Here is what I prescribed for him to test out for me. I need him to fine tune his actual nutrition plan. I would like to see him eating more meals a day consisting of 50 to 60% carbohydrates especially a breakfast. He was carb loading the night before and just protein for breakfast. Not a good plan so now with him doing a high carb, medium protein, low fat diet so he can boost his energy and give him a little more muscle fuel for long events like a marathon. Plus, I am concerned about his recovery so by increasing his protein a little at a time throughout the day this will give him the muscle protection he needs. By having him eating more meals throughout the day, he can keep his energy levels consistent all day.

Here is part of the supplement plan he will test for me to zero in on a solid plan:
1) For breakfast, I have him eating a high carbohydrate meal consisting of oatmeal or whole grain bagels with either honey and scrambled eggwhites for protein. He will also have a glass of chocolate skim or low fat milk 12oz.
2) Around mid morning or before race, he will drink a 16 to 20 oz. electrolyte sports drink (Cytomax - he likes orange). Also post load with the Cytomax after the event / training and then sometime later in the day or evening.
3) During the race, he will take along Endurolyte caps that he can take with water or electrolyte sports drinks that they hand out at the event. I want to make sure he not only hydrates with water but takes in some form of electrolytes during the event. He will be taking 1 to 3 caps per hour or as needed during the event / training.
4) Right after training / event, he will add 1 scoop of Cytomax Recovery to 16 oz. of low-fat or non-fat chocolate milk. Then follow up with an actual meal within 1 hr to 1-1/2 of training / event.

The above is just a sample of what I discussed for him to test for me. We have to discover together what will work best for him through food combinations and supplement combinations as fine-tune a winning strategy for him.

Several things to note from the above:
1) We are taking “baby-steps” with his plan. He is testing a few concerns I have at this point.
2) He is not doing any of this right before a race. I highly stress testing out any new nutrition plan whether actual food or supplements at least a month out before any major event.
3) I listened to what he likes and dislikes then made my recommendations. There is no one plan fits all here.
4) I do not push any supplement brand over another. I like them all. In fact, I like to work around or with what products you like. So thoughout my blogs, you will see many brands mentioned.

Here is my game plan for him to test for me during his next mock training session of a triathlon:
- Prefuel with Cytomax early in the morning when he wakes (He mentioned that he liked the taste of Cytomax and still has some available).
- After each stage (between swim and bike; bike and run), down 10 to 12 ounces of 1 scoop of Perpetuem
- He will have 2 maybe 3 - 28 oz water bottles on bike.
- during the riding stage he will have 6 scoops of Pereptuem in 1 bottle and 1 bottle of just water.
- After race, he will down 12 to 16 oz. of recoverite
- in the evening, post fuel with cytomax to reload electrolytes
- he also throws in some fig newtons from time to time for real food (did not want to change)

I am listening to what he likes and dislikes then add some modifications where needed. Since he doesn’t mind the thickness of a sports drink like Perpetuem and he already mentioned that he tried Perpetuem, I wanted him to stay with that for now. He was concerned that he may not be getting enough electrolytes but with Perpetum all throughout his event and with pre-loading and post-loading with cytomax he should be good to go. But again we are testing to make sure that will be the case.

He mentioned that he drinks water for 15 minutes then Perpetuem for 15 minutes. What I am more concerned about will be overall caloric intake. I want to find his max. caloric threshold so that we can make sure that we maximize his energy and muscle output levels. Everyone has a different level that works for them and it will be key to finding the correct level for him. I feel that his caloric level is too low. I would like to see him shoot for around 300 calories per hour to see how he does then re-evaluate from there.

I will repeat this on every blog post…. Each athlete is different and has different requirements… We have to listen very carefully to what our clients are saying… I listen to every detail so that I can help get each athlete to THEIR OWN optimal level of output for greater performance…. And no program is perfect… We have to keep “tweaking” until we get it right… Then as the body adjusts… we may need to change it again.

We got to work testing out a game plan for him to try this week. My main concern working with any athlete, especially endurance athletes is that they take in enough protein to keep the muscles firing on all cylinders so to speak. And protein can come in the form of certain amino acids or full scoop amino acid profile - just depends on the individual athlete.

In this case, I am having him test the following to see how this does:
First Hour: 1 scoop of HEED with 1 scoop maltodextrin (200 calories) + 1 Accel Gel (100 calories)
Second Hour: 2 scoop of HEED with 1/2 tsp. of BCAAs and 1/2 tsp. of Glutamine (200 calories) + 1 Accel Gel (100 calories)

Then every other hour will rotate the above. He will add endurolyte caps here and there when needed. Depends on the climate and how much he is perspiring. He will also be drinking plenty of water throughout. He will be carrying (4) 28 oz. water bottles with him - 3 on the bike and 1 in his shirt.

After testing the above we will do some “tweaking” and also increase his caloric intake up to the suggested 400 calories per hour.

