Evaluating Sports Performance Products

Sport gels, drinks and/or gus are a big part of many athletes’ lives.  They can be an integral means of replenishing key nutrients and/or hydration while exercising. The difficult part can be finding the right product for you. In the months leading up to an event, it is important to try different products so as to determine your response and tolerance to them.  What works for someone else might not work for you.

*Tip: Optimize your performance by investigating what products will be offered on the day of your event and at what point during the race so you may attempt to mimic these circumstances in your training especially if you are not planning to bring your own sustenance to the event.  Here’s a link to the Beast map detailing the location of nutrition and hydration stations: http://www.barberbeast.org/uploads/Maps/10Mile_8_4_sm.pdf

Sport gels are a combination of sport drinks and energy bars that can deliver you the fuel you need to sustain your energy levels while competing. Most sport gels include carbohydrates and possibly caffeine but don’t include fat, fiber, fluid or protein. Sport drinks can provide you with key electrolytes, sodium, potassium and fluid you may have lost from sweating. 

Here is a brief comparison of some popular sports drinks:

                Cytomax: This product is available as a powder or ready-to-drink and provides endurance athletes with electrolytes and 14gm of carbohydrates per 8 ounces.

                NUUN Active Hydration: This product is available in a tablet formulation that is meant to be mixed with water.  While it contains electrolytes, this product does not contain carbohydrates and may not be appropriate fuel for training > 60 minutes unless combined with a source of carbohydrate.

                Gatorade or Gatorade Endurance: This drink has been a long time favorite of many athletes with 14gm of carbohydrates per 8 ounces along with sodium and potassium. Gatorade Endurance also includes magnesium and some calcium to help further replenish lost nutrients.

Below is a brief comparison of some sports gels:

*Tip: In order to optimize carbohydrate absorption and prevent gastrointestinal distress, every 32 g of the products below should be consumed with 10 ounces of water.

                GU Energy Gels: With 100 calories, 25g of carbs, 50mg of sodium, and 40mg of potassium these gels can be a great way to sustain energy levels during training > 60 minutes.

                Clif Shot Energy Gel: With 100 calories, 25g of carbs, 40mg of sodium, and 30mg of potassium these gels are yet another great way to sustain energy levels during training > 60 minutes.  However, in order to optimize carbohydrate absorption and prevent gastrointestinal distress, every 32 g of this product should be consumed with 10 ounces of water.

Also some popular sport chews available include:

                PowerBar Energy Gel Blasts: With 30 g of carbohydrates/6 piece serving, this product should be consumed with 12 ounces of water.

                Clif Shot Blocks: With 24 g of carbohydrates/3 piece serving, this product should be consumed with 10 ounces of water/serving.

You’re not alone! A sports dietitian can assist you in designing a personalized plan that considers your individualized energy needs and preferences.

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Leslie Lawton, RD, CSSD, LDN, CDE

Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics

Saint Vincent Hospital

The final zone

Here we are. The final zone. After five weeks, we’ll finally be covering all that the Beast has to offer. If you’re not tired yet, you will be, as this is the biggest zone of them all. The arduous stretch will finally come to an end and after you complete all of these you’ll be celebrating at Waldameer. It certainly sounds easier than it is. Let’s start by revealing the first obstacle in this zone.

                Scale Across the Beast is the first obstacle in this zone. Participants will have to channel their inner primate to make it across these monkey bars. If the participant is able to make their way across, they will next run into General Electric’s obstacle.

                They call it GET LOCO. Who doesn’t love the double meaning? Yeah, there’s a locomotive tie-in, and yes, things are about to get crazy. We’ll let them explain:

“GET Loco is an obstacle that tests every bit of arm and calf strength one might have.  To successfully conquer GET Loco, the competitor must first grab a five gallon bucket and fill it with Lake Erie’s chilly water. With no handles on the bucket, they must then carry the water back to a scale silhouette of a GET Locomotive. After climbing the nose of the locomotive, the contestant must dump the water into a reservoir sitting on top of the locomotive cab.  The water will then spill out onto people currently shimmying across the side of locomotive.  Next, the participant must cross the side of the silhouette of the locomotive gripping onto 2”x4” hand and foot hold. Mid way across the side of the locomotive, an 18” gap in the hand and foot hold is waiting for the participant. “

                Next we get back to taking on that pesky Beast through Scale Up the Beast.

