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Snake oil? (Read 1421 times)

    'Lack of evidence' that popular sports products work" :

     

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-18863293

    LedLincoln


    not bad for mile 25

      Knock me over with a feather.

      DoppleBock


        I find Whey Protein and some recovery products just convienant - You can get that nutrition from real food.

         

        As someone that is a heavy sweater - After a few days of not taking salt suppliments I start to crave anything salty - Yes I could just put salt ladden sauces on all my food or grab McDonalds salt packs and slam a few - But again I find some of these suppliments conveinant.

         

        I occassionally drink gatorade or poweraide as a non-caffiene soft drink.  Some Calories and water - I really seem to go for these when I am hung over and don't want to drink straight water.

         

        I have tried some other products that are suppose to help clear lactic acid - I noticed to difference.

         

        So mainly most products I take are for convienence - Sometimes convienence is expensive.

         

        Pro-Source Nytro Whey Extreme - $40/ Month

        Powerbar Gels - $40/ Month

        Endurox R4 - $25/ Month

        S-Caps - $5/ month

         

        $110 / month total

         

        I can get my asics 11XX shoes when the discontinue for $40-$50 x 10 a year = $500 = $42/ mo

         

        Spandex for my fat thighs = $20 / mo

        Race Ready Shorts = $20 / mo

        Socks = $5/ mo

         

        Running before travel and racing costs me @ $200/ Mo

        Long dead ... But my stench lingers !

         

         

          I find Whey Protein and some recovery products just convienant - You can get that nutrition from real food.

          +1.  And, in a way, convenience is cash.  This summer, with our college girl back home, we've been making lots of stuff like iced coffee, carrot juice, other vegetable juice...  Those are definitely better home-made than buying them at the store.  Iced coffee?  How much do you pay at a coffee shop!!!?  But sometimes, for some things, for someone like DoppleBock who runs 4 hours a day (or does he? ;o)), convenience of not having to mix protein and sugar and other stuff AND make it taste good does have some cash value.

           

          The problem, however, to me is when the purchasers are so gullible and start to think something is more than what it really is--and the marketing people realize that and emphasize that...and it escalates; THAT can be an issue.  If I hadn't mentioned it here, I know I've tweeted several times; my number one hate commercial is this machine that combines "motions of 3 different exercises"...  I noticed they recently changed the pattern of their commercial (and I don't think it's because of me!) but it used to say: "...it burns more calories (than what?)...without the pounding of running (yes, THAT is true)..."  So it's not lying.  But it surely insinuate that it's a more effective exercise than running (but it's not).  They still continue to say in such way that gullible viewers would get the image that it'll burn X3 calories because it combines MOTIONS of 3 different exercises.  Anybody with a brain can figure out that it won't.  But that's the marketing strategy...without actually saying it; just insinuating it.  That's the same thing with that hip-shape-up shoes.  Just by wearing them (simply because it's not stable AT ALL), your hips are going to look like...well, the ones in the commercial.  Well, I guess in theory!  If you wear them for 24-hours a day, for 20-years...and if you've lost 30 pounds to begin with!!  But many people thought, if they wear them to go shopping, maybe 15 minutes a day, they'd miraculously turn into the body shape of that Brook whatever....in 2 weeks!!  They don't say it.  But they want the viewers to get that sort of image.  Same thing--those energy gel is not going to turn you into an Olympian; it most likely won't even make you run faster at all!!  I feel that it boils down to people who wants to achieve something without working at it; in short, us being lazy.  It's the same concept, as far as I'm concerned, as "I want to run a sub-4 hour marathon but I don't want to run a lot...maybe 3 times a week..."  It's not that they don't have time to run (some are in that situation though), they might cross-train and all that.  They just DON'T want to run that much; but they want to run a marathon and run one well.  So what do you do?  You reach out for a miracle products...  Maybe that's safer and more innocent than reaching out for PED...


          Feeling the growl again

            Nobby, if that one irritates you, you would flip if you see the machine advertised in the in-flight magazines that promises miracles for like 5min of workout per week...and costs >$6000.

             

            If they can afford to keep putting in the ads for all these years, there must be some pretty rich people who are pretty gullible.

            "If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does.  There's your pep talk for today.  Go Run." -- Slo_Hand

             

            I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills

             

              Nobby, if that one irritates you, you would flip if you see the machine advertised in the in-flight magazines that promises miracles for like 5min of workout per week...and costs >$6000.

