Back to the Gels, those gooey, weird energy things that get all the hype. Yes they are great and yes they are one of the best ways to fuel while exercising. But what is in a Gel?
Example #1:
GU Tri-Berry: Maltodextrin (Glucose Polymers), Filtered Water, Fructose, GU Amino Acid Blend (Leucine, Valine, Isoleucine, Histidine), Natural And Artificial Berry Flavor, Potassium And Sodium Citrate, GU Antioxidant Blend (Natural Vitamin E And Vitamin C), Calcium Carbonate, Fumaric Acid, Sea Salt, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, GU Herbal Blend [Chamomile, Cola Nut (Has Caffeine), Ginger], Citric Acid, Pectin. Gluten-free. Dairy-free. With ~20mg of caffeine.
Example #2:
PowerGel Chocolate: C2 MAX CARBOHYDRATE BLEND (MALTODEXTRIN, FRUCTOSE), WATER, CHOCOLATE, GLYCERIN, POWERBAR ELECTROLYTE BLEND (SODIUM CHLORIDE, SODIUM CITRATE, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE), NATURAL FLAVOR, SODIUM BISULFATE, GREEN TEA EXTRACT AND CAFFEINE FROM TEA, SODIUM BENZOATE AND POTASSIUM SORBATE (TO MAINTAIN FRESHNESS). MADE ON EQUIPMENT THAT ALSO PROCESSES MILK AND SOY.
Example #3:
Hammer Gel Apple-Cinnamon: Maltodextrin, Filtered Water, Apple Juice Concentrate, Energy Smart® (Fruit Juice, Natural Grain Dextrins), Ground Cinnamon, Malic Acid, Vanilla Extract, Potassium Sorbate (as a preservative), Salt, Amino Acids (L-Leucine, L-Alanine, L-Valine, L-Isoleucine), Potassium Chloride. This product is processed in a facility that also processes Dairy & Soy products.
A quick example of one of my many Gel Recipies: Agave Nectar, Banana, Almond Butter (homemade), Medjool Dates, Carob (or Cocoa) Powder, Sea Salt.
So, what do I think of commercial gels? I think they have completely transformed the during exercise nutrition scene. I remember back 15+ years ago when we would take GU with us on days skiing where we weren't sure when we would get to (read: want to) stop for a food break. Sometimes you just want to GO...we had GU. This was in the mid-90's when I'm not even sure the athletic world was super keen on this stuff. So what's the big deal? Most of you know - during exercise nutrition has a cornucopia of benefits: increased performance, increased recovery, mental sharpness, energy stabilization, endurance, the list does not stop. Refueling fluids, electrolytes, and energy (mainly carbs and fat) are absolutely critical in performance and the benefit becomes increased with increased duration/intensity.
More recently though - I have become more keen on knowing what I put into my body. I have adopted the, as my late teacher "Bud" Flaherty used to say, KISS method (Keep It Simple, Stupid). Simple means many things: you can actually pronounce the ingredients, the body takes it very well, it is easily disgestible, and it provides very efficient energy. Sure it might not maximize the complex:simple carbohydrate ratio, or have a slight amount of fat (give me a couple months and I'll freakin' nail it!). But it tastes better, feels better, and fuels better.
Books have been and are written on how much and what to intake during exercise. So I will not be going into Glycemic Index (GI), complex carbs, branced chain amino acids (BCAA's) medium chain trigylcerides, protein utilization on longer activities, etc. At least not on this post. Maybe if I bust out a biochem book and a 100% science focus sports nutrition book next to each other. However, consuming nutrition during exercise is very much based on the individual and there is no "golden" number out there. Mainly because it is all about being able to tolerate what you eat. Fats and Proteins are more difficult to digest, and there is much debate regarding simple vs complex carbohydrates. For simplicity's sake (at the moment) I will stick with carbs are easy, fats can be okay, and protein should be avoided in large quantities. This avoidance of high protein is primarily because protein is used to build muscle and not fuel it...when you burn protein for fuel the byproduct has toxins. So if you eat "protein bars" during endurance and serious cardiovascular workouts, I highly suggest you switch it up! A little protein is good - because on longer bouts of exercise your body actually requires a very small amount of protein (or it steals it from your muscles), but take in a lot and you're hurting yourself.
Back to tolerance of digestion: most during exercise nutrition is carbohydrate based, some sources for longer activity (2-3 hours and longer) utilize fat and small amounts of protein - with good reason. Hammer Nutrition recommends ~250kcal per hour (kcal = 1000 calories = 1 Calorie - which is what you see on nutrition labels here in the US). I suggest starting with 200kcal/hr and increase as tolerable. Running is more difficult than cycling as it is not as easy to carry/eat nutrition and you are bouncing around more, which definitely effects comfort in digestion. As an example, thanks to my wonderful stomach, I plan to take in at least 400kcal/hr during my 3 hour high-intensity (lots of climbing) cycling race in a few weeks. I am in the final stages of testing my homemade Gels.
