Carbo Pro for nutrition - opinions?
I was skeptical of this stuff because of their shady-looking ads, until I found out that pros and age groupers alike seem to highly recommend it. And perfect scores on Amazon.com. Seems like it would really make the nutrition issue a moot point in races since you know exactly what is going into your body. And you can mix it to whatever ratio is needed.
Just wondering if anyone's had experience with it. What do you mix it with? Or do you just mix it with water? Since it doesn't provide electrolytes, do you have to take in Gatorade too? Do you still need to use gels or solid forms of carbs? Or can you fuel a half/full ironman strictly on liquids?
Thanks for your opinions!
(Bonus question: if you are taking in electrolytes, do you still need to take in salt tablets?)
Comments
The concept/idea: you mix what you want with a variety of items like carbs, protein, caffeine, amino acids, electrolytes, etc, all totalling up a calorie count. It dissolves completely in water (no clumps) and I've never heard of anyone have problems with the stuff and interacting with their stomach - even over multi-hour bike rides.
I switched from Accelerade several years ago and haven't looked back.
Scott, thanks for the link. Do you only mix it with water? I know during stand-alone marathons I get sick of drinking water after several hours. I can only imagine what it's like during an IM. Do you mix it with Gatorade or some other sports drink?
Do you go strictly by what the step-by-step guide comes up with? Or do you tweak the final formula result yourself? For an iron distance race, wouldn't you want to adjust the calorie, carbs, protein, aminos & electrolytes all the way up to their max levels?
On the IM run, I use the water, coke, chicken broth on the course, with my own gel/gu. Some folks have different bike and run formulas (the run formula doesn't usually use protein).
It never hurts to call up Michael Folan at Infinit or one of his associates and chat with him about what works for most people and what he can mix up for you.
Personally, I took the standard IM formula, and made it into my own recipe. I think that's what most people do.
I am trying Infinit this year, after having used CarboPro 2 years ago during my long course season. I managed to dissolve the stuff in the least amount of water possible, with added salt tabs and gatorade for flavor. I managed to get 2500 cal into one water bottle. I should say that creating the concentrated solution was not an easy task, and it was thicker than many gels. I look forward to trying to concentrate the Infinit in coming months. Did I mention the taste?
Carbo Pro was popular in early '00's as people were experimenting with stuff and there wasn't much...stuff...out there. I've never used it, but what I don't like about is that you still need to cobble together an electrolyte solution to work with it. So you're mixing it with G-ade, taking salt tabs and other friction points.
Many of us use Infinit, for years. It works.
This year I'm going to experiment with the Powerbar stuff. I want a straight-off-the-course solution. Nothing to mix, nothing at special needs, just take bottles off the course and go. I never have a need to eat anything solid during race day so I'm good on that front. As long as I can get in 200-250cal/hr of liquid, I'm good.
That being said, because of all of the great reviews that I've read here in the Haus about Infinite, I plan to try that out in my training early this year. It would definitely be easier if I can use a product like Infinite that allows you to get all of your electrolytes in your drink.
I've never used Carbo Pro powder but have used Carbo Pro 1200. That is their pre-mixed concentrated drink that does contain electrolytes. I used it in my first IM and really liked it. No gut issues and the taste is not bad. I used a concentrated bottle on the bike. What I don't like about it is that it only comes in 16oz bottles (1200 cals) and is kind of expensive.
I use Infinit now.
Give First Endurance a shot as well. I am a huge fan of the company & products.
Their EFS drink formula is top notch & their Liquid Shots are way way way better than any gu or gel.
Easy to mix dbl strength as well.
What Rich said. I come FROM a heavy CarboPro background and used to mix CarboPro with 3 other things with it to get all the nutrients I needed (electrolytes, sodium, etc.). Now I am solely on my custom Infinit blend.
Granted the very reasons I'm citing, control over the concentration of calories, electrolytes, amino acids, taste, are the very reasons why people simply use Infinit. I've got nothing against Infinit, and have 2 big bags of it at home right now that I'm trying out this season. I like to have the flexibility to do "on the fly" adjustments / custom mixes, but so far I've been happy with Infinit.
Wow...thanks for all the great info! I think I'll give it a shot this season.