Nutrition and Training Questions Answered
Browse popular questions and answers about all phases of nutrition and training.
A: During long-distance events, such as a 4-hour marathon, carbohydrates are the necessary nutrient on which to focus. Protein has not been proven to be as important when consumed during endurance exercise. Some research literature shows that protein during exercise is beneficial, but others show no benefit. In higher-intensity activities lasting longer than 60 minutes, we recommend consuming 45–90 grams of carbs per hour. Or, to be more specific to the athlete’s weight, multiply their weight in kg by .2. This number can also be used as the amount of grams of carbohydrates recommended per hour of activity.
PowerBar offers an ideal product to meet the carbohydrate needs of athletes during exercise. PowerBar® Gel Carbohydrate Electrolyte Blend is a convenient source of carbohydrates that provides 27 grams per packet. This product contains the PowerBar® C2MAX glucose/fructose blend, which is a combination of glucose and fructose in a 2:1 ratio. Some research has shown improved athletic performance up to 8% in trained athletes.
Research suggests that consuming some protein along with carbs after exercise can help with recovery. However, according to the American College of Sports Medicine guidelines, there really isn't an optimum ratio of carbs to protein. It is more important to take in an adequate supply of carbs and protein than the particular ratio that happens to be in the product. You want to consume a beverage or bar plus fluid that promotes rehydration and replenishment of muscle glycogen stores, and provides some protein as a source of amino acid building blocks for muscle repair and building. As an example, PowerBar® Recovery shake provides 13 grams of protein per 40 grams of carbs. This is a level of protein that delivers necessary amino acids, but doesn't detract from palatability and the ability to effectively rehydrate and replenish glycogen stores.
Another recovery option is the PowerBar® Recovery bar, which provides 30 grams of carbs and 12 grams of high-quality protein. The PowerBar Recovery shake and the PowerBar Recovery bar both have about a 3:1 ratio.
A: What you are experiencing is not uncommon. Many athletes find that eating a solid form of carbohydrates affects their gastrointestinal tract and leaves them feeling uncomfortable. The research proves that the need for carbs before, during and after exercise is important. Opting for a liquid form or a semi-solid form of carbs may be required for you during training and racing if you cannot tolerate carbs from solid foods and bars.
PowerBar offers an ideal option for an easy-to-digest form of carbohydrate: PowerBar® Gel Carbohydrate Electrolyte Blends are a convenient method to receive a shot of rapidly absorbed carbs. Each gel packet provides 27 grams of carbs (28 grams in the chocolate flavour). You will need to consume some water with the gel. This product features the PowerBar® C2MAX glucose/fructose blend, which is PowerBar’s optimized glucose/fructose blend with the same 2:1 ratio of glucose to fructose found in studies to help speed the delivery of carbs to muscles. In a recently published study, use of carbs in this 2:1 ratio boosted performance by 8% in eight trained athletes.
A: PowerBar® C2MAX is the name given to PowerBar sports nutrition products that contain a 2:1 ratio of glucose to fructose. This carbohydrate innovation is important in long-duration endurance events (more than 2–3 hours in length) where maximizing the absorption and burning of ingested carbs is crucial for maintaining blood glucose levels and sparing your limited glycogen stores, and thus delaying the onset of fatigue.
The 2:1 ratio of glucose to fructose takes advantage of the fact that we have separate transport systems in the digestive tract for glucose and fructose. So for athletes who need to maximize their intake and metabolism of carbs to help prevent fatigue, consuming a 2:1 ratio of glucose to fructose maximizes the absorption and metabolism of each carb source. Typically, carb intake during exercise is recommended at the rate of about 30–60 grams per hour. However, when using PowerBar products with PowerBar C2MAX for long duration events, carb consumption can increase to 45–90 grams per hour.
When consuming carbs at this high rate during exercise, you need to strike a balance between carbohydrate availability and gastrointestinal comfort. Achieve that balance by testing the higher intake of carbs during race pace training. High doses of fructose alone may be shown to have some negative effects on the athlete’s gastrointestinal system. This does not appear to be the case when it is taken in the ratio of 2:1 glucose to fructose. PowerBar products containing PowerBar C2MAX have been tested on athletes and they are well-tolerated. That is because drinks containing carbohydrates that use different transporters for intestinal absorption seem to result in a smaller amount of carbohydrate remaining in the intestine, and therefore osmotic shifts and malabsorption may be reduced. This probably means that drinks with multiple transportable carbohydrates are less likely to cause gastrointestinal distress.