My ride today was broken into 3 parts:
Without further ado, I present to you my most recent long-winded concoction "Banana Honey Almond Butter Gel": The gel is designed as a mid-long distance gel at moderate intensity. The other gel I made for today was a 'high-octane' formula for the 1 hour hard effort I made during the group ride.
There is one "secret ingredient" in which I am in the Alpha stages of testing, Blackstrap Molasses (it passed today's test! Woohoo!). I was rummaging through the cabinet last night when I came across this beast! I have been desperately searching for a good, high-quality, and natural source of potassium in compact form - I nearly resorted to using coconut meat from fresh coconuts (but didn't know if it is even high in potassium):
Hammer Gel Apple-Cinnamon: Maltodextrin, Filtered Water, Apple Juice Concentrate, Energy Smart® (Fruit Juice, Natural Grain Dextrins), Ground Cinnamon, Malic Acid, Vanilla Extract, Potassium Sorbate (as a preservative), Salt, Amino Acids (L-Leucine, L-Alanine, L-Valine, L-Isoleucine), Potassium Chloride. This product is processed in a facility that also processes Dairy & Soy products.
A quick example of one of my many Gel Recipies: Agave Nectar, Banana, Almond Butter (homemade), Medjool Dates, Carob (or Cocoa) Powder, Sea Salt.
So, what do I think of commercial gels? I think they have completely transformed the during exercise nutrition scene. I remember back 15+ years ago when we would take GU with us on days skiing where we weren't sure when we would get to (read: want to) stop for a food break. Sometimes you just want to GO...we had GU. This was in the mid-90's when I'm not even sure the athletic world was super keen on this stuff. So what's the big deal? Most of you know - during exercise nutrition has a cornucopia of benefits: increased performance, increased recovery, mental sharpness, energy stabilization, endurance, the list does not stop. Refueling fluids, electrolytes, and energy (mainly carbs and fat) are absolutely critical in performance and the benefit becomes increased with increased duration/intensity.
More recently though - I have become more keen on knowing what I put into my body. I have adopted the, as my late teacher "Bud" Flaherty used to say, KISS method (Keep It Simple, Stupid). Simple means many things: you can actually pronounce the ingredients, the body takes it very well, it is easily disgestible, and it provides very efficient energy. Sure it might not maximize the complex:simple carbohydrate ratio, or have a slight amount of fat (give me a couple months and I'll freakin' nail it!). But it tastes better, feels better, and fuels better.
Books have been and are written on how much and what to intake during exercise. So I will not be going into Glycemic Index (GI), complex carbs, branced chain amino acids (BCAA's) medium chain trigylcerides, protein utilization on longer activities, etc. At least not on this post. Maybe if I bust out a biochem book and a 100% science focus sports nutrition book next to each other. However, consuming nutrition during exercise is very much based on the individual and there is no "golden" number out there. Mainly because it is all about being able to tolerate what you eat. Fats and Proteins are more difficult to digest, and there is much debate regarding simple vs complex carbohydrates. For simplicity's sake (at the moment) I will stick with carbs are easy, fats can be okay, and protein should be avoided in large quantities. This avoidance of high protein is primarily because protein is used to build muscle and not fuel it...when you burn protein for fuel the byproduct has toxins. So if you eat "protein bars" during endurance and serious cardiovascular workouts, I highly suggest you switch it up! A little protein is good - because on longer bouts of exercise your body actually requires a very small amount of protein (or it steals it from your muscles), but take in a lot and you're hurting yourself.
Back to tolerance of digestion: most during exercise nutrition is carbohydrate based, some sources for longer activity (2-3 hours and longer) utilize fat and small amounts of protein - with good reason. Hammer Nutrition recommends ~250kcal per hour (kcal = 1000 calories = 1 Calorie - which is what you see on nutrition labels here in the US). I suggest starting with 200kcal/hr and increase as tolerable. Running is more difficult than cycling as it is not as easy to carry/eat nutrition and you are bouncing around more, which definitely effects comfort in digestion. As an example, thanks to my wonderful stomach, I plan to take in at least 400kcal/hr during my 3 hour high-intensity (lots of climbing) cycling race in a few weeks. I am in the final stages of testing my homemade Gels.
