I got some really good responses from you guys from my post about your favorite energy bar/drink. A popular answer was cytomax for the drink. I was just wondering about cytomax. Is it like a gatorade type of drink, like a liquid(its not as stupid as that sounds) or is it like a shake? Also how good is it and what are your favorite flavors? and what flavors are not good(if there are any)?

Yes, no. Yes it is a drink, not a shake. No it is nothing like Gatorade. G uses sucrose (table sugar) as its main source of fuel. You can only ingest so much sugar before your glycemic index goes through the roof (i.e., gastrointestinal uh displeasure). Cyto uses maltodextrin as part of its fuel. Malto has a much much lower glycemic index and you can injest more of it.

G is not really an endurance drink. If you check the G site, you'll see the "new" Gatorade Endurance drink. Unfortunately, last time I checked, it only comes in lemon lime. Yuck. G Endurance has a formulation that looks a lot closer to the other endurance drinks.

Cyto IS an endurance drink (as is Accelerade, Endurox, the new PowerBar drink, etc.). Cyto is not the yummiest stuff around. The one I get is Grape. If you try hard enough, you can almost convince yourself that it kinda-sorta-tastes like a grape. Not. To that end, I add Kool Aid (unsweetend) Grape to make it more pallatable.

The downside, Cyto is not cheap. But if you hunt around, you can find some sales (about $24 for the 4.5 lb can).

i got peach and, while it doesn't taste like peach, it's not bad to drink. it's just sort of an ambiguous fruity flavor. I just finished reading something aobut how drinking a drink with a 4:1 carb to protein mix(like cytomax, accelerade, endurox, etc...) can help you sustain 85% V02 max for 40% longer than someone who is just drinking a carb drink( i.e. gatorade), and i personally notice a bit of a difference, especially in a racing/fast situation or a longer ride. btw, i read it out of bicycling magazine.

Cytomax is better than Gatorade mainly because it tastes bad and is so much more expensive. If someone comes out with an even more expensive, even worse tasting drink and markets it as an "endurance/male enhancement" beverage, it will become the drink of choice. We are infinitely gullible and suggestible.

I tried Cytomax lemon flavor. I thought it tasted like bongwater with lemon lifesavers dissolved in it. Or like that Fleet enema stuff. Yick!

I love the Cytomax orange, but then again, I'll eat/drink anything....

You've tasted a Fleet enema? Wait, wait, I don't want to know....

I've had the lemo cytomax, and right now I'm using Champion Nutrition's "Revenge" (Champion used to make the original Cytomax. Revenge is a similar product). Tastes....odd, but works great, nonetheless.

And these substance have entered your body for what reason.

Great analogy though because it is a very horrible drink.

Dextrose, Maltodextrin, Whey, salt, BCAAs, Glutamine, and Vitamins & Minerals are all cheaply available on their own... so why do people that are so dedicated that they will wrap their bodies in psychedelic lycra, not make their own endurance drinks?

Have tried. First, several homemade "Gatorade" style recipes. Nothing ever tasted as good as real G (I like the Cool Blue Rasp., Riptide Rush, Glacier Freeze). Tried some other homemade Cyto-type recipes. Again, not finding something truly yummy. I know I last longer with Cyto than with G. I last longer with Cyto + Malto + Sugar + Kool Aid than plain Cyto. Getting Cyto from Performance with a price match plus the 10% club discount makes it cheap enough. I don't use it on every ride. Unless the ride is:

[a] over 2 hrs
[b] over 90 degrees
[c] a hillfest

... I can go with just water and Clif Bars. BTW, I mix the Cyto stuff a little strong. Dentist said I shouldn't have Gatorade-stuff on my teeth for 4+ hours. So I mix the drinks strong and always rinse with water (I figure this puts it back to "normal" strength).

Best.

I don't see how gatorade gets away with putting sucrose crap in their bottled drinks. Although their powders are much better.

I use Cytomax, and the peach and Tropical Fruit flavors are OK.

Do NOT use Cytomax PREformance if you are looking for a good taste/texture experience. For some reason, that stuff triggers my gag reflex and just tastes like reconstituted boogers.

The powdered gatorade stuff is better than the non-powdered stuff?

Yes, it is. I made a mistake last post. The bottled stuff uses high fructose corn syrup, a carbohydrate that is essentially useless to tired muscles. Same stuff as Coca Cola.

Check the labels on both.

The powder on the other hand uses sucrose as its primary ingredient, followed immediately by dextrose. Since sucrose is one part dextrose, dextrose is a.k.a. glucose, and glucose is great fuel for working muscles... powdered gatorade is probably the best thing that your local grocery store has. Add some Maltodextrin, and you can up the dextrose/glucose concentration. Throw in some BCAAs, and you're really cookin.

Yeah ... but sometimes at the 60-70 mi mark, I want something different and a Coke just tastes SO good. I am normally at a Chevron mini-mart (or the like) and I also refill the bottles at the same time. I notice that if I drink a Coke, about 15 minutes later ... I'm HUNGRY.

Anyone ever notice this?
Best.

Carbs make you hungry. In this case, the fructose is preferentially uptaken by your liver, and not your tired hungry muscles... and so the hunger is compounded. When you do that, I'd eat something else too.

sorry to resurrect such an old thread, but what does BCAA mean?

also, has anyone tried the pre-mixed cytomax? It is NOT the same thing as the canister, and tastes like fruity plastic. (i acutally like the taste of cytomax in the canister). Why don't they just use the same recipe if they're going to give it the same name?

Yea I actually like the flavor of Cytomax as well. Can't say if it has helped my endurance yet though. I have to get back in shape first.

All I know is, when I drunk soda before a ride. My muscles got tired, before I could even finish the climb. First time I ever turned around. Weird

Hahahaha! Nice.

EDIT: Ugh, I can't believe I just replied to a two year old post.

Branch Chain Amino Acids.... I seem to do better using products that
have them. My fave is Gu.