It’s no secret I eat oatmeal. I have already written why oatmeal is the perfect breakfast for a long day, and in my opinion, it’s the #1 high-energy food for endurance athletes. But what I never had was oatmeal made from freshly milled, hand-blended oats.

That changed when I tried Sammz Oats, a product from a very small company out in Morro Bay, California.

“SammzOats is a one-of-a-kind specialty blend of organic, freshly-milled gourmet oatmeal, like no other oatmeal you’ve tried.”

Looking at them, they’re neither quick oats, rolled oats, steel cut oats, nor Irish oats. I can see at least three different shapes of flakes and chunks in the mix! These can only be classified as “Sammz Oats.”

And the paper bag they come in is pretty nice; it gives you that small town farm market feel.

Sammz Oats Ingredients and Nutrition Facts

The ingredients list:

Ingredients: 100% organic oat textures, including extra organic bran.

I notice two things here because of this sparse ingredients list:

• Sammz Oats contain only the good stuff.
• Sammz Oats aren’t full of junk like added salt and sugar.

OK, so that’s just the same thing put in different words, but I wanted to get the point across! These are probably the most natural, unprocessed oats you can get (if you don’t have your own farm.)

Nutrition Facts

Serving size 1/3 cup
Calories 120
Total Fat 2.5g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 0mg
Potassium 160mg
Total Carbs 23g
  Dietary Fiber 6g
    Soluble fiber 3g
    Insoluble fiber 3g
  Sugars 0g
Protein 8g

That’s 50% more fiber and 60% more protein than in a serving of Arrowhead Mills organic steel cut oats!!

Remember in my article where I compared rolled oats to steel cut oats and said they technically have the same nutritional value? Well right here is the case to best illustrate that!

At first glance, these Sammz Oats appear to be as processed as instant oats, but they are fresh and hand-processed, not sent through a factory. They aren’t steamed and rolled and left to sit and go stale like most rolled oats in the store. This means they retain their nutritional value, not to mention the true oat flavor most people have never tasted.

Sammz Oats Taste Test

Finally, time to cook this up and enjoy it!

What’s really awesome is that this cooks in 2-4 minutes. It still takes 5 minutes to get the water boiling beforehand, but overall, these are a lot easier to prepare than steel cut oats.

All I did to cook these was get 3 cups of liquid boiling (1 1/2 cups almond milk, 1 1/2 cups water) and added in 4 servings (1 1/3 cups) of oats. And sprinkled some cinnamon in, of course. Then I cooked the oats for 4 minutes. After that I removed them from the heat and added some raisins (the oats were still hot enough to “cook” the raisins.)

The oats were perfect fresh off the stove as well as reheated in the microwave the next morning. On my second batch I added a little Nature’s Way coconut oil for an ever more delicious taste!

Specifically about the oats, they have a very hearty taste and texture you wouldn’t expect. They taste fresh and real. They don’t taste exactly like steel cut oats, but I find they remind me more of steel cut than rolled oats.

They do soak up water and expand almost as much as the steel cut, yet they cook much faster!

Sammz Oatmeal Granola Supreme

Shifting gears now, I also got a bag of granola to try, so I’m going to talk about that for a moment!

Ingredients: Sammz organic oats, organic oat bran, organic honey, brown sugar, raw coconut chips, almonds, pecans, raw sunflower seeds, craisins, dried blueberries, spices, citrus.

Wow, dried blueberries!!!

I don’t think I’ve ever met a granola I didn’t like, but still, this bag from Sammz is superb. It blows me away that there are dried blueberries in it!

I like the ingredients overall. I wouldn’t call this a healthy meal, but it’s a good high-carb energy food that’s not full of too much extra sugar.

The first half of the bag, I just dug in and ate it with a spoon. The second half I mixed with plain yogurt.

This granola is very, very good for mixing with yogurt! Some granolas are too hard and need to sit in the yogurt for an hour to soften up, but the Sammz granola was a perfect complement to the yogurt right away.

This stuff is so good! Don’t tell any of my friends or family I had this fancy granola, because I ate it all myself and didn’t offer to share!

My final verdict is…

I give Sammz Oats an A+ on taste, texture, and nutritional value. I may even prefer them to steel cut oats! (I certainly like how fast they cook!)

The only problem is, being priced at about $5-9 per pound, coupled with the way I go through bags of oats, I’d go broke if I ate these everyday!

Official website: SammzOats.com

I’m focusing on their whey protein concentrate because that is probably the most popular protein supplement available. It’s also the most economical – around $6-7 per pound.

So let’s see what TrueProtein.com is all about…

First, you can get the protein in bulk in food grade bags:

You can get the protein in actual containers, but if you are ordering in bulk and really want to save money, the bags are the way to go.

Each bag is labeled:

I suggest transferring the powder into food containers as soon as you get it. The bags are held shut by cable ties, so they aren’t air tight. Plus, if you leave the bags sitting around, the bag openings can fill with dust and dead bugs that might later fall into your protein powder when you cut the cable tie off!

Just a word of warning there!

Health and Nutrition

Well, there’s not much to say about this. It is whey protein concentrate sold in bulk. Nothing more.

The protein is completely natural until they add flavors and sweeteners at your request. I think the Premium flavors are sweetened with sucralose, and the Natural Premium flavors are sweetened with stevia. But you don’t have to add flavors or sweeteners if you don’t want to.

So health-wise, this stuff should be on par with Optimum Nutrition 100% Natural Whey Gold powder. But you can customize this stuff to make it into whatever kind of supplement you want. (To learn more about that, see my TrueProtein.com review.)

True Protein Taste Test

There are so many flavors available I don’t know if I’ll ever get to try them all! Here are my thoughts on the flavors I tried…

Natural Premium Bananas ‘n Cream – Delicious! This one has a good banana and cream flavor, so it tastes like a dessert – think banana cream pie.

I’ve had banana flavored whey protein before, and I can’t remember the brand, but it definitely wasn’t this good.

