Psimet2001 

I've always liked their Gels, and recently tried Heed and LOVED it. I went back to a local distributor yesterday and picked up Perpetum (seeing as how every ride of min that is under 2 hours I use water, and every ride over 2 hours is actually more like 5-10 hours long). I'll try it on a century this Sunday. I hate trying new stuff on centuries, but....oh well....

Picked up a sample of that recovery drink to help with my commute. 50 miles round trip with more climbing than is usually around here. Afternoon trips are uphill and into the wind for the most part. Hoping this stuff will help with my dead legs. HR runs low on these trips, but I just have no power in the afternoon.

Psimet2001 

Holy crap. I am drinking their recovery drink right now. I think this stuff smells like urine, is upsetting my stomach and is generally a bother to try to get down. It's definitely mild in taste and does have a pleasant aftertaste, but if my nose catches a whiff of it while I'm drinking ...uh-oh...

If it works I'll develop a taste for it, but if not I don't think I'll miss it.

EDIT: I really feel the need to come back on this one. I don't mean to insult the product. I drank the whole thing and it really isn't too bad. If it helps then it is definitely worth it.

Still don't care for the smell though...

DrPete 

Why do you hate urine?

garysol1 

Dr Pete recommended Endurox 4 for recovery and so far I am very satisfied. I actually like the taste and look forward to it after a hard ride.

DrPete 

Yeah, I've since switched to Recoverite, but I consider them pretty much equal. Recoverite is just easier/faster/cheaper for me to get now.

Chad's Colnago

Same here...I don't know what it is for sure regarding other gels but Hammer is very easy on my tummy. Plus, the raspberry is sooooooooo good.

Psimet2001 

- I'm not even going to tell you what I was thinking when I accidentally spilled some out of my mouth....I have a drinking problem...

bigskymacadam

a three month supply during peak season (there's four more jugs of gel and another perpetuem not pictured). some of their supplements don't work for me as claimed. i've tried almost all 'cept for liquid endurance, so i've narrowed down what works for me. it took a few long rides experimenting to figure out how many scoops of this or that in a water bottle works efficiently for century fueling. got it down to where one bottle is enough food for five hours.



the vitamins
recoverite
espresso gel
perpetuem (tastes better than sustained enegry)
whey protein for fruit shakes in the morning
a little heed sometimes for taste
endorulytes

all those are part of my regimen.

the following are not:

* atp100 is taken sublingual and is a kick in the pants in the heat. honestly, a skittle and water poured on your head gets the same effect.
* boron - did nothing for me
* rem caps - it's melatonin and it works somewhat. still on the fence on that one. proper stress mgmt and one shouldn't need it.
* phytonutrients - on the fence. i don't eat my 8-10 servings of vegetables a day, so at times i'll take the green stuff. definitely not part of the plan.
* energy bars: tasty, late afternoon snack. but so are peanuts.
* their "diet optimization" line: haven't tried 'em. i'd rather eat better. there's no fiber in a pill. or is there? let me know on that one.

that said. one can get maltodextin, vitamins, supplements, etc at Whole Foods. i just like this company a lot. i've met all the employees and they treat you like a good neighbor. lots of attention when talking with them. the science stuff is over my head, so i just due diligence and try to be smart about it and not go over board.

* i do follow the recommendations on no breakfast for morning workouts/races and not mixing sugars w. their product. they have literature on why it works. i can tell you only that it works for me. lotta folks have different opinions on that.

they also started distributing e-motion rollers and the voler clothing line is comfortable for my body type. i'm the guy in the hammer kit riding the local century and you're welcome to chew on a couple endourlytes if you're cramping.

MIN 

Nice write-up BigSkyMacadam. But no breakfast? What's up with that?

