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Brands we use

Simply put we stock the brands that give you the most cost effective performance or just flat taste good.  We have included nutrition and hydration guidance below that is brand independent to get you started.  As you might have noticed we do not stock everything from every brand as we just do not have enough space.  If you do not see something you think is awesome, let us know and we will try to get it.  Brands we stock include GU, Bonk Breaker, Skratch, Osmo,Sport legs, Saltstick, Cliff bar, Hammer, Jelly Belly, Honey Stinger, and Taos.



Nutrition and Hydration to improve performance

People ask us all the time about our nutrition and supplement products. What should I take, what does this do, what's best, does it work?  We are happy to share our experiences and information on how to make the best use the products we sell.  Before physical exercise please remember there are things that will always make your adventure more successful.  A good nights sleep. You are healthy and cleared for exercise. Eating a healthy balanced diet and nothing heavy or rich in the hours before you go.

First Step: Planning

You are going to need food/fuel, fluids, electrolytes and maybe some supplements to perform at your best.  So, some basic questions first:

How far are you going?10,20,50,75,100 miles?

How long will you be riding? 1,2,4,6, 8+ hours?

How hard are you riding? Riding with kids, cruising, comfortable, challenging?

What’s the temperature? Below 50, 50-65, 65-75, 75+?

How humid is it?  Dry, comfortable, humid?

For athletes – do you sweat a lot or a little?

Do you have water bottles?

Do you have a place to store stuff? i.e. Jersey pockets or bag on bike?

Second Step: Making a nutrition plan

Our partners at GU nutrition have a great nutrition planning tool here.  Whether you are running, road biking, Mountain biking, doing a triathlon, they have you covered.  Just hit the plan link at the top, pick your exercise type and then an event that most closely matches the answers to your questions above.  If you want to dive even deeper go to GU products.  Read stories about how others have approached exercise nutrition and made their events successful.

Step Three: Recover at Green Lizard

This is the most popular step.Whether it’s a Green Lizard smoothie with whey protein isolate or the Kerry special chocolate chip cookie and a beer, there is nothing like enjoying friends at Green Lizard after a ride.Make sure you take advantage of our super clean cold water bottle filler.  We will even spot you some ice if it’s really hot.

Our opinion:

So this is where we stop being scientific and talk about things we like.   Caffeine – a proven improver of performance and we sure notice the difference.  Whether you start the day with coffee or tea at the Green Lizard coffee bar or carry GU Roctane to keep up with those nuts you call friends.  Beta Red beet juice powder – it tics all the right boxes on the science side and we find it just helps us go harder longer with better recovery.Skratch – all natural drink mix with electrolytes, sugars, and real fruit flavors.  This one does the job and just tastes good to us.  Always important to remember with any nutrition if you do not like the taste you will not be happy. Pickle Juice -  when you feel cramps coming on this is a great way to distract your Vagus nerve and add some electrolyte to the system.

Cramps:

Everyone who has exercised has had a cramp at one time or another and rarely forgets them as they definitely hurt.  Preventing cramps is understandably something we would all like to do.  The first thing to understand is what contributes to cramps. It is definitely not just one thing. Primary culprits are dehydration, overheating, energy depletion/poor fueling, fatigue, and pushing too hard for too long.  All these issues cause your Vagus nerve system to get cranky and tell your muscles to cramp. A good nutrition and hydration plan, being realistic about your ride goals, taking care of recovery and being nice to hard worked muscles and a fatigued Vagus nerve system (a good nights sleep and massage are excellent for this) all go a long way to minimize cramps.