Q: What Are The Main Differences Between Heed And Endurolytes Fizz?
A: HEED is a powdered sports drink that contains calories, a full-spectrum electrolyte profile, and key auxiliary nutrients. Endurolytes Fizz is a nearly-calorie-free, full-spectrum electrolyte replenishment product in effervescent tablet form.
Every scoop of HEED contains 110 calories and about the same amounts of electrolytes as one-half tablet of Endurolytes Fizz. While taking into account the many variables that determine how much electrolytic mineral support you need, a general (read: not “set in stone, but a good starting point”) recommendation is one-half tablet of Endurolytes Fizz (or one Endurolytes capsule) for every 50-60 pounds of body weight per hour, altering that dose on an as-needed basis.
Using that gauge, lighter-weight athletes will oftentimes find that 1-2 scoops of HEED in a water bottle will cover their entire fueling requirements — fluids, calories, and electrolytes — for an hour or so.
The same is true for most athletes who are doing short-duration workouts and require only minimal amounts of calories and electrolytes.
During longer bouts of exercise, when Perpetuem or Sustained Energy is the primary fuel (and especially when concentrated, multi-hour bottles of either product are being used), Endurolytes Fizz is an ideal alternative to Endurolytes capsules, primarily for athletes who are either unable to swallow capsules during exercise, or who prefer to fulfill their electrolytic mineral needs via lightly flavored, effervescent (“fizzy”) electrolyte water.
A key point to remember is that if you put “X” amount of scoops of HEED or “X” number of Endurolytes Fizz in your water bottle, your dose is preset . . . you’ve basically put a ceiling on it, which can become an issue if what you’ve put in your bottle is proving to be insufficient (such as if the weather gets hotter).
Therefore, it is highly recommended that you carry extra Endurolytes Fizz tablets or Endurolytes capsules. You may end up not needing them, but you’ll feel better knowing that you have them within easy reach, should the conditions require more electrolytic mineral support than what you’re obtaining from however many scoops of HEED or Endurolytes Fizz tablets you’ve put in your bottle.
Lastly, you can most definitely add Endurolytes Fizz tablets to your bottle(s) of HEED to bolster the electrolyte content. If you’re adventurous, you can create a new flavor by, for example, adding Grape Endurolytes Fizz to Melon HEED, or numerous other creative combinations.
Bottom line: HEED = Calories + electrolytes
Q: When Would I Use Heed Or Perpetuem?
A: HEED is a “carbohydrate only” drink mix that is great for bouts of exercise up to 2-3 hours in duration. Perpetuem is a “carb + protein + healthy fat” drink mix that is ideal for longer-duration workouts and races. The inclusion of protein in Perpetuem helps to satisfy the 10-15% of energy that must come from protein/amino acids during long-duration exercise. Without this protein donation the body is forced to cannibalize its lean muscle tissue to satisfy this small percentage of energy requirements. That decreases exercise performance, due to the excess amount of fatigue-causing ammonia that is produced, and it will also cause recovery after exercise to be significantly longer because there is a greater percentage of broken down muscle tissue that needs repairing. The healthy fat added to the Perpetuem formula gives the body a cue of sorts to let it know that it’s not depriving it of fat (the “you have to eat fat to burn fat” train of thought). As a result, the body releases its fatty acid stores more liberally so that the calories from them can be used to create energy more consistently and efficiently. As you can see, Perpetuem is a very complete “meal in a bottle” fuel for endurance exercise.
Q: Should I Use Hammer Gel Or Heed?
A: Either, it's your preference!
Both products are ideal for use during exercise of any intensity lasting up to 2-3 hours.
|
Hammer Gel is a concentrated complex carbohydrate gel with the consistency of syrup. It is the best choice for athletes who prefer drinking plain water for hydration.
|
HEED is a powdered sports drink mix. It is the best choice for athletes who DO NOT like drinking plain water while exercising.
|
|
Offered in 12 flavors: Apple-Cinnamon, Banana, Chocolate, Espresso, Montana Huckleberry, Orange, Raspberry, Tropical, Vanilla, Nocciola (Hazelnut), Peanut Butter, and Peanut Butter-Chocolate.
|
HEED comes in five flavors: Cherry Bomb, Lemon-Lime, Mandarin Orange, Melon, and Strawberry.
|
|
Caffeine Quotient: Espresso contains 50mg and Tropical contain 25mg of caffeine per serving.
|
Caffeine Quotient: Cherry Bomb contains 25mg of caffeine per serving.
|
Either product can be used as a partial source of calories during ultra distance events to provide variety and flavor to your primary fuel sources, Perpetuem and/or Sustained Energy.
Q: What Is L-Tyrosine And Why Is It In The Endurolytes Products And Heed?
A: L-tyrosine is an amino acid that is included in Endurolytes and HEED products to help support thyroid and adrenal function. Blood plasma deficiency of this amino acid during endurance exercise will lower thyroid and adrenal production, which hinders metabolism, leading to fatigue. According to Dr. Bill Misner, "Symptoms of l-tyrosine depletion first appear as depression, later anger, then despondency that degenerates into total despair." If you've experienced these symptoms during a training session or race, chances are it's due to low thyroid and adrenal production. You can easily avoid this problem by supplementing l-tyrosine via HEED and/or any of the Endurolytes products. Tyrosine is also purported to help increase alertness, a definitely plus during ultra distance workouts and races.
