As I prep for my first Olympic distance triathlon of the season on April 17, I wanted to test some new nutrition products on a tough workout. I had been training for run distance and now I'm looking for speed so Yasso 800s were in order- a good combination of speed and distance work. But it's a tough workout so I needed nutrition and thought this was a perfect way to test out some new products- Montana Huckleberry flavored Hammer Gel before the workout and some Chocolate Pro Whey after for recovery.
I do most of my workouts in the morning and until recently had been going out sans-nutrition; just wake up and go. However, as my workouts are getting both longer and more intense this wasn't going to cut it anymore. Dinner (and, since it's me, dessert) had long since passed through the system and I can't go on empty. So I've started taking nutrition products before I leave to give the body a kickstart. Today was Hammer Gel.
Montana Huckleberry is a new flavor introduced this year. Hammer Nutrition is based out of Whitefish, Montana where huckleberries are the favorite local fruit. We've seen an increase in berry flavored products so this fits right in with the latest fad. But Hammer Gel isn't a fad- it's a great product for sustained endurance and performance. Although this flavor has no caffeine for a quick hit, it has plenty of easily digestible yet long-lasting carbs (Maltrodextrin) with just a touch of sugar. Yet this flavor is quite sweet, much more so than Gu's new Jet Blackberry. It almost has a blueberry-like taste. I'll admit my ignorance to what a huckleberry tastes like so I can't tell if this product is true to the flavor or not, but I liked it. The consistency was easy to get down and I felt it sustained my run and never let me crash ($14.55 for a 12 pack at
www.SportsBistro.com).
Post-workout, I decided to pass on my usual recovery drink and try a
Hammer Pro Whey Protein drink instead. I've never been into protein shakes since I thought they were only for body builders, but I was wrong. They are great for anyone who's destroying muscles during their workouts (ahem runners, cyclists, swimmers, rowers) and wants to build them up for faster recovery and greater performance. I think they are especially appropriate after really grueling workouts like the one I did. But it wasn't too long of a long workout so I didn't get dehydrated and didn't need any special electrolytes afterword. Just some protein for my screaming legs. Enter Pro Whey. I tried the new Chocolate flavor and mixed it with 12 ounces of skim milk. This is like a high-powered chocolate milk. The taste was much better than I had hoped- I was expecting chalky bits in my drink. Instead it was smooth and surprisingly tasty; just a tad less sweet than Nesquick or Yahoo. The calories in this lasted me for a few hours until lunch and I will find out tomorrow whether my muscles are able to perform again (I have a hard bike workout scheduled) but this was a great first try of Pro Whey protein. For tough workouts that aren't overly long and dehydrating, this is my new recovery drink of choice. ($36.95 for 24 servings at
www.SportsBistro.com)
Posts
lindsay,
ReplyDeleteim really curious too know how you recovered and if you feel the hammer pro whey helped. im a terrible recoverer. im not sure if its a nutrition thing or just that as i get older, the body is slower to recover. ive always stuck to the 4:1 carb/protien for recovery drinks but i feel i might need to experiment with new things.
For every piece of research you find that says 4:1 is the magic ratio for recovery drinks, you'll find one that says it's really 3:1 or 7:1. Don't buy just because of the ratio--it's far less important than you think. Consider the quality of the ingredients (whey isolate rather than concentrate), amount of sugar (less is better), amount of glutamine (more is good), artificial additives, etc.
ReplyDeleteAlso make sure you like the taste!! It does no good if you don't drink it because you hate it. Experiment and pick one you like.
Finally -- the recovery drink is just one aspect of recovery (though a crucially important one!!!). Most of your calories will still come from meals.
Update- did my hard bike workout today. My legs felt totally fine- no residual soreness whatsoever and I was able to set YTD PRs on my Central Park laps. I am very pleased with the Hammer Whey and had it again this morning after my ride. This is definitely making it's way into my regular rotation, particularly after hard efforts. Had the Huckleberry Gel again as well and no problems there, it lasted just fine throughout my hour-long workout.
ReplyDelete