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Old 12-10-12 | 11:18 AM
  #18  
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cyclezen
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Joined: Jul 2005
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From: Goleta CA

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Originally Posted by TANC
I'm going on 57, and I'm a little bit on the bandwagon of if you can't get in shape naturally, then find something else to do, however......I do use 5 SportLegs capsules 1 hour before I ride. If I inadvertently skip them, I know quickly why I take them, cause my legs nearly explode when overly exertive, and they don't do that when I use them. Stuff works as much as I hate to admit it.
...
After seeing Sportlegs mentioned in a number of posts over the past few years, I decided to give them a try.
Biggest issue for me, working at 64 right now, is not that I don;t have 'power' or 'endurance' or aerobic capacity; I think it's about commensurate with my age. And suffering has always been my strong suit, and about the only thing which did set me apart from the competition. But since about the mid 50's I've noticed that I get a rapid onset of what I would call 'lactic acid' buildup. To where, the effort I know I'm capable of, just can't happen because the legs are just burned up and become 'wooden'.
It's not nutrition - I eat very balanced, no junk, a bit of snacking, no softdrinks only water, a little beer and wine once a wk... Daily Vitamin supplements.
So abourt 2wks ago I started using Sportlegs, 3 caps before any pre-determined hard effort ride. The first 4 days or so I didn;t really sense anything different. but this past week I noticed that I was able to sustain effort for longer periods and retain power during those time without the debilitating burn. It meant the workouts were harder and I felt more 'worked' after.
Overall, I don;t think I'm putting out more power (can;t tell for sure since I don;t have a Power meter) but definitely seem to be able to sustain effort more in line with what I could do at a younger age.
It may be a shortterm 'placibo' effect, but I hope not. Anyway I'm excited to see some improvement over this 'age' hurtle. Even if it doesn't slow down aging; if this continues, it will makes things less discouraging as the 'slowing' effect continues.
put in a long, hard 60 miler yesterday, over a route I'm familiar with; mostly on my own, but did about a 12-14 mi section with a local sunday ride group in their 'fast' section, including a sprint. The Legs felt 10 yrs younger, and the ride was about 15 minutes shorter than what I've been avg'ng the last couple years.
also gonna start using them after long hard rides (which I didn't do yesterday - so feelin it today - time for a recovery ride this PM)

keepin my fingers crossed that this continues to work...
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