Dr. T's Blog

If you have a topic you'd like me to comment on, email me

February 14, 2008 - Happy Saint Valentine's Day!

Any interesting email exchange from this morning:

On Feb 13, 2008, at 6:20 PM, TR wrote:

Hi Shawn,

Just want to make sure there are no banned substances in Wicked Fast products.. The manufacturing of these ingredients are very controlled , right?

I guess I am watching too much baseball.

Thanks

TR

http://www1.ncaa.org/membership/ed_outreach/health-safety/drug_testing/banned_drug_classes.pdf

MY REPLY (from this morning, February 14, 2008 at 9:21 AM):

Hi TR,

Great question - you are certainly looking out for your daughter! (note = His daughter is a competitive NCAA athlete)

Actually, the manufacturing of these products (dietary supplements in general) is often NOT very well controlled and there are plenty of examples of supplements containing banned substances as part of their formula (many stimulants and steroids are legal for the general public, but banned for athletic competition) and there are other examples of supplements being contaminated with banned substances (where they are not labeled, but they find their way into the product somehow). There have been several professional and Olympic-level athletes who have tested positive for banned substances and have claimed (and even shown) that the positive test was due to a contaminated supplement. Scary stuff.

That said, when it comes to Wicked Fast products, we can say that we are one of the VERY few sports nutrition companies - and the ONLY endurance nutrition company - that has tested our products using the most sensitive 3rd-party external laboratories to make sure our products are "clean" and completely free of banned substances. There are only about 30 labs in the entire world that are certified to test for banned substances at the same levels tested for in elite-level athletics - and we have worked with two of them, one in North America and one in Europe, to certify our products.

We had a problem a few years back where our analysis program found a contaminated batch of product. If we had not had this analysis program in place, that product could have gotten in the hands of an athlete who could be subjected to drug testing - but we were able to catch the problem and rectify it quickly. Unfortunately, that particular manufacturer would not stand by their promises of following GMPs (good manufacturing practices), so we had to trash the product, fire the manufacturer, and manufacture our products at an upgraded facility. As far as we know, that particular manufacturer continues to supply contaminated products to other customers, but because those customers are not specifically analyzing their products for banned substances (eyes wide closed), they have no idea what they are getting.

Why do I tell you all of this? Because most companies will simply say, "Yeah, sure, no banned substances here" - and they may even give you a meaningless "CofA" (certificate of analysis, which simply tells you how much of each ingredient was added to the formula - you can look at the label for that information), but they DO NOT go through the stringent levels of analytical testing that we perform on our products to ensure the absence of banned substances. It's just another level of research and quality that we feel is necessary to have the best endurance nutrition products on the market.

Hope that helps answer your questions - but please let me know if you have any questions.

Best,

Shawn

====================
Shawn M. Talbott, Ph.D.
Chief Scientific Officer
Wicked Fast Sports Nutrition
648 E Rocky Knoll
Draper, UT 84020
(801) 915-1170
Shawn@WickedFastSN.com
www.WickedFastSportsNutrition.com

February 1, 2008 - Who Can Benefit from Energ-Ease?

I mentioned awhile back that I would use this Blog section from time to time to post email exchanges that I thought might be useful for a wider audience of readers - so here is one from this morning that I thought you might find useful...

ORIGINAL QUESTION:

On Feb 1, 2008, at 8:15 AM, Alan M. wrote:

Hello, Shawn I have being using Recover-Ease for a couple of months now. I immediately notice the difference in taking the product; especially the next day. I recently purchased Energ-Ease; however I don’t really notice the effects of this product as with the Recover-Ease. Note I have only being taking the product about 2 weeks. I take two tablets 30 minutes before my workouts. I am a short sprinter and not a Triathlete; I don’t know if that as something to do with it or maybe I am taking the wrong amount of dosage.

Thank you,

Alan

MY RESPONSE EMAIL:

Hi Alan,

Thanks for your email and questions about Energ-Ease and Recover-Ease.

Recover-Ease can really help ANY type of athlete no matter endurance or power or in-between. It helps your immune system cells to repair tissue damage faster and more completely - so I'm glad to hear that you're experiencing some of those benefits.

