For endurance athletes, it's crucial to focus on recovery in order to be competitive the day after a hard workout or race. That's why the scientists and athletes
at First Endurance developed Ultragen, the most advanced post-recovery formulation ever produced. Each serving of Ultragen delivers the levels of nutrients that have been shown in clinical research to maximize recovery and give you an extra edge over the competition. Ultragen's breakthrough technology is designed to work synergistically in order to fully maximize recovery, providing the right nutrients to the right place at the right time.
60 grams high glycemic sugars (100% as dextrose)*
20 grams low molecular weight proteins (whey isolates and hydrolysates)*
Breakthrough Technology
Research has shown there's a critical thirty-minute glycogen window (called the 'window of opportunity') immediately following exercise when insulin sensitivity is at its highest and exhausted muscles essentially open the door to nutrients. If nutrients are not absorbed quickly enough, however, this opportunity for maximum restoration is lost. But it's not just when nutrients are absorbed, it's also about which nutrients are available. The body requires more than just sugar and protein to fully recover, so recovery is limited without a precise balance of nutrients. Ultragen delivers 60g of glucose, because clinical studies show that high glycemic carbohydrates taken after exercise create a catalyst, which increases the uptake of essential nutrients into exhausted muscle. In addition, Ultragen offers a synergistic blend of vitamins, minerals, co-factors, glutamine and BCAA's specifically designed to modulate the damaging effects of cortisol brought on by intense endurance training. The Ultragen formula is designed to be fully absorbed within the essential thirty minute glocygen window, when the body is primed to absorb nutrients.
Ultragen contains special proteins (Whey Protein Isolate and Hydrolyzed Whey Protein) that meet the unique requirements of endurance athletes. Fast acting Whey Protein Isolate delivers high levels of anti-catabolic branch chain amino acids. Hydrolyzed Protein is enzymatically predigested in small, easy to digest, di- and tri-peptide chains that are quickly absorbed for muscular recovery. This is important because small molecule proteins are superior to the larger, hard to digest Whey Protein Concentrates that are used in most recovery products. The special proteins in Ultragen are absorbed faster and easier assuring you maximize recovery during the critical thirty-minute glycogen "window of opportunity". The result: quicker recovery, improved endurance and the ability to race at a higher level.
Maximize the Benefits of Ultragen
Ultragen is designed to be absorbed quickly. For maximum recovery, mix Ultragen with water and consume immediately after exercise. Mixing Ultragen with anything besides water and/or consuming other foods during the first thirty minutes after exercise will slow down absorption. Thirty minutes after using Ultragen you should drink and/or eat something else.
Q&A:
Q: Why should I use Ultragen?
A: Each serving of Ultragen delivers clinically effective doses of the most advanced proteins available, the fastest-acting carbohydrates, glutamine, BCAAs, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and electrolytes. In addition, Ultragen integrates the latest nutritional technology in order to maximize recovery and provide the right nutrients to the right place during the 30-minute "Window of Opportunity" following exercise. Nothing else on the market even comes close.
Q: How does Ultragen work?
A: Ultragen's many components are designed to work synergistically in order to fully maximize recovery, providing clinically effective doses of the right nutrients to the right place at the right time.
Q: What is the 30-minute glycogen window of opportunity?
A: Research has shown that there is a critical thirty-minute glycogen window (called the "window of opportunity") immediately following exercise when insulin sensitivity is at its highest and exhausted muscles essentially open the door to nutrients. In order to maximize this opportunity it is critical to use fast sugars like dextrose which help shuttle nutrients nutrients into the cell. It is equally important to make sure all ingredients are absorbed quickly.
Q: When should I use take Ultragen?
A: Immediately after a hard day of training or racing. Ultragen integrates the latest nutritional technology in order to maximize recovery and provide the right nutrients to the right place during the 30-minute "Window of Opportunity" following exercise.
Q: What kind of proteins are in Ultragen?
A: Ultragen is formulated using a unique time-responsive protein matrix to maximize absorption through the entire spectrum of recovery time. Whey Protein Hydrolysate (WPH) is a pre-digested, small molecular weight complete protein and the fastest protein absorbed due to its small size and pre-digested peptide chains. Ion exchange Whey Protein Isolate (WPI) is also a low molecular weight protein, absorbed more slowly than WPH. Milk Protein Isolate (MPI), fully absorbable due to the unique quality of its isolate (which removes carbohydrates and fats), is absorbed more slowly than both WPH and WPI. Combining these three proteins allows the faster WPH and WPI to be absorbed during that critical first 30 minutes, and the slower MPI to remain and deliver the appropriate building blocks for slower processes.
Q: Why don't you use soy protein?
A: Though Soy Protein Isolate is a high quality protein, some athletes are weary of isoflavones found in Soy. These Isoflavones have some estrogenic activity that some male athletes shy away from. Using PER and BV, two measures of a protein's effectiveness, Whey scores higher on both marks.
Q: What are high-glycemic carbohydrates and why are they important?
A: Based on a 50g-portion size, the glycemic index(GI) of a carbohydrate represents the magnitude of the increase in blood sugar that occurs after ingestion of the carbohydrate. What glycemic index does not define is the portion size of the carbohydrate meal ingested (whether the portion size is 5g or 500g GI is not affected), but portion size can affect blood sugar. Carbohydrates with a higher GI cause a higher rush of sugar into your blood than carbohydrates with low GI. Elevated blood sugar causes insulin to be secreted to help modulate the sugar and subsequent sugar crash follows. Glycemic Load measures the GI multiplied by the total carbohydrate content giving a more practical and accurate determination of blood sugar response.
