running with energy gels – how valuable are they?
Running with endurance gels – how helpful are they?
At some point in your jogging career, maybe at the beginning or somewhere in the middle you will hear or read about stamina gels for running. Celebrated amongst competitors, jogging gels are as a whole used in long distance runs to give further endurance from carbohydrates and also to restore electrolytes, lost through sweat.
Form and usage of vigor gels
Endurance gels are concentrated, syrup like carbohydrates. Energy gels come in small packets and provide approximately 250 calories per 100 g or around 100 calories per small pouch which is usually contains less than 50 g of gel. They are designed to be quickly and effortlessly digested. Endurance running gels are squeezed directly into the mouth, every 25-45 minutes (depend on brand you use), taken together with water for quicker absorption. They come in deviating flavours and have sweet taste.
Why to use endurance gels when running
Endurance gels should be used when running long distances lasting around or more than 60 minutes. During running our body needs vigor, the main source of energy for our body are carbohydrates. These are broken down into simple sugars such as glucose to provide stamina.
Stamina gels provide instant vigor, as they are composed mainly from glucose, which is competently and quickly absorbed in our body.
Which running gels are most effective when it comes to execution?
The majority of producers of stamina gels support the description of their products with scientifically proven facts. PowerBar the producer of PowerBar gel for example uses C2Max carbohydrate mix that provides optimum combination and ratio of glucose and fructose to improve execution. As company claims this special ratio allows carbohydrate absorption up to 55% when consumed regularly. This affects the release of vigor, which last longer and results in better achievement by 8%. These results are based on study of 200 athletes. The product is advertised by Haile Gebrselassie who has been using PowerBar products since 1998.
Separate producers provide dissimilar explanations and values for carbohydrates absorption and adaptability; however these are not significantly deviating. It is very difficult to prove adeptness of endurance gels; therefore the best strategy is to try different stamina gels and look at your achievement and use your own judgement.
There are a lot of studies that show that eating of combined carbohydrates (glucose, fructose, maltodextrin) before and during physical exercise help to better oxidation rates in our body and greater carbohydrates delivery.
In judgment
Vigor gels are useful when it comes to energy running. They provide urgent vigor and electrolytes during long distance jogging such as marathon race or half marathon. Every runner might react dissimilarly to a particular brand of energy gels. It is recommended to test endurance gels during training sections and use known brand on the day of your race to avoid any gastrointestinal disturbances.
Always refer to manufacturers own information on how use energy gels during your running.
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