What’s your MCPH?
BY BRIAN FRANK
Hey, Hammer fans!
Brian Frank here talking about a really important subject. “Got to get this off my chest before I explode," as the old headline used to read. For 36 years, I've been dealing with the question of how many calories per hour one should consume when exercising, be it an hour, 3 hours, 6 hours, or 12-hour multi-day events. Hint – Less is BEST!
Hammer on.
This question vexes many athletes, and unfortunately, there is so much myth and misinformation surrounding it. The high-calorie crowd, as we call them, the experts of the day, were saying the same thing about how many calories per hour, with some going as high as 400, even 600! Silliness!
Maybe that's what you're burning. Doesn't really matter. You can't consume anywhere near that much. So, now we have a whole new generation of research, sort of. The outcome of a couple of questionable studies touting 60 to 90 grams an hour of carbohydrate is the basis for the "new" 60-90 grams per hour or recommended intake. Take a closer look at that research - Test subjects operate at 50% of max watts! What?
That's right. Participants are walking along at a 95 beats per minute heart rate, not so much. We're constantly exercising at a much higher heart rate than that.
You've probably tried higher calorie intake and had GI distress, plus all kinds of fun problems that go with it. So we invented this concept that less is best for optimal fueling in response to constantly dealing with athletes suffering from overconsumption of calories. So I have a little system I call the minimum calories per hour - MCPH.
MCPH is the number you want to know. You want to determine your minimum calories per hour that allows you to exercise at the limits of your ability and fitness, not slow down, and not suffer GI distress or any other cramping problems. It comes down to about one calorie per pound of body weight for most athletes.
That usually ends up being the sweet spot, plus or minus a few. So, for most athletes, we're talking 100 to 180 calories an hour. Nowhere near this 240 to 360 calorie craziness we're hearing. This high-calorie take also contradicts human physiology. We know that the human liver can return about 1 gram of carbohydrate per minute into Glycogen.
So there you go. Four calories per gram, times 60 minutes in an hour, equals a 240-calorie per hour theoretical ceiling. So why try to exceed that? And more to the point, why try to stuff so many calories down your throat when you just want to go pedal, swim, bike, run, whatever?
So do that and consume a lot less calories. You'll be happier, your stomach will be happier, and you can forget about all the high-calorie fuss and mus. So less is best. 100-180 calories an hour. One calorie per pound of body weight, and you'll be in the ballpark.
19 comments
Your article validates my calculations! Yay! I am very OCD when it comes to my calorie intake on training runs and race events (especially long distances). I’ve been mixing 3 scoops of Perpetuem 2.0, which give me 2 hrs @ 135 cph. I put them in hammer flasks and each serving I take every 24 mins. Works like a charm and I have absolutely no GI distress. I just need to mix the flavors around for variety.
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Hammer Nutrition replied:
Hello Pam, thank you for your comments and support! I wonder what % of participants in the last ultra you did could say the same thing about their fueling program? “Less is Best” and “fuel right, feel great” are not just marketing slogans I came up with. They are truthful statements. BDF
Your simple math makes sense, but it simply doesn’t jibe with real-world experience. All the ProTour cycling teams employ full-time nutritionists, doctors and physiologists now, and all have been experimenting with their athletes during pre-season training. They would not be consuming these mega calories if it didn’t work. On a personal level, I am a now-65 year old mtb, TT and gravel racer who has enjoyed a good deal of success over the last 35 years of competition. For all those years I followed the rule that your body can process only about 30 percent max of what you’re burning. When I am on rivet in a 2-3 hour mtb or gravel race, I figure I am burning 800+ calories per hour, so I typically planned on consuming 200-300 per hour. My problem has always been finishing strong. Regardless of how much I train I always blew up in that last half hour and suffered like a dog to get to the finish. But a couple of years ago as the carb craze gained momentum, I began experimenting by upping my intake to about 400 per hour. The result? I began having some of my best races ever, hammering right to the tape without blowing sky-high like usual. So while the casual athlete or age-grouper who tools along for fun burning 400 calories an hour certainly doesn’t have to supplement, those of us battling for a podium certainly do.
