Supplements

This a tricky topic for athletes. Unless you are an athlete sponsored by a supplement company, it can be difficult to stick with a specific product or find one that works best or even works at all. I often wonder if most of the products just help you with psychological warfare. I mean, does drink mix A help you on the bike more than drink mix B? Or does recovery drink X work better than recovery drink Y? I know that when I was a bodybuilder, I tried all kinds of supplements. Eventually I'd settle on a protein mix or fat burner and spend tons of money on them. After years of experimenting (with LEGAL products), I hit my stride and made some awesome gains although I was never sure which products did the trick. All I knew was which one mixed the easiest or tasted the best or cost the least. But now I am a lot wiser with my money and a lot more skeptical of supplement company's claims. When I started cycling, I used to buy the fancy-town drink mixes all of the time but eventually I questioned if it was worth it. I now mostly use Gatorade and eat protein bars for recovery or normal food. I still use HEED here and there, or Emergen-C and I also take Endurolytes when I think I may need them. But will I be that much better if I use Powerbar or Hammer mixes all the time? I know that I will always eat the assortment of Clif bars...I am an addict!

The reason I am thinking about this, or the reasons, is that I now have a hook-up on supplements through Smoothie King so I plan to get back to specific 'during' and 'after' mixes. Also, while Drew was staying with us this past week, I noticed that he was using Dedicated Athlete products, so we engaged in conversation over this topic. I am super curious about their EP-NO product as well as their energy and recovery drinks and their "athlete" multivitamin. Does the EP-NO truly boost red blood cell levels? Will I notice an improvement in performance? I think it is worth trying. The testimonials on the website are encouraging as are the scientific studies, which I have read in regards to what supplements have what effect on your body and when is the best time to take them and so on. This info is always all over the place in the fitness world. I also posted a thread on the mtbflorida forum asking about DA's products, like who uses them and do they work. I am curious to see the responses.

So if and when I start taking different products or find ones that work, I'll be sure to post something. Until then, I'll keep logging the miles...