What Is A Sports Gel?
A: Endura Sports Energy Gels are a convenient energy source packed full of electrolytes, energy boosters like caffeine, and a blend of immediate impact and slow release carbohydrates to sustain energy levels. You can store them on you and just take with water as you need. They are an easy way of keeping glycogen and hydration levels up and are suitable for taking either during the whole event, or to get you through when you hit the wall.
Q: Why do I need to use sports gels?
A: To ensure you can perform at your best, it's important to keep up glycogen stores while you exercise. Keeping glycogen levels up is vital to maintain energy reserves, but we all know that digesting on the run is near impossible. That's why Endura Sports Gels contain a ready to absorb carbohydrate source to over come this problem.
Q: Why do I need to have the gel with water?
A: If you don't drink water when you take gels, this can cause gastric upsets. Use them correctly and you won't have any problems. For more details on this, see Rod Cedaro's article below.
Q: How much water should I have with each gel then?
A: For each gel consumed, you should look at drinking around 250-300mL of water to keep it isotonic for best absorption. However, drinking so much water in one hit can be too much to handle. It is best to slowly take the gel over 10–20 minutes and have small sips with every portion, to reach around that 250-300 mL total.
Q: What is different between isotonic, hypertonic & hypotonic?
A: Hypotonic drinks have a lower osmolarity than the body's own fluids, which means they are more dilute and contain fewer carbohydrates and electrolytes per 100mL. This allows them to be absorbed at a faster rate and are used for rapid rehydration when no carbohydrate boost is required. Hypertonic drinks have a higher osmolarity than the body's own fluids, so they are more concentrated. This means their absorption is slower than water, so they are most useful for glycogen replenishment after exercise. Isotonic drinks have the same osmolarity as the body's own fluids. This allows them to be absorbed relatively quickly and provide energy without hindering fluid absorption. Isotonic drinks are the preferred composition, due to their balance between refuelling and rehydration.
Q: Endura Sports Gels contain caffeine. Why?
A: A lot of athletes use caffeine for a spike of energy for the home leg. While caffeine is not a suitable substitute to real glycogen producing energy sources such as carbohydrates, it can be used for an additional boost.
Q: Is the dose of caffeine going to be a problem?
A: In short, no. Each Endura Sports Gels only contains 8mg of caffeine, which is a small amount. It is enough to give a quick increase in energy during training, but shouldn't affect individuals who are sensitive to the side effects of caffeine. To put it in perspective,
- Typical espresso coffee contains 100-150 mg of caffeine per shot;
- Caffeinated soft drink contains around 40mg of caffeine per 375mL serve; and
- Decaf coffee contains around 5mg of caffeine per cup.
Q: What is the sugar Endura Sports Gels are sweetened with?
A: Endura Sports Gels are sweetened with specialised branched chain glucose polymers and microcrystalline fructose to help maintain your energy reserves, so you can perform stronger and longer.
Wrapping it up...
Wrapping it up...
For an easy, compact method of delivering nutrients during events, you can't go past Endura Sports Gels. When used correctly, they can provide you with that added boost to keep your performance on track. If you haven't tried them already, give Endura Sports Gels a go. For more detail on how to use them through your exercise, check out Rod Cedaro's article below.
Use Endura Sports Gels wisely and reap the benefits!
Use Endura Sports Gels wisely and reap the benefits!
By Rod Cedaro (MAAESS) – Consultant Sports Physiologist.
Sports gels are very useful if you're serious about your exercise, but you need to use them the right way.
If you're exercising and consume a sports gel without rehydrating it, it would be too concentrated and can create all sorts of gut distress. This is commonly known as "gastric stasis" (i.e. a closing down of the gut) and can be uncomfortable. Electrolytes and carbohydrates caught in the stomach like this are actually of no use to you because they're not absorbed into the bloodstream. Think of the stomach as a holding tank – even though something may be in your stomach it isn't actually in your body. It isn't until a food leaves the stomach and enters the small intestine that the absorption process actually takes place.
Athletes competing in endurance events that down a sports gel and don't flush them down with ample water are setting themselves up for disaster! If you've ever experienced stomach problems using sports gels the chances are you've done one of the following things:
- Consumed the gel with inadequate water.
- Consumed the gel and tried to wash it down with a sports drink.
- Waited too long before ingesting the gel – you need to start eating and drinking early-on in an endurance event otherwise the gastrointestinal tract closes down.
- Consumed the gel when you've already had something in the stomach (e.g.: a sports bar).
In all of these instances you'll create a hypertonic environment in the stomach resulting in the stomach literally closing down. Many will have experienced this when they've been consuming gels and had that "sloshing" sensation in the gut, followed by a need to slow down, gut pain and possibly even vomiting.
So how do you avoid such a situation occurring?
- Ensure you start eating and drinking early on in the event. For example, if you're competing in an Ironman, as soon as you get out of the water drink some sports drink (about 250 mL) to re-open your gut.
- Eat and drink at regular intervals throughout the event. Set your watch on a 10-15 minute countdown repeat, each time the alarm goes off use a gel and wash it down with plenty of water.
- If you want to take a sports drink or energy bar make such that you do so after a period of time 10-20 minutes following (or before) the ingestion of a sports gel.
Using a product such as an Endura Sports Energy Gels is a great adjunct to your training/racing arsenal. They are convenient and save you having to carry around litres of fluid which convert to extra weight – the last thing you want as you're climbing up a hill! You know precisely how much carbohydrate you're getting, making it easier to match your energy requirements. Most people will need between 2-4 gels per hour depending on body size, intensity of exertion and duration of the event. Just follow my tips and use Endura Sports Energy Gels wisely to reap the benefits!
Queensland's fastest growing endurance sport training squad is the "Croc Squad" - owned and operated by triathlon legend Brad "The Croc" Beven and his business partner and exercise physiologist, Rod Cedaro, the Croc Squad aims to ensure each participant achieves their full athletic potential by carefully personalizing training programs based on each individuals own unique physiology. Visit our website at www.crocsquad.com for more information.
