Hi everyone, consider this a TL;DR warning.
Some simple curiosity and a bit of online reading has sent me down the rabbit hole of sports drinks. I’d like a bit of a sense-check on what I believe I’ve found. Any feedback on the below would be much appreciated.
A quick bit of background:
My closest friends have been mountain bike enthusiasts for as long as I’ve known them.I’ve never caught the bug in the same way until recently.
A few months ago I agreed to sign up for a 50km ride, which is this coming weekend. One friend spotted a discount on a Science in Sport (SiS), variety pack. This includes energy gels, energy powder mix, electrolyte powder mix and energy bars. I’ve watched a few GCN YouTube videos where they discuss SiS. I’ve alsoseen that they work with Team Sky and the GB Olympic riding team, so I went and bought the pack.
After receiving it, I made a comparison of the ingredients.All the different packs containvarying quantities of Maltodextrin and Fructose. The recovery powder also includes soy protein, electrolytes and vitamins.The electrolyte powder just has added electrolytes (more on that later).
I didn’t know what all thatmeant, but I wanted to find out.I used to make protein shakes from MyProtein, and I figured it wouldn’t be hard to make my own ‘SiS’ mixes for a lot less.
So I went on a bit of a research mission. I haven’t cited my sources but I’m happy to go back and add them in if anyone things that would be a good idea.
Here’s what I’ve found:
Time for a science lesson
The body stores energy in the liver,and in muscles, as glycogen. Glycogen isa starchy polysaccharide carbohydrate made up of long chains of glucose. Glucose isa monosaccharide carbohydrate; or simple sugar.
Muscle glycogen can only be usedby muscles,whereas liver glycogencan be used for energy throughout the body. But, muscles can store up to 400g of glycogen, whereas the liver can only store up to 100g.
During exercise, the body breaks down these chains of glycogen into single glucose molecules.These are then converted at a cellular level into Adenosine Triphosphate or ATP. ATP is the primary source of muscle energy production.It transports chemical energy within the cells of the muscles.
If your muscles deplete their glycogen stores,the liver will break down fat and protein from other parts of the body to create the glucose it needs. This process iscalled glycogenolysis. Glycogenolysisis a much slower and less efficient process than using stored glycogen.It also takes a while to kick in after you deplete yourglycogen stores.
The gap between running out of glycogen and glycogenolysis startingis when you suffer from hypoglycemia. Going into a hypoglycemic state can be dangerous as it’s a complete loss of energy. Sometimes called ‘hitting the wall’ or ‘bonking’, it can result in dizziness and fainting. This is also what happens to diabetics if they let their blood sugar levels drop too far. In the most severe cases, it can lead to a hypoglycemic coma and even death. Athletes talk about ‘breaking through the wall’.This is because they start creating glycogen through glycogenolysis (or they consume carbs).
When exercising, you want to maintain your energy levels and replace any glycogen stores you’ve used.This avoids hitting the wall and going into glycogenolysis.
Monosaccharides
You get an energy boost during exercise by consuming monosaccharide carbohydrates (simple sugars). These bypass your glycogen stores, mainlining into your muscles.They also replenish used glycogen.
There are different types of sugars, depending on their formulation. Glucose is theform used by the body, also referred to as blood sugar, andsold as a supplement called Dextrose. Fructose is the form found in fruit. Then you have sucrose, a disaccharide, made up of a glucose and a fructose molecule bound together. Sucrose is what we know as white table sugar. There are other disaccharides such as lactose,found in milk,and maltose,found in malt and beer. These other formsaren’t as relevant to exercise. The three sugars above are the important ones for this discussion.
Glucose and fructose affect the body in different ways. Once metabolised,any part of the body can use glucose for energy.The liverhas to process Fructose before it's turned into glucose (and then glycogen) so it’s less efficient. Also, fructose doesn’t produce an insulin spike the way that glucose does. Insulin acts as a signal for fat and muscle cells to absorb glucose faster.Consuming carbohydrates that trigger insulin productiongets glucose to the muscles quicker than fructose. Finally, only limited amounts of fructose can turn into glucose; the majority turns into fat. This is why high-fructose corn syrup is contributing to the obesity crisis in America.
Fructose isn’t all bad. The intestine takes in glucose and fructose in different ways, so it can absorb both at the same time. This is useful for athletes because the body can usually only absorb 60g of carbohydrate per hour. By consuming fructose and other carbohydrates at the same time, you can increase theabsorption rate. Butyou only need to exceed 60g/hour intake of carbs if you’re doing strenuous exercise over a period of more than two hours. If you’re going out for less than 90 minutes; or on a longer easyride, you’re better off avoiding fructose.
The big problem with glucose and fructose is that they are sweet, especially when you’re aiming for 60g of carbs per hour. Imagine eating 15 teaspoons of white sugar every hour.
Enter maltodextrin
Maltodextrin is apolysaccharide, astarchy complex carbohydratemade up of a chain of glucose molecules. It is similar in composition to glycogen. Despite beingformed ofglucose molecules, it’s not sweet. It also triggers an insulin spike, so it can get to the muscles fast. Unlike some polysaccharides, the molecular bonds between glucose molecules aren’t strong.So you can break it down and metabolise italmost as fast as pure glucose. All these factors combine to make maltodextrin the carbohydrate of choice for energy drinks.
