During-exercise fuelling: a familiar sporting term, but what does it mean?
Like sports performance support through pre-workout and post-workout nutrition, it is essential to your athlete’s diet.
Here is how it works.
What Is During-Exercise Fuelling?
An aid station provides food, water or isotonic drinks along a route. We also use fuelling to describe the food and fluids carried and consumed during training or competition.
Why Does Fuelling Matter?
Both nutrition and hydration limit performance. If they fail, performance falls.
During exercise, water and salt losses initially impair performance and may eventually become dangerous if not addressed.
The activity exercise also causes depletion of stores of glycogen in muscle and liver. As these empty, rapid energy availability and performance decline.
During prolonged activity, maintain fluid, electrolytes and carbohydrate fuel. This is where during-exercise fuelling comes in!
What Should Fuelling Provide?
The priority is hydration, often the first limiting factor, particularly in hot or humid conditions. Replace electrolytes lost in sweat, mainly sodium. Other minerals such as chloride, potassium and magnesium also matter during prolonged sessions.
Include carbohydrates from gels, bars and sports drinks or foods such as sugar-rich fruit, including bananas and dried fruit.
Fuelling While Running
For runners, the ideal fuel often looks like this.
When running, prioritise liquid and semi-liquid formats because chewing is difficult. A sports drink with adequate carbohydrates and electrolytes can sustain hours of activity. Adding gels extends the options.
Fuelling While Cycling
During cycling, solid foods can fit, although poor hydration makes chewing difficult because it requires saliva. Inadequate hydration may make even a bar difficult to eat.
On a bike, two larger bottles are practical compared with running. Carry one sports drink with energy from carbohydrates and electrolytes for hydration, and another with water to replenish losses and rinse the mouth. Constant sweetness can be mentally tiring.
Fuelling in the Gym
The training type and duration and environment determine whether water or water with electrolytes suffices, or whether carbohydrates should create a complete isotonic drink.
In a weights room doing sets of 3 repetitions with 2-minute rests, water usually suffices unless very hot.
With longer sets, shorter rests or supersets and sweating, the fuelling strategy changes. For longer sessions, electrolytes may support hydration, injury prevention and recovery.
Combining weights and HIIT over a long session may justify some carbohydrate in the sports drink.
To Sum Up…
Choosing fuel for your athletic needs and goals is not always easy.
For optimal sports performance, our sports nutritionists, also athletes who train and compete, can create a 100% personalised fuelling plan.
We look forward to helping!
