Extreme Endurance?
So has anyone tried out this Extreme Endurance? xendurance.com/shop/product_info.php
Here is an overview:
Overview
Athletic Performance Formula That Reduces Lactic Acid and Increases Aerobic Threshold.
During intense training, don't just "hit the wall" with muscle burn and pain - BLAST through it with Extreme Endurance, a revolutionary athletic performance formula. It's clinically proven to increase aerobic threshold and reduce lactic acid. Certified ISO/17025 Tested for Banned Substances.
Every single batch of Extreme Endurance is tested for banned substances by the world class sports doping control laboratory, HFL Sport Science. In order to provide re-assurance that the product is suitable for use by elite athletes, the product is approved under the Informed-Sport and Informed-Choice programs.
Was thinking of trying some out but wanted to see if anyone had any previous experience with it.
Comments
They say it is "proven." Fine, show me the studies.
As you can tell, based on what they have on their website I'm not impressed. I don't think there is anything that will hurt you if you want to spend the money on it.
Based on the ingredient list, this product probably could "reduce the burn" in terms of lactic acid production - BUT - a better product would probably be SportsLegs (very similar formula for less cost) - and a bigger BUT, is that as an endurance athlete, you don't really care about "beating the burn" because you're below your lactate accumulation point most of the time anyway. The folks who formulated this product are pushing it to the wrong crowd - which tells me that they have not performed any feeding trials to show improved performance. This type of product will NOT improve endurance or power - but it might help reduce lactate burn during lifting or downhill skiing.
I think I am gonna do that same as you Nemo. Ordering some right now. I figure it may help alleviate some of the burn, especially in those longer intervals. I sure as hell know I could have used them this morning.
Nemo and Tucker, have you started taking this?
The workouts are still hard. But I really do feel better going into them. My legs don't feel as heavy as they did last year. Now I don't know if I can attribute this all to EE or to the fact that I am in better shape, basically wear compression socks everyday now, or a placebo effect. I do feel stronger this year. Unfortunately have not been able to test yet this week but am anxious to as this would be my first test since really using the stuff.
If you look at their facebook page you see all kinds of age groupers posting crazy results but no way of knowing what is real. I will post again after I test. I have some ideas of numbers in my head and let's see if I hit them.
Your local blood pH does vary a bit. If you took college biochemistry, you probably learned that this is an important mechanism for oxygen release from hemoglobin. (High local CO2 concentration lowers the pH, and the binding constant of O2 to hemoglobin goes down...hence the mechanism for release of O2 where there is need.). But there is also a huge pile of carbonic anhydrase in the body, which catalyzes the conversion of CO2 to carbonic acid (and vice versa). I just have to think that anything you do to raise your body's pH will get out buffered by the fact that you have to breathe.
Of course, I am talking educated hunches here, not facts. If anyone has good peer reviewed studied (not by the company....) I'm happy to read them and be convinced.
William
William has it right - the human body does an exquisite job of maintaining pH - BUT there are some decent studies on using various forms of bicarbonate loading to temporarily "buffer" lactic acid accumulation - but there are a few caveats with this approach:
1. the amount of bicarb or "base" is pretty high to be effective (several grams)
2. this large does will always give gastrointestinal problems after the effort (diarrhea)
3. the benefit is only for very high intensity effort (sprints or very short very hard intervals) - not for endurance efforts
The Extreme Endurance product is more of a "lactic acid" formula (like SportLegs) and not really an "endurance" product (like Energ-Ease, which improves oxygen efficiency and utilization).
Disclaimer = Energ-Ease is "my" formula (www.wickedfastsportsnutrition.com) - and there is a discount code for EN athletes (EN11) if you want to try it out. You get a free race bag ($100 value) with the purchase of one bottle of Recover-Ease and one bottle of Energ-Ease (scroll all the way down to the bottom of the check-out page to enter the coupon code in the proper field) - and $$$-back guarantee if you don't think they make you faster.
cordyceps is a great way to increase O2 utilization and eurycoma is effective for maintaining cortisol/testosterone ratio (but it does not "increase" testosterone like he bodybuilders claim). We have a bunch of studies (in endurance athletes) on our site...
I have a new article series for Competitor Group (Velo News, Triathlete) called "Performance in a Pill?" (notice the question mark) where I'll present the pros/cons/research behind many of the endurance ingredients out there.
Hey Tucker - I see you're in Madison - I used to live in Maplewood, so cycled thru Madison on many occasions...
Maplewood to Utah? Big jump. Will check out the studies on the site. Thinking of bailing on the EE or at least stopping for a bit. Been having some chest pains and can't figure out why.