One day, I went out for a long workout and forgot my carbo gel at home. So as not to run out of energy and avoid hitting the wall, I stopped at a mini market and bought a packet of gummy candies! I ate a few candies and carried on training until I finished.
I posted a reel on Instagram explaining that eating the candies for energy is okay and that it’s better than not eating anything during a long run (> 60 minutes).
The truth is most athletes underfuel during training, leading to slower recovery, poor endurance, and muscle breakdown. Worst of all, most athletes don’t refuel during long training sessions because they don’t know what to eat or which gel to take! To avoid all these bad scenarios, you must know what and when to eat during long workouts. In this post, I’ll explain everything you need to know.
The intra-workout recommendation in Endurance
- In training sessions lasting up to 60 minutes -> no or little carbs (10 to 15g).
If you’ve had your carb-rich pre-workout 1 hour or 30 minutes before training, you don’t need to eat carbs on a run of up to 60 minutes.
- In training sessions > 60 minutes -> 30 – 60g of carbs/hour of exercise.
Practically speaking that would be:
One carbo-gel
OR
4 dates
OR
1 medium banana
OR
~10-11 pieces of gummy candy
OR
~6 to 7 dried apricots
Note: consume 1 of the options every 30 minutes from minute 60.
- In training sessions > 2.5 hours -> up to 60- 90g/hour of exercise.
The best is to use a mixture of glucose + fructose or maltose + fructose.
Here the best option is the carb-gel or carbohydrate drink.
Carbohydrate Sources
- You can mix and match carbs
- Gels, drinks, energy bars, real food, and chews can work.
-> Avoid bars with higher fiber, fats, and proteins to avoid GI Issues – choose bars with fast carbs (glucose, sucrose, maltose)
Good examples of foods:
Dates, bananas, applesauce pouches, pretzels, rice bars, fruit snacks, dried apricots.
The best gel is the one you like the most and the one you can afford.
There is no perfect gel!
General Information
- Hydrogels are equal to other carbs during exercise, but there is no evidence that they deliver more carbs than others.
- Avoid Palatinose which is a slow carbohydrate and can cause GI issues.
- Fuel early & often. Don’t wait until you feel drained to eat.
- Experiment with different carb sources (gels, chews, real food) to find what works best for you.
Athletes who follow a diet plan devised by sports dietitian nutritionists have a specific intra-workout nutrition strategy. Strategies can change depending on the competition/training routes, climate, altitude, etc.
