Thoughts on Supplements for Strength-Building?

[contesstant]

So, I raced my mountain bike this weekend. It was HOT. I was riding a trail I ride all the time, and can usually ride with good intensity.

I thought I was going to die. I've never worked so hard on any ride, and I wasn't pushing hard. I just wanted to finish!

Anyway, I was kind of perplexed and did some digging. Turns out, post-menopausal women do not dissipate heat because estrogen plays a key role in that process. I am on low-dose estrogen, but clearly not enough to help with this issue! I got some advice to try BCAAs so am going to give those a shot. I'll not be racing in the heat again. It was downright dangerous. I had electrolytes in both water bottles, and my favorite ride energy, Hammer Gel, which normally gives me a boost after about 10 minutes. Not this time.

I read that for every 1 degree that your core temp increases, your HR goes up by about 10 BPM. My heart rate was in the mid-170s for nearly the entire ride (high for a 52 year old!) I did the same ride two days prior and it barely went above 160. So yeah, there's something to the age-related slow downs even if you're fit. It was a real eye-opener for me. It made me mad. This aging garbage really sucks.

Side note: more age divisions in MTB racing would be really nice.

 

[Bookworm]

So, I raced my mountain bike this weekend. It was HOT. I was riding a trail I ride all the time, and can usually ride with good intensity.

I thought I was going to die. I've never worked so hard on any ride, and I wasn't pushing hard. I just wanted to finish!

Anyway, I was kind of perplexed and did some digging. Turns out, post-menopausal women do not dissipate heat because estrogen plays a key role in that process. I am on low-dose estrogen, but clearly not enough to help with this issue! I got some advice to try BCAAs so am going to give those a shot. I'll not be racing in the heat again. It was downright dangerous. I had electrolytes in both water bottles, and my favorite ride energy, Hammer Gel, which normally gives me a boost after about 10 minutes. Not this time.

I read that for every 1 degree that your core temp increases, your HR goes up by about 10 BPM. My heart rate was in the mid-170s for nearly the entire ride (high for a 52 year old!) I did the same ride two days prior and it barely went above 160. So yeah, there's something to the age-related slow downs even if you're fit. It was a real eye-opener for me. It made me mad. This aging garbage really sucks.

Side note: more age divisions in MTB racing would be really nice.

That explains why I cannot tolerate heat very well anymore! Thought it had to do with aging...
Anyway, what are BCAAs?

 

[SallyCat]

That explains why I cannot tolerate heat very well anymore! Thought it had to do with aging...
Anyway, what are BCAAs?

Branched-chain amino acids; there are three of them, I think. They are supposed to stimulate protein and muscle building and reduce muscle fatigue. I'm not sure whether the empirical jury is in on the benefits, but they do seem to be a widely-recommended supplement for people wanting to boost protein intake.

I get it in powder form from Bulk Supplements and add it to my smoothies, but I've only been doing so for a couple of months. I'm trying to build upper-body strength for basically the first time in my life, so I can't really say if BCAAs have made any difference.

I do enjoy having my own little "supplement" at work though, as the young guys all use aggressive-sounding pre-workout powders ("INSANE CUTZ", "PSYCHO DIABLO", and "TOTAL WAR"). Not kidding, those are real. I put the names in caps because pre-workout doesn't talk, pre-workout SCREAMS.

Anyway, I pour my little powder in the water bottle and say "See you in an hour, fellas. Going to get swole."

 

[contesstant]

^^^ yep, and I've definitely been feeling better on my rides lately. I did 14+ miles with 2000 climbing on Tuesday and had plenty of gas left in the tank, and while it was cooler, it was still quite warm by the time I finished. I seem to be recovering faster, too.