How many carbohydrates should you take in a resistance test?

Our collaborator in sports nutrition Crown Sport Nutrition, tells us in this article what we have to do to ingest the carbohydrates in a correct way

The right question we should ask ourselves is How many hydrates should you ingest during a physical resistance activity?

The most common carbohydrate options that athletes usually take are in the form of energy gels y bars

Since when can I take them?

It is important to know that the intake of carbohydrates it can be done from minute 1 of the competition, although they recommend that we lend especial attention from the first hour of physical activity

Recommended time and quantity?

After this time the recommended consumption is about 30g hourly.

When we pass the second hour, the glycogen deposits begin to run out or may even be empty, so you have to take this into account.

In this area the recommendations amount to 60g. hourly.

And in Ultra resistance tests?

As for ultra resistance tests that last more than 4 hours, you have to Increase intake by taking 90g. hourly.

Science tells us that with these amounts of carbohydrates we ensure enough energy to optimize performance.

How to consume these amounts?

There are several options depending on what you take in the race, these are some of the possible combinations:

Case 1, isotonic only

If I know that they meet the hydration guidelines and ingest approximately 500ml of Isotonic Drink every hour, they will have approx. 30g of carbohydrates.

To reach 60g they would have to consume a  Energy Gel  or a  5: 1 Energy Bar.

Case 2, they take equal parts water and isotonic

In the event that Isotonic Drink and water are consumed equally, it should be borne in mind that the carbohydrate intake will be reduced by half.

To reach the correct intake, you would have to consume two units of gels or bars or combine one and one (depending on tastes, disciplines, etc.).

Case 3, they only drink water

For those who only consume water, it is necessary to have a majority consumption of gels and bars.

For example, Energy gel and / or Energy Bar, going from one (2nd hour) to two (3rd hour) and reaching three or more in the tests / training exceeding 4h.

The golden rule, do not prove anything on the day of the competition

It is very important Do not try any products and especially gels and sticks on race days, supplementation is something that must also be trained in training sessions throughout the year.

Knowing the rhythms and planning what and when we are going to take it is as important as the training itself, since bad practice or supplementation planning can disrupt all our training.

Further information: https://crownsportnutrition.com/