Powerbar Powergel

[truste1]

Does anybody have experience with this?

Here's the deal: My grandfather (he's 65 I think) is a cyclist, he's cycled since he was a boy and was the Virginia state champ in 68'. Needless to say, considering his age, in order to keep up this sort of activity (and do those annual 100-mile bike rides with Lance in the hills of Texas) he has to pay great attention to his diet. He has all of the different bars, shakes, etc. and he's always eaten healthy just because it's better to do so.

Anyway, last time he was here he left one of his powergel packets so today I decided to take it to swim practice to try it out. First off, that stuff is DISGUSTING (I had the lemon-lime flavor) and I thought I was going to throw up. But I endured it. The package says "take with water every 30-45 minutes during activity." Does this mean I'm supposed to mix it with water or like take some of the gel then drink water and swish it around in my mouth or what? Also, is it one packet every 30-45 minutes or do I divide up the packet.

And is it worth it? I didn't notice a real increase in energy (it's supposed to be "fast fuel" and it's made of 80% complex and 20% simple carbs.) But that's probably because I only had one little squeeze of the packet right before I got in the water. I didn't really get a chance to hop out and have more, so I'm going to try it again on Monday. I'm out of Powerbar's though, so I have to get more this weekend. If anyone else has used this and noticed that it helps, I'd like to know, that way I know if I should get some more to use.

Thanks.

[justlaxin484]

i used it at a 5 game tourney at OSU a couple weeks ago, i mixed lemon lime with blue gatorade, didnt taste as bad as you would think, but i guess it helped a little, i could have played another game after the 5, while everyone on my team was dead, and im not the most in shape kid

[FallIntoIt]

One of my former coaches is a marathon runner and said that she'll pop a powergel right before she hits "the wall." You eat an entire packet and drink water during (she said that taking a squeeze and then a sip of water helps it digest and makes the experience easier to endure). I don't know of anyone that does a packet every 30-45 minutes, but maybe one packet just before you start to get tired. Also: I've been told that any coffee and/or cappucino flavor, while also disgusting, tastes better than the fruity kinds. I would imagine that the strong flavor of the coffee helps mask the vitamin flavor better than fruit.


Edit: According to GU Sports (gusports.com), you "should" take a packet fifteen minutes before you start, and a packet after every forty-five minutes of activity. Then a packet about a half hour after you end activity. They also say that a "few mouthfuls of water" should be taken with the packet to speed absorption.

Personally, I don't think you need as many packets as they suggest. Sounds more like a ploy to buy a ton of product on their part. After all, do you really "wash, rinse, and repeat"?

[MangOPimP]

If you guys thought in terms of what it is actually made for, endurance sports, it would make sense. For a cyclist such as Jan Ulrich, Ivan Basso, or Lance Armstrong riding 100 miles a day, for multiple days in row, you have to make sure you are not burning more calories than taking in. Calories are your energy, and when having a net loss of them starts occuring, your energy levels go down. The whole point of these is to make sure your body always has something to use during a 5 hour workout over a week; not typically something you have in say swimming or lacrosse. Sure your practices may be 3 hours but are they 3 hours non stop, and by non stop i mean, non stop. Biking is one of the most calorie burning laden excercises you can do, thats why they need the stuff. Also, the taste is designed for later on in an endurance race. The longer your body is working hard(biking), the less it likes really sweet and sugary things, hence the bland taste.