Sports drinks and gels

[r2473]

Originally Posted by CDestroyer

Thanks man. Just ordered 2 boxes of that stuff. My stamina needs serious work.

http://www.healthwarehouse.com/viagr...g-tablets.html

And Caffeine doesn't provide energy, in the sense Johnny meant it (it has 0 calories).

[r2473]

Originally Posted by jonnythan

The point is that the OP was asking for advice on what to do when playing longer in hotter conditions than he's used to.

The answer is not "a couple grams of BCAAs, 3 grams of sugar, electrolytes, and a multivitamin." He doesn't need "energy," he needs fuel and liquids. Gatorade and similar drinks - those that provide electrolytes and sugars - are ideally suited for his situation. He doesn't need to spend $20 on something with effectively no actual calories and a ton of vitamins and minerals.

That makes sense to me.

I'd also suggest eating plenty of food / calories to recover and be ready for the next day.

And you don't have to be "healthy" unless you want to be. You'll be burning up whatever you eat and drink anyway.

[Ramon]

Originally Posted by jonnythan

The point is that the OP was asking for advice on what to do when playing longer in hotter conditions than he's used to.

The answer is not "a couple grams of BCAAs, 3 grams of sugar, electrolytes, and a multivitamin." He doesn't need "energy," he needs fuel and liquids. Gatorade and similar drinks - those that provide electrolytes and sugars - are ideally suited for his situation. He doesn't need to spend $20 on something with effectively no actual calories and a ton of vitamins and minerals.

What's a better deal? $23 for 30 servings of isolated amino acids or $2 for a bottle of sugar water?

[jonnythan]

Originally Posted by Ramon

What's a better deal? $23 for 30 servings of isolated amino acids or $2 for a bottle of sugar water?

$6.99 for 35 servings of Gatorade

[Ramon]

Originally Posted by jonnythan

$6.99 for 35 servings of Gatorade

Save yourself some money and just add 20 grams of table sugar to tap water. You'll get the same benefits.

[charliefedererer]

From the USTA:

"Q. How much fluid should I drink before training and when? Also how much fluid should I drink while I am training and what should I drink water, powerade etc? And do you know two ways to determine my own hydration level? Will water alone be enough for players to compete at their best and allow full recovery?

A. The USTA Sport Science Committee has put together fluid replacement guidelines and this information is available on the High Performance website.

In general, you want to:

Top off your fluid stores by drinking 12-16 oz of fluid 1 hour prior to competition.

Drink 4-8 swallows of fluid after your warm-up and on EVERY changeover during play.

Drink 20-24 oz of fluid for every pound of body weight lost during play to replenish the body's fluid stores.

Whether to use water or a sports drink is something you have to determine on your own. The three things you should be replacing during or after play are fluids, energy/ carbohydrates, and electrolytes.

Many sports drinks contain all of these, but you can also obtain these through a combination of drinking water and eating appropriate snacks. Some people have difficulties with sports drinks, so the later suggestion may be for you if drinks like Gatorade or Powerade are hard on your stomach.

Two simple ways you can determine your hydration status are:

1. Monitor the color of your urine. In a well-hydrated person, urine will be very light to clear - the color of straw. Darker, more concentrated urine is an indicator that you are dehydrated.

2. Weigh yourself before and after play. Any weight loss you experience during play is due to fluid loss and that weight should be replaced before the next practice or match. Make sure when weighing yourself, however, that you wear similar DRY clothes, and not the sweaty clothes you came off the court in."
- http://www.usta.com/Improve-Your-Gam...ks_and_Shakes/

[jonnythan]

Originally Posted by Ramon

Save yourself some money and just add 20 grams of table sugar to tap water. You'll get the same benefits.

Except for the sodium and potassium, which are really quite important.

People can and do make their own sports drinks. Nothing at all wrong with it except they typically taste terrible.

[Ramon]

Originally Posted by jonnythan

Except for the sodium and potassium, which are really quite important.

People can and do make their own sports drinks. Nothing at all wrong with it except they typically taste terrible.

If you really want your energy to be based purely on a sugar rush, go ahead. I hope I play more opponents who think the same.

[jonnythan]

Originally Posted by Ramon

If you really want your energy to be based purely on a sugar rush, go ahead. I hope I play more opponents who think the same.

