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Athletes Who Experience Fueling Success: Of the athletes who have contacted us to report success (no fuel-related, performance-inhibiting problems and consistent energy levels), the following factors occur with reliable consistency:
- Fluid intake was under 30 fluid ounces/hour.
- Sodium intake was between 300mg and 600mg/hour, with 400mg/hr being the most often reported dose.
- Caloric intake less than 300 cal/hour.
- Moderate simple sugar intake, favoring complex carbs.
- Body weight at finish decreased no more than 2-3%.
Athletes Who Experience Fueling Failure: Athletes who suffered poor performance due to fueling-related problems reported consumption as follows:
- Fluid intake over 30 fluid ounces/hour.
- Caloric intake exceeded 300 cal/hr.
- Consumed primarily simple sugar-based fuels, causing stomach ailments.
- Sodium intake above 600 mg/hour.
- Body weight at finish was hyper-hydrated with weight gain from 1-2%, or dehydrated at over 3% body weight loss.
What you should derive from this data is that while there is no “one-size-fits-all” fueling formula. When it comes to fueling for endurance performance, less is best.
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