Beet juice?

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LeePaton
Posts: 220
Joined: Sat Jan 21, 2012 6:34 pm

by LeePaton

I used it for about the past summer for Grasstrack racing as me ole buddy at Drive Training Services rants about. It definitely upped my ability to hit sprint after sprint each race but i could not handle drinking the stuff any longer, when you gag at every sip you know it's time to stop.

Regime; 2 hours before 500ml, halfway the other 500ml... may not have been perfect but definitely worked... for me.

Super_fast
Posts: 337
Joined: Tue Nov 01, 2005 9:36 am

by Super_fast

Just get a supplement with nitrate, works just as well since it is the nitrate in the beetroot juice that gives the effect.

But when I read some of the stories in this topic the explanation will be more in the psychology and not in the beet juice.

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GramStrong
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by GramStrong

Iv'e tried some beet juice perior to some races, with some great results (relatively, at least)...
I had it before breakfast for 5 days before those races
While it worked, it was very unpleasant, starting the day with half a litter of that juice.

Later on, i switched to Supplement from Zipveet, and it was all the goods of the juice, without the bed of the beets ;)

User Name
Posts: 611
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2005 3:32 pm

by User Name

I find the Beet It juice ok tasting -- better than other stuff I had previously -- because it contains 10% apple juice

Lewis
Posts: 129
Joined: Thu Aug 16, 2012 1:22 pm
Location: UK - Somerset - Frome

by Lewis

I was under the impression that beetroot was good for recovery?

Secondly, aren't nitrates bad for you, or am I getting mixed up??

Porridge and bananas for breakfast are what I swear by. Also nuts.
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Zoro
Posts: 352
Joined: Wed Oct 30, 2013 12:52 am

by Zoro

Bought 24l - 48 .5l servings. Had coach try it at .5l/day for 2 weeks. No noticeable difference in performance. It was bottled. Too difficult to make it fresh. I have the left over bottles and have a small glass daily, but not for cycling performance. My kid - who I bought it for won't touch the stuff.

SW
Posts: 182
Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2008 12:04 pm

by SW

I'll chime in on my experience with some beet juice experimentation. As a full disclaimer I'm a Beet-It athlete ambassador, although I do still buy their products and not so cheaply that I would continue to use it if I didn't think it worked.

I started experimenting with beet juice in a powder form while I was training at altitude in Boulder last spring. I couldn't really tell if it was doing much and my teammates all got great entertainment from me trying to down .5L of fairly unappetizing drink/undissolved powder. No way I was going to keep that up so I tried the Beet-It Sport shots. The taste is a lot easier to handle and at least there isn't any undissolved powder to deal with. You also get a higher concentration of nitrates in a 75ml shot instead of needing at least 500ml of regular juice.

With the shots I was feeling the effects of training at altitude a lot less and my power returned to what I would expect at sea level. It was a pretty dramatic change in how I felt actually - I now don't go to altitude without it. I don't use it every day at sea level but I will have one on race day and for a few days leading up to a bigger race...the effects might be a little less noticeable compared to being at altitude but I think it definitely still helps.

As I said, I'm one of Beet-It's ambassadors but I continue to buy it even if at a bit of a discount. If you'd like a code for 10% off on their site just drop me a pm or if the mods are okay with it I can post here.

NealH
Posts: 548
Joined: Sat May 12, 2007 3:40 am
Location: Ormond Be, FL

by NealH

Our vascular systems will expand during exercise, so the only think nitrates might do is bring on the expansion a little earlier. But they don't expand more. I don't see how that is helping "at altitude", so to speak. Taking nitrite food items will provide a more direct conversion into NO and should work even faster. In fact the fastest way to expand your vascular system is to put a bag over your head for a few minutes. The increasing CO2 level in the blood will immediate expand the vascular system - much faster than any food item. Then you can make your breakaway at the start of the race. :D

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djm
Posts: 1403
Joined: Thu May 14, 2009 12:19 pm
Location: Norway

by djm

Trying out this Kool Aid, I mean, beet juice. So far (one bottle, 0,5 litres) the only result is that my urine (and feces) is really red.

Don't really understand all those who find it hard to drink the stuff. Fair enough, it doesn't taste like Coca-Cola, but it's not really bad in taste.

ultyguy
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Joined: Fri Aug 06, 2010 1:35 pm
Location: Geneva

by ultyguy

Just a little Beetroot counterpoint here...apparently doesn't work as well in well trained athletes..

'Worth noting, while many of the studies have seen improvements in endurance performance with beetroot supplementation, its effects might be influenced by training status, with it being most effective in low to moderately trained athletes. Christensen et al. [190] tested highly trained athletes with a VO2max of 72 ± 4 mL/kg/min with the same amount of beetroot juice as many other studies (0.5 L) and found no improvements in performance. Similarly, Peacock et al. [191] tested ten male junior elite cross-country skiers (mean VO2max of 74 ± 8 mL/kg/min) with potassium nitrate supplementation. Two and a half hours prior to a 5-km run on an indoor track, subjects were given either a capsule of 1 g of potassium nitrate (614 mg nitrate) or a capsule of 1 g of maltodextrin. While plasma nitrate levels were significantly increased, they found no improvements in TT with the nitrate supplementation. These results suggest that beetroot juice and/or nitrates may not enhance performance in elite endurance athletes.'
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4042570/

JamieL
Posts: 380
Joined: Tue Jun 21, 2011 1:05 pm

by JamieL

Think i'd put it in the same group as Beta Alanine - Some evidence that it might work a little bit, unlikely to cause too much harm so might as well go for it and use the placebo affect...

boots2000
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Joined: Mon Oct 15, 2007 9:28 pm

by boots2000

Probably not as much benefit as Kenacort ;)

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BRM
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Joined: Sun Mar 16, 2014 3:43 pm

by BRM

JamieL wrote:Think i'd put it in the same group as Beta Alanine - Some evidence that it might work a little bit, unlikely to cause too much harm so might as well go for it and use the placebo affect...


You are not aware of the side effects when using regularly. Strange because there was enough attention for.

badger4561
Posts: 9
Joined: Fri Mar 28, 2014 9:45 pm

by badger4561

the tests say doesnt work well in trained athletes..yet many trained athletes use it.

Cav is the only top level cyclist ive seen using it for sure, however 2 friends of mine, both elite level triathletes swear by it, and have set many pb's after races of using it.

Ive also found myself in a hotel room with an elite kenyan runner the night before a marathon knocking back a bottle of beet-it each!

ddj5300
Posts: 42
Joined: Sat Jan 08, 2011 1:51 am

by ddj5300

I think that would be bc in elite athlete the amount they can "move" is very small which in a science sense makes the data statistically insignificant.....that does not mean that it does nothing.

by Weenie


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