cytomax vs accelerade

tbick

I switched to Accelerade this summer and it hit my GI like an explosion! And I have a "cast iron" stomach - nothing has ever bothered me. I have tried using Accelerade at a lower concentration (1/2 the directions) and that seemed to help quite a bit.

kkees

Personally, I mix one scoop of Accelerade and one scoop Cytomax. That way I get a good balance......

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kkees

Wild survivor

Help. I really want some Cytomax. I lost my contact. I live in the UK. Can anyone advise? datmin01@hotmail.com
It's quite remarkable.

nhorscro

I used to use Cytomax alot but got tired of the insoluble grit settling in the bottom of my bottle. I noticed that I had GI problems and bloating with the peach flavor but not the fruit punch or orange. Others I know have reported GI problems associated with a particular flavor, so I guess it could be one of the minor components causing these problems. Try experimenting with different flavors.
Earlier this year I decided to try Accelerade and so far I like it. I drink more when I have accelerade than when I have cytomax or Extran. I don't like the fruit punch accelerade...too tart. Orange goes down well for me.
Extran is a little too light on flavor for me. But I think it is good for electrolytes.....just a feeling, no solid data.
As for performance I think there are too many variables in my training and riding to say which works better. However, there is a century ride that I have done for the past 4 years. This year I used accelerade instead of cytomax and felt a lot better at the end of the ride. But maybe I prepared better, maybe I didn't over do it, maybe the moon was in Venus and Taurus was ascending!! I can't really say it was the change in drink.
My philosophy is to just find things that won't harm my performance rather than things that may improve it. For me, losing 10 pounds (or even 20) would do tons more for my performance than finding the opitmum drink. If it doesn't make me ill and I like the taste, I'll drink it.
At the moment I mix and match the 3 drinks but will probably not replace the extran when it runs out. I'm lucky to live near a couple Supergo and Performance retail stores. I buy sports drinks when they are on sale. Last time I bought accelerade I paid about $15 for a small can.....I bought two since that worked out cheaper than buying one large can and I got to try 2 flavors. I typically get cytomax for around $30-32 (large can) and Extran for $18 (small can).
I also tried the low glycemic index cytomax (cytomax lite) a couple years ago when someone gave me a small can for free. Has anyone else tried it? I used it as a pre-ride drink and actually liked it.

Aztec

I may be unique, but I've never had an issue with either Cyto or Accelerade. I like the concept of protein the drink, but I can't say for sure whether it has really mattered.

I do know that I'm concerned when a carbo drink like Cyto has fake sweeteners. Why do they need it in a CARBO drink??? Some flavors even use acesulfame potassium (aka Ace-K), which has a nastier rep than sucralose/aspartame.

Has anyone tried Hammer Nutrition's stuff? Low sugar. I definitely notice a sluggishness on their gel (you can mix it with water) and/or their Sustained Energy and Perpeteum powders. Pity -- they don't use fake anything.

iceberg

I actually love Hammer Nutrition's stuff. . .in theory, but I just haven't been able to fine tune my consumption of it to fit my athletic needs.

Like you said, they don't use a lot of fake ingredients and their gel has a lot of real strengths. Being able to dillute it with water (which, surprisingly, isn't easy to do with all brands of gel) made it the only only that I could easily stomach during triathlons. I also appreciate the fact that it comes in large containers with a flask and that you can mix/match flavors to fit your tastebuds. To me that's just down to earth, common sense product development that makes it easier to use their products.

Unfortunately, the gel just doesn't deliver the minerals and other nutrients that my large framed body needs. So, I can swallow the stuff with a smile but can't feel the full benefits. Now, to their benefit, Hammer realizes this aspect of the gel which is why their full product line includes a ton of supplements that offset the disadvantages of any one of their core products. The reasoning, which is very sound, is that there's no way to make a magical elixar of sorts that will fit the needs of every athlete. So, you mix and max their products in combinations in order to fit your body, your level of fitness, your activity, etc.

Again, I truly value this idea but it got to be expensive trying to find the stuff that I needed and figuring out the right portions. I'll admit, I may have made it harder than it needed to be so I don't want to discourage anyone else from using their stuff. I just know that by the time all was said and done, I had to go with one-shot products adn hope for the best.