SubscribeSports nutrition product Accelerade, from PacificHealth, is a very fine product that is excellent when used according to the directions. Most of us are not going to follow the directions. We are just going to go try the product and base our opinion on one trial. I went the extra mile and followed the directions.
4:1 stands for the carbohydrate to protein ratio. Carbs burn fast, giving you energy, and bind with the protein for faster recovery. The protein helps the muscles rebuild and recover.
Generally speaking, cardio workouts should be followed with a 4:1 recovery drink while power or strength workouts should be followed with a 2:1 recovery drink.
This is the closest thing I have done to a clinical review. I did before, during and after tests while maintaining a similar diet. My base run is a 5.2 mile loop around the Coyote Hills regional park in Fremont, CA. I always feel hot running in Fremont. The temperature ranged from 80 to 95 degrees for my runs. (Alameda temperatures range from 65 to 80 degrees.)
Day 1: A morning weight lifting session in the free weight room. I did approximately 200 reps of various squats to really tear my legs up. I mixed a generic recovery drink with 24 ounces of chocolate milk.
I drank half before the weights and half after I finished. Then I went to work, drank 2 cups of coffee and went out for a lunch time run. I did the base run at a pace of 8-9 minutes per mile with a heart rate of 140-150 bpm.
I was pretty miserable from the first step. I felt sick to my stomach and I was thirsty. I passed 3 water fountains and wanted to cry when I passed the third one. When I finished the run, I did not want to drink any water or eat. I was tired and sluggish for the rest of the afternoon.
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Day 2: A morning weight lifting session for the upper body with the same recovery shake before and after. I went to work, drank 2 cups of coffee and 1-2 liters of water. I carried a 24 ounce bottle of Accelerade on this trip. I started out feeling sick but less so than on day 1.
At mile 2, I walked for a minute and drank some Accelerade. The drink was foamy and rich. It stayed down while I was running and hydrated me. I felt better after the run. I was a little sluggish but not sleepy.
Day 3: I started out with the same routine as day 1 but I drank water all morning before my run. This time, I ran about 7 miles without carrying water. I still felt sick but the Accelerade went down a lot better after the run. I felt a whole lot better for my afternoon work session.
Day 4: Same as day 3 except for a different weight routine and I ran the base 5.2 mile run.
Day 5: I took a few days off to rest my old legs. I mixed up 24 ounces chocolate milk with a premium protein powder and drank half the shake before the serious leg workout. I could tell the difference in protein powders during the workout. I finished the drink after the workout and felt great.
I started my base run without feeling sick. I did the base run went really well and I was thirsty for the first time in a while. After the 5.2 mile run, I tossed down the recovery drink and felt great.
Day 6: I stayed with the premium protein shake in the morning and did an upper body weight lifting session. To mix things up, I drank half the 24 ounce bottle of Accelerade, before I went for a 6 mile run with about 600 feet of hills. I felt pretty good during the run. The heat and the hills were brutal.
I tossed down the last 12 ounces of Accelerade after the run and felt good.
I ran out of Accelerade before I got a chance to go out on a long run, but I still judge Accelerade as a huge success. I put the drink through the harshest test and I did not get sick once. The lemon flavor tastes good and the orange tastes really good to me. It goes down well and you can feel the hydration effects immediately.
Accelerade can be found for about $25.00 at Amazon .com with free shipping for Amazon Prime members.
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