HOW TO FUEL GUIDE: SPRINT TRIATHLON

By Steve Born

750-meter swim, 20-kilometer bike, 5-kilometer run

This step-by-step fueling protocol is extremely simple to set up and easy to follow. You don't need to carry a lot of gear on your bike or body, it saves you time, and most importantly, it is extremely effective.

Before we delve into the fueling protocol, here's some very important and useful information.

5 SIMPLE WAYS YOU CAN IMPROVE YOUR ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE NOW

There are many steps you can and should take to improve your athletic performance. The following are particularly easy to implement. Start them immediately, and you will soon notice a significant improvement in your endurance.

1) Stay properly hydrated throughout the day

Since your body is about 60% water, it goes without saying that maintaining optimal hydration levels throughout the day is vital. Unfortunately, many people – perhaps including you – live in a state of continuous mild dehydration, which adversely affects athletic performance and overall health.

From now on, gradually increase your fluid intake, primarily by consuming clean, high-quality water. Drink approximately 33-39 ml of fluid per kilogram of body weight daily. For an 82 kg athlete, this means 2.7-3.2 liters of fluid per day, in addition to the amount consumed during exercise. During exercise, consume 473-769 ml of fluid per hour, and in hot weather, no more than 828 ml per hour.

2) Fuel moderately

It may be interesting to know how many calories you use per hour during exercise, but this value does not determine how many calories your body can absorb from fueling. The goal of calorie intake is to consume the absolute minimum amount that keeps your energy levels at the desired and necessary level hour after hour.

For most athletes, this means 120-180 calories per hour. Athletes with a higher body weight, over 91 kg, may consume 200 or slightly more calories per hour. If you find this to be insufficient, you can easily adjust it: simply consume a little more. It is always easier to resolve a situation where too little energy was consumed than one where you overfueled and your stomach is already protesting.

3) Ditch the sugar

Some sports fuels consist of a combination of simple sugars – such as glucose, sucrose, and fructose – and complex carbohydrates, such as maltodextrin. These are formulated based on the assumption that the body can produce more energy per minute using multiple carbohydrate sources than from a single carbohydrate source.

However, it is worth remembering that the participants in these "multiple carbohydrate source" studies exercised at such low intensity – at most a recovery pace – that they probably could have consumed almost anything without problems.

Instead, choose products containing complex carbohydrates, i.e., maltodextrin, such as Hammer Nutrition's Hammer Gel, HEED, Sustained Energy 2.0, or Perpetuem 2.0 sports fuels. Unlike simple sugars, complex carbohydrates provide quickly available, longer-lasting energy and do not cause stomach problems even during high-intensity exercise.

4) Do not eat in the three hours before workouts and races

If you do not consume calories in the three hours before your workout or race, your body enters an ideal physiological state to utilize its limited muscle glycogen stores as efficiently as possible. At the same time, it gains more effective access to the vast amount of energy available in fat reserves.

Apply this practice to all your workouts, even early morning ones. In a relatively short time, you can experience significant improvements in your endurance.

Note: If you absolutely need some calories before starting your activity, consuming an easily digestible energy source, such as a serving of Hammer Gel, 5-10 minutes before starting is acceptable. Do not consume it earlier than this.

5) "Refuel the tank" as soon as possible after every workout

Your body wants to reward your hard work during training by strengthening your immune system, rebuilding muscle tissue more strongly, and storing more immediately usable fuel (glycogen) in your muscles. To achieve these endurance-supporting benefits, all that is needed is to provide your body with the necessary nutrients immediately.

Ideally, this should happen within the first 30 minutes after exercise. The sooner, the better. You need complex carbohydrates and high-quality protein, such as those found in Recoverite and Organic Vegan Recoverite.

FUELING RECOMMENDATIONS

1) Race day success starts AFTER the race

It is crucial to "refuel the tank" after every workout. This is one of the keys to noticeably improving athletic performance. When you start a workout or race, your body primarily uses muscle glycogen as fuel for the first 60-90 minutes or so.

The more consistently you replenish nutrients immediately after exercise – Recoverite or Vegan Recoverite are ideal for this – the more glycogen you can store in your muscles, in addition to numerous other benefits. Muscle glycogen stores can provide up to about 60-90 minutes of energy for subsequent workouts and races.

IMPORTANT NOTE! Most athletes complete a sprint-distance triathlon in 1-1.5 hours, so having the largest possible muscle glycogen store is a huge advantage. You can complete most or even all of the race on this high-quality, muscle-stored fuel, thus minimizing your fueling needs during the race.

2) Stop all calorie intake three hours before the start

You can read about the importance of this in point four of the previous section.

3) As a "pre-emptive strike," take Endurolytes or Endurolytes Extreme

Consuming a serving of Endurolytes or Endurolytes Extreme 15-30 minutes before the start will cover your electrolyte-mineral needs for at least the swim.

The dosage of Endurolytes can be between 1-6 capsules. Most athletes use 2-4 capsules per hour, and the exact amount depends on body weight and temperature conditions. In a race held in warm weather – especially if you have not yet adapted properly to these conditions – I recommend taking 1-2 Endurolytes Extreme capsules before the start.

4) Consume 1-2 servings of Hammer Gel 5-10 minutes before the start

The 1-2 servings of Hammer Gel consumed at this time add additional calories to muscle glycogen stores without interfering with how efficiently the body uses its finite muscle glycogen stores as fuel. It is possible that the 1-2 servings of Hammer Gel consumed before the start will provide enough energy for the entire race.

5) Fueling during the bike leg

Since most athletes complete the race in 1-1.5 hours, a single bottle of HEED may be entirely sufficient to cover calorie and fluid needs, as well as most or all of the electrolyte-mineral needs.

6) Fueling during the run leg

You will likely need little to no additional fuel during this part of the race. However, to be safe, carry a serving of Hammer Gel and a few Endurolytes or Endurolytes Extreme capsules with you.

Cover your fluid needs exclusively with water from aid stations. Do not consume sugary sports drinks.

7) As soon as possible after the race

Immediately after the race, "refuel the tank" with Recoverite or Vegan Recoverite. If you consume two scoops of Recoverite or Organic Vegan Recoverite within the first 30 minutes after the race, you can take advantage of the period when the glycogen synthase enzyme is most active.

This allows the body to replenish and increase its glycogen stores. At the same time, it provides the raw materials needed for muscle tissue rebuilding and immune system support, i.e., amino acids from protein.