Interestingly, this is a consistent finding in studies that have attempted to register gastrointestinal discomfort during exercise. Subjects tended to feel less bloated with the glucose-plus-fructose drinks versus glucose drinks. The tolerance of carbohydrate drinks and development of GI distress seems highly individual and therefore strategies for carbohydrate intake will always have to be developed on an individual basis.
A: For your son’s training days, we recommend the PowerBar® Sport bar or the new PowerBar® Fruit Energize bar about 30–60 minutes before he begins. Both bars are high in carbs, about 42–45 grams, which will help provide energy to working muscles and give him a source of energy.
For resistance training, water or a sports drink should be consumed during the workout to maintain his hydration levels. After the workout, his muscles need carbs and protein to help rebuild and repair. To maximize the recovery period, we recommend the PowerBar® Recovery shake, which provides 30 grams of carbs and 12 grams of protein, or the PowerBar® ProteinPlus™ bar, which contains 23 grams of high-quality protein and about 40 grams of carbs. Most important is the timing of the post-workout nutrition: The optimal time to consume carbs and protein is within the first 30 minutes following the workout. The PowerBar Recovery shake and PowerBar ProteinPlus bar are convenient foods that he can throw in his gym bag and eat right afterward.
For his game days, he can follow the same sports nutrition regimen as discussed above. His muscles will not need as much protein as after the resistance training workout because they will not undergo as much damage that requires repair. However, the need for carbs and protein will still be essential. The PowerBar Recovery shake will fit his needs nicely.
A: Your pre-workout goal is to be energized, hydrated, and comfortable. Most athletes find that the right time for a pre-workout meal is 2–4 hours beforehand. The closer to a workout, the less you can eat and still feel comfortable. Higher-intensity exercise usually requires a bit more time for digestion.
A pre-exercise meal should be high in carbohydrates to top off muscle energy stores, moderate in protein, and relatively low in fat and fibre for quicker digestion. For early morning workouts or to top off your supply of energy in the hour before your workout, you should eat some or all of a low-fat PowerBar® Sport bar or the new PowerBar® Fruit Energize bar, now energized with the new PowerBar® C2MAX glucose/fructose blend.
Fluid is also very important prior to exercise. It is recommended to consume about half a litre of fluids 2–3 hours before exercise. Choose water, juice, or a sports drink. Taking in carbohydrates while you're training or competing will enable you to perform at a higher intensity for a longer period of time. Consuming 30–60 grams of carbohydrates per hour is proven to boost performance in endurance exercise lasting over an hour.
Endurance athletes commonly use sports drinks and energy gels with water to meet their carbohydrate and fluid needs while training or competing. Higher-intensity exercise burns carbohydrates faster. Recent breakthrough sports science research shows that consuming a specific ratio of glucose and fructose carbohydrates, rather than glucose alone, can increase the rate at which the body can utilize ingested carbohydrate energy. Usage recommendations for serious training or competition can be increased from 30–60 grams of carbs per hour to 45–90 grams per hour.
PowerBar® Gel Carbohydrate Electrolyte Blend is a convenient in-game option for athletes to energize with optimized carbohydrate intake. Training for or competing in endurance events without replenishing carbs is a recipe for disaster: Once your glycogen reserves are depleted, your blood sugar will drop, and you will have no choice but to slow down or even stop. Cyclists call it bonking, and runners call it hitting the wall. No matter what you call it, if you are an endurance athlete, it's a physiological state you want to avoid.
A: PowerBar recently developed a 3-step performance system. This system helps take the guesswork out of what to consume before, during, and after exercise.
Step 1: BEFORE
The products grouped into this step include the PowerBar® Sport bar and the PowerBar® Fruit Energize bar. They should be consumed about 30–60 minutes prior to a workout to provide the necessary carbohydrates for the muscles to use for energy.
Step 2: DURING
This step includes the PowerBar® Gel Carbohydrate Electrolyte Blend, which is a concentrated source of carbohydrates. These gels should be consumed during exercise lasting longer than 60 minutes. General recommendations for carbohydrate needs during exercise are about 30–60 grams of carbs per hour of activity. During longer-duration, higher-intensity exercise, the carb dose can be ramped up to 45–90 grams of carbs per hour.
Step 3: AFTER
Products in this category include the PowerBar® Recovery bar and the PowerBar® Recovery shake. Following a workout, it is helpful to your body’s recovery phase to consume some carbs and protein within the first 30 minutes after exercise. Both the PowerBar Recovery bar and PowerBar Recovery shake provide rapidly absorbed carbs and high-quality protein to help rebuild and repair your muscles.