Energ-Ease is more of an "endurance specific" type of product - so as a sprinter, you might now be benefiting from all of its effects. With Energ-Ease, what people notice immediately is a modest "bump" in their immediate energy levels (this is why we recommend dosing 30 minutes prior to exercise). This is not as much of a "charge" as something like caffeine - but more subtle, like having a little extra "oomph" toward the end of your longer workouts. Another main benefits of Energ-Ease is its significant boost in endurance and stamina - but this effect will take about 2-4 weeks to kick in for most people. As a sprinter, you will be unlikely to notice this endurance benefit except on days where you may be doing a large number of repeated intervals.

One additional benefit that you will certainly appreciate in Energ-Ease is its ability to help prevent over-training by keeping your catabolic/breakdown hormones low (cortisol) and your anabolic/buildup hormones high (testosterone). We have some very good research on Energ-Ease showing that intense exercise causes testosterone to drop and cortisol to rise - but athletes taking Energ-Ease were able to maintain their normal levels of both hormones - this keeping them from tipping into the hormonal overtraining state.

Hope that helps answer some of your questions - but please let mw know if I can be of further assistance.

Shawn

====================
Shawn M. Talbott, Ph.D.
Chief Scientific Officer
Wicked Fast Sports Nutrition
648 E Rocky Knoll
Draper, UT 84020
(801) 915-1170
Shawn@WickedFastSN.com
www.WickedFastSportsNutrition.com

January 9, 2008 - What People Are Saying About Wicked Fast...

I thought I’d take a few minutes today to post some of the many positive comments that we receive from users of Wicked Fast products. We get so many, that I am often not sure what to do with them – except to say “thanks for the feedback” and “keep up the good work” – so I figured that from time to time I might post a few of them here…

From Amy Kloner (winner of about everything you can imagine in terms of age-group triathlon in 2007) – “I don't know if I'm getting stronger or what, but I took 8 Recover-Ease after the race and I felt almost NO muscle soreness 2 days out. The first day- yes- but that's normal. I couldn't believe how fast it went away.  I'm really excited about the products!”

From Brian Hughes – “First off, Energ-Ease is my most favorite product of all time. It's a quick (this is key for me -- not having to wait 30+ minutes for the energy), yet a sustained energy boost that gets me out the door every morning at 5 A.M.  No rapid heart beat that I've experienced with other products. Also, I've noticed when my 1 - 3 hours are done I am still feeling energized without the jittery effects of some other products. No messy powders to measure out and mix. It is an all around great product. Recover-Ease, helps with my recovery periods. I've noticed I feel less "damaged" in the mornings and this in and of itself is a form of motivation to get out there the following day. Once again, I love the no mess of gels, or powdered drinks to deal with. Also, I do like the fact that you can adjust the level of capsules you take in post-workout. Some days just feel harder on the body than others and the availability to add to, without harm, my post-workout supplement is nice -- and easy.”

From Espen Kateraas – “I'm an avid user of your product since 2005 (or perhaps in 2004). Spencer Smith introduced it to me while at the California Half-Ironman which I have done 5 times. I've been taking Recover-Ease regularly ever since, for cycling, running and triathlons. I love your product as it helps me maintain a balanced lifestyle between work and play.”

From Elizabeth Waterstraat – “I coach 25 athletes, and I had given my athletes samples of Recover-Ease and here is what one had to say recently (she did a treadmill run lactate threshold test the day before and ran all out for 20 minutes and had just done her bike LT test a few days before): ‘You know what?  I'm not sore today.  No.  Seriously. I am NOT sore today at all.  I'm not sure what exactly to attribute this to, but whatever it was worked.  I suspect the Recover-Ease helped.  I've never used it (or anything like it) before this week, but since we were training in ALL CAPS, I figured I'd try it post workout.  Six after the bike and six after the run. The day after the bike test, my knees were stiff, but no muscle soreness.  And this morning, nothing to worry about in my legs at all, even after that punishment yesterday. Good.  Stuff.’ Thanks for the great product!”