Q: What does L-Glutamine do?
A: Glutamine is an amino acid that supports glycogen and protein synthesis and increases nitrogen retention. At a clinically effective dose of 6G, Glutamine is essential for muscle tissue repair and recovery.
Q: Why are BCAAs important for endurance athletes?
A: BCAAs are the building blocks of the body. They are important for muscle growth & recuperation. In addition to building cells and repairing muscle tissue, BCAAs form antibodies that combat invading bacteria & viruses. Your body cannot manufacture its own BCAAs so they must be supplied through your diet and supplementation routine. BCAA's also combat 'central fatigue' brought on by an imbalance of BCAA's to Tryptophan ratio. It is this imbalance that causes you to feel tired and lethargic following long hard efforts.
Q: I've heard it's important for endurance athletes to have higher levels of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Is this true?
A: Absolutely. Athletes, especially endurance athletes, need higher levels of specific vitamins, minerals and electrolytes to help restore energy levels, fight free radicals and maintain a healthy immune system. Keeping in mind that free radicals have one or more unpaired electrons, an antioxidant is a nutrient that offers an electron-rich binding site for these damaging oxidants, giving them a preferential site to bind to and pair up with missing electrons. So even though it seems like simple breathing is not healthy, the oxidation damage caused by the air we take in can be overcome with proper antioxidant protection. Supplements like vitamins C & E and selenium also offer sites for antioxidation, thereby reducing the damage from oxidative stress. You probably recognize now that oxidative stress is unavoidable as a living human, but of special concern to us as endurance athletes -- cycling on long roads, running trails and swimming in the open water - is the greater oxygen demand we face, which compounds normal cell damage.
Q: It seems like the trend these days for 'during' drinks is low-glycemic is that just hype or what?
A: By definition, low glycemic means there is not a rush of sugar into the blood stream. Low- glycemic foods may work well during a ride if you are well below your threshold. This steady slow release of sugar into the blood stream may actually slow gastric emptying and cause both gastric distress AND dehydration. As your HR increases and you get further into your ride, your body needs glucose (normally it will take this glucose from stored glycogen). As your glycogen is depleted, you either feed the working muscles glucose directly from what's in your blood. Or your body starts burning stored protein and fat. If you force your body to burn stored protein and fat, you will quickly diminish your exercise capacity and increase your lactic acid accumulation. You must feed your body glucose so it is quickly absorbed and quickly available in your blood stream to use as fuel. This is why we don't recommend Ultragen early in your ride OR on long easy rides where your HR is well below threshold. In the latter part of a ride or an hour before a sprint finish or hill finish, Ultragen works like a dream. Not only is 100% of the sugar from glucose (dextrose), all the other ingredients including our low molecular weight proteins, glutamine, BCAA's and electrolytes are designed to be digested very fast. So, not only are you getting the glucose you need, you are also replenishing all the other key nutrients that can diminish your capacity to exercise. And, because everything is digested so easily and quickly you don't get gastric distress or that heavy feeling in your gut.
Try a serving of Ultragen with an hour to go on your next long ride and see how you feel on the home stretch.
Protein (from Whey Protein Isolate, Milk Protein Isolate, Hydrolyzed Whey Protein)
20g
40%
Vitamin A (as beta-carotene)
2500 IU
50%
Vitamin C (as ascorbic acid and calcium ascorbate)
400mg
670%
Vitamin D (as Cholecalciferol)
200 IU
50%
Vitamin E (as natural d-alpha tocopherol)
400 IU
1250%
Vitamin B1 (as thiamin mononitrate)
8mg
500%
Vitamin B2 (as riboflavin)
800mg
500%
Niacin (as niacinimide)
20mg
100%
Vitamin B6 (as pyridoxine hydrochloride)
8mg
500%
Folate (as folic acid)
200mcg
50%
Vitamin B12 (as cyanocobalamin)
6mcg
100%
Biotin
150mcg
50%
Pantothenic Acid (as d-calcium pantothenate)
20mg
200%
Calcium (as Calcium carbonate, calcium ascorbate and from Whey Isolate and Milk Isolate)
500mg
50%
Phosphorous (from Milk Isolate)
105mg
11%
Magnesium (as magnesium oxide)
250mg
65%
Zinc (as zinc oxide)
7.5mg
50%
Chloride (as sodium and potassium chloride)
150mg
4%
Sodium (as sodium chloride and from Milk Isolate and Whey Isolate)
350mg
15%
Potassium (as potassium chloride and from Whey Isolate and Milk Isolate)
200mg
6%
BCAA's (Leucine, Valine, Iso-Leucine)
4.5g
*
Glutamine
6g
*
Typical Amino Acid Profile
*
Glutamine
6000mg
*
Isoleucine
1163mg
*
Leucine
2135mg
*
Valine
1211mg
*
Tyrosine
806mg
*
Threonine
1135mg
*
Alanine
866mg
*
Gycine
392mg
*
Aspartic Acid
1817mg
*
Cystine/Cystein
272mg
*
Serine
1054mg
*
Lysine
1738mg
*
Methionine
479mg
*
Phenylalanine
806mg
*
Proline
1597mg
*
Tryptophan
324mg
*
Histidine
476mg
*
Use Directions: Mix two scoops with 12fl. Oz of water immediately following long or exhaustive exercise. Easy to use: Spoon mixable all natural formula is completely instantized so you don't have to fight clumps.
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