5 Best Triathlon Energy Gels Reviewed & Buyer’s Guide
During the triathlon race, it is vital for every triathlete to give his body the proper nutrition. Most of the beginner triathletes who participate in short competitions usually take a water bottle or any sports drink to keep their body hydrated and to maintain energy.
But when you are competing in a long race, the only water or sports drink cannot do the proper work for your body. You have to take extra nutrition in the race and need to monitor your diet correctly.
Most of the athletes who frequently participate in half and full Ironman races always pay detailed attention to their nutrition. The best option is the energy gel along with electrolyte replacements as well. Want to know the best swimmer shampoo?
In this, buyer’s guide, we are explaining and reviewing the top-rated energy gels of 2019.
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Top-Rated Energy Gels for Triathlon in 2019
GU Roctane Ultra Endurance Energy Gel
[lasso box=”B00283EPLC” image_size=”large” link_id=”2547″ id=”5250″ ref=”gu-energy-roctane-ultra-endurance-energy-gel-24-count-blueberry-pomegranate”]This gel is made explicitly for endurance athletes and multisport. This gel is very easy to use and helps in decreasing the production of lactic acid. This gel will help to quickly give your body a good boost of energy as packed with electrolytes, carbohydrates, and caffeine.
It is best to take the one packet of this gel before the race, and during the race, you can make it after 45 minutes.
The best thing is that it contains all the vegan-friendly ingredients.
Features
This gel is very easy to use as you can squeeze it out very quickly.
To improve your race performance, it includes both simple and carbohydrates.
It helps in decreasing the level of lactic acid.
It comes in many different flavours with caffeine, which is suitable for tight races.
This gel is recommended to consume the empty stomach to get the maximum benefits. Just remember to use energy gels in the same manner always. It is best to consume energy gels 5 minutes before practice and competition as well, and it will not tighten up your muscles.
This gel is perfect for relaxing both mind and muscles during the race. There is no issue of crashing as the caffeine content is very low.
PROS
CONS
HUMA Plus Natural Electrolyte Enhanced Energy Gel
[lasso box=”B01AH3NLQY” image_size=”large” link_id=”2548″ id=”5325″ ref=”huma-plus-chia-energy-gel-variety-4-plus-and-8-original-gels-premier-sports-nutrition-for-endurance-exercise”]It is the best gel to replenish your electrolytes and carbohydrates during the race. Usually, for most of the athletes, carrying water, energy gel, sports drink, electrolyte replacement together in the competition is quite tricky. Thus, to avoid this entire excess load, you can use this HUMA gel which fulfils all your needs.
Moreover, this gel has all natural and healthy base, which includes coconut water, chia seeds, and sea salt. All these are best to replace your electrolytes naturally as these nutrients loaded with magnesium, sodium, and potassium.
Chia seeds are beneficial in increasing your energy level during the race. Also, to get the maximum benefits of carbohydrates, this gel is made with a beautiful mix of chains of glucose to fructose.
Some of its flavours also come with caffeine that can affect people with a sensitive stomach.
The instructions to use this gel mentioned adequately on the box, but you can figure out the best way for your body. You can wash in water to avoid aches or cramping.
This gel is recommended for athletes with a sensitive stomach and for those who want all natural ingredients.
This is the best gel that gives you energy and replenishes your electrolytes.
PROS
CONS
Honey Stinger Classic Energy Gel Sports Nutrition
[lasso box=”B0010TGK18″ image_size=”large” link_id=”2549″ id=”5308″ ref=”honey-stinger-classic-energy-gel-gold-sports-nutrition-1-1-ounce-pack-of-24″]This gel is very versatile as you can consume it in many different ways. You can take it with water, with bread, mix it in tea, or directly take from the package. It is also mostly consumed before the race like other gels.
In its base, it contains pure raw honey, B-vitamins, and electrolytes. Thus, you will get the right boost of energy from the natural sugar of honey. This will helps in controlling insulin level by preventing the drop in sugar level.
This gel is vegan-friendly, nut-free, and soy-free. It is also free from any additives, and thus all natural ingredients will go down in your body at a slow pace. This gel will help in avoiding any crash and fatigue during the race. This gel will quickly restore your electrolytes, but you need extra carbohydrates. It is necessary to take carbohydrates and proteins to decrease muscle soreness during the race.
This gel recommended for people who want pure energy gels filled with natural ingredients.
However, some athletes that this gel alone does not work well for boosting their energy level. So, it is to take extra nutrition or have a good meal the day before the race.
PROS
CONS
Science in Sport Energy Gel
[lasso box=”B01N9076DP” image_size=”large” link_id=”2550″ id=”5958″ ref=”science-in-sport-energy-gel-variety-pack-sis-isotonic-gels-22g-fast-acting-carbs-1g-of-sugar-performance-endurance-sports-gels-6-pack”]This gel is very easy on the stomach, and people with a sensitive stomach can digest it very quickly. It contains all the essential nutrients that you can easily consume without water. This gel also gives 22 grams of carbohydrates and rush into the bloodstream very quickly.