FIVE ONE SIX

and peanuts are much cheaper too. their bars are good, don't get me wrong, but they're still rather expensive...

bigskymacadam

i can elaborate. meaning, if you can't finish a pre-race meal three hours before an event; just go without. all the carbo loading, glycogen stores etc should have been taken care of during the week with proper diet of course. if you have a good dinner the night before, it's supposed to take care of loading up the glycogen stores.

the pre-race meal "tops off" these stores and can be accomplished with a simple bagel and peanut butter (or your preferred breakfast). 200-400 calories is all that's needed. my ultimate test for this was last year's stp in a day. i simply woke up. packed. rode to the start line. and fueled evenly throughout the day. i felt like a walking science experiment leading up to that ride

the contention, as i see it, is that the digestive process uses energy stores that can be best used racing. now, that's my interpretation. here's the literature from which gathered this. it's an interesting read. i've met the author (he's a machine!) and know his brother. both accomplished athletes and i think just from experimentation with ultra-distance riding he came up with the idea and asked the staff doctor about the physiological aspect. but, i don't really know where he got the idea. the pre-race meal as suggested is a hard sell for a lot of folks, but it's so weird that it works. it helps to be in good shape to begin with; like all their suggestions, it's not a remedy for inadequate training.

on the contrary, even some of the die hard hammer clients i met at last year's ride at glacier nat'l still ate something prior to our rides and didn't appear to take a performance hit. it's still a very objective idea in accordance to personal preference.

terrymorse 

Yep, that's the one. I've been banned from Climb to Kaiser for life, by my wife.

To make up for my loss, I'm thinking of doing Everest Challenge this year.

MIN 

From this post and others I've read, you seem to like Hammer products. Are you associated with them in any way? I'm certainly not accusing you of being a shill but the article you referenced was somewhat promotional, albeit informative.

I appreciate the theories that Steve Born outlines in the article but I have hard time seeing how Hammer Nutrition is differentiated enough from other "performance nutrition products."

bigskymacadam

yeah, i know. i get carried away with all the hammer stuff. i'm not affiliated or sponsored at all.

i can only get behind some of their marketing, but the stuff i do like i get behind all the way. their products are no different, really, from other vendor claims.

it's sort of like the Coffee People vs. Starbucks brands. i'd buy coffee people over starbuck's any day of the week simply because of their corporate culture and customer service. hmmm ... it'd be cool to have a coffee people kit i could wear

DrPete 

Just tried Sustained Energy last night. A little strange--kinda like way watered down soy milk, but somehow really refreshing at the same time. I was planning on trying it for tomorrow's road race.

2Tired2Shift

You can make your own Hammer-like mixes and gels much cheaper (80% less) if you buy bulk Maltodextrine.

awiner

I have been using Hammer products for a while now and recommend them highly. I love their HEED as it has a very subtle flavor and goes down easy.

I have some coupons if you order online at 15% off I believe (For NEW customers). If anyone wants any, PM me and I will give you the details.

'nother

Cool. I'm going back for that again this year, and try to come away with a finish both days, with my knees still intact.

And to bring it full circle: if I'm not mistaken, they provide Hammer products at the aid stations...

Skinny Fred

I haven't tried it, but I read somewhere (not Hammer's literature) that glycerol does increase water storage if loaded before an event.

Splat-NJ

I tried everything I could get a few years ago. Hammer's stuff has always been consistent, a decent price, and doesn't bother my very sensitive stomach. BTW, I just tried Enervit last week. A friend gave me a demo pack weeks ago and finally got around to trying the gels, sport drink(powder), and their energy/vitamin shot. Not bad. The tastes weren't overpowering, but I found the gels and drink a little sweet compared to Hammer's stuff. (EDIT) I did feel a little spike/crash with the Crack packs. Simple sugars or carbs? I don't know but after three tries and each time it happened I can only assume so. One thing that immediately turned me off was Enervit's prices. I don't see/feel a major advantage to justify paying more than what I pay for Hammer goods. BTW, I'm not endorsed or know anyone at Hammer. Just a satisfied cstmr.

DrPete 

^^Enervit R2 is what I imagine drinking bile would be like.

I have to amend previous posts--I like Perpetuem better than Sustained Energy in the protein drink department. The creamsicle flavor is kinda nice. I also picked up some Hammer Soy and have started making protein shakes of various kinds with it, because damn I wasn't eating enough protein.