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-   -   What's Your Secret For Energy? (https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=1175719)

allout1 06-15-19 03:37 AM

What's Your Secret For Energy?
 
What do you put in your diet like food, beverage, supplements for energy, and if you don't do this, it'll prevent you from doing what you do on the bikes?

I have an iron clad diet with supplements. It's a list though. Hehe. I'll list it. One thing I do is lift weights at the gym, and that helps the speed and stamina, but if I don't go lift, I see a significant loss of speed and stamina.

wolfchild 06-15-19 04:43 AM

A well balanced diet and full body strength workouts is what keeps me going. I am not into taking a lot of supplements. Majority of supplements are a scam and don't work and may do more harm than good. Out of thousands of different supplements out there I only find 3 to be useful. Those are: protein powder which I put into my smoothies, creatine and I also take melatonin for better sleep. Supplements are not a substitute for real food and the secret is in a well balanced diet. My diet is mostly vegetarian plant foods but which also includes eggs and yogurt. I limit my meat intake to no more than 2-3 times per week.

travgott 06-15-19 06:06 AM

beer

Richard Cranium 06-15-19 06:21 AM


One thing I do is lift weights at the gym, and that helps the speed and stamina, but if I don't go lift, I see a significant loss of speed and stamina.
That's too bad.

Your post makes you sounds like someone that feels very tired - so much so - that they they think taking certain pills will make you feel better. Worse yet, you seem to have other misunderstandings about the nature of exercise and fitness for a given task. (cycling namely)

In general most people use carbohydrate-rich snacks and food to maintain stamina during rides. How much speed a cyclist can produce is often defined by their personal power-to-weight ratio. Although, specific muscle strengthening exercise could help in certain situations.

Good luck with your current routines.

Riveting 06-15-19 06:36 AM

My secret: BCAA powder in my water bottles

MikeyMK 06-15-19 06:37 AM

A battery, a motor, and a recharge generator. My days of struggling up hills, only to waste it all coasting/braking down hills, are over.

I also start my journey ten mins earlier, so i can go slower, and therefore not have to waste energy battling aerodynamics.

CAT7RDR 06-15-19 07:38 AM

ATP Adenosine triphosphate in supplement form or through my diet heavy in beets, kale, spinach and other cruciferous veggies.

UniChris 06-15-19 08:04 AM

Eating or drinking ready energy sources throughout the morning and early afternoon: "I'll hold out until lunch at x" has been a terribly limiting habit I've struggled to break. Ditto "I'm not really hungry yet"

Right now this consists of making three sandwiches the night before and freezing them, eating one on the often lengthy train trip to the ride and the other two in quarters or bites through it. Also, lots of sports drink mix with added electrolytes. That's what let's lets me ride all day, potentially very different from a shorter ride and drastically from a commute or fitness ride powered by incidental calorie intake.

Even with this I still lose steam late afternoon, typically making it up when I'm sufficiently fueled again and the sun starts to get lower in the sky.

fietsbob 06-15-19 09:12 AM

As a young Navy Sailor , Nuclear power...

downhillmaster 06-15-19 09:23 AM

My secret is that I don’t let false marketing or idiotic acquaintances make my decisions about anything.
Especially as it pertains to magically creating extra energy in my own body 🙄

no motor? 06-15-19 09:55 AM

I like a few M&Ms before I ride. I swallow them to avoid getting the sugar on my teeth, and this allows them to provide energy over a longer period of time. Eating healthy the rest of the time plus a few supplements keeps me going.

ThermionicScott 06-15-19 09:58 AM

I convert ATP to ADP whenever I need to move a muscle.

indyfabz 06-15-19 10:16 AM

If I told you my secret then it would no longer be a secret.

livedarklions 06-15-19 10:32 AM

I was bitten by a radioactive spider.

Troul 06-15-19 10:43 AM

hanging a carrot from a string attached to an over hanging stick affixed to the handle bars. One of these days I'll get it!

Slightspeed 06-15-19 11:07 AM

Clif gel every 15 or 20 miles. I carry one bottle of water and one bottle of Powerade or Gatorade Zero calorie, gets me thru most rides. On longer rides, I might add a Clif bar.

philbob57 06-15-19 11:25 AM

Sleep. The better I sleep, the more energy I have.

caloso 06-15-19 11:27 AM

Coffee.

And it’s not a secret.

Brocephus 06-15-19 11:37 AM


Originally Posted by allout1 (Post 20979798)
What's Your Secret For Energy?

Many years ago, my grandfather tried to impart the secret to me, but to my great misfortune, I failed to heed his sage advice, and though it's too late for me, I will pass his words of wisdom on to you.......

Here's what he told me............................................"Son, don't grow old".

Fahrenheit531 06-15-19 11:44 AM

A good night's rest.
Coffee.

Both mentioned by previous posters. Both worth repeating. :)

u235 06-15-19 11:45 AM

Rice Krispy treats. Depends on the ride, I do my normal 40-45 mile rides with no thought or plan at random and only grab water on my way out the door. Longer rides I eat something in a wrapper at the start and every 20 or so miles. If I am going 80, waiting till 40 doesn't go so well.

sdmc530 06-15-19 12:03 PM


Originally Posted by philbob57 (Post 20980262)
Sleep. The better I sleep, the more energy I have.

a good diet, coffee in the morning and quality sleep. I feel like the better my sleep is the better I am on the bike.

wipekitty 06-15-19 12:35 PM

Sleep. I'm naturally nocturnal which doesn't bode well in a diurnal world, so I take melatonin.

Otherwise, a reasonably healthy diet with a balance of carbs, plant and dairy protein, and some fruits and vegetables. On a longer ride (3+ hours, or 2+ hours at tempo), I'll throw in some sugary type power or candy and electrolytes.

I've learned in the past few years that some days, I simply have no energy. On those days, it's best just not to ride, unless there is some event that I'm committed to.

I-Like-To-Bike 06-15-19 01:35 PM

1 Attachment(s)

Originally Posted by Troul (Post 20980220)
hanging a carrot from a string attached to an over hanging stick affixed to the handle bars. One of these days I'll get it!

Or you might try this German method:

Ghazmh 06-15-19 02:35 PM

Mental clarity.


thats why I struggle with energy.


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