Concept2 Forum

fabianL wrote:Endurox R4. (www.accelsport.com) Many collegiate cross country and track athletes use it to improve recovery time after hard workouts. If used immediately after a hard workout, you will feel like you've had a day off by the next morning. It may be just a placebo, but I seem to really feel those days when I don't use it after a workout. I find it especially to aid recovery between the AM and PM workouts on the same day. If you look at the ingredients, it is basically sugar, protein and vitamin E.

Chocolate milk has thus far had an impressive run in the research examining its applications to various sporting goals [2,3]. It has performed equally well for rehydration and glycogen resynthesis compared to carb-based sports drinks, and it has outperformed them (and soy-based drinks) for protecting and synthesizing muscle protein. A standout study in this area was a comparison of chocolate milk, Gatorade, and Endurox R4 (a sports drink with a 4:1 carb to protein ratio) [4]. Chocolate milk was equally effective as Gatorade for total work output and prolonging time to exhaustion. Interestingly, both of the latter products outperformed Endurox R4 in both tests. The researchers speculated that the use of maltodextrin rather than sucrose (yes, you read that correctly) as the dominant carbohydrate source was the Achilles heel of Endurox R4. More on the virtues of sucrose instead of straight glucose for exercise applications will be covered.