How should you organize your nutrition during prolonged endurance exercise? 

 

Discover our Endurance & Performance packs

1) Goals during exercise

• Optimize the body's functioning to improve performance
• Promote digestive comfort by avoiding various gastric problems

2) An individual strategy

It is essential to provide the body with the right fuel because, just like a car, it powers our engine.

There are common rules for optimizing nutrition during prolonged endurance exercise, but each person has their own way of functioning.

Factors to consider when adapting the organization and composition of nutrition:

• The type and intensity level of the sporting activity
• Individual digestive tolerance and sensitivity
• Personal sensations, tastes, and cravings

A rule to follow when choosing energy sources:

• Healthy products made with the simplest and most natural ingredients possible

3) The different energy substrates

• Energy bar

Suitable for prolonged exercise, it is absorbed more slowly by the body and can provide a valuable amount of protein, vitamins, and minerals.

Consume products containing natural ingredients, with unrefined sugars that have a moderate glycemic index, as well as protein, fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals.

• Energy gel

Very high in carbohydrates with a high glycemic index, it is rapidly absorbed by the body, but during prolonged exercise this is more of a disadvantage.

Indeed, it can cause blood sugar spikes, provides very few vitamins and minerals, and its acidity often causes digestive problems.

It is better suited to a short event that requires a faster supply of available sugars; however, it can be used occasionally during prolonged exercise in the event of a major drop in energy or at the end of an event.

For proper absorption, the energy gel must be taken with water.

• Sports drink

It should be isotonic, meaning it has the same concentration as blood, to allow better absorption and prevent digestive problems and dehydration.

It should contain quality carbohydrates to provide the body with a steady, gradual supply of sugars.

A reasonable amount of unrefined sugars per serving—around 30 g to 40 g of carbohydrates per 500 ml—is more than sufficient.

Vitamins and minerals to optimize hydration and carbohydrate utilization, support muscle function, combat acidity in the body, and replace sweat losses.

• Race and staff fueling

Race aid stations and personal supplies help break the monotony of gels, bars, and energy drinks.

During long efforts, it is recommended to consume salty foods and various preparations to provide a “meal snack” and supply the body with different sources of protein, vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, and essential fatty acids (sandwich, sweet potato purée, rice, crêpe, fruit, dark chocolate, nuts, dried fruit…).

• Proteins and BCAA

BCAA intake becomes worthwhile during prolonged exercise to compensate for insufficient protein consumption, providing an easily assimilated dietary supplement.

This intake of branched-chain amino acids—Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine—supplements the protein consumed through food during exercise.

For athletes seeking to optimize their endurance capacity, they help conserve carbohydrate stores and delay muscle and central nervous system fatigue.

A minimum intake of 1 g of BCAA 2.1.1 per hour of exercise (50% Leucine + 25% Isoleucine + 25% Valine).

4) In practice, how should you organize your energy strategy?

• An intake of approximately 30 to 90 g of carbohydrates per hour (exercise drink plus food intake), depending on needs, individual tolerance, the intensity, and the nature of the effort.

• Prioritize energy products containing low- to moderate-glycemic-index sugars to avoid blood sugar spikes and provide a gradual supply of energy.

“Preferably an energy bar higher in protein and essential fatty acids, and lower in carbohydrates”

• Eat at regular intervals, approximately every 20 to 30 minutes, to help regulate blood sugar levels.

• Toward the end of the effort, it is possible to consume carbohydrates with a higher glycemic index that are easy to absorb, partly to cope with depleted glycogen stores and maintain alertness, concentration, and performance until the end of the effort, and partly to minimize the body’s digestive workload.

“During exercise, digestion slows down to optimize muscle and cardiac function”

• Regularly vary your energy intake with salty foods and homemade preparations to break the monotony of gels, bars, and energy drinks.

• Ensure adequate hydration throughout the effort to compensate for losses caused by sweating and facilitate the absorption of consumed carbohydrates.

“Mix water and energy drink in small, frequent sips, at a rate of 300 to 500ml per hour depending on the weather conditions and individual needs”

Example of an average intake of approximately 60g of carbohydrates per hour of exercise:

• 1 energy bar + energy drink containing 40g of carbohydrates

• ¾ of a banana + energy drink containing 40g of carbohydrates

• 1 20g energy gel + energy drink containing 40g of carbohydrates

• 30g of dates + energy drink containing 40g of carbohydrates

Beware of excessive carbohydrate intake:

The total food intake should remain within a certain range (30 to 90g of carbohydrates per hour of exercise) to avoid overloading the body with too much carbohydrate, which would not be absorbed and could cause gastric problems or dehydration.

Test during training:

It is important to train the intestines to receive food during exercise in order to test digestive tolerance and determine the amount of energy needed to fully optimize performance factors.

Discover our Endurance & Performance packs

CONCLUSION

These explanations provide a general framework for managing energy intake during prolonged endurance efforts.

However, it must be specifically individualized according to each person’s way of functioning in order to benefit from positive effects on energy performance and digestive comfort.

This content was published by our Ambassador Guillaume Klein (Personal coach, sports nutrition and health expert / Ultra-endurance specialist)

• Nutriformation graduate, specializing in micronutrition and nutritherapy
• Trained in sports nutrition by the Evonutri Academy of Positive Nutrition
• Ultra-trail coach trained by the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Athletics League
• Sports dietitian nutritionist for the FC Metz professional team (since 2018)
• Sports dietitian nutritionist at the FC Metz training center (since 2019)
• Creator of the EPIC® method

Passionate about sports and an ultra-endurance athlete in running and ultra-cycling, Guillaume has been able to test for himself the benefits of a natural, balanced diet suited to his actual needs, along with specific, adapted training. Guillaume values high-quality products that meet athletes’ nutritional needs while also offering, from a health perspective, the most natural composition possible.

You too can benefit from his advice and find all our products on this website

If you would like more information or advice, please contact Guillaume via his website www.naturenergy.live.

 

Discover our Endurance & Performance packs