# How to accustom your body to energy gels



## Laupe (Jan 9, 2022)

Hello

I have some long 2+ hours XC races coming up and I want accustom my body to taking gels in a race.
I’ve had some bad experience with taking gels earlier, so any tips on how to do it, prevent stomach problems etc. ?


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## TXrocks (Apr 22, 2014)

Pretty much all the gels gave me all kinds of digestive hell. I went to using the Tailwind endurance fuel and have had no issues with it.


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## teleken (Jul 22, 2005)

I use mine from a flask & add water to it with about a 60% gel ratio. Not sure if it helps digestion (seems to) but it makes it easier to take. 
May not work for racing but I shake it up & drink it down


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## mrpizza (Jun 2, 2013)

I like the E gel ones. They are a little thinner consistency and I really can feel when I take one. Haven't given me stomach issues.


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## Porkchop_Power (Jul 30, 2008)

I think the key is to drink a ton of water just before and just after you take it. All the manufacturers state this. Gels just won't digest well on a dry stomach.


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## Fleas (Jan 19, 2006)

I am pretty sure my body doesn't recognize gel as food until about the 3rd or 4th attempt. Same with mixes.

If I was really going to "use" them again, I might start a little at a time, and no more than 200 cal per hour. If you ingest more than your system can digest, you will feel like crap. All of your energy will go to digesting that gel/mix, and none left over for riding. Been there. Done that.
Stay far ahead of your nutritional needs. If you fall behind, 1 gel will keep you from bonking, but 2 will make you feel worse.
Sometimes I think a bag of Fritos or some oatmeal cookies with some water work better than the expensive stuff.

-F


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## 834905 (Mar 8, 2018)

Porkchop_Power said:


> I think the key is to drink a ton of water just before and just after you take it. All the manufacturers state this. Gels just won't digest well on a dry stomach.


Nothing digests well when you’re dehydrated, it’s not just gels. Water is definitely a key part of the equation.

Everyone is different but for me, if I use gels I have to be taking some in every 15-20 minutes. I burn it up so fast that if try to only eat every 30 minutes, the bonk will start compounding on me. 1 bottle of water an hour an 3 gels (one every 20 min) works well for me for 5-6 hour races. Same with Tailwind. Over 6 hours I need real food, basically anything that will sound good and keep me eating.

Last thing, is breakfast the morning of. Don’t underestimate the power of a big meal with really healthy slow burning carbs. When using gels it really comes in handy to fill in the gaps.


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## mikesee (Aug 25, 2003)

Life's too short for gels.


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

Fleas said:


> Sometimes I think a bag of Fritos or some oatmeal cookies with some water work better than the expensive stuff.
> 
> -F



True but you need to stop for stuff like that. Not that there's anything wrong with that but gels are great for slamming nutrition on the roll.


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## Jayem (Jul 16, 2005)

My ability to eat stuff while riding is directly related to how fast I'm going/exertion. Max exertion races over short distances require either gels or liquid energy for me. I can't be chewing stuff or trying to get stuff to digest. The more "complex" the food is, not just it's carbs, the more effort it takes to chew, digest, etc. If it's a longer race, I'm going slower, there are more opportunities to get something down. I might still have some gels, but I'll have the cliff-blocks or something similar. If it's a much longer endurance race, like 100 miles, I'll be trying to get some protein in there and other mixed foods, hopefully to replenish the complex carbs, even though I'm still primarily on the cliff blocks, etc. At longer than 100, then I'm more about stuff like fig newtons, getting some carbs with the sugars, some cookies, stuff that takes a little more to digest, but it's ok, because the speed is not nearly as fast.

But that's racing. Gels for non-race stuff is only an emergency thing where I might have one or give one to someone in need.


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## WillDB (Jul 15, 2020)

Skip the gels.

Mike and Ikes on really warm days, peanut M&Ms when not.


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## Jayem (Jul 16, 2005)

atomiccityfun said:


> Skip the gels.
> 
> Mike and Ikes on really warm days, peanut M&Ms when not.


The type of sugar is important in your ability to quickly digest and use it.


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## Laupe (Jan 9, 2022)

TXrocks said:


> Pretty much all the gels gave me all kinds of digestive hell. I went to using the Tailwind endurance fuel and have had no issues with it.


Yea, my body doesn't like gels very much


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## Laupe (Jan 9, 2022)

Porkchop_Power said:


> I think the key is to drink a ton of water just before and just after you take it. All the manufacturers state this. Gels just won't digest well on a dry stomach.


I will try that, problem is that sometimes you barely have time to take the gel alone, and then you need to drink


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## Laupe (Jan 9, 2022)

Maybe i should try taking half a gel every 20-30min?

One problem is that i have gels and race drink with caffeine and if a take a lot of it i can get up to 700-800mg of caffeine, which maybe is a little too much


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## TraxFactory (Sep 10, 1999)

Tailwind is pretty easy on the gut...maybe try a sample see if it works for you..









Tailwind Nutrition - Nutrition for Athletes


Endurance Fuel for during exercise. Recovery for after exercise. All you need. Really.




tailwindnutrition.com


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## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

SIS gels, way better than those awful GU shots!



https://www.amazon.com/Science-Sport-Isotonic-Performance-Endurance/dp/B01N9076DP?th=1


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## Notthatbryan (Aug 7, 2021)

It's more about finding a brand that works for you than it is getting your body used to them. I like the SIS gels.


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## Jayem (Jul 16, 2005)

Laupe said:


> Maybe i should try taking half a gel every 20-30min?
> 
> One problem is that i have gels and race drink with caffeine and if a take a lot of it i can get up to 700-800mg of caffeine, which maybe is a little too much


You need nutrition, not caffeine.


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## dysfunction (Aug 15, 2009)

Jayem said:


> You need nutrition, not caffeine.


I mean, I like a bit of caffeine from time to time... but not _*every*_ packet/drink.


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## Laupe (Jan 9, 2022)

Jayem said:


> You need nutrition, not caffeine.


Yea, but i can have both, i use caffeine as it help keep my focus up at the end of races, where i have crashed a lot due to fatigue and a lack of focus.


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## Laupe (Jan 9, 2022)

dysfunction said:


> I mean, I like a bit of caffeine from time to time... but not _*every*_ packet/drink.


Yea, i like it, but i was stupid and bought a big pack of only caffeine gels...


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## mrpizza (Jun 2, 2013)

I like e gel


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## Rod (Oct 17, 2007)

Laupe said:


> Maybe i should try taking half a gel every 20-30min?
> 
> One problem is that i have gels and race drink with caffeine and if a take a lot of it i can get up to 700-800mg of caffeine, which maybe is a little too much


I'm late to this, but I have a box of gels with and without caffeine for specifically this reason.


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## abeckstead (Feb 29, 2012)

I usually buy 3 different flavors of cliff bloks. On race days I actually build mixed packs and tape them on my top tube. The bloks have worked well for me and it’s easy to pinch them out. I also keep some solid food to eat once an hour for races/rides over about 2 hours. As long as I had a decent meal 2ish hours before a race/ride I can run on gels. If I didn’t eat well, I’m in a hole and feel like I’m starving the entire time. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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