The Basics of endurance fueling.

The world of sports nutrition is confusing and highly myth-based.

Real food is always best but not always practical or capable. Performance sports nutrition has moved forward significantly, and we have sourced brands, and products focused on the athlete's wellbeing first. 

The basics… 

• Carbohydrate is the foundation performance fuel for endurance athletes.

• Hydration is important; drink to thirst with an electrolyte during long (over 90 minutes) training and racing sessions.

• Carbohydrates and protein are the foundation of recovery nutrition for progressive and long-term recovery.

• Caffeine is a performance-enhancing natural ingredient that works, but the effectiveness is personal and using too much caffeine is not better.

• Nitrates are also performance-enhancing natural ingredients that work and are used by elite athletes.

• It is easier to think about energy consumption in grams of carbohydrates per hour consumed than calories.

Why…

• Our bodies need energy to train and race. Endurance fuel comes from the energy stored in the body and from food.

• Our bodies will always get energy from the most accessible source: food in the gut or energy in our muscles is used first. 

• Athletes, in general, can effectively consume and use between 40-90 grams of carbohydrate per hour. 
• Carbohydrate consumption is highly individual, and you should test what works for you.
• Small or lighter athletes need less carbohydrate per hour than larger athletes. 
• Be flexible; your current trained physiology and your environment can also change the amount of carbohydrates you can consume per hour. 
• Generally, and in performance terms, taking slightly more is better than slightly less.

• Endurance athletes mainly train and race in aerobic zones, making it possible to consume and use energy from food whilst we train and race.

• Consistently training over 60 minutes in any endurance activity, athletes should consider supporting their training and racing with carbohydrates and water as a minimum.

Endurance fueling basics…

• Athletes training or racing between 60 – 90 minutes should consider consuming 20-30 grams of carbohydrates per hour
• Consider using a glucose and fructose mix product for fast and sustained energy support. 
• Consider using products with an electrolyte profile if consistently repeating this type of effort over a long period. 
• Consider using a recovery drink or bar if time is tight after training and racing, which will support consistent training, progress and general health.

• Athletes training or racing over 90 minutes should consider consuming 50 – 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour. 
• The amount of energy an athlete needs will depend on gender, height, weight and training intensity.
• Test 2 or three fueling strategies in training for race day. 
• An athlete’s energy can vary depending on activity, intensity, environment, physical conditioning, and nutritional training. 
• Consider using a glucose and fructose mix product for fast and sustained energy support. 
• Consider using products with an electrolyte profile if consistently repeating this type of effort over a long period. 
• Consider using a recovery product if you are time-constrained post-training and racing to supportconsistent training and health.

• Intensity, physiological state and environment can also affect the amount of carbohydrate an athlete can consume per hour.

As athletes, we know first-hand the power of nutrition in training and racing and believe today’s leading sports nutrition can play a decisive role in performance. However, we do not think athletes should only use high-performance sports nutrition.

For training blocks and training, days focused on volume and intensity as well as intense racing days, we will use both high-performance sports nutrition and specific recovery nutrition to support consistent, high-quality training and general health.

We use sports nutrition to help support consistent carbohydrate levels when training and racing, for ease and simplicity when balancing busy lives with our passion. 

We do not use sports nutrition completing very easy recovery days, weeks or blocks.

Real food is critically important to an athlete's overall health and wellbeing, and nutritional variety help with gut health, immunity, recovery and general health. This helps our system regenerate, stops nutritional fatigue and promotes a healthy microbiome, healthy eating habits and balanced minerals and vitamins.

Sports nutrition should never be used as a substitute for healthy, whole food and natural eating. 

It is critical to understand that teeth need to rest from sports nutrition and food. 

Badmouth hygiene can increase inflammation already increased through stressful endurance training, affecting your immunity and capability to perform at peak.

Our selected brands… 

We have selected the brands we use and believe put the athlete at the centre of performance with natural science, data, and best in class clean ingredients. These are brands that are kind to our bodies and our planet.