Instead of breaking out the beakers and the Bunsen burner, we opted to be subjective and field test First Endurance’s OptygenHP. I put it to work while training for the Lost Dutchman Marathon…

Click here to view article

A day after winning the inaugural 2010 Ironman St George, Heather Wurtele sat down and detailed a nutrition plan that allowed her to race with no cramps and no stomach upset.  “I am super happy to be working with you guys as well. Your products are far and away the best out there and it is SO exciting for me to know that my nutrition is totally working for me on race day and in all my training.”

NEW & IMPROVED OPTYGENHP BY FIRST ENDURANCE

(April 2010 Issue)

There’s a reason numerous cycling teams turn to First Endurance products for optimum performance. Instead of pumping out a new kind of bar or drink flavor every few months, First Endurance worked on improving the full line of products it already has. With OptygenHP, a daily performance supplement in capsule form went from great to even better. The formula contains high levels of Rhodiola (an adaptogen originally used in herbal form by Tibetian sherpas climing Mount Everest) and Beta-Alanine. The company’s human clinical trials have shown that OptygenHP helps increase oxygen utilization, reduces lactic acid buildup and helps the body adapt to high levels of physical stress.

BMC TEAM FEEDBACK:

“I was extremely excited when I heard First Endurance was teaming up with the BMC pro cycling team. I’ve already benefited from using many of the First Endurance products and am looking forward to applying their entire line of top-notch products to my daily racing and training program.” -Brent Bookwalter (BMC professional cycling team)

“First Endurance is the best sports nutrition system on the market. The whole package delivers all that an athlete needs to meet the demands of sport. From Multi V in the morning, to EFS bars, EFS drinks and EFS Liquid Shot while training and racing, to Ultragen after workouts for perfect recovery. They even offer that extra boost when you need it with PreRace and Optygen.  It’s awesome to know that Team BMC is working with a company who can, without a doubt, provide us with everything  we will need to train and compete at the highest level.”-Jackson Stewart (BMC professional cycling team)

“First Endurance has set the bar with their full line of quality sports nutrition products. I know I’m getting the highest-quality and latest science covering all of my sports nutrition needs. From hydration to fuel to recovery I feel there is no better option than First Endurance.”-Jeff Louder (BMC professional cycling team)

“I really appreciate the EFS drinks.  You drink, taste and feel like you’re getting more of what you need. I did several rides with less need for solid foods. I think that was because of what I had going on in the bottles.  Grape is my favorite flavor.  It was beneficial to have the option of hitting the heavier mix (the Grape or Fruit Punch) or taking a lighter pull from the Orange. There are times when you want more water, and there are times when you want more mix.  With the options that the EFS provide, you’re set up for any point in a ride, and for any type of interval.”-Scott Nydam (BMC professional cycling team)

.”-Scott Nydam (BMC professional cycling team)

“First Endurance is an ideal nutritional partner for our program.  The range of products is outstanding, and gives us effective and reliable solutions to all of our specialty nutrition needs.  The racing orientation of the culture at First Endurance is also a great fit with our push toward only using the best products in every category.”-Gavin Chilcott (BMC General Manager & Sport Director)

OTHER ATHLETE FEEDBACK:

“I’ve been using Optygen HP, Multi V, and EFS drink mix. The new flavor of EFS is great and the Optygen, Multi V combo makes such a difference in recovery between workouts and just how deep you can get into the red zone without blowing. All stuff you already know I’m sure, but truly the first supplement I’ve ever taken on a regular basis that I can feel a dramatic difference in mental and physical capacity during exercise.”-Bill Van Ness

“Let me start by saying that we hate you guys!!!  You’re like drug dealers… you got us hooked, and now we can’t live without you!!  In fact, I noticed that we have a supply of competitor products we’ve used rather consistently in the past just sitting in our pantry untouched.  Neither my wife or I have any interest in using them.  I guess we’ll give it all away eventually.

With that out of the way, here’s my take:

1.  My only complaint:  While I’ve never been a fan of the Fruit Punch flavor, I found I didn’t mind the new version.  Not bad at all.  I did notice, however, that when carrying it while running, it tended to get very foamy (if that makes sense).  Not a problem really, more of an observation.  And that is my sole negative.