From Leslie Holton (an uber-endurance athlete in many disciplines) who was (among other things) – first female finisher EVER of the Dirty Kanza 200 mountain bike race, first female at the Fireweed 100 road cycling event (a RAAM qualifier), and 2nd-place female at the Double Ironman. “I am positive that I could not have put in the quantity and quality of training that I did this year without Recover-Ease.  On the rare occasion that I forgot to take it I would definitely notice a lack of spark the next day.  I have been taking 2 after each workout on 2-a-days workouts, and 3 after my main workout on other days. I am glad to have come across your excellent products – and I am looking forward to 2008!”

From Andrew Holton (Leslie’s husband – and no less an uber-endurance nut) – “I definitely feel that my performances in 2007 would not have been the same without Energ-Ease and Recover-Ease. My season started out great, winning my age group in the first 3 running races of the year and my first triathlon as well.  I set a personal best marathon and qualified for Boston.  I believe my wife, Leslie, told you about a couple races we did together, the Minnesota Border to Border and Fireweed 400 in Alaska.  Fireweed ultimately went well, I finished 2nd overall, and I just wanted to say Thanks for putting out some great products!”

====================
Shawn M. Talbott, Ph.D.
Chief Scientific Officer
Wicked Fast Sports Nutrition
shawn@wickedfastsn.com
www.energ-ease.com
www.recover-ease.com
www.wickedfastsportsnutrition.com

November 2, 2007 - Early New Year's Resolution

I gotta get better at this bloggin thing - that'll be my New Year's resolution (made before Thanksgiving)...

It's coming into the "off" season for many of us. I still have the bike leg as part of Team Wicked Fast tackling the Silverman Triathlon in Nevada next week - and then Ironman Western Australia in December. Then I'll hit the weights and start planning for 2008 (Ironman Lousiville at the end of August).

I  probably answer 100 emails daily asking questions about endurance nutrition, supplements, and how to boost performance - and I'll be using this space to share some of those questions/answers with you. I hope that some of these responses will help answer some of your own questions and possibly, help you dial in your training and performance so you establish some PRs next season.

Here is a question from a self-described "old guy" wondering where to start in getting faster for next year...

====

On Oct 27, 2007, at 7:49 AM, Darrell Exxx wrote:

Hello There,

Dr. Shawn, I read your articles often and find them very interesting and also very confusing at the same time - you make a lot of sense but there is so much information out there that you almost don't know what's right for you.

I'm 53 yrs. old have done a few sprints very active looking to improve my sprint time. What do you think would be right for an old guy like me.

I understand that this is a very "open" question but I must start somewhere so here it is.

Any advice.............?

Do you offer samples or does one spend a whole lot of money to figure out what works for one self?

Thanks for your impute in advance

Darrell

====

Hi Darrell,

Thanks for your email - I feel your pain about there being so much info out there - it is even hard for me to sift through all the mumbo jumbo to write a clear article for people... ;^)

We used to do a product sample program for our Energ-Ease (before exercise energy/endurance) and Recover-Ease (post-exercise recovery) - we handed out close to a million single-use sample paks and people loved them. We're not sure if we'll be brining that back or not - but we will always continue to have our 100% satisfaction policy - which allows you to try any of our products with the option os sending them back to us if you don't like what they do for you.

We have done a ton of research on our finished products - so our 6 clinical studies tell us how well they work (no other endurance nutrition company does even close to the research we do). BUT, we also know that people want to TRY the products themselves to see how they'll work for them.

To be quite honest, I developed Energ-Ease and Recover-Ease for myself - because there were no other products that worked very well for endurance or recovery (and there still aren't, except for these 2 products) - so I can whole-heartedly recommend them to my fellow endurance athletes.

With the early "off-season" upon us, this is the perfect time to experiment with your nutrition - so adding Energ-Ease and Recover-Ease to your base training now will help you to build a bigger endurance engine for next season (even for an "old guy" like you) ;^)

Seriously, nutrition is probably even more important for all of us as we get older - I know that my 40-year old body does not perform the way it did in terms of endurance power or recovery ability as it did when I started triathlons as a 19 year old (before aero bars) - but I also know that Energ-Ease helps me go harder and Recover-Ease helps me recover faster.

Hope that helps with your decision...and I hope to see you out there blazing some fast times next season...

Best,

Shawn

====================
Shawn M. Talbott, Ph.D.
Chief Scientific Officer
Wicked Fast Sports Nutrition
shawn@wickedfastsn.com
www.energ-ease.com
www.recover-ease.com
www.wickedfastsportsnutrition.com

 

August 28, 2007 - Recover-Ease Expiration Date

Sometimes all the planning in the world is not enough to prevent a stupid mistake!