Premium Coconut Cream Pie – A pretty good coconut flavor. Not very strong, but noticeable.

It’s more like a creamy vanilla flavor, and if you’re lucky, you’ll taste a hint of coconut at the end of each sip. But then sometimes I did notice a really strong coconut cream pie flavor, which was awesome!

Premium Dutch Chocolate Fudge – This one tastes like plain old chocolate. It also has a hint of artificial flavor which I didn’t care for. It really wasn’t as good as I had hoped, especially because this flavor is rumored to be the best.

Premium Java Mocha – This one smells good and tastes great! It’s a perfect mix of coffee and chocolate flavors. Tastes kind of like the bottles of Starbucks frappacino. I’m really liking this one!!

Natural Premium Strawberries n Cream – This one is bright pink! It looks, smells, and tastes just like the strawberry Nesquik powder I had when I was a kid. So it’s pretty good, but not the most “natural” flavor.

This one is great if you like typical strawberry milk, but if not, I’d stick with the other flavors.

Natural Premium Orange Cream – Well to start with, it has the scent of an orange creamsicle. So that’s awesome!

That’s what it tastes like, too! It’s like a dessert. That’s just plain awesome. No need to go into greater detail. If you like orange creamsicles, you have to try this flavor.

Premium Citrus Limeade – A fancy way of saying “lemon lime.” This has to be the weirdest protein flavor ever! Think of eating a lemon lime milkshake and that’s kind of what this is. Really, it’s a creamy drink with a lemon lime flavor.

The flavor is alright; nothing special, not too terrible. But it’s just so weird!! Taste-wise, I think it’s better than lemon lime Accelerade. And actually, the second week of taking it, I found it oddly refreshing! I guess the taste grows on you.

It got old really fast though! Right after I got used to it, I didn’t feel like drinking it anymore! And I realized the only reason I bought it was because I was thinking I was buying a “cherry limeade” flavor.

I’d avoid this one unless you really like weird flavors.

Your Own Flavor Combinations?

TrueProtein offers quite a few flavors. For example, I think they have coconut, chocolate, and chocolate coconut. Similarly, you could get chocolate, strawberry, and chocolate-covered strawberry.

I chose to buy plain flavors so I could mix and match my own. Like so:

Orange Banana: 1/2 scoop orange, 1/2 scoop banana

Chocolate Covered Strawberries: 2/3 scoop strawberry, 1/3 scoop chocolate

Banana Split: 1 scoop banana, 1/2 scoop chocolate, 1/2 scoop strawberry

This way you aren’t committed to any flavor combos that might not taste as good as they sound.

My final verdict is…

Most of the flavors I tried tasted awesome, and I love how you get to pick the sweeteners and flavorings that are added. True Protein is going to be my #1 source of protein powder from now on.

If you take your protein powder seriously, I highly recommend ordering custom protein powder in bulk from True Protein.

Official website: www.TrueNutrition.com

(Use discount code LEO100 to get 5-10% off your order.)

P90X has nothing to do with cycling or endurance sports, but it’s extremely popular (perhaps due to the Saturday morning infomercials?) and comes in a 13-DVD set, so I figured there must be something to glean from it. I mean, everywhere you look people are posting their before and after photos, so people are either getting into great shape or greatly improving their Photoshop skills!

I picked up a set of P90X DVDs on eBay (only about $80 that way, instead of $140) back in 2010 and got to work. Here’s what I think…

What is P90X?

P90X is a workout program aimed at the general fitness enthusiast. It’s meant for someone who wants to develop a good looking, lean, and toned body in a short amount of time (90 days.)

That means it’s not meant specifically for athletes who need to do sport-specific training. Sure, even athletes need to shed fat and increase strength, but sport-specific training is usually a better way to do that in the limited training time you have.

The package includes 13 DVDs, a workout chart, and a nutrition guide.

The DVDs are set up in a fitness studio and hosted by Tony Horton, a very charismatic trainer. The videos are a “follow along” style, making it feel like you are part of the class.

The program is based on the concept of “muscle confusion,” which basically means that you are always varying your workouts. The goal is to avoid plateaus (and boredom.)

Why P90X Works for Endurance Athletes

At first glance, P90X looks like a general fitness routine, perhaps with a bodybuilding focus. And it is! But if you actually look into the specifics, you can see there are some benefits for cyclists, triathletes, and other endurance athletes.

Big Focus on Core Strength

The best thing about P90X is that there is a big focus on core strength throughout the program. Core strength is of the utmost importance for all athletes, but endurance athletes seem to ignore this type of training all the time!

Having a core workout program like this laid out for you is a huge benefit, because it means it’s more likely you will actually do the training.

Improve Flexibility and Range of Motion

The better your flexibility and range of motion, the better bike fit you will be able to get. What I mean is, you’ll be able to get into a more aerodynamic position on the bike before noticing any loss of power from your pedaling. And you’ll be a lot more comfortable, even if you get into what looks like an “extreme” position.

That is all “free speed,” kind of like losing body fat.

So definitely check out the P90X Yoga X DVD and try to do it year-round, preferably once a week.

Develop Explosiveness

In cycling, you need explosive power to launch your attacks and put the hurt on the competition. You also need to be able to do this repeatedly over the course of a race. My favorite way to develop this type of power is through plyometrics, and P90X offers a killer plyometrics workout DVD called Plyo X.

You might hate this workout because it’s so tough, but you’ll love it once you see the benefits!

Improve Mental Toughness

Stepping out of your comfort zone is a great way to improve mental toughness, and P90X is probably waaaayy out of your comfort zone!

That yoga workout I mentioned? It’s not time to relax! That is 90 minutes of power yoga! You need serious stamina and mental toughness to complete it!

Same with plyometrics – the workout is probably going to break you down. Keep at it and your mental toughness will shoot through the roof.