2.  Biking:  I’ve now replicated the workout I told you about in detail before, intense, LT, and above LT repeats,  nine times with the specific intention of comparing my results using the prototype vs. the prior formula, and also vs. one of the fueling products of your competition that we’ve used in the past.  I did the workout three times with each fuel, and tried to make the conditions as close to the same as possible, e.g., same time of day, same pre-workout meal, about the same sleep, same interval from the prior workout, etc.  And the results were undeniable:  I was noticeably stronger with the prototype over  both the old formula EFS, and over the other fuel.  I repeated the test three times with each fuel, just to be sure it wasn’t in my head, and there was NO DOUBT.  In fact, I was actually stunned at how much worse I felt with my old fuel.  A really marked difference.  The difference from the old EFS was also apparent, but not as marked.  I felt like with the new formula I felt stronger longer (if that makes sense), and felt a lot less Lactic Acid buildup.  When I did feel it, it seemed to dissipate more quickly.

3.  Running: While I didn’t do the same sort of comparison as on the bike, I did have an impressive experience.  I have a run I repeat every couple of weeks, and always do the same course.  It’s just over 3 miles, and has a steady, and fairly significant climb over the first mile and a half.  I don’t “watch the clock”, but try to run steady, and do note my time at the end.   I use this run as an indicator of my fitness.  The first time I ran it fueling with the EFS prototype (taken an hour prior), I had quite a shock.  I felt good during the run, and actually felt like maybe I wasn’t putting out the effort I typically do on this course.  I was a little tired from a fairly hard week, so I didn’t think that was an issue, and that “just going through the motions” was enough for the day… I wasn’t specifically trying to see how I did on the EFS prototype, I was just training.   I ran what I thought was a steady pace, and stopped my watch at the end, but didn’t look at it.  I got back to my car, and started to drive home.  At a stoplight I glanced at my watch, and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing… I had just run a PR over the course… by 43 seconds!!!  I was floored.  I called my wife and told her, and she was shocked.  I waited a week, and went back and ran the course again, fueling in advance the same way.  Obviously, I was more conscious of the time in this case, but tried to run within myself, and not look at my watch. I felt very strong, and tried to just run steady (which is my intent on the run every time, I confess that I may have subconsciously pushed a little, but I tried to be steady).  When I finished, I looked at my watch, and there it was… I ran this time 9 seconds faster than the week prior.  Again, I was stunned.  Over those two weeks, I had a 52 second improvement in my PR on a course I’ve been running for several years.  In fact, I think I set that old PR about 4 years ago.  I think that speaks volumes.

Anyway, I don’t know if anything I’ve written is useful to you, but the experience is useful to us.  We’re sold… BIG TIME.

Thanks again for allowing us to try out the prototypes.  We’d be happy to do so again at any time… more than happy!”-Lloyd Eldredge

“My EFS fueling program worked like a charm. Prior to EFS, nutrition and cramping were chronic issues in my racing. Many efforts fell apart after debilitating cramping in my legs and/or an extended stay in the john!
My entire day was built around EFS. I started the day with my PreRace in a bottle of Gatorade about an hour prior to the gun. I felt sharp and eager to hit the water. On the bike I took in a combination of 5 bottles filled with EFS fuel (300 calories each) and a bottle filled with 4 EFS liquid shot flasks (1600 calories) and a little water to thin it out. The liquid shot flask idea I stole from Michael Lavato. It is brilliant. I am able to get 1600 calories in 1 bottle. This allows me to keep my bike clutter free and to carry a great deal of calories. I took in a bottle of water every 25-30 miles and ate NutterButters as my only solid food. I stayed hydrated, was able to keep my heart rate on target, took in 4000 calories and ripped off a 5:04 on my ride. During the run I took in a combination of 2 EFS liquid shot Flasks (800 calories) 1 bottle of Optygen Recovery (400 calories) water and fruit. I was cramp free and had one potty stop on the run. I finished off my run holding it all together and finished strong with a 3:38 marathon.
My entire day consisted of roughly 5500-5700 calories and over 4000 of that was from EFS. I had a huge PR day with a 10:02:31 finish. I couldn’t have done it without your guidance and the great fueling from EFS!”-Chris Dull

“I am a nobody, from a no name town in rural Indiana. I don’t have any cool sponsors, I may be lucky to break a 22 minute 5K. Iwas happy to squeeze in a 1:48 Half marathon and I coasted in at 3 1/2 hours in a 62 mile bike race.. I eat a lot of fast food and probably drink a little to much soda pop. I am 31 years old and about 6 foot and weighed in at 179 this morning.