Some of our customers have noticed that two lots of Recover-Ease carry a "past" expiration date. This is a labeling error by our manufacturer, but it is our fault for not catching it until after the bottles were off the line. We have been sending the following explanation with every bottle of Recover-Ease ordered - and we hope that this explanation helps to answer any questions that you might have if you should win a bottle of Recover-Ease at one of the hundreds of events that we support around the country...

=====

Dear Wicked Fast Customer,

Thanks very much for your order!

We think that you’ll find Wicked Fast Sports Nutrition products to be second to none – and that they’ll help you to get the most out of your training and competition.

We’re pleased to have recently announced our 5th and 6th scientific presentations on the benefits of Energ-Ease and Recover-Ease. In these studies, (accepted/presented at the Experimental Biology Scientific Conference and the International Society for Sports Nutrition Annual Scientific Meeting), Energ-Ease and Recover-Ease have been shown to improve energy levels, reduce fatigue, improve performance, maintain hormone profiles, reduce the risk of overtraining, promote recovery, and enhance physical & mental performance. We couldn’t be more pleased with the benefits of the products or the response from dedicated athletes like you.

We wanted to let you know about a labeling error with this batch of Recover-Ease. On the back of the bottle, you will notice an expiration date of “EXP 07/07” for Lot 506153 and Lot 506154. This lot has an actual expiration date of 07/09 (almost 2 years from now) – but the labeling error was not caught until after the production. Because of the clear labels that we use, we are unable to “over-label” with the correct expiration date – but we wanted you to rest assured that this batch of Recover-Ease is perfectly “fresh” and retains 100% of it’s activity to help you repair tissue damage and enhance your post-exercise recovery.

If you have any questions about this labeling error, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Thanks again for your order – and please let us know if there is anything we can do here at Wicked Fast to help maximize your endurance performance.

Happy Training…

Shawn M. Talbott, Ph.D.

Chief Scientific Officer
1-800-422-5610
www.wickedfastsportsnutrition.com

August 2, 2007 - OK, I'm 40 years old today - eegad!

Here is my belated race report on Ironman Lake Placid 2007 (and a pic of me and the kids crossing the line)...

It’s Friday, July 20, 2007 and I have just arrived in lake Placid NY for the Ironman USA event on Sunday (July 22). It is raining cats and dogs (and has been for almost a week, I am told by the locals) – so I’m hoping that the wet weather is “worked out” before race day.

Registration is at the Lake Placid High School – easy to find in the middle of town. My first challenge is getting through the USA Triathlon bureaucrats who NEED to see my actual paper USAT license (despite the fact that I have the number and expiration date in my Treo). After much discussion, and their insistence that I simply buy a new USAT license, I am able to show the USAT rep their own website (using my Treo web browser) where I am an active USAT member.

I get the green hand-stamp and I’m off to get my number (1029), my wristband, my weight (higher than I hoped), my Champion Chip (where a great woman attached it to the neoprene strap for me), and my race goodie bag (so called).

The Ironman Race Bag. This one of my pet peeves about the Ironman series of events. We pay $475 for an entry fee and we get a T-shirt and hat (when you finish) and a bag full of flyers and other marketing propaganda. Some of the stuff might be OK – like the coupon for the free pair of Wigwam socks (take it to the friendly guy at the Wigwam booth in the Expo area) and the free samples of Clinic skin cream (my skin is positively glowing). Into the garbage go the cheap plastic license plate holder, the lame nylon IM-logo bag, and the rest of the advertisements. Compare the Ironman race bag to other smaller events such as Silverman near Las Vegas, Nevada, where participants got (for an entry fee of less than HALF) a Rudy Project backpack, a high-quality fleece blanket, TWO great T-shirts, and top-quality product samples from the likes of Recover-Ease, Hammer Nutrition, and many others. Not to mention an outstanding and well-run event.

OK – time to get off the soapbox and back to the race.

