HOW TO FUEL GUIDE: OLYMPIC DISTANCE TRIATHLON
Written by Steve Born
1.5 km swim, 40 km bike, 10 km run
This step-by-step fueling protocol is incredibly simple to set up and easy to follow. You won't need to carry a lot of gear on your bike or body, it saves time, and most importantly: it's incredibly effective.
Before we get into the fueling protocol, here's some very important and useful information.
5 SIMPLE WAYS YOU CAN IMPROVE YOUR ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE NOW
There are many steps you can – and should – take to improve your athletic performance. The following are particularly easy to implement. Start them immediately, and you'll notice a significant improvement in your endurance in a short time.
1) Stay properly hydrated all day long
Since your body is about 60% water, it goes without saying that maintaining optimal hydration levels throughout the day is vital. Unfortunately, many people – perhaps including yourself – live in a state of constant mild dehydration, which adversely affects athletic performance and overall health.
From now on, gradually increase your fluid intake, primarily by consuming clean, high-quality water. Drink approximately 33–39 ml of fluid per kilogram of body weight daily. For an 82 kg athlete, this means 2.7–3.2 liters of fluid per day, in addition to the amount consumed during exercise. During exertion, consume 473–769 ml of fluid per hour, and up to 828 ml per hour in hot weather.
2) Fuel conservatively
It may be interesting to know how many calories you burn per hour during exercise, but this value does not determine how many calories your body can absorb from fueling. The goal of calorie intake is to consume the smallest possible amount that keeps your energy levels at the desired and necessary level hour after hour.
For most athletes, this means 120–180 calories per hour. Larger athletes, weighing over 91 kg, may consume 200 or slightly more calories per hour. If you find this is too little, you can easily adjust it: simply consume a little more. It's always easier to resolve a situation where you've consumed too little energy than one where you've over-fueled and your stomach is protesting.
3) Ditch the sugar
Some sports fuels consist of a combination of simple sugars – such as glucose, sucrose, and fructose – and complex carbohydrates, such as maltodextrin. These are formulated based on the assumption that the body can produce more energy per minute by using multiple carbohydrate sources than from a single carbohydrate source.
However, it's worth remembering that the participants in these "multiple carbohydrate source" studies exercised at such low intensity – at most at a recovery pace – that they probably could have consumed almost anything without problems.
Instead, choose products containing complex carbohydrates, i.e., maltodextrin, such as Hammer Nutrition's Hammer Gel, HEED, Sustained Energy 2.0, or Perpetuem 2.0 sports fuels. Unlike simple sugars, complex carbohydrates provide fast-acting, longer-lasting energy and do not cause stomach problems even during high-intensity exertion.
4) Do not eat in the three hours before training and races
By not consuming calories in the three hours before training or a race, your body enters an ideal physiological state to use its limited muscle glycogen stores as efficiently as possible. In parallel, it gains more effective access to the huge amount of energy available in body fat stores.
Apply this practice to all your workouts, even early morning ones. You will notice significant improvements in your endurance in a relatively short time.
Note: If you absolutely need some calories before starting your exertion, consuming an easily digestible energy source, such as a serving of Hammer Gel, 5–10 minutes before starting is acceptable. Do not consume it any earlier than that.
5) "Refuel the tank" as soon as possible after every workout
Your body wants to repay your effort in training by strengthening your immune system, rebuilding muscle tissue more strongly, and storing larger amounts of readily available fuel in your muscles. To achieve these endurance-supporting benefits, all you need to do is provide your body with the necessary nutrients immediately.
Ideally, this should happen within the first 30 minutes after exercise. The sooner, the better. You need complex carbohydrates and high-quality protein, such as those found in Recoverite and Vegan Recoverite.
FUELING RECOMMENDATIONS
1) Success "during" the race begins "after" the race
After every workout, it is vital to "refuel the tank." This is one of the keys to noticeably improving athletic performance. When you start a workout or race, your body primarily uses muscle glycogen as fuel for the first approximately 60–90 minutes.
The more consistently you perform immediate post-workout nutrient replenishment – Recoverite or Organic Vegan Recoverite are ideal for this – the more glycogen you can store in your muscles, in addition to many other benefits. Muscle glycogen stores can provide up to approximately 60–90 minutes of energy for subsequent workouts and races.
2) Stop all calorie intake three hours before the start
The importance of this can be found in point four of the previous section.
3) Take Endurolytes or Endurolytes Extreme as a "pre-emptive strike"
Consuming a serving of Endurolytes or Endurolytes Extreme 15–30 minutes before the start will cover your electrolyte-mineral needs during the swim.
