Topic: Energy Shots

[catman]

Ok, so I've tried an energy shot maybe once or twice (while ago) and I'm not sure if it exacty did the trick. I drink a lot of soda and two large cups of coffee per day at work so is it possible my body just doesn't react very well to that kind of stuff? With the super hot weather I'm looking for any help I can get so was thinking I'd ask for suggestions of energy shots and where to get them.
 
Also, what do you guys eat before a ride? I typically do a egg Mcmuffin but I can't decide if it does me more harm than good. So rides I feel good and some rides I feel like I should have skipped breakfast.
 
 

[Garry]

Ok, so I've tried an energy shot maybe once or twice (while ago) and I'm not sure if it exacty did the trick. I drink a lot of soda and two large cups of coffee per day at work so is it possible my body just doesn't react very well to that kind of stuff? With the super hot weather I'm looking for any help I can get so was thinking I'd ask for suggestions of energy shots and where to get them.
 
Also, what do you guys eat before a ride? I typically do a egg Mcmuffin but I can't decide if it does me more harm than good. So rides I feel good and some rides I feel like I should have skipped breakfast.

Gels, GU's, and Cliff Shots do work, but not as an end all.  They take about 15 minutes to kick in. Be sure to drink a good amount of liquid to keep them from gumming up in your innards.  If you wait until after you needed it and expect to see results, you're too late.  They replace nutrients lost from exercise and sweat.  Hammer has some great products that also taste good.  Cytomax powdered energy drink is quite palatable too. Nutrition is a big thing in athletic adventures.  Although an egg mcmuffin has ingredients that help energize your ride, an all around sound diet of protein, carbs, and nutrients means little things like a gel part way through your ride keeps you from bonking if taken at the right time.  There again, if you're feeling like going up that last climb you should have had a gel, might be a little late.  Hydrate a couple of days before a big ride, or simply in this heat.  Eat properly before a big ride or just to stay healthy in general.  Soon, you'll feel more in control of your overall condition in your athletic adventures.

[jdk]

There is too much fat in an egg mcmuffin to be easily digestible before a ride, IMO.

Here's my breakfast, whether I'm riding or not


2 slices whole wheat bread
4 eggwhites in an omlette
1 banana
1 tbsp flax oil

Keep in mind what you eat the night before comes into play too. If you eat junk at 11pm on Saturday night and then hit the trails at 7am Sunday you're still going to feel like crap.

[catman]

I'm a nutrition idiot to say the least. Would it be considered fact that a egg mcmuffin 30 min before hitting the trails is just asking for a bad ride? How about if I'm riding somewhere further away which would allow 1-1.5 hrs digestion? Would really hate to skip the traditional breakfast stop unless it is pretty much a fact that it is doing more harm than good. Riding on an empty stomach seems to work good sometimes but it backfires on me as well. I've wondered if a clif bar on the drive out followed by a mid ride energy shot would help me out compared to mcmuffin and no energy shot.
 
One of the best rides I've ever had was eating after a ton of Indian food the night before at like 10:30 and then totally skipping breakfast. I crashed really bad on the last few miles of that ride though.

[Garry]

There is too much fat in an egg mcmuffin to be easily digestible before a ride, IMO.

Here's my breakfast, whether I'm riding or not


2 slices whole wheat bread
4 eggwhites in an omlette
1 banana
1 tbsp flax oil

Keep in mind what you eat the night before comes into play too. If you eat junk at 11pm on Saturday night and then hit the trails at 7am Sunday you're still going to feel like crap.

True that it takes a while for the body to digest fat.  The OP question was about an EM, of which there are worse choices.  If taken an hour or more before a ride it's not too bad.  Are there better choices?  Most certainly. Wheat/oatmeal/protein whey pancakes are the firat that come to mind.  They can be made ahead of time and refridged, then pop in the microwave, slap on some peanut butter, and out the door you go.  I've posted the recipe here before and can again for anyone who wants it.  Add skinned apple chuncks and blueberries to the mix then cook is awesome.
Usually I'll have a couple slices of whole wheat toast, PB and real fruit jelly, bananna or apple and O.J.  Couple cups of coffee are my weakness too.