At the new year I decided to make take my running and fitness a little more serious. The first step was to try some OptygenHP.  I started training for a 36 story stair climb in December, I started on the Optygen about 3 weeks out from the race. I could tell  in my training that it was helping, My 10 mile runs seemed easier, and my speed work seemed to be able to go faster for longer. I didn’t really change my diet, same ole junk. still I just seemed to be able to train harder for longer. I can only see that Optygen has been the reason for this.

On Saturday Jan, 23 2010, was this years stair race(Bop To the Top) My record for the the 36 story climb was 6:53(six minutes and fifty three seconds) and it was last year, This year I was able to blow that time out of the water – 5:50.1 (82 out of 1150http://www.tuxbro.com/results/2010/bopu.htm)
Need less to say I was way happy and surprised, as was the group that I train with. It is one thing to shave off 1/2 a minute max, but a hole freakin minute is way crazy for the low caliber of athlete that I am.

I plan on using OptygenHP for the remainder of this season and hope to break all my records that I have previously set.
Now I am no Mark Cavendish, no André Greipel, not even close to Lance… But like all of them I try like hell!
Thank you for making a product that you stand behind, believe in, and most of all works! You never know, that chubby guy that you pass the side
of the country road may be me, I am no pro but  because of your product I can feel the same way on
that county road as the First Endurance pro Athlete’s do all over the world…”-Bill Bauman

Adelaide, Australia, 24th January 2010 – First Endurance rider Andre Greipel (HTC-Columbia) secured his second overall win of the Santos Tour Down Under on Sunday becoming one of only two riders who have won the event more than once. Greipel won the race on his first attempt in 2008, crashed out in the leaders jersey in 2009 and came back in 2010 to win again, claiming 9 stage wins in Adelaide over the three years.

Greipel’s teammates controlled the fast and furious 90 minute circuit race in downtown Adelaide to ensure overall victory. “I’m really happy to win again here and to take the ProTour lead,” said Greipel. “Of course I would have liked to have won the stage today because the team worked really hard but I am happy with the overall win. It has been a great week. I really like coming here to race. It’s a nice way to start the season, especially when you win.”

Team Director Allan Peiper was equally pleased with the week of racing. “It was a fantastic combination of effort and work by everyone in the team who came here,” he said. “The whole team arrived two weeks before to get some solid training in for the race and Andre left his 15 day old baby to make sure he was ready. It all paid off with 3 stage wins and the GC. The boys were rock solid and worked really hard the whole week. It was fantastic racing and they were right on top of every critical moment to protect the race lead. We couldn’t have asked for a better start to the season.”

The team will receive the entire First Endurance product line and will continue to work closely with First Endurance on new product development.

Team Columbia-High Road is the number one ranked professional cycling team in the world. They won more races in 2008 than any other team, with 29 different riders winning at least one race – a stunning demonstration of true teamwork that is a unique attainment in pro cycling. The men’s team won 85 races including six stages in the Tour de France, four stages of the Giro d’Italia and multiple overall tour wins. Team Columbia Women won 69 races and the overall World Cup Series.

ABOUT FIRST ENDURANCE

First Endurance was started by two racing fanatics (a cyclist and a triathlete) with a healthy obsession for sports nutrition. The idea was simple. We wanted to give endurance athletes access to formulas that are developed for one specific reason-to maximize endurance performance. At First Endurance, our approach is different. Because of our core values and uncompromising standards, we develop the best products available. We are committed to using only the highest-quality ingredients. We employ the latest technological advancements and demand the finest packaging materials to protect the product from the elements (moisture, oxygen and UV degradation). Only when we are 100% satisfied that these standards are met, do we offer the products to you.