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Hammer Nutrition replied:
Hello James, thank you for your comments. We’ll have to agree to disagree here and accept the fact that you are a unique person. That being said, there’s no basis in human physiology or research data to support your contention and experience. You and the entire pro peleton must have magical livers that can convert almost twice as much blood glucose to glycogen as has ever been documented AND a magic stomach that can drain with massive carb content in it. In order for your body to be able to do what you suggest, you lliver would need to convert almost 6.75 grams per minute to glycogen (highest recorded in research is 4.6) and be able to get almost 70 oz of water to pass through your gut each hour (research says 24-30 oz. or so is the upper limit). Next, there are many factors that could lead to you running out of gas before the end of an intense mtb race. For example, if you are/were eating a meal 60-90 minutes before the start, that would do it. No fat burning possible, blowing through glycogen prematurely, etc. Which also brings up your calculations and not allowing for any fat metabolism in your energy demands. Yes, even at red line intensity, when exercising for more than 60-70 minutes, fat metabolism occurs, a lot more if you observe the 3 hours pre-race window for calories. I completely reject your notion that my “Less is best” fueling philosophy is only for casual athletes. I’ve spent 37 years helping thousands of athletes achieve personal bests, countless podiums, national championships, world championships, FKT’s and world records. In that time, I’ve met a couple of unicorns, but the overwhelming majority (talking 99 out of a 100) cannot even tolerate 60 grams per hour without getting sick. Lastly, if you want to consume 100 grams of carbs per hour during training and racing, I’ve got several great products like Hammer Gel, HEED, Perpetuem and Sustained Energy that you can use. BDF
I have been using Hammer Nutrition products since 2017. It is the only product I have used that has not led to cramping, GI distress and bloating. I have competed and podiumed at 24, 12, 6 and 3 hour mtb races as a Masters Athlete (I’m 66) and HEED and Perpetuem have been my riding staples. It’s always great to get reminders as to why I continue to fuel the way Hammer taught me since we are surrounded by the high calorie, high carb, sugar crowd. Thank you for the continuing support and education.
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Hammer Nutrition replied:
Hi John, thank you for your comments and confirmation that our fueling strategy works for podium bound athletes, as well as everyone else. Keep on hammering! BDF
Hi Brian… Looks like you’re getting into the video blog space which is great. Thanks as usual for some relevant information. I’m just an older guy (65) who wants to live a long active life and your products really help me do that! I’m your biggest proponent when I’m amongst my hiking/biking friends.
I have one suggestion. Maybe it’s because I’m a trained photographer but viewing a video in portrait is much less pleasurable than in landscape. JMHO
Thanks for providing all your great products and info!
Steve
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Hammer Nutrition replied:
Hi Stevo! Thank you for your comment and suggestion, but more for your support and advocacy! I really appreciate you. I started doing videos last year, one take, unscripted, just “being frank” and people seem to like them, so I’ll keep making more. Since the beginning, I’ve been endeavoring to provide the information and data needed to put my products, or any other, and all of your hard work in training to the best effect possible when exercising. That’s why I started publishing Endurance News back in 1992. These days, seems hard to get anyone to read anything, so I’d doing videos too. I hear what you are saying and totally agree, for tablet/laptop/desktop users on the landscape video format. Unfortunately, most of our “views” come from mobile devices. As you well know, people much prefer portrait style videos when watching on their phone. I do agree though that some of my key videos, like the 5 SOS series that are embedded on our site should be re-done in land scrape format. Thank you again for the suggestion. Keep Hammering! BDF
Saturday, June 15th I start my 22nd RAAM, Team Skipper – 60 plus men’s team. This helps me verify what I felt and what I have learned, sometimes the hard way that if I take too many calories my stomach does get upset and that also seems to affect my body’s ability to keep a proper balance of electrolytes. Thanks. Tim Skipper
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Hammer Nutrition replied:
Hi Tim, thank you for your comments and congratulations your RAAM legacy. I appreciate your affirmation that Less is Best – you can always add more calories, but not so fun to take them out if you get too many! Steve and I will be available if you, your team mates or crew need any guidance before or during the event. Keep on hammering! BDF