# GU Every Ride Bad or Good?



## jsmit450 (Apr 19, 2012)

So I am lifting weights 3 times a week and riding 3 to 4 times a week. I started taking a GU every ride and it is awesome energy and makes my ride so much more enjoyable. So is it bad that I do a GU every ride? What if I want to loose weight does the GU hurt that? What are everybody's thoughts?


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## 247 (Apr 23, 2009)

I did a GU shot everytime I rode (2-3 actually.) But over the last 3 years of riding now I just take 2 Gatorade bottles (and one GU pack with water after my ride) and that is if I actually need it.

But I used to get a double cheeseburger before and after a ride when i started for energy! 

--I am sure they are fine (just take as many as you need)--

--I have the Peanut Butter Gels (best ever)----and they don't have the 'arsenic' in the Organic brown syrup (that the Cliff one's do)---or so I read......


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## thricenotrice (Sep 17, 2010)

simplest thing about weight loss/gain is calories in vs calories out. No, Gu alone will not hinder our weight loss.


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## beanbag (Nov 20, 2005)

jsmit450 said:


> I started taking a GU every ride and it is awesome energy and makes my ride so much more enjoyable.


IF it makes you go harder and burn off more calories than you take in then that is fine.


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## xjbaylor (Sep 22, 2006)

How long are your rides? In the one hour or below range the additional calories, assuming a normal diet, are completely unnecessary. Unless used to prolong your ride (45 minutes into a 1.5 hour ride for example) any increase in energy is likely a placebo effect.


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## Jaysop (Jul 4, 2012)

Gu is like a pre workout correct? 
When I lift I eaither drink coffee or two scoops of white flood.
I feel like cardio, like riding doesn't get much effect from quick caffeine boosts.
That and you may notice its not doing anything for you from so much use. When that happends to me I lay off for a week or two.
For real energy though, nothing beats good hydration an proper nutrition.
Weight loss... Doesn't caffeine boost your metabolism?


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## thricenotrice (Sep 17, 2010)

no, while some flavors have a bit of caffeine, it is mainly a carbohydrate source (mostly maltodextrin). It an OK at best source for carbs.

White flood is a Nitric Oxide Pre Workout. It contains loads of caffeine, creatine, beta alanine, variations of Arginine (for nitric oxide production). I do like this myself, but not for a Ride.

Just to clarify


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## Jaysop (Jul 4, 2012)

I was thinking about trying it once before a ride. Last minute I remembered that I passed out while running after taking a Nano Vapor. I decided against it after that.
If its not like a pre workout it may be worth looking into.


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## thricenotrice (Sep 17, 2010)

for what purpose? It is a convenient carb supplement during a ride where it's hard to carry food, but if youre talking about a regular workout or even before, real food is always best. IMO


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## Grinderz (Aug 31, 2012)

If you are going to take GU on every ride, try to also add a little something solid before you ride as well. 

GU and water always makes me feel a little queasy for the first 10mins or so after eating, especially if I am on an empty gut or if I have been on the bike for a while and have only consumed water (endurance ride/race).
Early morning rides before I get a chance to eat properly were always the worst. Unfortunately I do have an issue with not ‘feeling’ hungry before a big ride/race though. Sometimes I can battle through and force myself to eat something, but sometimes it is not until I am on the bike before I start chomping down on solids and GU – really bad habit I know!

Fruit or nuts are also cheaper to buy than GU, so maybe try mixing it up a little to not become a GU dependant rider?


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## jsmit450 (Apr 19, 2012)

Thanks for the thoughts. It's Gu for me for now. I love that stuff!


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## gaba (Jul 11, 2006)

By consuming simple carbohydrates you are adding fuel for your muscles in the form of glucose. Glucose is a very efficient fuel and requires less oxygen to fuel your muscles than fat. The other glucose available to your muscles is stored in your muscles and liver as glycogen and will last you about 90min of solid work. You can only digest/absorb about 100 calories an hour on average during your workout. (You can actually train your body to be better at uptake over time.) You will likely perform your best if you maximize your glycogen stores beforehand and take 100 cals of a simple carb every 45min to an hour during your ride. This won't make you lose weight but will help you to maximize your athletic potential. You need to account for these added calories in you intake vs. output equation if you are trying to lose weight.

You can also train your fat burning system. To do this you would need to lay off the GU. You likely won't perform as well for shorter intense sessions but for the all day epics the fat burning system is what allows you keep going. If you do your rides without added sugar and can maintain a pace that avoids bonking you will lose more fat.


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## westeast (Nov 27, 2010)

Low Intensity = no gue

High Intensity ride (or very hot weather) = Gue ( I prefer shot blocks or the stinger blocks)

Long Ride = a variety of things like lots of water, nuts, jerky, pb&j, bananas, cliff bars, and then in my desperate moments towards the end of the ride shot blocks or gue.


Since I've started paying more attention to how I eat, especially before, during, and after a ride I've been trying a few different things. Always hydrate the days before a ride. One thing that seemed to help me go hard on shorter intense rides was butternut squash soup from trader joes. I'd have a bowl of that about 45 minutes before a ride and feel great for a solid 2 hours. Anything heavier than that before a hard ride and it sits in my stomach and it takes a solid hour for me to get into a grove.

PS: don't take any of this advice too seriously and most importantly try different things to see what works best for you!


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## chas_martel (May 14, 2006)

Are you riding so long that you need it? 

My two cents, for what it's worth, is that if you are riding less than 2-3 hours and "need" GU you might want to consider that you have other issues. 

Again, my two cents, YMMV and a host of other disclaimers.


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