A: Your pre-workout goal is to be energized, hydrated, and comfortable. Most athletes find that the right time for a pre-workout meal is 2–4 hours beforehand. The closer to a workout, the less you can eat and still feel comfortable. Higher-intensity exercise usually requires a bit more time for digestion. A pre-exercise meal should be high in carbohydrates to top off muscle energy stores, moderate in protein, and relatively low in fat and fibre for quicker digestion.
For early morning workouts or to top off your supply of energy in the hour before your workout, you should eat some or all of a low-fat PowerBar® Sport bar or the new PowerBar® Fruit Energize bar, now energized with the new PowerBar C2MAX glucose/fructose blend. Fluid is also very important prior to exercise. It is recommended t
A: The formation of salt crystals on the skin and hair is pretty common. Sodium and chloride are the principle electrolytes lost in sweat. For some athletes in certain conditions, the sodium and chloride concentration in sweat is high enough that it causes salt (sodium chloride) to deposit on the skin. The electrolyte concentration of sweat varies from person to person, and if that happens routinely, it's a sign that the person has a high sodium and chloride concentration in their sweat. This is normal and not something to be concerned about. Having said that, hydrating with a well-designed sports drink or PowerBar Gels taken with water will help replace these electrolytes that are lost through sweating.
Consuming fluid during exercise is very important, and should be done at a rate that allows you to lose no more than 2% of your body weight due to fluid loss. Please utilize our Sweat Rate Calculator tool on the PowerBar website. This great tool will act as a guide for you as to how much fluid you should consume before, during, and after exercise.
The best approach to avoiding cramps is to stay hydrated during exercise, stretch properly, and try to avoid over-fatiguing the affected muscles. You can take care of the hydration component by using a well-designed sports drink. You should be drinking enough fluid during meets to match your sweat rate. Click on the Event Nutrition Planner at PowerBar's website for more details about how to conduct a sweat rate test.
A cramp is an involuntary contracted muscle that does not relax. Cramps can affect any muscle under your voluntary control. Muscles that span two joints are most prone to cramping. Cramps can involve part or all of a muscle, or several muscles in a group. Cramps occur most commonly in the back of lower leg/calf (gastrocnemius), back of the thigh (hamstrings), and front of the thigh (quadriceps). Cramps in the feet, hands, arms, abdomen, and along the ribcage are also very common.
Muscle cramps can last a few seconds to 15 minutes or longer. It might recur multiple times before it goes away. The exact cause of muscle cramps is unknown; some researchers believe inadequate stretching and muscle fatigue lead to abnormalities in mechanisms that control muscle contraction. A regular program of stretching lengthens muscle fibres so they can contract and tighten more forcefully when you exercise. Also, when your body is poorly conditioned, you are more likely to experience muscle fatigue, which can lead to the onset of cramps.
Other factors may also be involved, including exercising or working in intense heat, dehydration, and depletion of electrolytes. Muscle cramps can happen during physical activity, but they can also occur while you sit, walk, or sleep. Sometimes the slightest movement that shortens a muscle can trigger a cramp. Muscle cramps are very common among endurance athletes, such as marathon runners and triathletes. Athletes are more likely to get cramps in the preseason, when the body is not conditioned and therefore more subject to fatigue. Cramps often develop near the end of intense or prolonged exercise, or the night after.
Cramps usually go away on their own. In terms of self-care, stop doing whatever activity triggered the cramp. Gently stretch and massage the cramping muscle, holding it in a stretched position until the cramp stops. Apply heat to tense/tight muscles, or cold to sore/tender muscles. To avoid future cramps, work toward better overall fitness. Do regular flexibility exercises before and after you work out, to stretch muscle groups most prone to cramping. Always warm up before stretching. To prevent cramps, you should also keep your body adequately hydrated. Drink water or a sports drink before any exercise activity. During the activity, replenish fluids at regular intervals and don't just rely on thirst; continue drinking water or other fluids after you're finished.
A: The PowerBar® Gel Carbohydrate Electrolyte Blend would be safe for a 10 year-old involved in sports and activities to consume. The gels are comprised primarily of carbohydrates and electrolytes. For the active child involved in sports, it would be appropriate for them to consume a gel before the sport or during the sport to provide additional carbohydrates to the muscles for energy. Please be aware that some flavours of the gels contain caffeine and may not be suitable for children. For more information, please contact your child’s pediatrician.