Science in Sport's Protein bars are a tasty, easy-to-eat protein hit

If you think protein is just for weight-chucking, gym-loving strength athletes then think again. While protein - and, we can't stress enough, nurition in general - is a vital component of weight training programmes, it's just as important for endurance athletes but for a slightly different purpose. While weight lifters use protein to fuel muscle growth (aka trying to make muscles larger and stronger), endurance athletes also need protein to aid muscle recovery after training and a similarly important role in energy supply and muscle maintenance. 

Basically, after around 90mins of endurance exercise the body's glycogen stores are depleted and it looks for other ways to supply energy. One of the first things the body looks to do is called gluconeogenesis which is in this context (in a wildly oversimplified and unscientific explanation) basically the breakdown of your muscles to supply that energy. Having a good quality protein source supplies the body with the amino acids that it needs so it doesn't need to go looking for those sources elsewhere. What that means is that in any endurance exercise over a couple of hours, you really need to be taking on both carbohydrates and protein as fuel. 

SiS has various protein sources in its range, but these protein bars - and the fantastic Protein20 bars as well - are the easiest way to take a protein source with you on the bike that's formulated specifically for athletic performance. Each bar contains 20g whey protein along with 22g of carbs and less than 3g of sugar (flavour dependent) and come in two halves to make them easier to eat. 

If you want to talk flavours - and let's be honest, this is the best bit - then we're talking Dark Chocolate Raspberry, Cookies & Cream, Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter and White Chocolate Fudge. If you dont like the sound of any of those then we really can't help you. 

On the other hand, if you're more of a shake person then there's always the REGO Rapid Recovery powder which is another easy way to up that protein intake.