So what does that all mean in relation to gels and drinks?
A 60g SiS energy gel contains:
• 22g maltodextrin
• 0.6g fructose
• The remaining 37.4g is water
• It also contains flavours, stabilisers, gelling agents, acidity regulators, preservatives and colourings
A 50g serving of energy powder (mixed with water) contains:
• 43.5g maltodextrin
• 3.5g fructose
• flavourings, citric acid and sweetener
A 40g serving of ‘electrolyte’ powder (mixed with water) contains:
• 29.3g of maltodextrin
• 6.7g fructose (sugar)
• 0.5g of electrolyte power
• flavourings and citric acid
So you can see that the majority of the contents is maltodextrin, with a much smaller percentage of fructose. SiS no doubt use fructose instead of glucose because of the benefits relating to the 60g/hour carb intake without it. This fits in with their alignment to top athletes, but it’s less critical for your average hobbyist. Using dextrose (glucose) instead of fructose would be more beneficial in all but the longest exercise sessions.
If you wanted to include fructose in your energy drink mix for longer rides, you could add sucrose (plain old white sugar) to a maltodextrin mix. This will give you all the fructose you need, along with a bit of glucose — so it’s a win-win.
Then we come on to electrolytes. This is just a fancy name for salt. If you look on the pack, it says it includes sodium chloride, calcium, potassium and magnesium. All these elements are in regular salt in your kitchen (table salt or sea salt). Table salt is just sea salt that’s gone through a refining process, which removessome of the above minerals. So for an energy drink, sea salt is preferable, but not essential.
Electrolytes are important to maintain hydration during exercise. They can also increase carbohydrateabsorption rate. I’m sure SiS have a good reason for not adding salt to their gels and energy powder, but I can’t find any research online that would explain it. I would create an all-in-one drink that has the ‘energy’ and the ‘electrolytes’ (sugar and salt).
Gels
The benefit of a gel while out riding is that it’s a small volume to consume with a large ratio of carbs. Compare that 60g gel to the 500ml of water you’re supposed to mix with the 50g energy powder.You’ll see that although it’s 50% of the carbs, it’s 10% of the volume.
It would be possible to recreate this gel at home with some added xanthan gum or gelatin.But it’s difficult putting it into a container that’s easy touseout on the trails. I’ve read a couple of ‘home made energy gel’ recipes that use a mixture of honey and molasses, with a bit of salt and protein powder. This is fine, but much sweeter than a blend made from maltodextrin.
Energy drink
I think the area where this research is most applicable is the home-made energy drink. Whipping up a 500ml bottle of water with some maltodextrin, dextrose, salt and lemon juice is going to be much cheaper than buying SiS powder.It also won’t come with the flavourings, and sweeteners like aspartame, that they use.
If you are planning a long, intense ride, replace the dextrose with white sugar. This will add fructose, and increase the 60g of carb per hour absorption rate.
Isotonic
There are three main types of sports drinks; isotonic, hypertonic and hypotonic.
If a sports drinks is isotonic, it means that it contains similar concentrations of salt and sugar as found in the human body. If it’s hypertonic, it contains higher concentrations of salt and sugar than the human body. Too much salt is dangerous, so most hypertonic drinks just have more carbs. Hypotonic drinks have lower concentrations than the human body.
Hypotonic drinks (the lowest concentrations)replace fluids lost through sweating without replacing much carbohydrate. These can be useful for low-intensity exercise. You might think ‘just drink water’, but there is a risk to drinking too much water without replacing salt and sugar. You’d have to drink a lot of water for this to become a problem, but the potential is there and hypotonic drinks are the solution.
Isotonic drinks are the most recognised, thanks to clever marketing by the likes of Lucozade. These replace the fluids lost by sweating and provide a boost of carbohydrate. They are often used by athletes and footballers. The idea of keeping the same balance of salt and sugar found in the body sounds attractive.But, as we’ve already seen, high-intensity exercise can need more carbs to keep you going.
That’s where hypertonic comes in.They have high concentrations of carbs for an instant energy shot, and to replenish your glycogen stores.
SiS advertise theirgels as isotonic (although I can’t get the percentages to add up – they seem hypertonic). The 50g of energy powder would be isotonic if mixed with 600–750ml of water. It would be hypertonic if mixed with 500ml of water or less (although there’s no salt in it). The 40g electrolyte powder would be isotonic if mixed with 500ml of water.
As with the carb discussion, I think the type of exercise you’re doing will dictate what ratio you need. SiS are aiming at pro athletes, so hypertonic ratios could be beneficial forsustained, high-intensity exercise. For most of us, isotonic ratios should be more than enough for all but the most strenuous exercise.