To give credit where credit is due – the Ironman organization and NA Sports (the organizer for Lake Placid) does a very good job of the actual running of the events. At the pre-race banquet, race organizers recognized the oldest and the youngest competitors, people who had lost tons of weight during their IM training, and certain folks who had overcome serious obstacles and diseases to reach this IM event. Very inspirational stuff that should make us all happy and thankful that we can do what we do – and have at it – because so many people are not as lucky.

Race Day dawned sunny and beautiful with cool temps to start (about 45-50 degrees) and water temps around 70 degrees (wetsuits OK). Got up at 5am – pulled on my Wicked Fast Trisuit – grabbed my special needs bags – kissed my wife and kids and headed out to the transition area (we stayed within walking distance). Stopped for a cup of coffee and a cranberry muffin – chatted with the workers there about what was ahead of me for the day. In transition, did the normal routine of getting body marked, pumping tires, filling bottles, adding sunscreen and Body Glide and taking my Energ-Ease before heading off to the LONG line at the porta-potties.

At the swim start, I took up a position about midway back (there were supposed to be “staging flags” to help position swimmers according to their time (less than 1 hour, less than 1:10 and over 1:10) – but none were to be found. The swim takes place in ultra-clear Mirror Lake – a great place to swim with 2500 of your closest friends. I am typically a strong (if not very fast) swimmer – in the 1:05-1:10 range, but I had a bit of a panic attack during the first leg of this swim. What a strange experience! About halfway to the first turn (it was a simple double-loop rectangle course), I was kicked in the face and then took an elbow in the head, which dazed me a bit and then knocked off my goggles. I had to stop to empty/readjust my goggles, but when I got started again, I was surrounded by other swimmers, and was having TROUBLE catching my breath. I finally had to alternate between treading water and swimming on my back until I could calm my breathing and start swimming again. I took the rest of the first loop easy and then finished the 2nd loop in about 1:15 – not bad, but glad to be out of the water.

Long run to transition and some of the OUTSTANDING volunteers. There were about 3500 volunteers throughout Lake Placid and they were AMAZING – from stripping wetsuits (I’d still be there flopping around, stuck in my neoprene, on the shores of Mirror Lake except for the help of the strippers), to finding transition bags, to slathering sunscreen and pointing us to the exits, these volunteers are what make these events do-able.

On the bike, my “plan” was to take it easy, finish in about 6 hours and then blaze the run (which I have been training pretty hard for some running events). The bike course was not particularly windy and the weather was perfect in terms of temperature – but the up/down/rolling course challenged me with a 6:20 time. True, I got to see Julie and the kids (and stop for kisses) as the course came back thru town (and take 2 more Energ-Ease capsules), but even at a “comfortable” pace, I was planning much faster than 6:20 – maybe this course is tougher than I imagined.

Into T2, I was feeling great – legs are still strong – and hydration and nutrition seem good (including talking my last 2 Energ-Ease capsules – for a total of 6 during the event). Switch to my running shoes (called Mojo’s from a great little company in NH called Loco), Recover-Ease cap, and more sunscreen for shoulders and neck (thanks again volunteers!!!) – and I’m off. The streets in Lake Placid’s downtown area were LINED with cheering spectators – BOY does that help you lift your feet! After about 3-4 miles, you’re out in the woods with thin spectators support (but ample volunteers at the aid stations). The first loop was great – came thru in a bit less than my 2-hour goal (seeing Julie and the kids one more time) – but soon after that (maybe mile 14/15 or so), I hit the wall. Legs still felt good, but my energy was gone. I just could NOT stomach anything that the aid stations were providing (Gatorade, cola, water, bananas, pretzels, grapes, ice cubes, the typical stuff). One nice lady had a watermelon and a slice of that was enough to settle my stomach for a mile or so – but then no more watermelon…bummer.

Walking/jogging most of the last 10 miles, I was able to finish in 13:11 – not my best and not my worst finish for an Ironman-distance event. While this was not the hardest endurance event that I have done – both the Silverman Triathlon and the Squaw Peak 50 were more difficult (in my opinion), but I was a bit surprised by the large number of walkers during the marathon at Lake Placid (suggesting lots of other folks also thought this was a hard course).

All in all a decent day – happy to have finished – and looking forward to my next event on August 4 – The 50-mile Rock Run around Nantucket island off the Massachusetts coast. You can bet that I’m gobbling my Recover-Ease to help me bounce back in time (13 days).

