Optygen...miracle supplement or snake oil?

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ty-ro
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by ty-ro

:noidea: For those of you who have taken it, what do you think about it?

520 Dan
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by 520 Dan

I think it is a good supplement. It certainly does not do everything it claims but I think it does aid in recovery, as does a similar supplement Athlete Octane.

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mvogt46
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by mvogt46

I've used it, in fact I've still got half a bottle sitting in my cupboard! I took it for a total of about 3 1/2 months. I agree with the previous post, for some reason I did seem to recover much better from hard training/racing the next day. The other benefit I noticed was that I was able to recover quicker mid race from an effort. When I was taking it I'd say I was propbably going as fast as I ever had. However I can't be certain if it can be attributed to Optygen, I was also training very hard at that time and may have just been the 'placebo' effect. I stopped taking it as it was expensive, and to be honest once I stopped I was still getting some good results right through until when I had a break.

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J-Nice
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by J-Nice

What is in their "proprietary blend"? I don't know anyone who seems to know.
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mvogt46
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by mvogt46

The ingredients are actually listed on the label, and being that the manufacturing process is FDA accredited I would be fairly safe to assume that what is on the label is in the product.

The list is: Chromium, Rhodiola Extract, Cordyceps, Calcium Pyruvate, Sodium Phosphate, Potassium Phosphate, Ribose, and Adenosine.

For me the argument is not what is 'in' the product but if what is in it actually elicits a physiological response. The research is relatively inconclusive, again my previous post doesn't really say it's the best thing since sliced bread, just noted that I was going well when I was taking it. But that could have been the level of training I was doing also. I think that fact that I no longer take it speaks for itself. For me the price was to much to justify if I was getting any benefit or not, but if I was getting it for free I'd definately take it.

chase196126
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by chase196126

I gave optygen HP a try on a team deal last year and I used all but the last dose in the one bottle I bought. My experience was extremely mixed.

Pro: I did have the sensation of being able to function better at higher intensities. During intervals at wattages that would normally make me feel "cross eyed" I felt more in control. I had just that little extra at the top end in durations of 1-5 minutes. I didnt find any real effect on my sprinting ability

Con: I never finished the bottle because every time I took the pills I would feel lethargic and strange. I did not like the sensation at all and decided to discontinue the use of Optygen.

To sum it up: Yes, I feel that I got at least some benefit from taking the pills, but the side effects for me personally far outweighed the small advantage.

ty-ro
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by ty-ro

mvogt and chase, thanks for the help.

I used one bottle a few months ago but got H1N1 at the end, so it was difficult to tell if I had any kind of result. I also felt that it did something to the top end too. It made me feel a little weird too. This could be the deal breaker for me. I like feeling good. I do have another bottle of the newer formula that I may try.

I read that you can mix it yourself using the ingredient list for far cheaper, but I'm just too lazy I guess.

Bridgeman
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by Bridgeman

When you begin with this supplement, do you take it every day, 7 days a week? What about when you are down with an illness, like a mild cold, or worse, the flu?

Also, how many months before you should stop taking this supplement? I don't see these questions addressed anywhere.
Last edited by Bridgeman on Sun Feb 21, 2010 5:11 am, edited 1 time in total.

ParisCarbon
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by ParisCarbon

My understanding is you are *supposed* to load regular Optygen where as the Optygen HP and the newest one dont need to be loaded.. I could be wrong...

nodecaf
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by nodecaf

ParisCarbon wrote:My understanding is you are *supposed* to load regular Optygen where as the Optygen HP and the newest one dont need to be loaded.. I could be wrong...


That's correct. I have used both and I thought I could "rev" a little higher on sustained efforts and hold a higher heart rate for longer. This was prior to owning a PM so my impressions are based solely on PE and HR and not what I consider quantifiable. I suspect that the whole thing could have been placebo, which is one reason why I stopped using it. The other reasons were the cost ($50 - $75/mo) and the fact that popping pills feels dirty to me, regardless of the actual legality of the ingredients.

Slightly OT I religiously use First Endurance EFS sports drink and Ultragen recovery drink. Very noticeable differences in races using EFS vs. water even in short 60-90min crits, I can tolerate it at high concentrations in high heat/humidity, and there are a number of great flavors. Ultragen seems to help me recover from workouts and stack more back-to-back hard days in succession.

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djconnel
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by djconnel

Snake oil, on the other hand, is an excellent supplement. I use fish oil instead, however: just as good.

mvogt46
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by mvogt46

+1 on the other first endurance products. I've stopped using Optygen, but one product of theirs I will vouch for is their PreRace supplement. It's basically caffeine with some additonal ingredients. I have also experimented taking no-doze to the equivalent amount of caffeine contained in PreRace before a race but the result was no where as good, same as with normal coffee.

If you are going to take any supplement (besides hydration and energy gels) this would be it for me. Just make sure that you don't drink coffee or anything else with caffeine in it in your normal diet, otherwise you won't get the full effect.

FWIW there have been numerous studies done that support that caffeine has a positive effect on cycling performance, for both shorter intense efforts such as pursuit/kilo and longer such as 40km TT.

ty-ro
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by ty-ro

Well, I tried the Optygen. No dice. It just made me feel spaced out and anxious at the same time. I could not sleep either. Quit taking it yesterday and slept like a baby. I feel normal today.

I have talked to other people I know since the start of this thread and they have said it really works for them with no side effects. For me, it's a deal breaker. Others may not have the same side effects.

I like the other 1st Endurance products though. I've tried them all and like the PreRace, Multi-V, and Ultragen the best. Great stuff indeed!

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paddy
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by paddy

i've never heard of optygen, but can someone explain to me the difference between taking this supplement to improve performance and taking a banned substance to improve performance, apart from the fact that optygen is legal (for now)?

is there any difference in principle? i don't think so. imho putting anything into your body other than fresh air, food and hard training to improve your performance defeats the purpose and ruins the purity of cycling.
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mvogt46
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by mvogt46

Just out of curiosity, what food are you refering to that you would put into your body? My point being, where do you draw the line on what is ethical to increase performance? If I were to take it to the extreme I could say that people who eat higher quantities of red meat or protein rich foods are cheating because they ingest more than the 'average' amount of protein, which helps them in recovery and building lean muscle mass.

For me the ethical divide on what should/should not be put into the body to increase performance has already been decided by a panel of sports medicine experts. That is represented by the WADA banned list. Anything that is not on there is fair game, anything on there should not be touched. There is always going to be differences in what people eat, what equipment they use, what supplements they take etc. To be a completely fair test of physical capability athletes should live in controlled conditions, eat exactly the same food and use exactly the same equipment. But that will never happen, its boring.

There is always going to be shades of grey wrt enhancing ones performance, but there is a line that athletes should not cross. That is the WADA code and also the UCI tech regulations. As long as I comply with those I'll sleep easy (and pure) thank you very much.

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