Have Some Fun

Most likely, you’re not a pro rider making enough money to live on. So why subject yourself to constant on-bike workouts, never doing anything fun? Especially in the winter when it’s always cold and dark outside?

Face it, pretty much any P90X workout is going to be more fun than riding your trainer alone in the basement!

You Don’t Have to Follow The Program Exactly

This is the real secret to P90X for endurance athletes. You can take the 90 day plan and throw it out the window!

This allows you to get the type of workout you want in the amount of time you have. Skip the bodybuilding-type resistance workouts if you want, and you’re left with an excellent follow-along core training routine. And like I said, the yoga and plyometrics workouts are awesome.

Why P90X Sucks for Endurance Athletes

That all sounds great, but you have to be very careful if you try to add P90X into your current training plan. Here’s what to watch out for if you’re an endurance athlete.

High Volume Plans Require Lots of Time

P90X is a high-volume training plan. They have to pack a lot of training time into 90 days to make sure you’ll see results at the end.

If you follow their plan, it’s just too much to fit in with your cycling or running (not to mention work and family duties.) You won’t have time for it on top of your already scheduled cycling workouts.

You always have to ask yourself, “is this the most efficient way I could be spending my time?” If you want to win bike races, 90 days of off-bike training is probably not the way to go.

High Intensity Plans Require Extra Recovery

P90X is both a high-volume and a high-intensity program. Like I said, they promise results in 90 days, so they hit you with high volume, high intensity, and to top things off, a restricted diet.

These high intensity workouts require lots of extra recovery, which means more time between workouts, less stress in your life, more sleep, more supplements, and/or more professional massages.

Either make room for the added recovery or watch your cycling performance suffer.

My final verdict is…

P90X is not a cycling training program, and you should not buy it in hopes that it alone will improve your cycling performance.

But – it can be adapted into a great off-bike training program! You can use some of the DVDs (especially Yoga X and Plyo X) to supplement your cycling and improve your fitness, flexibility, explosiveness, and range of motion, which then improves your cycling indirectly.

It’s also an easy way to add variety to your off-season training – the follow-along format is a lot more fun and motivating than spending an hour alone in your basement lifting weights!

Official website: www.P90X.com

You probably won’t find a book called “The Female Cyclist’s Training Bible” anytime soon.

And no one really questions this.

But when it comes to getting in shape, losing weight, strength training, lifting weights, or whatever you want to call your off-season training, it’s a completely different story! 90% of what you find when it comes to women’s training is going to say either “women should never train like men” or “don’t train like a man or you’ll get big and bulky and ugly.”

This type of advice is so prevalent that most women are scared to lift anything heavier than a 5lb dumbbell (or worse, a can of soup.)

It makes no sense. Men and women are looking for the same results, but for some reason, their training is not based on the same principles. My only explanation for this is that the general fitness enthusiast is not as smart or determined as you, the endurance athlete.

This is why I was pleased to read the book Visual Impact for Women by Rusty Moore. This training program provides “a workout for the slim, feminine physique.” In other words, it’s about getting hot and toned, not bulky. (I’m pretty that’s what all women outside of bodybuilding competitions are aiming for!)

If you’re not familiar with Rusty, take a look at his website FitnessBlackBook.com, which is great for men and women who want to get a slim and toned physique. (In other words, it covers the stuff you don’t often see here on CoachLevi.com.)

You may remember the name Visual Impact – I reviewed the original Visual Impact course (for men) a few weeks ago. I really liked the program because it was well-written, easy to follow, and most importantly, was based on sound training principles. Naturally, I wanted to take a look at the women’s specific course to see what it was all about.

What Rusty did with the course was genius. The book is based on the same principles and theories behind the men’s version (which is how it should be since we’re all human,) but the actual training program is changed to better suit the specifics of a woman’s training goals.

This book also contains useful chapters addressing unique diet needs of women and other details not covered in the men’s program. I’d say the most important chapter is the first one, which dispels popular myths aimed at women, such as “women can’t get bulky from training.” There is A LOT of misinformation aimed at women going around and this book debunks it.

Let’s go ahead and take a closer look inside the book…

Visual Impact for Women

I can’t possibly talk about all 20 chapters right here, but I’ll review what I feel are the most important parts in the book.

Clueless Personal Trainers

The introduction is pretty funny – it is what Rusty has observed in public gyms with clueless personal trainers working with women, getting it all wrong. You’ve probably seen this yourself!

Myth Busting

Chapter 1 is all about myth busting. Rusty dispels myths like “women can’t get bulky from training” which is common, yet misguided thinking. That might be relatively correct if the women are being compared to guys gaining lots more muscle, but girls do put on muscle, especially in certain areas they might not want it.

Other myths cover topics like meal frequency, cardio workouts, and more. It’s good info, unlike most garbage you find in the mainstream media, and quite possibly the most useful chapter in the book because it will change your way of thinking.

Cardio

I have high standards when it comes to anything “cardio” related, considering that’s very similar to our endurance training, but Rusty has some cool insights on this topic. It’s nice to see a different perspective sometimes.

Rusty talks about how cardio has fallen out of favor to the more intense circuit training which doesn’t take as much time, but any endurance athlete will understand the value of cardio. It’s very important when used strategically, as Rusty points out.

There’s even a 12-week cardio plan included as a bonus. Experienced endurance athletes won’t need this, and would be better served by a sport-specific plan, but those are a lot more complex and can be intimidating if you’re new to the sport.

The Truth About High-Rep and Low-Rep Training

Chapters 3 and 4 cover everything you need to know about high vs low reps, and yes, this all goes against what you’ve heard in the maintream media.

For example, a lot of people equate low reps with getting bulky. But that’s not the whole story, as Rusty points out. He gives you the key to using low rep training to get toned, with virtually no chance of getting bulky. It’s simple and easy to follow advice.

The Importance of Exercise Equipment

Rusty covers your exercise equipment options and explains what you should actually be focusing on. Hint: the type of equipment you use isn’t a big deal.