The dose of Endurolytes can be between 1–6 capsules per hour. Most athletes use 2–4 capsules per hour, with the exact amount depending on body weight and temperature conditions. In a race held in hot weather – especially if you haven't adapted well to these conditions yet – use 1–2 Endurolytes Extreme capsules per hour. Take the first dose 15–30 minutes before the start.
If you prefer to drink your electrolytes, add 1–3 tablets of Endurolytes Fizz or 1–2 scoops of Endurolytes Extreme Powder to your water bottle. Start sipping 30 minutes before the race and finish 10 minutes before the start. This will cover your electrolyte-mineral needs during the swim.
4) Consume 1–2 servings of Hammer Gel 5–10 minutes before the start
The 1–2 servings of Hammer Gel consumed at this time will supplement muscle glycogen stores with additional calories during the swim, without disrupting how efficiently the body uses its finite muscle glycogen stores as fuel.
5) At the first transition, T1
As a "pre-emptive strike," consume a serving of Endurolytes or Endurolytes Extreme, and drink from your multi-hour fuel bottle – see below – then rinse with water.
The few seconds spent on electrolyte replacement and consuming some calories in the transition will pay off handsomely during the bike ride. This allows you to focus solely on establishing a steady pedaling rhythm during the crucial initial part of the cycling leg.
To speed up the process, prepare your Endurolytes or Endurolytes Extreme capsules in a small container, such as Hammer Nutrition's flip-top capsule dispenser.
If you prefer to drink your electrolytes, add 1–3 Endurolytes Fizz tablets or 1–2 scoops of Endurolytes Extreme Powder to each hour's prepared water bottle. This may be enough to cover one hour's worth of electrolyte-mineral needs.
6) Fueling during the bike ride
Since most athletes complete the race within three hours, two bottles of HEED may be sufficient to cover most or all of your calorie, fluid, and electrolyte-mineral needs. Carry additional Endurolytes or Endurolytes Extreme capsules in case you need further electrolyte-mineral support beyond what HEED provides.
One scoop of HEED contains 110 calories. I, Steve Born, personally use 1.75 scoops of HEED 2.0 per hour, providing 192.5 calories. This amount works well for larger athletes like me – my body weight is 91 kg. For lighter athletes, 1 scoop per hour, or 110 calories, is appropriate. For medium-weight athletes, 1.25 scoops per hour, or 137.5 calories, or 1.5 scoops, or 165 calories, can be an excellent amount.
If the race is expected to take more than 3–3.5 hours to complete, use Perpetuem 2.0 or Sustained Energy 2.0 as fuel during the cycling leg.
One scoop of Perpetuem 2.0 contains 90 calories. I, Steve Born, personally use 2.25 scoops of Perpetuem 2.0 per hour, providing 202.5 calories. This amount works well for larger athletes like me – my body weight is 91 kg. For lighter athletes, 1 scoop per hour, or 90 calories, or 1.25 scoops, or 112.5 calories, is appropriate. For medium-weight athletes, 1.5 scoops per hour, or 135 calories, or 2 scoops, or 180 calories, can be an excellent amount.
One scoop of Sustained Energy 2.0 contains 100 calories. I, Steve Born, personally use 2 scoops per hour, providing 200 calories. For lighter athletes, 1 scoop per hour, or 100 calories, or 1.25 scoops, or 125 calories, is appropriate. For medium-weight athletes, 1.5 scoops per hour, or 150 calories, or 1.75 scoops, or 175 calories, can be an excellent amount.
7) At the second transition, T2
Before transitioning from the muscles used for cycling to the muscle work required for running, it is advisable to replenish electrolytes, provided you consumed your last dose of Endurolytes or Endurolytes Extreme more than 30 minutes before T2.
If you took your last dose approximately 10–20 minutes before T2, you can skip the amount due in transition. In this case, resume using Endurolytes or Endurolytes Extreme during the run.
8) Fueling during the run
One serving of Hammer Gel consumed every 30–45 minutes will cover your calorie needs. Endurolytes or Endurolytes Extreme will provide the necessary electrolyte-minerals, and your fluid needs should be covered solely with water obtained at aid stations. Do not consume sugary sports drinks.
9) As soon as possible after the race
Immediately after the race, "refuel the tank" with Recoverite or Vegan Recoverite. If you consume two scoops of Recoverite within the first 30 minutes after the race, you can take advantage of the period when the glycogen synthase enzyme is most active.
This allows your body to replenish and increase its glycogen stores. It also provides the raw materials – amino acids from protein – needed to rebuild muscle tissue and support the immune system.