[jdk]

Just my opinion of course, but an egg mcmuffin is not a clean pre-ride meal any way you slice it. A lot of the calories in it are from fat. You're better off cooking something yourself. You can buy an entire loaf of whole wheat bread and 24 eggs for the cost of a couple of egg mcmuffins.

I'm guessing the indian food you had contained a lot of rice, which is a great carbohydrate.

[jdk]

True that it takes a while for the body to digest fat.  The OP question was about an EM, of which there are worse choices.  If taken an hour or more before a ride it's not too bad.  Are there better choices?  Most certainly. Wheat/oatmeal/protein whey pancakes are the firat that come to mind.  They can be made ahead of time and refridged, then pop in the microwave, slap on some peanut butter, and out the door you go.  I've posted the recipe here before and can again for anyone who wants it.  Add skinned apple chuncks and blueberries to the mix then cook is awesome.
Usually I'll have a couple slices of whole wheat toast, PB and real fruit jelly, bananna or apple and O.J.  Couple cups of coffee are my weakness too.

Back when I actually had time in the morning, I used to make buckwheat pancakes in the morning and team that up with an egg white omlette. Buckwheat is a great low glycemic carb and surprisingly enough the pancakes tasted really good without any syrup or butter. These days since I'm pretty short on time in the morning the two slices of whole wheat bread have to suffice

[Garry]

Cat I simply do not function well on an empty stomach.  Nor do I function well on an overfilled stomach.  Many times I will have a handfull of saltines and a fruit on the way to a ride because my breakfast doesn't quite carry me there, but too big I would go beyond what is needed to function well.  That's where the Cliff Bar and gel come in on the trail.  Hopefully I do it right and don't bonk.

[Garry]

... You're better off cooking something yourself...

Best piece of advice that you'll find on this subject IMO.

[ProEdgeBiker.com]

Cofee in the AM w/ either a Bacon/Egg & Cheese biscuit or Chick Fil-A Chikin biscuit if it's a saturday.(ask for extra napking to hit boyette's portolet). sometimes i'll bring an apple for the ride..
 
i think everyone is different though.. i know a few peeps that puke if they eat in the AM before a ride.

[Triple T]

i think everyone is different though..

Yep.  Me personally, I'm not a breakfast person.  I just can't eat that early-whether I'm riding that morning or if it's a normal workday morning.
The few times I have tried eating a substantial breakfast before a ride, I've been miserable out on the trails.  Something about that food sitting in my stomach while I'm exerting myself just doesn't mix too well for me.
I try to make sure I hydrate a couple of days before a ride.  Eat a decent meal the night before, and get a good night's sleep.  My breakfast that morning consists of a nutritional shake at the house, and a granola bar and a Monster energy drink on the ride to the trails.  I also keep shot blocks and gu in my camelbak for when I feel the need for it while I'm riding.
It (mostly) works for me.

[Jonesy]

My regular pre ride diet consists of steel cut oats and some protein of some sort, either turkey sausage or a couple of hard boiled eggs.  The oats are super hearty and stick around well into the second lap at Alafia. I like a half a clif bar or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich as a fuel up during a break at the parking lot.  I tend to leave all the gels and shot blocks alone and have not noticed a difference from when I used them regularly. I know for a fact that if I were to deviate from the type of food I eat before a ride I would not perform as well.

[Garry]

... I know for a fact that if I were to deviate from the type of food I eat before a ride I would not perform as well.

+1

[slowfatguy]

this is something I struggle with as well. I was accustomed to doing PT for an hour before breakfast during 8 years of military service, now I have a hard time eating early in the morning. It's one thing to do an hour or so, it's another to go out for 4 or 5 and expect good results. Gels or energy chews can help, but nothing beats a good breakfast and eating right the night before. Some of it is just the hot weather, it is harder to perform in this weather for most.

[cgarolr]

Ok, so I've tried an energy shot maybe once or twice (while ago) and I'm not sure if it exacty did the trick. I drink a lot of soda and two large cups of coffee per day at work so is it possible my body just doesn't react very well to that kind of stuff? With the super hot weather I'm looking for any help I can get so was thinking I'd ask for suggestions of energy shots and where to get them.
 
Also, what do you guys eat before a ride? I typically do a egg Mcmuffin but I can't decide if it does me more harm than good. So rides I feel good and some rides I feel like I should have skipped breakfast.

soda is the devil