Similarly, Rusty covers yoga, which he says is not the best way to get slim and lean, but it has other benefits. (And some of these benefits are very helpful to cyclists.)

Proper Diet for Women

The basics of dieting will be the same for men and women, but women do have some unique challenges that are discussed in here. Rusty lays out a formula for a base daily calorie intake and then goes into greater detail on the strategies.

It doesn’t get too detailed, but Rusty does throw in some more advanced concepts. It’s pretty easy to follow the advice, but you might not understand “why” if you aren’t already well-versed in diet and nutrition.

That said, the important concepts that you need to know and understand are well explained.

Determining Your Workout Plan

There are chapters dedicated to each part of your workout plan, including:

• Combining high and low-intensity cardio.
• “Fat-Burning Cardio”
• The Recommended “2 Day Split” Workout Routine
• Gym Routine for Time-Crunched Athletes
• How to Workout in a Home Gym
• Customizing Your Own Plan

By the way, a 229 page “how-to” exercise manual with photos is included to explain the exercises.

How to Lose Muscle Mass on Purpose

What?! I’ve never heard of a book about this before! But it does apply to endurance sports!

It’s not uncommon for men to come into cycling after spending years bulking up for sports like football, and then they want to lose some unneeded muscle mass from their upper body.

Women may have built up extra muscle on their butt, hips, and thighs (all common for some women,) so this strategy could be very useful info. It’s a better strategy than giving up training all together!

Then the book ends with a little summary, and it’s time for you to get started on your workouts. (Printable workout charts are included.)

My final verdict is…

If you’re an endurance athlete, you can pretty much ignore the cardio sections of this book, as you probably have that under control. But the other training advice could be very helpful with your off-season training.

Overall, Visual Impact for Women is filled with great info – stuff you rarely, if ever, see in print. If you are a woman looking to get in shape, do yourself a favor and quit reading Fitness magazine and get this book instead!

Official website: www.VisualImpactForWomen.com

I guess it was only a matter of time before FRS jumped onto the protein bandwagon! Earlier this year they released FRS Healthy Protein. It is virtually the same drink as the FRS Healthy Energy in bottles, but this one contains whey protein.

It’s not that a carb/protein drink is bad, but these days, everyone just has to offer one. I didn’t expect FRS to come out with one, but since they did, I had to see if it was any good. (And at $2.99 for a 12oz bottle, I sure hope it’s good!)

Continue reading to see what’s new and different with FRS Healthy Protein…

Health and Nutrition

The first thing I want to point out is that the FRS Healthy Energy in bottles is a new formula compared to the FRS in cans I reviewed back in 2008. This formula cuts down on the sugar content and uses stevia as a sweetener, replacing the sucralose of old. So that gets a thumbs up from me.

The Healthy Protein formula looks to be about the same basic formula as the Healthy Energy but with the addition of 25g whey protein. This means 190 calories instead of 90, but hey, if you want protein, you have to take in the extra calories.

The one thing that stood out was the carb and sugar content. In the Healthy Protein, there are only 11g carbs and 9g sugar. Yet in the Healthy Energy, you get about 23g carbs and 19g sugar! It makes sense though, because it’s called “energy” and you need carbs for energy.

So to sum that up, FRS Healthy Protein contains more protein and less sugar than FRS Healthy Energy.

Makes sense to me.

FRS Healthy Protein Taste Test

The new Healthy Protein is available in two flavors, Blackberry Acai and Orange Cream.

Here are my thoughts:

Blackberry Acai – This one starts off with a great smell, followed up with an alright taste. Don’t you just hate it when the taste doesn’t live up to the scent? (I’m used to the older FRS that always tasted better than it smelled!)

Taste-wise, I do think you can taste both blackberry and acai. It makes a good combo. Luckily it’s not sour like a lot of real blackberries are.

The thing is, the taste is overpowered by the texture. While it goes down smooth, it leaves a ‘thick’ aftertaste that seems to stick to your mouth and the back of your throat. I’m no stranger to starting my day with whey protein shakes, but I don’t have this texture problem with my Optimum Nutrition or True Protein powder and almond milk mix.

Orange Cream – Much like its Blackberry Acai counterpart, this Orange Cream flavor actually has a pleasant scent to it. It smells like orange juice rather than orange-colored energy drink!

The taste was also much like orange juice. It’s like your regular orange juice from concentrate, but thicker, thanks to the protein.

The texture was less obnoxious in this flavor, but I preferred the taste of the Blackberry Acai. I’ve had enough orange juice in my life and prefer something more exotic when given the chance!

The other comparison I wanted to make was to the “oranges and cream” flavor whey protein powder from True Protein. It turns out, it’s not much of a comparison – that flavor is amazing and totally blows this orange cream FRS out of the water!

Overall, neither of the two FRS flavors were pleasing to the palette.

The Energy Boost

Though “FRS Healthy Protein” makes no mention of “energy” in the name, it is still based on FRS’ energy blend with quercetin and whatnot.

True to its roots, this drink from FRS still provides a nice, all day energy boost. The difference for me is that I felt less of an initial boost. I mean, it’s still a good boost, but not a jittery boost. (I was never a huge caffeine drinker so even the ~38g caffeine in FRS was potent for me.)

I think some of the ‘energy’ is tempered by the protein so it doesn’t hit you as hard. Because even if you’re drinking it on an empty stomach, it’s a high calorie drink, like a small smoothie.

Either that or the reduced sugar content removes some of the initial rush.

My final verdict is…

The drink is OK, but it hasn’t convinced me to buy Healthy Protein rather than Healthy Energy. I can get my protein elsewhere, and I’d rather have the freedom to mix it how I want, rather than the convenience of having it premixed in a bottle. I still like FRS, but I’ll probably stick with the cans (or whatever costs less than $3 per serving) when I need it.