It's not a sugar rush. Your cells need glucose for energy. By drinking a sports drink you are supplementing the glycogen. You don't really seem to know what you're talking about.

[Nostradamus]

Does that Gatorade Gel still work even if it is expired ? i have like 12 packets that has been expired for 6 month.

[Ramon]

Originally Posted by jonnythan

It's not a sugar rush. Your cells need glucose for energy. By drinking a sports drink you are supplementing the glycogen. You don't really seem to know what you're talking about.

That says it all! You want your energy to be based on sugar and you have no concern for its effects. There's no more need for testimony to your lack of knowledge.

[jonnythan]

Originally Posted by Ramon

That says it all! You want your energy to be based on sugar and you have no concern for its effects. There's no more need for testimony to your lack of knowledge.

Wow. You know nothing of physiology or sports nutrition. Sorry.

[Ramon]

Originally Posted by jonnythan

Wow. You know nothing of physiology or sports nutrition. Sorry.

I'm done with you. This is the summary:

1) You want energy based on simple sugar.

2) I don't.

I can go through a littany of reasons why, but I think it's a waste of time considering your knowlege base. Bye.

[crosscourt]

Originally Posted by jonnythan

The point is that the OP was asking for advice on what to do when playing longer in hotter conditions than he's used to.

The answer is not "a couple grams of BCAAs, 3 grams of sugar, electrolytes, and a multivitamin." He doesn't need "energy," he needs fuel and liquids. Gatorade and similar drinks - those that provide electrolytes and sugars - are ideally suited for his situation. He doesn't need to spend $20 on something with effectively no actual calories and a ton of vitamins and minerals.

That is exactly right. I am going to be playing where it is much hotter than I am used to and for much longer. Plus I sweat a lot in hot weather. So I feel that I need to be more careful than normal. The sense that I am getting is that an approach that replaces vitamins and electrolytes and that gives me carbohydrates will be enough -- along with water. Is that the consensus?

[Ramon]

Originally Posted by crosscourt

That is exactly right. I am going to be playing where it is much hotter than I am used to and for much longer. Plus I sweat a lot in hot weather. So I feel that I need to be more careful than normal. The sense that I am getting is that an approach that replaces vitamins and electrolytes and that gives me carbohydrates will be enough -- along with water. Is that the consensus?

I want this to be my final word on this because I'm tired of dealing with kids. 10g of BCAA's is not the same as 10g of protein.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bcaa...ino-acids.html

The BCAAs in whey are peptide-bound to other amino acids and, in order to be effective, must be liberated through digestion and then absorbed into the bloodstream. Even though whey protein is relatively fast digesting, it still takes several hours for all the amino acids to be liberated and absorbed into the bloodstream.

BCAAs in supplement form, however, are free form, require no digestion, and are rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream. They spike blood amino acid levels to a much greater and faster extent than peptide-bound aminos. Even a few grams of free-form BCAAs will spike BCAA plasma levels to a much greater extent than a 30g dose of whey protein, thereby impacting protein synthesis and protein degradation to a much greater degree.

The reason BCAA supplements have such a powerful effect on blood BCAA levels is that, is that unlike other amino acids, BCAAs are not significantly metabolized by the small intestine or the liver. Therefore, an oral supplement is more like a BCAA infusion because it reaches the bloodstream so rapidly.

Here are some labels of other BCAA supplements. Xtend's labeling appears to be consistent with industry practice:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/op...no-energy.html
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/opt/bc.html
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/opt/bcaa.html

I also want to add that people, like myself, with blood sugar problems don't want excess sugar because we don't want to become Type II Diabetics. Even people without high blood sugar need to stay away from too much of it.

For those of you who like your sugared drinks, my advice is to stock up on them right now. If our president gets re-elected, Michelle will take your drinks away from you in the name of keeping you trim and healthy. That's why you can't even buy a sugared fountain drink larger than 16 oz in New York. The nanny state is coming.

[crosscourt]

Ramon - are you saying that these are the sorts of supplements I should be consuming while I am on court? And with or without other supplements? They look like supplements designed for use by body builders. CC

[jonnythan]

BCAAs are amino acids. Proteins are broken down into amino acids in the stomach and small intestines and then absorbed through the small intestines. Amino acids such as BCAAs are just absorbed through the small intestines.

