KX Riders
General => Riding Tips & Tricks => Topic started by: hughes on July 09, 2005, 01:14:30 PM
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Hey guy's what are ya'll using to keep your fluids up during these hot days of riding :?: Water or powerade :?: Do I need to eat anything during the day at water breaks :?: I have been drink water only and not eating alot for breakfast. Do the Red Bull drinks really work for engry during riding :?:
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Nothing quenches my thirst like good ol water. I carry it in a camelbak with a little lime added. Dont find that I really have to eat much. Big breeky and decent tea when ya get home sorts me out food wise. As for the NRG drinks, I used to guzzle them back when road racing. Seemed good for concentration, but after a few races I startes to get headaches. Plus they are mostly sugar. See you can get sugar free types now tho. :o $0.02 Tim.
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It`s best to hydrate in the days leading up to an event.3-4 litres (1 gallon) a day if you think it`s going to be really hot. You should be drinking at least 8 cups of water anyway to stay healthy. I`ve found sports drinks are good during riding days if I am sweating alot to replace the lost minerals. I like to water them down, 50/50 mix.
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Good advice allready given above,I like plain water and you may try pedalight before/after riding (I get the cheap stuff at Wal-Mart) and I eat like I would any other day (maybe more fruit).I wear a Camel back and carry a Moose jug,bring enough so if you have to walk out you can survive.
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I mix a meal replacement drink called, Ultra Fuel with water and never run out of energy! And of course I drink lots of water!
Alan :D
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So far i've found straight cold water is the best for me liquid wise. I was diluting gatorade in the camel back but found it wasnt as satisfying.
Alan, is ultra fuel something you'd put in your camel back? This sounds funny, but i find myself hungry about a little over an hour into a race, and I dont know what to do about it
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What would ya'll eat during the day :?: My wife came by the local track last week and brought a picnic. After eating I started getting cramps in my legs and arms.
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Cramps are normally a sighn of dehydration, dont hink it was from food.
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So far i've found straight cold water is the best for me liquid wise. I was diluting gatorade in the camel back but found it wasnt as satisfying.
Alan, is ultra fuel something you'd put in your camel back? This sounds funny, but i find myself hungry about a little over an hour into a race, and I dont know what to do about it
Yep, I put in my camel back with ice and water! It comes in liquid and power mix, I was always running out of gas and becoming exhausted and being in the exercise equipment business I ask one the trainers that comes in the store what I could use to keep hydrated, restore electrolytes and give me energy while I am riding! I buy it on line by the case of 12 bottles per case, here is the link!
http://www.a1nutritionproducts.com/buy/twinlab/ultra_fuel/rtd
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For racetime fuel my secret was always (and still is) bananas. That is all I would eat all day. Gives you lots of energy, absorbs quick and has enough potasium to prevent cramps or arm-pump. For hydration it was always water or flat 7uP. Everyone is different but this is what worked for me. Real gatorade (the powedered stuff) works quite well too. In my first real trial with it I entered a 100mile Xcountry at the last minute a few years back. No prep and had'nt ridden for 3 months prior. All I had was some gatorade. After I few 60min laps I was beat, so I guzzled a jug of gatorade at each pit stop. The energy boost was dramatic and I felt like superman...but only for 3/4 of a lap until it wore off. Had planned to ride it just for fun but got the holeshot, the old adrenaline came back, and had to go for it! Old guys rule....sometimes. Cam.
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#1 put alot of sugar in water and you will have your red bull or there abouts - its all alot of energy drinks are.Get some slow release carbs into ya in the morning with some protein eg eggs on toast,a bit of protein with the carbs - "will make the flame burn better and longer"
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Along with the aforementioned pre-hydrating and a lot of water during the event, a breakfast of oatmeal and whey protien powder goes a long way. Simple fruits like an apple or a nectarine keep things going nicely. A good protien drink or a turkey sandwich on whole grain bread is a good snack as well. Keep it simple and balanced, no fatty stuff and lots of water.
Arigato
Don't forget the wasabi.
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To me the best is to drink plenty of water the night before. Eat bannas before rifding to prevent the cramps and wear a camelbak if your going to be a ways from the truck. I make sure the water is the same temp as outside or warmer since it will absorb faster into the body. Your body has to heat the cold water up which takes longer to absorb. I know hot water sucks but you learn after being in the desert.
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Interesting point to me steeldust about the cold vswarm water never new that do now - thanks to you,cheers
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I have great results with Propel fitness water. It seems to work better than the sport drinks. I bought a camel back that helps out a lot. Makes you drink more and more often.
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Bananas, something with bread, water, water, and water. Drink Gatorade and poweraides at 25% (16 ounces power drink to 48 ounces water ), but bananas are the key first thing before a ride.
Cramps are from dehydration, but all the water you can drink cannot get where it is needed if the right chemical balance is not achieved to get it there. Headaches are from dehydration as well. The blood vessels are dialated and there is not enough fluid for them, which causes headaches. Sugar and caffeine Vaso Constrict ( decrease the vessels ) making the headaches go away, but do not solve the root problem. Our bodies DO NOT LIKE HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP ! ! ! Just like Arigato said before, fruit like apples, nectarines, oranges, and watermelon are great. Preparing and balancing out your body prior to these problems is the way to go. "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".
I know most of you peeps here spend some time getting your bike ready to ride, right? Clean the air filter, mixing fuel, extra spark plug, tire pressures, extra parts, repair tools, and even a little Armor All and aluminum polish ? ! ? :roll: So, in order for our bodies to run at their best, without a failure, we need to look at it like we do our bikes. Why do we get mad at our body when it bonks 3/4 through the race? Because we think we can control our body with just our brains..... wrong. We are a machine just like our bikes.