Official website: www.FRS.com

You know what energy bars really bother me? The ones that claim to taste like a candy bar, but when you try them, not only don’t they taste anything like a candy bar, they lack the few benefits that normal energy bars offer.

One such energy bar is the PowerBar Triple Threat. The fact that I found these at Big Lots for $1.50 for a 5-pack box should have clued me in, but I’m a sucker for trying something different, so I had to buy them.

Here’s what PowerBar says about them:

PowerBar Triple Threat Energy bar tastes like a candy bar, but is a great choice for use before or during moderate-intensity exercise and sports, like skating and snowboarding. The nuts, oat bran and 10–11g protein deliver nutritious, long lasting energy and muscle-building power.

That should have been my second clue. The fact they are marketed to skaters and snowboarders means they should not be taken seriously. No offense (because I love ice skating and snowboarding,) but when you hear “skating and snowboarding,” you don’t associate that with athletes serious about their diet and sports nutrition!

Which brings up the topics of health and nutrition…

PowerBar Triple Threat Health and Nutrition

First, peruse the ingredients list…

Ingredients
CHOCOLATEY COATING (SUGAR, FRACTIONATED PALM KERNEL OIL, COCOA, WHEY, NONFAT MILK, SOY LECITHIN, NATURAL VANILLA FLAVOR), CORN SYRUP, CARAMEL (CORN SYRUP, SUGAR, CREAM, WATER, FRUCTOSE, PALM OIL, SOY LECITHIN, SALT, DISODIUM PHOSPHATE, NATURAL FLAVOR, CARRAGEENAN), TRISOURCE™ PROTEIN BLEND (WHEY PROTEIN ISOLATE, CALCIUM CASEINATE, SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE), MALTITOL SYRUP, VEGETABLE GLYCERIN, OAT FIBER, SOY CRISPS (SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE, TAPIOCA STARCH, SALT), DRY ROASTED PEANUTS, HIGH OLEIC CANOLA OIL, ALKALIZED COCOA, AND LESS THAN 2% OF ALMOND BUTTER, NATURAL FLAVORS, SOY LECITHIN, SALT, PEANUT FLOUR, MINERALS: CALCIUM PHOSPHATE, POTASSIUM PHOSPHATE, FERROUS FUMARATE (IRON), VITAMINS: ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C), VITAMIN B6 HYDROCHLORIDE, RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2), THIAMINE MONONITRATE (VITAMIN B1).

The first thing that stands out is “chocolatey.” Is that even a word? Perhaps they meant to say “chocolaty coating,” but even better, they could have stuck with the standard “chocolate coating.”

It doesn’t matter though. This bar is a giant slab of sugar and corn syrup with some protein powder and vitamins mixed in to make it sound healthy in the marketing materials. Nothing more needs to be said.

The Nutrition Facts:

Calories 230
Total Fat 9g
Saturated Fat 4.5g
Sodium 150mg
Potassium 140mg
Total Carbs 30g
Fiber 3g
Sugars 15g
Protein 10g

Going purely on the numbers, the bar doesn’t sound too bad for an energy bar designed for “moderate intensity.” But considering the ingredients, I’m hardly tempted to choose this over a Snickers bar. (Except that for $0.30 each, these might be cheaper than the equivalent size Snickers!)

PowerBar Triple Threat Taste Test

I don’t like to base an entire taste test around one flavor of a product, but when I’m already this disappointed in an energy bar, I don’t mind. Plus, it’s pretty hard to screw up a chocolate/caramel/peanut flavor.

So here are my thoughts:

Chocolate Caramel Fusion – This was kind of like a 3 Musketeers candy bar, but with caramel on top. So it’s a bit like a Milky Way candy bar, but it had that fluffy 3 Musketeers feel to it. I’d prefer it taste like a Snickers, but it’s not bad as is. It’s just not particularly good.

So yes, the bar had a candy bar texture and a moderate candy bar flavor. But it wasn’t as good as a candy bar. (Believe it or not, some energy bars do taste like candy bars for real!)

PowerBar Triple Threat In Use

Wanting to stay true the marketing material, I used these bars as snacks during and after ice “skating” sessions. PowerBar’s marketing team probably meant skateboarding, but these bars did the job of providing me calories without making me sick.

Is that something special? Nope. There are plenty of other energy bars out there that would have made just as good of a snack (tasty and filling) without making me sick.

It really doesn’t take much to launch a product that doesn’t upset stomachs during moderate intensity activity. It’s the bars that work during high intensity activity and the ones that still work during long (12+ hour) moderate to high intensity activities that are impressive.

My final verdict is…

Taking a step back and comparing this bar to other bars, it pretty much tasted like crap. I don’t think I’d buy it again, even on clearance at 30 cents each!

I will stick with PowerBar for their Performance Bar and Energize Bar, but for snacks, I’ll choose other brands like the Dr. Will Bar.

Official website: www.PowerBar.com

Buy online: www.Amazon.com

If your goal is to win the Tour de France, probably not. But if you’re just riding and racing for fun, you may have thought about packing on some muscle. I know I have.

As I started to wind down my racing career, I realized there was no longer a need for me to have a super high power-to-weight ratio and super low body weight. My best racing weight was around 152lb anyway, so it’s not like I was ever going to be a 120lb climbing specialist.

Then I found a website called FitnessBlackBook.com, written by Rusty Moore, and it was all about getting a fit, toned physique (or “the Hollywood look” as Rusty would say) rather than focusing on sheer size like so many other muscle building websites.

What really peaked my interest was the actual weights of some people with ripped physiques. The most notorious is probably Brad Pitt in Fight Club – he was totally ripped at a rumored 165lb.

That got me thinking – if you train properly, you could keep your weight low (155-170lb,) look great, and still perform well on your bike.

With that in mind, I purchased of a copy of Rusty’s training program, Visual Impact.

(I had been reading his blog for a couple years and purchased a book from him before, so I didn’t hesitate on this.)

The tag line is: “Strategic muscle gains for a visually stunning body.”

