Money-saving training hacks?

Maltodextrin is a pretty cheap alternative to using gels

1 Like

This thread opened my eyes to how much I’ve been spending per workout. For those folks who have been making their own cocktails, would you be willing to share the volume ratios?

I’m thinking the Gatorade powder, maltodextrin, fructose powder, and perhaps a tad bit of flavor.

Thoughts?

1 Like

Ride my mtb to work 3 times per week : saves gas $$ so more money for bike stuff and I can practice my dirt skillz :slight_smile:

I find the home branded muesli and choc bars are not only the cheapest, but also highest in carbs! Win Win. White box at Woolworths I think.

2 Likes

Gatorade powder along with maltodextrin and fructose and flavour? Or do you mean to replace the Gatorade powder?

I don’t bother with mixing maltodextrin/glucose and fructose together just for training. I’ve been interested in buying fructose powder to mix the two for proper events, but not needed for a training session.

Maltodextrin is flavorless. You can tell it’s there when you compare it to plain water but not if you’re not thinking about it. Apparently maltodextrin is one of the easiest and fastest absorbing carbs. I’ve read that you can use 150g per 500ml of water before it goes above the osmotic pressure that isotonics have (or whatever its called) meaning it’s easy on the gut. I usually do roughly 60g in a bottle filled two thirds the way. Not really any point in any more than that over a one hour session.

Also I think it should be said to remember to rinse with plain water after sipping on these drinks. Absolute worst thing for oral hygiene.

There is some existing discussion about mixing drinks in this thread.

And this one too.

2 Likes

For those of you mixing up your own energy drinks, last I looked maltodextrin was stupid expensive on Amazon. Give your local home brewing supply store some love, I usually pick up 2 lbs for about $3.50 Just don’t blame me if you pick up a home brewing habit while your there! =)

3 Likes

This would be much cheaper than fixing the AC in my car :sweat_smile:

Is this true?

Here is a post I made about my homemade electrolyte mix.

The salts are quite cheap, the flavoring is the most expensive part, and will take the most experimenting. I’ve recently tried some ‘powdered fruit’ which has not gone well. The pomegranate powder was inedible as a drink, the raspberry is tolerable. So far the citrus flavors are the only ones that work reasonably well.
I find that these taste much better cold, and less good as they warm up.

I have been experimenting with adding sugars to the drinks. Adding 20 grams of a sucrose/fructose mix make it very sweet. Adding about the same amount of maltodextrin gives a much better flavor.

I’ll copy/paste a comment I made in a prior thread and originally from the facebook group.

Rice cakes made EASY! I’ll throw credit to Alan Lim for the base recipes and then I have modified as I saw fit.

For those wanting to do this get yourself a good rice cooker that is decent size. 4-6 cups makes life much quicker if you are making big batches. I use the Panasonic one, white and silver. Thing is bomb proof and easy to clean.

Buy the feed zone portables book for all the cool recipes. I’ll put what I do below for chocolate rice cakes:

Into rice cooker
2 cups jasmin rice - Costco sells 5kg bags works great
1L of water
Dash of sea salt
1tsb brown sugar
1tsb cinnamon
Dash of vanilla extract

Let that cook

Once done and sat for 15min steaming
Into a big bowl:
your cooked rice from the cooker
1 big table spoon of coconut oil
1 table spoon Nutella
Dashes of sea salt for flavour

Mix it all up.

NOW THE PRO TIP TO GET THIS STUFF PACKED TIGHT SO IT IS DENSE…

don’t use a pan. Grab a cheap freezer ziploc. Pack that mixed up rice which you have mixed very well, into that bag. Squeeze it down into the ends and pack it into a 2” thick brick. Fill in the corners and squeeze that down.

Fold over the open end to squeeze the air out. Take your warm brick of rice in a bag, slide a cutting board underneath and throw in the fridge to cool for 3-5 hours.

Once done take it out, take a knife and cut the edges of the bag off. Cut your squares and voila. Takes 10min tops. Wrap with Costco jumbo size parchment paper you’ve cut to size.

I also do the bacon and scrambled egg with Tex mex spices and salt if I want savoury. Super easy as well. Very cheap.

Pics below. For bagging and wrapping process.

EDIT: Had a few PM’s so I’ll address here -
Re: Coconut - use as prescribed above and see how it works for you, with rice cakes nothing is set in stone, its all about individual preference and taste.
Re: Wrapping paper - see that cutting board in the background with the knife photo? I just wrap the parchment paper around it multiple times (10-15x) and then run a knife down one edge to cut in half, then cut the other side along the long edge. With your now 20-30 sheets, you simply cut in half again to make squares that are the perfect size for wrapping up.
Re: Rice - I’ve bought expensive stuff before but honestly that kirkland jasmin rice works just as well and its cheap. the ratio of rice to water is important, you don’t want too dry coming out of the cooker or they won’t hold together. 1/2L for each 1Cup of dry rice.
Re: Bagging - using a big rice spoon and really mixing that stuff up in the bowl will help get the rice mixer more dense. Then its just a matter of getting it into the bag and packing down. It’s very easy to do while the rice is warm. Don’t overthink it.

8 Likes

I love me some StroopWafels. About 50 cents per. It’s really funny that several companies sell them as packaged sports nutrition for three times the amount.

And bananas of course.

2 Likes

Take a look at Lyofood www.lyofood.com
It is a German company that makes a lot of interesting dehydrated high quality and taste organic food, plus fruits and powders.
Very good and healthy stuff

I fuel most of my 4 and 5 hour trainer rides with sweet bean paste bread. Works a treat, and just 1usd for a pack of 5.

4 Likes

If you want to increase the calorie density I can highly recommend youkan! It’s kind of like sports nutrition in that I don’t really enjoy youkan in normal life but it becomes pretty tasty when I’m training hard. Also it lasts forever and packs really well.

Yeah, I’m a big fan as well!!

1 Like

Oh and I almost forgot, the shioyoukan (i.e. lightly salted) is the best kind for training.

1 Like

Sports drinks are basically maltodextrin, salt and flavour. Often they will throw in some token vitamins etc to make it look fancy and justify the price but they are certainly not needed in your drink.

Bulk (cheap) maltodextrin (if you’re in Aus) from here: Maltodextrin - Buy Maltodextrin Powder Australia | Bulk Nutrients

Salt, from, well salt. Flavour it’s up to you. I like a little lemon juice. Hope that helps someone.

1 Like

My wallet hit race weight after I bought my last bike :joy:

3 Likes

In the U.K. Aldi is great for cycling- not only so they have their “aisle of dreams” cycling sales (their merino socks and base layers are fantastic quality for the price ) they do own brand date based energy bars (think they’re called “Hike”) for 49p each which have pretty much the same carb and protein content as £2.50 SiS or Clif bars. They’re normally in a stand by the checkouts. Worth looking out for.

2 Likes