Congrats to all the other finishers, including Wicked Fast Team members Dan O’Neil and Bill Long (both from Texas), and THANKS again to each of the outstanding 3500 volunteers at the Lake Placid Ironman.

July 16, 2007 - Back in the Saddle...

Two months between blod posts - that's not bad? Right? OK - that's REALLY bad - but at least I have a good excuse (lots of great new data on the benefits of Energ-Ease and Recover-Ease presented at some of the top scientific conferences - and an excellent base of run training for the Lake Placid Ironman this coming weekend).

Today, I wanted to share with you a recent email exchange that I had with a fellow triathlete:

NameRemoved@XYZ.com wrote:

Subject: Re: BIOBUILD?

HELLO SHAWN,
I HAVE BEEN USING THIS PRODUCT BIOBUILDE FOR A FEW MONTHS WITH SUCCESS. RECENTLY I WON THE MASTERS PORTION OF A RACE IN GALVESTON AND WAS GIVEN A BOTTLE OF RECOVER-EASE. I NOTICE THERE ARE SIMILARITIES IN THE INGREDIENTS AND WONDERED IF YOU HAVE ANY COMMENTS THAT MIGHT ENLIGHTEN ME IN CHOOSING BETWEEN THEM. THANKS...

==========
From: Shawn Talbott
To: NameRemoved@XYZ.com
Subject: Re: BIOBUILD?

Hi XYZ,

Thanks for your question about Recover-Ease, and congrats on your finish at Lonestar!

Recover-Ease and BioBuilde are actually VERY different products - despite the fact that they share a few of the same amino acid ingredients. BioBuilde is a decent product formulation for promoting the synthesis of protein - so its best effects (because of the amino acid profile) is for post-weight-lifting to stimulate a greater level of protein synthesis. The formula is copied almost exactly from research done at the U of Texas on protein synthesis after weight lifting - but when used at the same dosage levels as the studies, you'll go thru a bottle of BioBuilde in about a week (making it insanely expensive). It is unknown whether there are any effects of BioBuilde at its "recommended" dosage levels or in endurance athletes (unless you're lifting weights).

With Recover-Ease, we have specific studies on endurance athletes (marathoners, cyclists, and triathletes) demonstrating enhanced recovery, higher energy levels, less muscle soreness, maintained immune function, etc. These studies have been presented at some of the top scientific nutrition conferences in the country (American College of Sports Medicine, International Society for Sports Nutrition, etc) and we have patent applications for the specific blend/ratio of amino acids for enhancing recovery and tissue repair. For our complementary energy/endurance product, Energ-Ease, we have the same type of endurance-specific research in athletes with patents for hormone balance and prevention of over-training.

Please check out some of the research on our website (www.wickedfastsportsnutrition.com), give Recover-Ease a try, and please let us know what you think. Best of luck with the rest of your season!

Shawn

===========================

From: NameRemoved@XYZ.com
To: Shawn Talbott
Subject: Re: BIOBUILD?

thank you for your thoughtful reply. i ordered some!

That about says it all - don't you think? I say that because I think it is important for a product to be able to live up to its claims - and both Energ-Ease and Recover-Ease have the research evidence to do just that. The rest is up to YOU. Give our products a try and you'll see/feel the results for yourself.

Until next time...

Shawn Talbott

Shawn@WickedFastSN.com

 

 

May 16, 2007

I MUST get better about this blogging stuff...

OK - I promise to post some more thoughts here - but it's just such a temptation to get in a few more miles of trail running instead of typing at the Mac. I have the longest running events of my life coming up - Squaw Peak 50 in about 2 weeks and then the Rock Run in August. In between, I might try to squeeze in an appearance at IM lake Placid - we'll see...

We were happy to have presented yet another research study on the benefits of Energ-Ease and Recover-Ease recently. This one (our 5th) was presented at the Experimental Biology conference (the largest nutrition science conference in the world) in Washington DC on April 30. The overall results showed higher energy levels, reduced fatigue, faster recovery, and better mental/physical function in Ironman triathletes taking Energ-Ease and Recover-Ease compared to a "standard" post-event recovery regimen. Good stuff.

