Free Speed or expensive snake oil?

I’m sure I’ve read Michael Hutchinson has said pretty much that. Will have to try and find it

3 Likes

This cropped up on my suggested YouTube watch list last week. Can’t remember if it had a name but I guess something like heat adapted training.

In a nutshell GCN test it by training for 2 weeks on a turbo dressed in winter gear with no fan.

Spoiler

According to GCN it works.

2 Likes

I tried this back in 2017 I think it was as a mate put me onto it (he was friends with some nutty Cambridge prof that was researching it).

If I recall you basically adapted the body to sweat more efficiently as well, so you could maintain blood osmolarity without needing to drink so making the most of the weight loss on a marathon for example.

May have misremembered and may be total bollocks. :joy:

3 Likes

Did it work for you?

GCN chap reported an 11.4% FTP improvement over 2 weeks.

:astonished:
I know heat adaptation works. And the little I know about the theory can’t see why it wouldn’t be beneficial at lower temperatures too. But >10% in 2 weeks is magical weight loss drug territory.

I will have to watch it - but how much was he going from 0 to trained in those 2 weeks, even without the heat work?

1 Like

feel like if this was a thing I should be smashing it out of the park by now, but if anything I’m way slower

or maybe that’s not how it works

4 Likes

I might have a go without the vacmaster fan on. But I like that I am training for riding into a headwind. :joy:

What the current thinking on compression tights for recovery? My run this evening included trying to put a bit of pace in when going downhill, which tends to leave me pretty sore so I dug out a set of Skins I bought who knows when and put them on.

If nothing else, they’re nice and warm!

2 Likes

Skins work well during the run, little benefit after imo. But if like me it helps you feel better then worth it. Not enough compression for really benefit imo. But better than nothing.

2 Likes

I often wear calf guards while racing and I’m sure they help prevent soreness and sometimes overnight but not convinced they help much with recovery. But placebo’s sometimes work :man_shrugging:t2:

2 Likes

Yeah, I think thats where I stand, helps prevent.

Placebo after the event / exercise. Which is worth while, and if really fatigued can help against further damage.

1 Like

I prefer wearing calf guards after an event than during. Also taken to using a weighted blanket. I’m sure so much is placebo, but if it works…

2 Likes

Does anyone still use the Beetit shots? I was looking at them the other day considering getting a couple to take to Greece, assuming I remember between now and then.

Then oddly noticed an article in cycling weekly today about nitrates and still kind of suggesting that they could have benefits, albeit most of the studies were in recreational athletes.

Can’t do any harm I guess?

Apart from pink wee.

3 Likes

They were one of the cocktail of things I was taking when I was chasing marginal gains pre-covid. The problem at our level is you’re never really going to be able to assess if they did or didn’t do anything. But I just trusted the various scientific papers. Beet juice was one that seemed pretty well accepted

1 Like

I think you need to take them daily over a period of time. Not sure a couple on holiday will do much.

As for benefits its anyones guess, but wont do any harm and still packed with vitamins and minerals.

For some reason I thought one per day for a few days had a bit of an impact but it’s years since I paid much attention :man_shrugging:t2:

1 Like

I eat beetroot at pretty much every meal in the week before a race. Used to use the beet it shots and the beet it juice. However, in recent years I found that the drinks stopped making my wee red and I felt if they’d changed the recipe and my wee wasn’t red then I wasn’t going to go faster :roll_eyes:
Switched to plain puréed roasted beetroots - a simpler take on an Ottolenghi recipe and that seems to work for me.
I feel like it does make a difference but I’m very much in the @stenard pre Covid category and beetroot is one of many things I’m doing differently in the week before a race so who really knows.
It Has taught me to really like beetroot tho!

9 Likes

The official guidance was for the week prior if I remember the BeetIt box cortectly. But it can (on paper) still give a benefit just on race day.

British cycling apparently used them consistently, as they believed there to be benefits in the training gains. Pretty sure Chris Hoy was a massive advocate.

2 Likes

FTFY

1 Like