               

              If they can afford to keep putting in the ads for all these years, there must be some pretty rich people who are pretty gullible.

              Yeah...  I guess there's a FINE line between lying and "creative advertisement".  What was that thing about "momentum of gravity..."???  That twisting exercise machine.  That's more effective than, well, running to burn calories?  That "3-in-1" exercise machine is at least more effective (though tons more expensive I'm sure).  I think the bottom line is; most people are not educated enough to understand the differences.  And this "smart" people take advantage of them.  I guess they are paying for a dream...except when their (unrealistic) dreams don't come true, in this country particularly, they sue.  I remember when I was little (I think I must have been like 7 or 8...), me and my buddy went to a toy store and bought a pair of walkie-talkie (made in plastic).  It was $2, a buck each.  We asked the old lady at the store, "Does this really work?"  She said yes.  Of course they didn't.  I went home and told my mom about it and she said I was stupid enough to believe a dollar walkie-talkie, made in plastic, actually works!!  

              Wing


              Joggaholic

                my number one hate commercial is this machine that combines "motions of 3 different exercises"...

                 

                The Dual Exercisermaster 3000

                  DoppleBock


                    One of my favorite runners from WI (Zach Bitter) - I could hardly ready his blog for a while because every blog entry was a product endoresment for his sponsors.

                     

                    I think there are some times it is key to get some easily to digest carbs and a bit of protein soon after a run - But there are many ways to accomplish this goal without nutriceuticals.

                     

                    I think I could easily cut my usage in half as sometimes it just becomes a habbit to take.   Many times the long run fueling is to create a 'Normal Fueling" routine for the body.  That way in a 24 hour race it is very used to what I am doing.  In these runs I am sure I could take 1/2 of the calories I do and be fine.

                    Long dead ... But my stench lingers !

                     

                     

                      I think there are some times it is key to get some easily to digest carbs and a bit of protein soon after a run - But there are many ways to accomplish this goal without nutriceuticals.

                      Greg McMillan tells his runners to eat milkshake after the workout for refueling of carb (sugar) and protein as well as cooling of the core body temperature.  No science involved there...or was it?

                      bhearn


                        I think there is science involved there. Supposedly, after a workout, your body is expressing glycogen synthase, making your muscles primed to absorb those carbs more rapidly, which they can then use to accelerate the repair process. And the protein is to increase the insulin response. But I am not a physiologist, so I have no real idea how true this is. Personally I take Ultragen after every workout. Carbs and protein, as well as BCAAs for the amino acids most likely to be depleted. But maybe any carbs and protein would be just about as good. I do think, though, that my training took a big jump when I switched from SlimFast (which McMillan recommended, but now has no carbs) to Ultragen. Could well be total coincidence.
                        stadjak


                        Interval Junkie --Nobby

                          What I've never understood about the "protein/carb uptake window" after a work out is this: while I believe the window exists, I don't understand how eating protein/carbs at that moment is directly beneficial.  The food still needs to be broken down into something absorbable.  Is the breakdown of a banana, or chocolate milk really that quick to take advantage of the window?

                           

                          Maybe it is.  *shrug* 

                          2021 Goals: 50mpw 'cause there's nothing else to do

                          DoppleBock


                            I think you are a prime candidate for me to sell some nutriceuticals to Smile 

                             

                            What I've never understood about the "protein/carb uptake window" after a work out is this: while I believe the window exists, I don't understand how eating protein/carbs at that moment is directly beneficial.  The food still needs to be broken down into something absorbable.  Is the breakdown of a banana, or chocolate milk really that quick to take advantage of the window?

                             

                            Maybe it is.  *shrug* 

                            Long dead ... But my stench lingers !

                             

                             

                            stadjak


                            Interval Junkie --Nobby

                               Ultragen. 

                               

                              $3/serving?  Holy crap.

                              2021 Goals: 50mpw 'cause there's nothing else to do

                                $3/serving?  Holy crap.

                                 

                                It's more like $2.50/serving ($~37 for 15 servings at amazon), and some spend a lot more than that every day at Starbucks! 

                                Moreover, on easy and/or shorter days, perhaps you wouldn't need as large of a serving, or need to use this product. I only use the full serving of my recovery drink on key days. On easy/recovery days, I either just eat normal food, or use 1/2 a serving. 

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