At the presentation, a colleague asked me about some of the other endurance products that are on the market - and why they don't have the same high level of scientific research as Wicked Fast products. Good question. Probably because most nutrition companies would rather spend their $$ on marketing, magazine ads, and sponsoring pro athletes - whereas we at Wicked Fast prefer to focus on science (showing our products work) and supporting events and age-groupers (you support us, so we support you).

Just for giggles - here is some of the most recent research evidence for two of the most heavily-marketed endurance supplements (please feel free to draw your own conclusions):

Opty-xxx and Cordy-xxx shown to be ineffective

Opty-xxx– Journal of Strength and Conditioning (May 2005) – no effects on muscle tissue oxygen saturation, VO2max, ventilatory threshold, or time to exhaustion in subjects supplemented with Opty-xxx and given 2 exercise stress tests to fatigue on a cycle ergometer.

Cordy-xxx– International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism (April 2004) – researchers at Brigham Young University in Utah found no beneficial effects in cyclists supplemented with the highest dose of Cordy-xxx (3g/day for 5 weeks) on measures of VO2peak, ventilatory threshold, or time trial performance. These results indicate no effect of Cordy-xxx on aerobic capacity or endurance exercise performance in trained male cyclists.

Opty-xxx– Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise (March 2004) – Researchers at the Cooper Institute Center for Human Performance and Nutrition Research found no beneficial effects of Opty-xxx supplementation (6 capsules per day for 4 days of “loading” and 3 capsules per day for 11 days of “maintenance”) in competitive trained cyclists. No effects were seen for measures of peak VO2, time to exhaustion on a cycling test, peak power output, peak heart rate, lactic acid levels, ventilatory theshold, respiratory compensation point, or gross oxygen efficiency.

Until next time...

February 21, 2007

Just a quick post here to get things started for 2007.

Like you, I've been hard at training for several weeks now and have a few events on my schedule. My first even will be the Boston Marathon on April 16. Training is going well toward my goal of breaking 3 hours (wish me luck) - but training in snowy Utah can be hot-or-miss at this time of year.

Next up will be 2 trail runs at 50 miles each - Squaw Peak in June in Provo, UT and the Rock Run in Nantucket, MA in August (2 days after I turn 40)! These runs are my way of having fun, while trying to get my Ironman run-leg a bit stronger.

I'll probably have some charity rides tossed in here and there, with my "A" race for the year focused on Ironman Western Australia (a "racing" vacation, so to speak).

Let me know what YOUR event schedule looks like for 2007...  Maybe our paths will cross at some events...

I'll end today's post with a few of the TOP questions that I get about endurance performance - and especially about post-exercise recovery:

Q:  Why is Recovery Important?

A:   Duh! Recovery, and enhancing the recovery process, may be the most important and overlooked aspects of endurance performance. Your training regimen provides the stimulus for adaptations in endurance, strength, and speed – but it is during the recovery period between workouts where physiological and biochemical adaptations actually take place. The more complete your recovery, the greater degree of adaptation (and improvement) resulting from your training.

Q:   Are There Different Types of Recovery?

A:   Yes. The concept of “recovering” from exercise can mean different things to different people. The basic process of recovering attempts to replace what you’ve lost during exercise – and/or attempts to repair the damage caused by exercise.

In the “replace what you’ve lost” category, we have some of the old standbys such as carbohydrate (and carb/protein) drink mixes, electrolyte/hydration beverages, all manner of energy bars, and plain old food. The most important effect of these products is that they rapidly stimulate glycogen resynthesis and tissue rehydration. My personal favorite is a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich with a glass of chocolate milk.

In the “repair the damage” category, we have a new breed of amino-acid-based products (like Recover-Ease) that provide immune system cells with the fuel source needed to repair exercise-induced damage to muscles and lungs. Recover-Ease also provides antioxidants, plant sterols, and proteolytic enzymes to help control inflammation (to accelerate tissue repair), oxidation (a source of cellular damage), and cortisol (the primary stress hormone).

Q:  How Do I Know Which Recovery Product is Right for Me?

A:  Ask yourself some simple questions:

• Does the product have effective levels of ingredients (versus ineffective “pixie dust” amounts)?

• Is the product supported by reliable scientific research?

• Is the product free of banned substances?

• Can you FEEL the product working?

More to come...