you are on the topic I wanted to ask a question that has bugged me for a long time about choice in nutritional suppliments. I have done comparisons of ingredients of these products and it seems that all of them are very similar. What makes one better than the other? For example one product may use a dextrose while another uses maltodextrin. Both simple sugars but which one is better. You could cite studies backing both. Is it really just a personal preference, or should I say gut preference? If one product has 20g of sugar and another 16g is that really enough of a difference to justify one over another. Just an example, but hopefully you understand my dilemma, especially when it comes to cost. Spending more does not always mean it is better for you or has some magic formula that the other does not.
Good questions. To further plut FE, this is a good question for the www.team.firstendurance.com site. Robert usually chimes in on questions like this.
I'm sure that I'll mess up somewhere in this reply.
- Sucrose is table sugar and is roughly a 50/50 mix of glucose and fructose.
- High Fructose Corn Syrup is a 45/55 mix of glucose and fructose.
- Glucose is the same as dextrose I believe and is what is stored in your liver.
- Fructose is sometimes called fruit sugar. As far as metabolism goes, a lot of research is showing that fructose is not a good player when it comes to obesity, diabetes, etc.
- Maltodextrin is a dextrose polymer. For the non-engineering types, that means that it is a chain made up of dextrose links.
The various sugars have different glycemic indexes, which is a measure of how quickly they are broken down.
The main difference in the energy drinks is what minor ingredients. EFS products use free form amino acids instead of proteins like whey or soy because some research shows that the protein advantage is from the AAs, so you get the same effect in theory.
The other minor ingredients are the electrolyte content of the drinks. Some have quite a bit, others none, others minimal amounts.
I really think that it is mostly what works best for you. Simple vs. complex may not mean that much. For me personally, I know that I tend to work better with less fructose...which is why grape/apple juice do not sit well with me...they have a higher fructose content.
So, experiment, see what works best. Post to www.team.firstendurance.com and see what Robert says.
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