It contains a good punch of carbohydrates and electrolytes than other gels. This gel also contains caffeine, which makes it best to wake up your muscles.
Features
As this gel is designed to take without water, thus it helps in avoiding bloating.
Its carbohydrates easily absorbed by the body and help in replacing glucose level quickly.
This gel recommended for those who want to consume gels without water. However, some athletes complain that it creates a chalky taste in the mouth.
PROS
CONS
CLIF Shot Energy Gels
[lasso box=”B017A92YTS” image_size=”large” link_id=”2551″ id=”4895″ ref=”clif-bar-shot-energy-gel-8-flavor-variety-pack-gel-packs-for-energy-boost-fast-fuel-improve-endurance-90-organic-ingredients-1-2-ounce-per-packet-8-count”]CLIF gels have very thin in consistency that makes their consumption very easy and they also have more electrolytes than other gels.
CLIF is a very well-recognized and highly-appreciated brand in the market. This is because it offers a wide range of products and all of them are environment-friendly. This is because gels are made of natural ingredients and come in easily disposable wrappers.
Features
CLIF gels contain sodium and potassium that is very useful for muscles as they help in the quick conversion of carbohydrates.
All CLIF gels contain natural and organic ingredients.
These gels are available in both caffeinated and non-caffeinated flavours.
You can easily consume these gels without any much effort.
These are easy on the stomach and avoid bloating.
You can experiment with all flavours and choose the best one according to your preferences and taste choice.
CLIF gels highly recommended for those who want a reliable source of energy as all of their gels made of natural and organic ingredients.
PROS
CONS
Buyer’s Guide to Choosing the Best Energy Gel
How Body Fuels Muscles?
For providing your muscles with the optimal level of energy all the time, you need to fuel them with a good energy source. The most significant energy source for the body is fat, but it is quite complex to convert into energy by the body. This is because fat gets stored in the body by distributing into energy pockets.
Thus, another best source of energy is carbohydrates, but the body cannot store much of that. Therefore, you need to consume carbohydrates to get power frequently. Thus, carbohydrates are essential and that you can get from energy gels during the race.
How Exactly Energy Gels Work?
Energy gels are designed to give the body the optimal level of carbohydrates during the race. Most of the gels include simple sugars and starches. This sugar is absorbed by your muscles and body organs when it goes into the bloodstream. This then helps in boosting the energy level. However, all the gels do not work best to replace your total carbohydrates, but they are suitable for giving a boost during the race.
Why Consume Energy Gels?
It is essential to consume energy gels because they contain carbohydrates. We all know that our human bodies rely on carbs to get energy. During long races, these carbohydrates start getting depleted, and thus energy gels help in restoring them quickly. These gels will wake up your muscles by replenishing your sugar level, carbs, and calories.
When should you use Energy Gels?
Energy gels are designed to give the body the optimal level of carbohydrates during the race. Most of the gels include simple sugars and starches. This sugar is absorbed by your muscles and body organs when it goes into the bloodstream. This then helps in boosting the energy level. However, all the gels do not work best to replace your total carbohydrates, but they are suitable for giving a boost during the race.
The consumption of energy gel mostly depends upon the personal preferences of the athletes. It also relies on the weight of the body and how fast it processes the essential nutrients.
However, it is recommended to consume energy gel before the race and after 45 minutes.
Simply understand the functionality of your body during the race and then consume the energy gels accordingly. Some bodies close or slow down the digestive system during the race. For those bodies, some heavy gels can cause stomach ache.
Thus, it is best to choose the energy gal that is easy on your stomach.
How Frequently should Energy Gels be consumed?
Energy gels are designed to give the body the optimal level of carbohydrates during the race. Most of the gels include simple sugars and starches. This sugar is absorbed by your muscles and body organs when it goes into the bloodstream. This then helps in boosting the energy level. However, all the gels do not work best to replace your total carbohydrates, but they are suitable for giving a boost during the race. Refer – Buyer’s Guide to Choose Best Hydration System for Triathlon
The consumption of energy gels also depends upon the body type and personal preferences of the athletes. It is better to test your energy gels by experimenting them before 45 minutes of the race. For people with a sensitive stomach, they should increase the time to 60 minutes.
Make sure that you do not consume too much of them as this will lead to the overload of sugar and carbs in your body that will lead to a crash.
However, by the practice during training, you can train your digestive system to handle gels.
How Energy Gels Taste Like?
All energy gels are available in many different kinds of, and their taste mostly depends upon the taste buds of athletes.
Most of the gels are water-based, but some of them are also quite thicker. You can experiment with your taste buds with different gels.
Conclusion
For athletes with a sensitive stomach, it is better to consume energy gels by breaking them throughout the race instead of consuming large quantity at one time.
It is better to consume the energy gels with water instead of a sports drink as it will help to reach them into the bloodstream quickly. Do not consume too much energy gels as it will lead to a crash.
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