See, it’s not just a generalized plan for muscle building and fat loss. You can find that advice anywhere. What sets Visual Impact apart is the “strategic” part. Everything is carefully planned out so that you gain the least amount of muscle possible yet still achieve that stunning physique.

Basically, you are building size in certain areas of your body while minimizing size in others, and that makes you look big without you actually being big!

In my eyes, this is the perfect program for cyclists and endurance athletes who want to look good without gaining much weight.

Maybe you want an off-season weight lifting plan for November through April – this one would be a good compromise between good looks and performance.

So let’s look at the book itself…

The Visual Impact Muscle Building Course

Visual Impact comes in three parts.

First, the main ebook. This is where the whole philosophy behind the training is explained. If you’re not familiar with training methods outside the cycling world, or you’ve tried training plans from bodybuilding magazines with poor results, you’ll love this approach to training.

There are 15 chapters in the book followed by a Q&A section, so there’s a lot of information in there, but it is all easy to read and understand. There are quite a few images used for examples, and that is a big help. As a coach myself, I can usually pick out other people who would make a good coach or teacher, and Rusty Moore definitely fits the description.

The next part is the exercise demonstrations.

This is a 227 page PDF file with photo demonstrations and explanations of every exercise in the program. It would be great if this was an instructional DVD, but the photos should suffice for most people.

Lastly, Visual Impact includes printable workout charts.

These are all PDF files for each phase of the program. You can easily print these out and take them to the gym with you. They will guide your workouts and give you space to fill in your results. (You are going to keep a training log, aren’t you?!)

Complaints on Visual Impact

I only have one complaint about this program, and that has to do with the suggested exercises.

Quite a few of the exercises either require a specific machine only found at the gym, or a great variety of barbells, dumbbells, resistance bands, etc. at home. It’s not a big deal for me because I have plenty of equipment at home, and I’ve made plenty of exercise substitutions in the past, but if you don’t already have a home gym, you’ll either need to invest in some equipment or join the local gym.

The real problem is that there isn’t an “exercise substitution” section showing you home/garage variations for the machine-based exercises. Nate Green’s book has a great section on exercises and their “garage variation” for home gym users, so I wish Rusty would have done something along those lines.

Of course, if you don’t mind joining the local gym or YMCA, there’s no problem here. It’s just me being picky about where I workout!

My Visual Impact Workouts

To be completely honest here, I have a hard time sticking with weight training programs of any kind. I love sports, so if I have a chance to ride, run, ski, swim, or skate, 95% of the time I’m going to do that instead of lift weights.

But I have spent a few months over the past year testing out the Visual Impact workouts so I could write about them.

The first phase of the program was a shock to me. Since my workouts for as long as I can remember were all sports oriented, I’ve always shied away from bodybuilding stuff, which is really what this is – totally annihilating a muscle group, cumulative fatigue, etc. It’s way different from strength training.

But it was fun! The workout will probably take 45 minutes, and you are constantly moving. The rest breaks barely give you enough time to change the weights!

Each week ends up being a slightly different workout, too, so it’s not boring like doing the same thing every day.

Once you get into phases two and three, the workouts are more like strength training, so they more closely resemble sport-specific training. That’s why I recommend starting this program in the off-season – you can get the higher volume training out of the way before racing season is in full swing.

Isn’t is great how racing season corresponds with beach season? Whether you want peak race performance or a toned body for the beach, you can structure your training similarly.

My final verdict is…

The book is full of good info and laid out very well. Beginners and intermediate lifters should get a lot out of it. Even some “advanced” guys could learn a thing or two in here.

For endurance athletes looking to put on a little muscle for a better physique, I really like this program. I don’t know if Rusty has any idea that Visual Impact’s philosophy resonates so well with cyclists, but it does.

Let’s just say I like this program enough, that out of all the programs I have, this is one I am actually putting into practice myself!

Official website: www.VisualImpactMuscleBuilding.com

Retailer Name: Jenson USA
Website: www.JensonUSA.com

Continue reading for my thoughts and opinions on Jenson USA…

Product Selection and Availability

JensonUSA has a great selection. The beauty of it is that they carry lots of stuff you can’t find at Performance Bike or Nashbar.

Obviously they don’t stock everything, but the reason I found them in the first place was due to them carrying certain products I just couldn’t find at other retailers. Take Rock ‘N Roll Cable Magic (or any of the Rock ‘N Roll chain lubes) for example. It’s good stuff, but it’s very hard to find at a trustworthy retailer. Well, JensonUSA has it!

They also carry a variety of Jagwire cables and cable end caps, the innovative ESI “Racer’s Edge” grips, and all sorts of other stuff that is very high quality yet not as common/popular as it should be. For that, I give them major props!

I had noticed that their inventory seemed geared more towards mountain biking, which is what drew me in the first place, but they have expanded into more road bike equipment in recent years. Want a SRAM Red build kit? No problem, Jenson USA has it! Zipp 404 full carbon wheels? Yep, they got those, too.

Pricing

Typically, I see regular retail prices at Jenson USA. That’s not to say the prices are bad, just that they don’t carry a lot of stuff that ends up on clearance. And if you find something cheaper elsewhere, they do offer a Price Match function just by filling out a quick pop-up form on the item page.

And similarly to their expansion into more road bike gear, I’ve been seeing more items under their “On Sale” link.

To sum it up, I’d say Jenson USA offers a completely fair pricing policy.

Discounts & Coupon Codes

JensonUSA has promotions every so often, such as Black Friday holiday sales, but I don’t expect to see free shipping offers or coupon codes. Come to think of it, I’ve never seen a coupon code for JensonUSA.

Ease of Use (Website and Shopping Cart)

The biggest complaint I had with Jenson was their website’s usability. There was just something about how they structured their page layouts and the search result sorting methods I didn’t like.

Now that I’ve been ordering from them, I have gotten used to their layout, but I still find it a little rough around the edges compared to Performance Bike.