Once in the bloodstream, there's no difference because they are the same thing.

There's nothing wrong with BCAAs. BCAAs are great. They are an important part of protein.

But a couple of grams BCAAs don't "give you long term energy" any more than a couple of grams of protein. That doesn't make any sense at all. Your body can and will use amino acids for ATP production in the Krebs cycle. This is why a gram of BCAAs contain as many calories as a gram of protein - they both produce the same amount of energy when used as fuel in the cell.

During exercise, your muscle cells will primarily break down stored glycogen to produce glucose and then use that glucose directly to produce ATP (energy). The longer you exercise, the more those muscle glycogen stores and blood glucose get depleted. The liver will begin to break down its stored glycogen to maintain blood glucose levels, but it will eventually run out -and in someone not trained for endurance it will have trouble keeping up anyway. This is the reason sports drinks pretty much all have simple sugars - they are designed to help boost blood glucose levels to provide the cells with the fuel they need to continue working.

This is very different from a "sugar rush" while resting. When just sitting around, blood glucose levels are normal and you don't need extra fuel. A sudden infusion of glucose raises blood sugar levels which causes an insulin spike. This is completely different than glucose supplementation during prolonged strenuous exercise. The physiological situation is completely, completely different. Ingesting glucose during prolonged exercise will not promote diabetes and any such claim is absolutely ludicrous.

There's nothing wrong with BCAAs before, during, or after workouts. Nothing at all. There's a lot of evidence to support the idea of having amino acids entering your bloodstream during exercise to maintain nitrogen balance (prevent muscle breakdown). Whether this comes in the form of BCAA pills right before/during exercise, a whey shake half an hour before exercise, or a piece of meat an hour before exercise doesn't make that much difference.

However, the main point here is that he will be performing strenuous exercise in difficult conditions for longer periods than he is trained for. His body will be facing depletion of glycogen, water, and ions. In order to maintain good functional levels, he needs to replace them. The way to do this is by ingesting water, electrolytes, and glucose. BCAAs are fine if he thinks they may help prevent muscle catabolism, but BCAAs by themselves are no better than a complete protein (which includes BCAAs) ingested an hour or so before exercise.

[jonnythan]

Originally Posted by crosscourt

That is exactly right. I am going to be playing where it is much hotter than I am used to and for much longer. Plus I sweat a lot in hot weather. So I feel that I need to be more careful than normal. The sense that I am getting is that an approach that replaces vitamins and electrolytes and that gives me carbohydrates will be enough -- along with water. Is that the consensus?

Yes, though the vitamins are debatable or unnecessary. Vitamins are fine, but supplementing with gobs and gobs of vitamins and minerals during exercise is, as far as I know, not supported by any scientific literature for maintaining endurance.

You need water, electrolytes, and carbs. Have a good balanced meal 1-2 hours before starting.

[Power Player]

Originally Posted by crosscourt

Ramon - are you saying that these are the sorts of supplements I should be consuming while I am on court? And with or without other supplements? They look like supplements designed for use by body builders. CC

Just stick with the electrolyte packs and an on court snack of your choice and lots of water and you will be good to go.

a wildcard - I bring mustard packs. It sounds weird but I have dealt with nasty cramps in my legs now and then and if I feel one coming I eat a pack or 2 and the vinegar in it really helps me.

I'd eat an hour before playing, and have 1 electrolyte pack as well. Bring a ton of water with another elecotrolyte pack mixed in.

I play in florida in extreme heat and humidity and this works for me. the BCAAs work for me as well, but are not a necessity. I take them because I do leangains and need to supplement protein throughout the day. Ramon and I both live here and play in this environment.

[r2473]

Originally Posted by crosscourt

That is exactly right. I am going to be playing where it is much hotter than I am used to and for much longer. Plus I sweat a lot in hot weather. So I feel that I need to be more careful than normal. The sense that I am getting is that an approach that replaces vitamins and electrolytes and that gives me carbohydrates will be enough -- along with water. Is that the consensus?

Why not just give whatever you think is best a try and see how you feel.

Clearly there are a lot of opinions on this. At some point you just have to make up your own mind.