Think about this.... with all the technology we have today, why isn't there a little pill or a powder pack that we can consume instead of the food we do??? Because our bodies are more complicated than that. So thinking that a pill, Red Bull, or a powder pack will do the trick is flawed. You still need solid, good food.
Get rest, power up with carbs and protein, and hydrate before the ride or race. Stay away from Red Bull, soda, alcohol, and high sugars before the ride.
Bananas......... Sly
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:-DI second that. When I raced that's all I ate on race day. Super power. Cam.
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I use Ultra Fuel mixed 50/50 with water! :-D
Ultra Fuel Liquid 18oz (Blue Raspberry, Grape, Orange, Fruit Punch)
A high energy drink that offers a balanced ratio of simple and complex carbohydrates, in a unique formulation that synthesizes muscle and liver glycogen to drive short and long term energy, speed recovery and improve overall performance.that means more energy and recovery for the ultimate in overdrive! Charged with a balanced ratio of simple and complex carbohydrates, superior blend of glucose polymers, 100% pure crystalline fructose and essential electrolytes
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Watermelon! It's sweet, wet, and will stay with you. If you eat some the night before it's almost like cheating. Other than that water or 50/50 gatoraid.
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Down here a gargle off a bottle or two of "V". Guarana, Cafine, Sodiumbicarbonicacetate, you know all that good stuff. :mrgreen:
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I've never seriously taken anything for riding except maybe some Soda's and Gatorade. McDonalds is in the order usally as it is the closest place to the only track here within a few miles.
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Everybody is different I guess. I have not worked out in over a month because of my thumb or even rode my bike. This past sunday like to have killed me. After about two hrs of riding I was dead tried. Before my injury to my thumb I could see a big difference in my riding with regular work outs at the gym. My body needs plenty of fluids during the ride of I feel like crap the whole ride home and that evening if I don't get enough fluids. I have found that propel fittness water has work better for me than any of the sports drinks. This monday am going to try and eat some bananas during the ride over the track and stay on propel fittnes water during the day. It's going to be in the 90's this weekend.
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I use Ultra Fuel mixed 50/50 with water! :-D
Ultra Fuel Liquid 18oz (Blue Raspberry, Grape, Orange, Fruit Punch)
A high energy drink that offers a balanced ratio of simple and complex carbohydrates, in a unique formulation that synthesizes muscle and liver glycogen to drive short and long term energy, speed recovery and improve overall performance.that means more energy and recovery for the ultimate in overdrive! Charged with a balanced ratio of simple and complex carbohydrates, superior blend of glucose polymers, 100% pure crystalline fructose and essential electrolytes
http://www.twinlab.com/spn-product.cfm?Product_ID=1028&Subcategory_ID=ENER
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I know this is an old post, but even though there was some good information, I feel the most important was missing.
As was stated, bananas is a key food to prevent cramping, but rather than just have the foods and liquids that are subject to personal opinion, I think one will be much more satisfied, if you select for yourself once you know what you are after.
The same thing that makes Gatorade a popular drink, is what people are trying to get out of bananas; electrolytes. Bananas have quite a few, and Gatorade claims 3 I believe. As far as I know, there are 7 total. In my opinion, Gatorade is very acidic, and in strenuous workouts, I get ill. I have found that Smart Water helps greatly, since it is just water, but with electrolytes (4 of them)...no flavor/acid = no upset stomach.
With that said, you want electrolytes. They are what keep your body balanced, and without them, or enough of them that is, you WILL go into a coma. It is common among runners.
Always look for a way to get the most electrolytes, whether it is your favorite drink or food, but do not forget to keep a good balance to prevent bowel disruption, and also keep your body hydrated to not only keep conscious, but also prevent fatigue.
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Hey MR. tally man, tally me bananas.... :wink:
Sly
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the products you use is a matter of preference. the facts are these, at the cellular level the body works on whats called the sodium/pottasium pump. without getting too anatomy classish, water follows salt/you sweat, as sodium is excreted from the cells as a byproduct of increased work, pottasium takes its place(called the sodium/pottasium shift), the water and salt are used by the sweat glands to cool the body. the pottasium is used by the cells as fuel when combined with sugars(also the go go juice for the brain, heart, liver) your muscle cells hit the potassium hard, and when defficient, in combination with dehydration(lack of water to carry said minerals) CRAMPS, HEADACHE, DIZZINESS. and yes, the body likes natural sugars rather than processed ones, they are more readily used by the cells and take less energy to convert. these are the most primary ingredients in almost all the NRG drinks...water, sugar, salt, pottasium...and oh yes the banana has 2 of those in spades.
peace, love, and hippy chicks :mrgreen:
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I drink lots of water or gatorade the day before riding, hot or cold; about 1-1.5 gallons. The day of, i drink water (no supplements) when i can, as long as its not 15 minutes or less before riding.
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Speaking of camelbaks, here's an idea I devised for riding trails. I don't like the extra weight pulling on my chest protector so I made this up with the small CB.
Here's a front view, connected to the front number plate with mini- bungee straps, wrapped arounthe back of the fork connecting to the D-rings no the CB.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y49/mxwink500/100_4896.jpg)
Side view:
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y49/mxwink500/100_4897.jpg)
another view of the bugee cord:
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y49/mxwink500/100_4898.jpg)
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This is something I'll try in the summer. www.nuun.com. Their science sounds right. Ever drink drink drink water and by afternoon it just doesn't work anymore? A tad expensive, but at least a new approach.