What really irked me were the product images. Just about every image had a giant “© QBP” watermark on it! It was so annoying trying to decipher the details of a product with that gray text obscuring the photo, not to mention it seemed really unprofessional.

(In case you didn’t know, QBP stands for Quality Bicycle Products. They are a very large distributor in the bicycle industry.)

Today, I see considerably fewer watermarked pictures on JensonUSA. You’ll still see the watermark sometimes, but I applaud Jenson USA for either sourcing better photos or doing in-house inventory photography.

As much as I don’t care for the site, I like the shopping cart. It is easy to manage and easy to check shipping rates whenever you feel like it. There’s no need to go through the checkout process just to see the shipping.

Shipping & Handling

Shipping and handling rates seem to be reasonable based on the industry standard (or at least what I’m used to.)

The only thing I can complain about is that ground shipping to the East Coast takes a while. But for anyone in or near California, JensonUSA probably offers super fast shipping.

Customer Service

I’ve never had an issue that required assistance from customer service, but I’ve e-mailed a couple people there and they are friendly and helpful. You get the feeling that they are a smaller company looking to keep their customers happy, while other big name retailers have more of a “you’re just a number to us” attitude.

If you read through their Help Desk page, all their policies seem fair, reasonable, and customer friendly. Your mileage may vary, but I rarely see complaints about Jenson.

My final verdict is…

Jenson USA is a great place to find stuff, especially for mountain bikers. They carry lots of stuff you can’t find at Performance Bike or Nashbar.

I’ve only ordered from them five or six times now, but my experience was great each time. I recommend giving them a shot, especially if you’re having trouble finding a certain item elsewhere, or if you’re from the West Coast.

Official website: www.JensonUSA.com

Have you ever gotten sick the week before an important race? I have. Getting sick can really screw with your fitness and almost guarantee a poor race performance.

What makes it worse is that you’re probably stressed out getting ready for the race (which leads to a compromised immune system,) and if you’re traveling, you’re going to be exposed to new germs, making your immune system function more critical than usual.

Plus, I HATE getting sick. I’ve managed to get sick at the most random times, even when I’m eating healthy and not overtraining, so I’m always trying to find ways to prevent illness.

One such way I found is by using a product called Swype Cold & Flu Shield. You’ve probably never heard of it because it’s relatively new, but it was developed by Kent C. New, a physician with a PhD in Microbiology and Immunology, so it sounds legitimate.

What is Swype?

As far as I know, it’s the only product of its kind. You could think of it like an advanced hand sanitizer gel that you use on your nostrils rather than hands.

The point of using it around your nostrils is that that’s where a virus is most likely to enter your body. And since you’re still likely to touch your face at some point no matter how many times you are told not to, there’s a good chance your face is encountering these germs every time you’re out in public.

So you use Swype daily, and it kills many of the viruses which cause colds and the flu before they affect you. That’s the plan at least.

Here’s what the website says:

Ingredients kill over 99.9% of all 25 viruses tested in lab tests, including H1N1 (swine flu), H5N1 (avian flu), and over 20 viruses which cause colds

Speaking of ingredients, the list contains items commonly used in cosmetics. I’m not a chemist so I can’t explain them any further, but I can say that during my two months of Swype use, I experienced no rash or reaction to the stuff.

How to use Swype:

This is very simple; it’s just as quick as using hand sanitizer.

Just squeeze the tube of Swype until a pinhead size drop comes out the top. (The older the tube, the harder you have to squeeze. If it’s a brand new tube, it will probably ooze out on its own, so be ready.)

Then wipe that onto your index finger, and rub the Swype gel between your thumb and index finger. Then rub it onto the outside of your nostrils.

I give my nostrils a quick wipe, then I wipe my fingers down the side of my face to get the residue off. (The gel doesn’t leave any streaks on your face.)

I’ll admit, it sounds like a lot of hassle, but once you try it, you see it’s really simple. And overall it’s no worse than carrying cough drops, using hand sanitizer, taking pills, etc.

Watching the video shows how easy it is:

How often to use Swype?

It is suggested that you use Swype 2-3 times per day, at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I typically used it twice per day, but would use it three times if I was likely to encounter a lot of germs.

Basically, the closer it is to cold season, and the more public and/or crowded areas I plan to visit, the more I use it. (Some days I forget and use it once per day, but that’s better than nothing I suppose.)

After a while, I began to wonder – if you’re an athlete that’s sweating a lot, or perhaps you swim, should you be worried about applying Swype more often? Or at least, time it so that you’re not applying Swype right before you get in the pool or hop in the shower?

And I got an answer from none other than Kent C. New, MD, PhD (a founding partner of the company that created Swype.)

The bottom line is, I don’t think how often or how much you sweat or blow your nose makes a huge difference in how often you need to use Swype. The reason why has to do with how I think the process works.

Without Swype, you get a virus on your hands, which you then transfer to your face by touch. The virus on your face then replicates and spreads into the nasal passages to set up and cause an infection we call the common cold. This process of replication and spread into the nose takes some unknown period of time, likely related to how much virus you get on your face and how close it is to the nose. Swype will help if you use it to kill virus on the skin at the entrance to your nostrils (called “the nares”) before this process completes itself.

By this rationale, how long Swype stays on the skin probably doesn’t matter a whole lot.

Hearing it explained like this made a lot of sense. Swype isn’t like wearing a mask over your nose. You don’t need a fresh layer coating your nostrils all the time. You just need to apply it often enough to kill whatever virus happens to be on your face before it reaches critical mass and overthrows your immune system!

My Swype Experience.

I starting using Swype on 8/9/2011.

I used it 2x per day normally, and 3x per day when out in unfamiliar public areas. Everything started off well, but much like starting an exercise program, one busy day was all it took to throw me off. One missed Swype application got me out of my groove.

I got back into it the next day though. A big help was keeping the Swype tube near my phone, wallet, or lip balm – this way I’d always see it and remember to use it.