My ride today was broken into 3 parts:
- 70mins easy w/ a couple moderate efforts (long ride into Portland)
- 65mins fairly hard for the Group Ride: many attacks/breakaway attempts with moderate effort when recovering **One breakaway was 15mins long @ HR 173bpm (85%+ Max HR and thus well into "high intensity")
- 40mins easy ride home
Without further ado, I present to you my most recent long-winded concoction "Banana Honey Almond Butter Gel": The gel is designed as a mid-long distance gel at moderate intensity. The other gel I made for today was a 'high-octane' formula for the 1 hour hard effort I made during the group ride.
There is one "secret ingredient" in which I am in the Alpha stages of testing, Blackstrap Molasses (it passed today's test! Woohoo!). I was rummaging through the cabinet last night when I came across this beast! I have been desperately searching for a good, high-quality, and natural source of potassium in compact form - I nearly resorted to using coconut meat from fresh coconuts (but didn't know if it is even high in potassium):
- 1/2 Large Banana
- 1/4 C Honey
- 2T Almond Butter (homemade)
- 1T Blackstrap Molasses
- 2tsp Carob Powder
- 1/4tsp Sea Salt
Place all ingredients into a food processor until smooth. Then turn back on for about 30 seconds (you want this stuff very smooth if you are using a Gel Flask - especially if you use dates or similar non-soft fruit at all!).
Here's a couple pictures of the good stuff in life: Pure, unadultered deliciousness that will burn cleaner (and cost much less) than anything commercially available. In due time, many of my recipes will have an estimated cost associated with them. A quick calculation gives this blend at about $0.33/oz (versus GU's base price of $1.25, their Roctane is a whopping $2.35). Even being an employee at a running store, I can't get nutrition for anything near $0.33/oz (unless it is expired and thus free :p):
The official breakdown of the two flasks:
Cal: 987, From Fat: 180. Carbs 186g (76% Cals), Fat 20g (18% Cals), Protein 17g (6% Cals). Now, a couple scientific papers (referenced in Thirve) state the body utilizes a 60:35:5 Carb:Fat:Protein ratio for moderate intensity and a 90:7:3 ratio for high intensity. As my workout included
Soon, once I've experimented a bit more, I will post my various formulae for homemade Gel for different activity intensities and lengths. Luckily my official "test ride" will be Tour of the Battenkill, a crushing 100K (62.25mi) justly dubbed "America's Queen of Classics". The spring race that has 10 dirt sections, 6300ft+/- vertical gain/loss, and will make you suffer whether you are a pro or if it's your first voyage on the epic route. There are bouts of absolutely maximal efforts and a lack of pleasing lulls in this race, thus it is very difficult to prepare for nutritionally. Best thing (as with any day training or in life): Make sure the fuel stores are completely full. Next step, take in what you can and make sure your body burns cleaner, better, faster, stronger.
Until my next Gel post, enjoy trying out this recipe. If you want suggestions or have any questions post them in the comments and I will more than gladly respond to you!
Here's a couple pictures of the good stuff in life: Pure, unadultered deliciousness that will burn cleaner (and cost much less) than anything commercially available. In due time, many of my recipes will have an estimated cost associated with them. A quick calculation gives this blend at about $0.33/oz (versus GU's base price of $1.25, their Roctane is a whopping $2.35). Even being an employee at a running store, I can't get nutrition for anything near $0.33/oz (unless it is expired and thus free :p):
 |
| The Mixology |
 |
| Double-Flasking (6oz each) for the SMR on 3/24/2012 (3hrs cycling). 1000kcal total. (Left flask is the recipe shown above - my brother liked this one more). |
Cal: 987, From Fat: 180. Carbs 186g (76% Cals), Fat 20g (18% Cals), Protein 17g (6% Cals). Now, a couple scientific papers (referenced in Thirve) state the body utilizes a 60:35:5 Carb:Fat:Protein ratio for moderate intensity and a 90:7:3 ratio for high intensity. As my workout included
Soon, once I've experimented a bit more, I will post my various formulae for homemade Gel for different activity intensities and lengths. Luckily my official "test ride" will be Tour of the Battenkill, a crushing 100K (62.25mi) justly dubbed "America's Queen of Classics". The spring race that has 10 dirt sections, 6300ft+/- vertical gain/loss, and will make you suffer whether you are a pro or if it's your first voyage on the epic route. There are bouts of absolutely maximal efforts and a lack of pleasing lulls in this race, thus it is very difficult to prepare for nutritionally. Best thing (as with any day training or in life): Make sure the fuel stores are completely full. Next step, take in what you can and make sure your body burns cleaner, better, faster, stronger.
Until my next Gel post, enjoy trying out this recipe. If you want suggestions or have any questions post them in the comments and I will more than gladly respond to you!
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