I don’t want to see him jumping from 200 calories to 400 calories right away so we are taking it in baby steps with just going up 100 calories to see how it goes. He was only doing 200 calories per hour. With him increasing to 300 calories per hour, we should see some improvement in his energy levels and with the addition of bcaas to his electrolyte sports drink - more muscle output. His carb intake will still be very high vs. protein but having that little bit of amino acids will help fuel his muscles throughout the Ironman.

Once I get some feedback we can modify his supplementation again to fine-tune our plan. I have a couple more ideas in place to help him.

Again, our goal is to not drastically change anything but make simply modifications to what he is already doing with his supplementation. I want to make sure that we keep what is likes in his nutrition plan and avoid adding something that he does not like.

(Note: Every athlete has different likes, dislikes, training styles, nutrition needs, etc… I listen and respond to each athlete’s nutrition/training needs. That is what I do and that is how we get each athlete to the next level of performance..)

I wanted to take a quick moment to introduce myself and our company, Performance Fuel®. I have been involved in both the sports nutrition and training industries for the past 19 years. I have worked with all levels of athletes from beginners to professionals and all types of athletes (golfers, runners, cyclists, football, baseball, and the list goes on and on..). Each athlete regardless of level or type requires an individual approach to helping them achieve their top level performance. I will be sharing with you my past and present experiences with clients, my own personal past and present experiences, training tips & articles, sports nutrition tips and articles and much more.

I receive a lot of great questions daily pertaining to sports nutrition and training from our store customers and via email. I’m excited about the opportunity to share those with you. I see a trend in questions being asked so I feel our blog would be an awesome way to share those questions and my responses with you. That way you can see that others have the same questions as you.

The neat thing about our company is we educate first then recommend next. Our actual retail store in Greenville SC which I refer to as our “learning lab” is set up to help you understand about sports nutrition, how it plays an important role in your training and what great products are on the market to help you achieve your results.

If you have any questions regarding sports nutrition and/ or training, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Best regards,
Donnie Gardner

My Bio
Founder/CEO
Performance Fuel®
Performance Fuel® Distribution
Performance Quest®

Body Shield™ will be available around the middle of April. You may purchase in our store or online at PerformanceFuel.com.

We bought a couple of cases to try out in our store and catalogs. The price seemed a little high but after using the Blender Bottle, we found it worth the price. We have used a couple of shaker cups in the past and they don’t even compare to the Blender Bottle. It’s like comparing a Yugo to a Lexus.

The Blender Bottle uses a Blender Ball that moves around in the bottle as you shake it. The Blender Ball works like a whisk to blend your shake smooth and consistent. The Blender Bottle also has a durable, dishwasher safe cup and lid which makes clean up a breeze and no worries about cracked cup or lid. The lid also secures on tightly to prevent any leaks.

With the two shaker brands that we currently have in our store - brand x for $3.95 and the Blender Bottle for $8.95 ea. - the Blender Bottle wins hands down every time.

All in all we are very pleased with the Blender Bottle and our customers love them.

For more information regarding the Blender Bottle - visit Performance Fuel.

And since I am a fan of the GU gels, I had to sample it. It tastes like they said it would - like a peppermint pattie.

I am not sure that I could handle the mint chocolate flavor in large quantities but mixing it into the rotation of the other GU flavors would work. I usually use the chocolate and vanilla flavors so the mint during the holidays would be a nice break from the “norm”.

An added benefit of purchasing the chocolate mint flavor is that GU will donate 10% of each purchase to the Challenged Athletes Foundation. The CAF raises money to help individuals with physical disabilities pursue an active lifestyle through physical fitness and competitive athletics.

Make sure that you request the new flavor at Performance Fuel or your closest nutrition store, bike shop, running store, etc. that carries the GU energy gels.

Performance Fuel has been carrying Sportlegs in it’s retail stores and websites for about a year now with much success. Sportlegs come in a single dose pack ($1.79 ea.) or 120 cap bottle ($26.95 ea.)

If you have any questions regarding Performance Fuel® or Sportlegs, please do not hesitate to call (800) 234-0554 or email us.

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Performance Fuel® is a retailer and distributor of sports nutrition products geared to the endurance market.

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Performance Fuel® is a retailer and distributor of sports nutrition products geared to the endurance market.

We have been carrying Hammer Nutrition in our retail store and on our websites for several years now. We have had great success with their product line, including Hammer Gels, Endurolytes, HEED, Perpetuem and Premium Insurance Caps. They are a well respected company with 20 years in the business. Hammer Nutrition is definitely a brand to carry in your stores.

Hammer Nutrition products are featured in our branded Performance Fuel® Retailer Catalog as well as our direct to consumer catalogs. We send our catalogs out to all retail stores across the east coast. We make sure that Hammer Nutrition products reach their destination within 3 business days.

Please do not hesitate to contact us at (800) 234 - 0554, if you are new to the Hammer Nutrition brand and would like more information or to place an order.

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Performance Fuel® is a retailer and distributor of sports nutrition products geared to the endurance market.