The Search for Anti-Bonking Products

Sometimes chatting on Twitter can pay off. A few weeks ago I got into a discussion with @GenUCAN about proper fueling for fitness. I was complaining about my struggle to find something that works, so they offered to send me a sample of their product. I recently received the care package full of goodies!

Lots of samples! Plus they sent a nice mixing bottle with a whisking ball inside:

I tried the recovery protein drink after my intense workout one Saturday morning. It was going to be about an hour or two before I ate lunch and I knew I needed to have something immediately after the work out. I’d done a great weight session. I tried the vanilla shake first:

I liked the water bottle a lot. The whisking ball inside mixed the powder thoroughly–which is often a complaint I have with protein shakes. I hate how hard they are to mix to get rid of the grittiness. I didn’t have that with he GenUCan product. The vanilla flavor was just okay. It tasted just like most protein shakes–nothing special but not bad. I might try making the protein recovery drink with milk instead of water next time to see if the flavor changes a bit.

The vanilla had 180 calories in it –a little higher than I’d prefer but 13g of protein. It’s a good recovery snack. I’m not sure if I can attribute my lack of soreness the day after the hard workout to the shake, but if it was I’m happy!

Recently Michael and I biked 38 miles around Portland. Immediately returning home I made one of the chocolate protein recovery shakes. Loved the chocolate! It was really good. It didn’t have a funky taste or gritty texture. The chocolate is definitely my favorite. The shake helped me get through unpacking, showering, and the drive to dinner without totally crashing. That’s a major plus in my book because I tend to “Bonk” after intense workouts. I also wasn’t sore for the hike the next day!

The next product to try was the energy drink. Last Sunday I filled one of my water bottles with the energy drink for the ride with Michael and his friend Mike. I was SUPER sore from the previous day’s workout and incredibly nervous about whether or not I could bike at all.  I don’t think the energy drink helped my sore muscles, but it did help my stamina as we rode to lunch.

A big thanks to GenUCan for sending me their product to try. I liked it a lot and I saw results!

QUESTION: Have you tried GenUcan products? How did they work for you? What are your favorite products to prevent “bonking”?