Tired of spending money on Nutritional Products. Would you like to learn how to save money??

How to save money while training and racing

By Michael Lovegren M.S. Biomechanics

During these harsh economic times endurance athletes are forced to find other alternatives to fuel their bodies from the traditional Powerbar, GU, Hammer, and other commonly used products. We all know that muscle glycogen is an important fuel source during most rides, whether easy or more intense and depending on your training intensity. Muscle glycogen can become significantly depleted in 75 to 90 minutes.

As athletes train and race in these tough economic times it is hard to use the common products used by pro riders. What if I told you instead of spending 1to 2 dollars on a single gel or a bag of shot blocks you could purchase a box of General Mills fruit snacks or a bag of Fig Newtons. You probably would think that this is a joke and I must be going crazy. Or you might say I spent too much time on the bike out in the sun and now I am becoming delirious. A great source to fuel your body for training and racing is cheaper than you think. If you would like to save a buck, which everyone wants to do these days, then you can follow these simple steps. The common products that can help you are:

Fig Newton’s – a box of Fig Newton’s with 15 servings (1 to 2 dollars)

General Mills Fruit Snacks- box contains 10 servings (contain 21-25 grams of carbohydrates)

There is no difference from a GU, Powerbar, or Hammer products compared to these products. Would you rather spend 2 dollars on one gel or 2 dollars on a bag of Fig Newton’s or a box of Spider-Man fruit snacks? If you are not a sponsored rider and want to save money then try these useful tips and enjoy them. If you would like more information on how to maintain energy see our Optimal Nutritional Software at Kinetic Loop Training System . If this article has made an impact on you please let us know.

After I wrote the above article one of my athletes told me that he used to use Chips Ahoy Cookies and Gatorade for Half Ironman and Ironman. I remember training and racing with Peanut butter and jelly sandwhiches. A famous female Ironman and Half Ironman used McDonalds Cheeseburger in her goody back at the transition from the swim to the bike. Think about this before Powerbar, Gu, Enervit, and Hammer what did athletes really used to train and race with? Do we really need this stuff? In these harsh economical times I believe we don't need these products to achieve optimal performance.