So as long as I didn’t forget about it, I had no problem fitting Swype into my routine. Hey, it’s much easier than flossing my teeth!

I’ve been using it 3x per day more often now that we’re entering cold and flu season, and I don’t have a reason to stop.

My Swype Results.

The most obvious result is that I went all of August and September without getting sick, even though I encountered a few sick people along the way. The second day I used it was my first of eight days out of town, and even though I went to a lot of new, public places, I made it out perfectly healthy.

Not that I usually get sick in August, but somehow I did come down with something this past July, and it lingered for over three weeks! So that was a motivation to use Swype from then on!

Then, just before Columbus Day weekend, someone brought a nasty cold into the house! Normally this spells disaster for me, but I took it like a champ this time!

On Sunday and Monday I had very slight symptoms of a cold coming on, then on Tuesday and Wednesday I didn’t feel all that great (and I needed some extra sleep.) But Thursday I was back to normal!

Then just this past weekend, I basically lived with two sick people for two days, and encountered quite a few other sick people in public. And now, I feel great, with no cold symptoms whatsoever!

I was rather impressed with that outcome!

My final verdict is…

Going for two months without getting sick doesn’t really prove that Swype works, but how quickly I fought off a cold earlier this month boosts my faith in it! It’s certainly enough evidence to convince me to keep using it. If it works as claimed, I think that it’s well worth the price tag (~ $52 per year.)

If you train hard year-round or are otherwise in position to get sick easily, I’d give Swype a shot.

Official website: www.SwypeForHealth.com

Balance Bar has been around for ages! One of their flagship bars is the Balance Bar Gold.

Years ago, I would pick these up at Walmart or Sam’s Club pretty cheap. I rarely ever used these though. Perhaps I’d buy a 15-pack every few years. Anyway, I saw them at Big Lots the other day, which reminded me to grab a few to review.

I’ll sum up this Balance Bar Gold as a very small energy bar that still packs 200 calories. It uses a “40-30-30 Nutrition” model which means it is 40% carbs, 30% protein, and 30% fat. It is also “Low Glycemic Index,” but I’m not sure where exactly it would fall on the index.

Read on for more…

Health and Nutrition

First, the ingredients (for the chocolate peanut butter flavor)…

INGREDIENTS: Protein blend (soy protein isolate, whey protein isolate, partially hydrolyzed milk protein isolate, casein, calcium caseinate), fructose, peanut butter (peanuts), glucose syrup, water, sugar, whey protein concentrate, fractionated palm kernel and palm oil, partially defatted peanut flour, cocoa (processed with alkali), natural flavor. Contains less than 2% of glycerine, maltitol syrup, nonfat milk, soy lecithin, salt, maltodextrin, heavy cream (cream, milk, cellulose gel, milk solids, carrageenan, cellulose gum), butter (cream, salt, annatto added for color), butterfat, sodium citrate, soybean oil, tocopherols added to protect flavor, carrageenan, dextrose. Vitamins and Minerals: calcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, ascorbic acid, alphatocopherol acetate, ferric orthophosphate, niacinamide, zinc oxide, copper gluconate, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, vitamin A acetate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin, thiamine mononitrate, chromium chloride, folic acid, biotin, potassium iodide, sodium molybdate, sodium selenite, phytonadione, vitamin D3, vitamin B12.

What I notice here is that there is a long list of ingredients! And looking at it, it’s pretty typical for an energy bar, but there’s still stuff I don’t want to put in my body. Fractionated palm kernel and palm oil for example.

Nutrition Facts

Calories 200
Total Fat 7g
Saturated fat 3.5g
Total Carbs 21g
Fiber 1g
Sugars 17g
Protein 14g

This bar is pretty high in fat and protein, while containing a moderate level of carbs. I guess that’s pretty good for a snack bar, but it’s certainly not something I’d choose for during a bike ride or other training session.

Balance Bar Gold Taste Test

Flavors include Triple Chocolate Chaos, S’mores, Caramel Nut Blast, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Chocolate Mint Cookie Crunch, and Lemon Meringue Crunch.

Here are my thoughts…

Chocolate Peanut Butter
Peanut butter nougat with chocolate syrup on top, then all coated in chocolate. It is set up like a peanut butter cup! It tastes kind of like a bland peanut butter cup. The peanut butter part is rather dry, too.

It’s definitely not like a candy bar, but not like a brick either. So it’s not awful, it just doesn’t stand out amongst the newer, more modern energy bars.

Chocolate Mint Cookie Crunch
First thing – smells awesome! It has a nice crunch beneath a smooth chocolate coating. The taste and texture are very similar to Thin Mints cookies from the Girl Scouts. There are other chocolate mint bars that taste pretty good, but they lack the authentic texture. So if you like mint chocolate cookies, this is the energy bar for you!!

Lemon Meringue Crunch
This bar is delicious. Nice and soft, actually creamy. It’s like a lemon meringue pie with graham cracker crunch crust. A little like lemon pound cake. The vanilla icing is great too. I plan to buy more of this flavor!

Overall these flavors are pretty good. The better flavors might even compare to how tasty the Detour bars are.

Balance Bar Gold In Use

Some of these bars are so small, it only takes three bites to finish the bar. Surprisingly though, it is still filling. That must be because it’s so dense. (Note that the chocolate peanut butter bar was significantly smaller and more dense than the chocolate mint bar.)

Although dense, it never hit my stomach like a rock. However, I didn’t want to risk using these while out on a bike ride. (Like I said earlier, a little high in fat and protein for during a hard workout.)

I mainly see this bar as a convenient snack that shouldn’t spike your blood sugar too badly, relative to other bars.

My final verdict is…

A couple flavors taste awesome, so I might keep eating them for snacks if I need to, but I wouldn’t suggest getting this bar for fuel during exercise. Nor is it a particularly healthy or natural snack.

Official website: www.Balance.com

Buy online: www.Amazon.com