Training & Nutrition - Energy Drinks

What about all those energy drinks, I would love one that boosts energy and adds mussel but think that most are just colored sugar water. I just use water except on very long rides when I also eat power bars.

I have a few questions:

1)Are power drinks something you should use on your normal 25 mile ride?


2)Will any drink boost mussel growth?

3) What drink do you recommend and why?

I just ride on tap water. But I base my rides on training for football (soccer), Which are much shorter than long distance endurance rides with alot of power intervals.

Your not going to aquire much muscle growth from endurance cycling & energy drinks, although cycling will give you a little bit more shape to your legs than the average guy, if your willing to push heavy gears for considerable amounts of time.

If your wanting to build muscle; http://www.bodybuilding.com/

Drinks won't add muscle. That's why they make weights.

But I drink Heed for rides longer than an hour or so. I like the electrolytes.

I don't have a normal 25 mile ride, but on my normal 40 mile ride water works just fine. On the 50-60 miles water with some bananas. On 60-100 Gu2O in the bottles, more bananas, and stuff.

A protein drink MIGHT encourage muscle growth while weight lifting, but not much will help while bike riding.

Your body does burn calories while riding though. You can survive for maybe 2 hours while at a high effort, but after that you need to replinish. A 20 mile ride, I might go with just water. We have a 27 mile, 2200 feet climbing loop that I drink one bottle of 100calorie drink though. I occasionally do two loops, with two bottles. Much of what you carry depends on your body. I don't have a lot of energy reserves to spare, so I tend to carry more calories than others.

If you're looking to bulk up, biking is not your sport. As you get faster you're legs will probably actually decrease in volume, as you become more lean.

To boost mussel growth, make sure they are kept in plankton rich water.

To boost mussel growth, make sure they are kept in plankton rich water.

:thumb:

I go to the gym and that is why I mentioned mussel growth.

To boost mussel growth, make sure they are kept in plankton rich water.

:thumb::thumb:
"It Came From the DEEP"

I go to the gym and that is why I mentioned mussel growth.

Endurance activity isn't great for muscle growth, though my legs have grown more from high cycling volume in conjunction with lifting than they ever did with lifting alone.

A 25-mile ride probably takes you about an hour, to an hour and 20 minutes? You should be fine with water for that amount of time. In general, after about an hour of activity is where people start worrying about energy drinks. If you're getting off the bike in about an hour, just make sure you're fueled, and get some carbs and protein afterward.

You're right that sports drinks are mostly sugar water. Decent ones have a bit more thought put in, and the carb and electrolyte blend reflects this. Gatorade is actually a decent drink. If you want some protein in your drink, which may be a good idea for intense training and marathon efforts, something like Accelerade would be up your alley.

For most of us, regular food and water can meet our needs. It takes some forethought, though.