supplaments?

[Adk_dib]

with all the stroid talk going around sports, does anyone take supplaments?
I take a potasium tablet at the trail head and a salt tablet at the summit for my cramping problems. In my water bottle i put "cytomax" (good stuff). the only time i take anything else is when i do a high peak climb (14-18 miles).Then I take 2 creatine tablets for extra stanima. Has anyone herd of these being bad for you. I checked the label and there is nothing bad as far as I can tell. there was one stimulant i cant remember its name that caused some deaths in atheletes. but my creatine tablets do not contain these.

 

[coldmountain]

All geeked up on the trail;

I believe the "killer" ingredient youre thinking of is Ephedrine. I used to take that stuff years ago at the gym. Tough stuff. Its a real good way to turn out the lights, just add a little extra heat and you start feeling like the little kid in the car in "Cujo". Its like drinking 100 cups of coffee. Nasty clammy skin and little white spots in the air. Yeah it had been linked to a number of deaths most notably an NFL lineman like 4 years ago. And now its gone which is good.
I believe that most supplements are not regulated enough to insure their effectiveness. I also believe that its an expensive and dangerous area to take advise from anyone on.
Creatine is a naturally occuring substance. the kidneys or liver (i cant remember) secrete creatine to extract protein from food to create muscle fibers in worked areas. Taking it as a supplement acts as a boost to this process and adds power in short bursts (Sprinters and powerlifters crave the stuff) BUT take enough of it and the body thinks its too much and shuts down its natural production.....yikes. Creatine IS one of the few supplements to be FDA approved and that should mean something but remember most of the work is being done by you.
Sometimes I think the best advise is drink water early and often during a hike and especially after. And for energy; peanut butter is not a fad.

 

[Sean]

I think that most supplements are at best good ways to make expensive urine, and at worst, dangerous to you health. I doubt the potassium and salt tablets will hurt you, but you can get the same effects through the food that you eat. I usually bring some sort of salted nuts or trail mix, especially in the winter whene my body craves the salt.
I've heard good things about cytomax, although I have never tried it. I do drink as much water as I can get in my stomach without feeling sick.

 

[professor]

While most people wouldn't call the stuff a "supplement", I've found that the little packets of flavored glucose marketed as "GU" can have an astonishing effect when you need a quick 30-45 min of energy to get up that last ridge. The caveat on this is that while the GU can revive you when you are bonking, you can also crash rapidly when the effect wears off. I found that out the hard way two summers ago while returning from Couchie to Times Square on a solo hike. I found my self suddenly and inexplicably (and atypically, I might add) disoriented. After about 15 minutes of thrashing around looking for the lost route, I realized what was happening, sat down and ate - yes, a PB&J sandwich - got my wits about me, and quickly found my way.

 

[Jay H]

As a cyclist, I have had Apple Cytomax that I use on longer centuries and longer rides and have eaten Gu before (The chocolate flavor is like eating frosting!). Other than that, I don't usually take anything other than granola bars and basic snacks hiking. The Cytomax stuff is good in that it is powdered so it packs easy and leaves a little less tasty residual in my plastic water bottles than say Gatorade.

I have also seen salt replacement tablets by a company called E-caps. The only time I've seen those is in the few adventure races I've done though. The couple of pills they gave me before the race though was crushed in my pack so I can't say that I have tried it.

One recommendation to you though: try the supplemants BEFORE you are in need of them to know that your stomach/body can take it. You don't want to find out that your body doesn't like Cytomax or whatever when you're about to summit Mt Lafayette...

Jay

 

[Puck]

I believe that most supplements are not regulated enough to insure their effectiveness. I also believe that its an expensive and dangerous area to take advise from anyone on.
Creatine is a naturally occuring substance. the kidneys or liver (i cant remember) secrete creatine to extract protein from food to create muscle fibers in worked areas. Taking it as a supplement acts as a boost to this process and adds power in short bursts (Sprinters and powerlifters crave the stuff) BUT take enough of it and the body thinks its too much and shuts down its natural production.....yikes. Creatine IS one of the few supplements to be FDA approved and that should mean something but remember most of the work is being done by you.
Sometimes I think the best advise is drink water early and often during a hike and especially after. And for energy; peanut butter is not a fad.

You may be confusing creatine with creatitine. the latter is of interest to a urologist. Creatine is actually considered a carbohydrate found in skelatel muscle cells. It povides the muscle cell with fast energy before it is able to convert glucose into energy. (remeber glycolosis, the Krebs cycle and the electron tranposrt reaction in the mitrochondria?) Taking creatine just before a hike will not do you any good. Usually an athelete will take a tablsponn up to five times a day for a week mixed in a glass of sweet fruit juice. This helps load the cells. Then after the loading phase it is once a day. People who use it claim that they have more endurance. Some say they feel heavier in thier limbs. Others say nothing happens.

I agree with the advice to drink lots and eat often.

 

[giggy]

just some coffee in the morning. My personal preference is not to take any sups. The are good arguments for and against. Like the rest, I try to drink a shiteload of water and eat loads of snack food, cheese, beef jerky, etc.. I am allergic to nuts - how bad does that suck.