Effective fueling for events 3 hours and under
BY STEVE BORN
They haven’t been out for too very long, but our How to Fuel Guides have proven to be an absolute hit. Why? Because their detailed, step-by-step recommendations take the guesswork out of how to easily and effectively fuel for your sport or event. Inside each article, you'll find specific, actionable advice so you can fuel right and feel great, no matter the sport or distance.
While many of these events are longer in duration (e.g., Full Iron-Distance Triathlon), we also provide fueling guides for shorter-duration events such as:
Single Day Road Cycling Races (shorter distances)
Road Cycling Criteriums (Crits)
For these 3-hour-and-under events, while you could certainly use Perpetuem, a “meal in a bottle” drink—with its complex carbs, protein, healthy fat combination—you really only need a “carbohydrate only” fuel, either Hammer Gel, HEED, or a combination of both.
Hammer Nutrition Founder & CEO, Brian Frank, explains this in more detail in his short article and video, Hammer Under 3 Hours and Over 3 Hours
In these shorter-duration events, HEED is a very attractive option, because it is the closest you can get to the convenience of all-in-one fueling. Here’s why:
- With each scoop of containing 110 calories of fast-acting, long-lasting complex carbohydrates, 1.0 – 1.5 scoops of HEED—up to 2.0 scoops for larger athletes—will fulfill all your calorie needs for an hour.
- Using a 20-26-ounce water bottle, the water you mix HEED in will fulfill your fluid needs for an hour.
- Depending on how many scoops of HEED you use, you can fulfill most to all of your electrolytic mineral needs for an hour. HEED contains a balanced blend of all the electrolytic minerals you need and adds a touch more sodium via the inclusion of sodium phosphate, which also provides outstanding acid-buffering/pH-balancing benefits.
NOTE: You can add a scoop of Endurolytes Extreme Powder to your bottles if more electrolytic minerals are needed or you can carry additional capsules of Endurolytes or Endurolytes Extreme to use on an as-needed/when-needed basis.
HEED contains no simple sugars or tooth enamel-destroying citric acid, as well as some key auxiliary nutrients not found in other sports drinks:
-
Chromium is considered by many nutritional scientists to be the "master nutrient" for controlling blood sugar (meaning stable blood glucose levels during exercise). Chromium also plays a vital role in energy production and the synthesis of glucose, fatty acids, and amino acids.
- L-carnosine. Along with the sodium phosphate in HEED, L-carnosine is a highly effective acid-buffering compound; it neutralizes acid buildup in muscles during exercise, which delays fatigue and improves exercise performance. L-Carnosine is also a powerful antioxidant and anti-glycation nutrient.
BOTTOM LINE: Whatever you decide to choose:
Hammer Gel consumed with water + one of the Endurolytes products
HEED mixed in water + additional electrolytes (one of the Endurolytes products) if needed
… you’re good to go for any/all workouts and events lasting up to 3 hours!
Summary
For nearly 4 decades, Hammer Nutrition has led the way with not only the finest fuels and supplements for athletes, active people, and health-conscious individuals, but we’re also the clear leader when it comes to support and service. As I am fond of saying—and this most definitely echoes Brian’s sentiments from Day One—a company can produce the best products around, but without superior-quality customer service, and without top-level guidance on how best to use the products to enjoy maximal benefits, the person using those products will never get the full value out of them.
Specifically, when it comes to informational support, our knowledge resources are without peer in the supplement/fuel business. And if it were ONLY our 5 Secrets of Success that we offered, we’d still be light years ahead of everyone else when it comes to proper fueling. But along with our latest knowledge resource, the 20+ How to Fuel Guides, we provide much, much more:
Frequently Asked Questions and on almost every product page
Need more assistance? No problem! We’re available via Live Chat, email, and phone if/when you have any questions.
We’re Hammer Nutrition, which means we’ve got you covered:
- Superior-quality fuels and supplements? Check!
- 5-Star customer support? Check!
- Unsurpassed knowledge resources? Check!