As if scaling across him wasn’t enough, now participants will have to climb up him with the help of rope. Scale up huge container units using only the rope and make your way to the next obstacle.

Only one word needs to be said for this next obstacle: Moguls. Have you ever tried skiing over a mogul? Tough, right? Now try running over them when they’re made of sand. Ooh, yeah!

At Beach 11 and Beach 1, we’ll also be hitting you with these (oh, yeah, there’s more):

Sidewinder I
Wade through the water and weave your way around fifty feet of vertical foam noodles. Don't forget your sandbags!

Sidewinder II
It was easier the first time around. Now for a rematch. Fifty feet of vertical foam noodles. Go.

                

 Assuming participants are still in the game, they will get to what could be the hardest part of them all: Making the long, treacherous run on the hill that will lead you to Waldameer. When the participant reaches Waldameer, they reach the Bell Ringer. After scaling this last wall, participants can ring the final bell to signal that they have reached their goal.

                That’s it. We’ll see you September 6. Better be ready. ;)

Shoulder Pain: Don’t Let it Keep You from Conquering the Beast

Shoulder Pain: Don’t Let it Keep You from Conquering the Beast

By Jason Dudzic, PT, MSPT, OCS, Cert. MDT

Jason Dudzic, PT, MSPT, OCS, Cert. MDT, holds board certification in Orthopaedics from the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS). He is one of only three therapists certified in orthopaedics in the Erie area.

The next-gen obstacle races, such as the Beast on the Bay, require intense training that includes not just in running, but the entire body.  When it comes to training for these events, upper extremity overuse injuries can be as much of a limiting factor as the lower extremity injuries that I’ve discussed in previous blogs. 

One of the most common overuse injuries of the shoulder is impingement syndrome, or the more general term “anterior shoulder pain” (pain in the front of the shoulder). Although much of the current literature is conflicted over the causes of “anterior shoulder pain,” most sources agree that it occurs as a result of altered biomechanics and/or structural abnormalities.  There are several different types of impingement syndrome, including subacromial and internal impingements. But most commonly, in non-throwing sports, subacromial impingement is what limits the athlete.  

Subacromial impingement occurs when the subacromial bursa and/or supraspinatus tendon (one of the rotator cuff tendons) gets “pinched” between the acromion and coracoacromial ligament. This can lead to bursitis/tendonitis and, if left untreated, can progress to a tear in the tendon.

 

Subacromial impingement can be subdivided into primary impingement and secondary impingement.  Primary impingement usually occurs in individuals over the age of 65, and results when the space between the humerus and acromion is reduced due to degenerative changes, such as a spur (See Figure B).

A. Normal Shoulder X-Ray

Spurring noted on acromion and humerus

 

 

 

 

Secondary impingement generally occurs in younger individuals and is the result of faulty mechanics, muscle imbalances, hypermobility, or hypomobility of the shoulder capsule.  The faulty mechanics can occur at the glenohumeral joint (ball and socket joint), or the scapulothoracic joint (the joint between the shoulder blade and rib cage).  When the scapulothoracic joint is the cause of impingement, muscle imbalances around the scapulothoracic joint lead to changes in the angle of the glenoid (socket), causing the impingement to occur.

With the Barber Beast around the corner, it’s likely you’ve been doing your upper body training right along with your running.  If you’ve been noticing anterior shoulder pain during your overhead resistance training, including monkey bar training, overhead lifts, military presses, etc…you may be experiencing impingement syndrome. 

Start by trying to stretch the posterior (back) and inferior (bottom) portions of the shoulder capsule, which allows the head of the humerus to drop down,thus creating space for the supraspinatus tendon. Do NOT stretch the capsule if you have known hypermobility in the shoulder or have a history of a shoulder dislocation.

If you’ve performed these stretches for 10 repetitions, three-to-four times a day for  four-to-five days, and you’ve had no change or an increase in your pain, you may benefit from evalauation by your physician or physical therapist.  The appropriate healthcare professionals will determine if your problem is impingement, and determine if you would benefit from other treatment, such as strengthening, modalities (heat, ice, electrical stimulation, ultrasound), stretching, or dynamic stabilization.