Energy bars and recovery powder
A 65g energy bar contains:
• 8.4g Protein
• 27g Maltodextrin
• 17g Fructose (sugar) from fruit juice concentrate and dried fruit
• 1.6 Fibre (from rice and oat flour)
• 0.1g of salts
A 50g serving of recovery powder (mixed with water) contains:
• 20g soy protein
• 17.9g maltodextrin
• 5.1g fructose
• 1g of electrolytes
• Added vitamins
Energy bar
Out of all the SiS products, the energy bar contains the most fructose; because of the dried fruit pieces it contains. They also contain protein (good for muscle recovery) and fibre. Based on my research, these aren’t ideal during exercise. This is partly due to the fibre, which can be hard to digest and cause an upset stomach. Like the gels, they are a good way of getting large quantities of carbs in a small volume. I think if you wanted some variety from the gels during your ride, there are tons of energy bar recipes online that will be better.
Recovery powder
It’s well documented that consuming protein in the 30 minutes after exercising is beneficial to muscle recovery. Bodybuilders tend to use whey protein (this comes from milk — think curds and whey). But there are other types of plant-based protein such as soy, pea and hemp protein.
There is an argument about whey vs. soy protein. The research is contradictory, but whey seems to be better. I believe SiS are using soy protein because it’s suitable for vegans and people with a dairy intolerance.This makestheir products accessible to the widest audience possible. For home-made recovery powder (assuming you’re not vegan/intolerant to dairy) I would go with whey protein.
There is a study from 2009 that suggests 20g of post-workout protein is the most required for muscle recovery. It foundthat any extra protein had little or no effect. Despite criticism of this study,the ‘20g of protein’ mantra is still pervasive today. This may be why the SiS recovery powder uses 20g of protein
For greatest effect, you need to work out the rightamount of protein required for your muscle mass, and the amount of exercise you’re doing. I think 20g is a reasonable starting point for your recovery recipe, but there’s no harm in increasing it. Many sites I’ve read now suggest 30–40g or even more post workout.
There’s also a lot of conflicting evidence about consuming carbohydrate with protein post workout. One would think that the insulin spike from high-GI carbs like glucose and dextrose would allow for faster protein absorption. But some studies suggest it has no effect. It would also sound sensible to consume carbs as soon as possible after exercise to replenish glycogen stores. Again some studies show this isn’t essential in the same way as post-exercise protein. This is partlybecause your body will replenish those stores itself.
I believe one of the issues with the research is that it focuses on weightlifters andbody builders rather than runners and cyclists. Even the most intense lifting session isn’t going to deplete your glycogen stores in the same way as a long run or ride will.This could well be the reason SiS include much more carbs in their recovery powder than most body builder recipes recommend.
Then you get back onto the fructose issue — I’ve found no evidence that fructose benefits muscle recovery post exercise. The only thing I can think of is that, like the energy drink, it’sincluded to allow the user to exceed 60g/carbs per hour. I’d question how important this is to replenish glycogen stores once you’ve stopped exercising.
As an alternative to the SiS powder, I would create a recovery drink that uses whey protein, maltodextrin and salt. I'dthen take a multi-vitamin tablet to replace those vitamins they’ve included.
Conclusion
I’ve found it hard to come to the following conclusions. There is conflicting research about almost allthe key points; from the benefit of fructose to the amount of protein one should use. I’ve tried to rationalise the ingredients and ratios in the SiS products based on the research I’ve found.In some cases, this has been difficult. One would assume they know what they’re doing, especially with their links to Team Sky and the GB Olympic team. After all, I’m not a nutritionist or a sports scientist.
However, I’ve had to come to a conclusion and I believe that based on the research I’ve done, I would have three drink recipes:
• An isotonic mix for the majority of the time; ‘normal’ rides or shorter runs
• A hypertonic mix for long endurance activities —all day rides
• A recovery drink focused on protein rather than carbs, supplemented with a multi-vitamin.
The gels seem to be the hardest thing to home-brew because they need some easy-to-use packaging while out on the bike. This is one thing I might consider buying, but it would only be necessary for long rides. Pair the gels with the hypertonic drink when you needmore than 60g carbs/hour.
Off-the-shelf energy bars seem to be full of junk. If I were looking for a bit of variety to gels on a long ride, I would find a brownie recipe or something online. Gummy bears or M&Ms are also a good source of glucose in an easy-to-eat solid form.
Isotonic drink mix (with 500ml water):
• 25g maltodextrin
• 10g dextrose
• 0.5g salt
• lemon juice
Hypertonic drink mix (with 500ml water):
• 40g maltodextrin
• 10g sucrose (white sugar)
• 0.5g salt
• lemon juice
Recovery drink
• 25g whey protein
• 25g maltodextrin
• 15g dextrose
• 0.5g salt
• lemon juice
• multi-vitamin
Value
My Protein sell:
• 1kg of impact whey protein for £12.69
• 2.5kg of Maltodextrin for £7.99
• 1kg of Dextrose for £3.19
Your local supermarket can provide you with:
• 350g fine sea salt for £0.80p
• 1Kg white sugar for £0.59p
• 250ml lemon juice for £0.60p
• 90 A-Z Multivitamins for £3.50
So for under £30 you have enough to make:
• 40 Recovery powder mixes
• 40 Isotonic powder mixes
• 12 Hypertonic powder mixes
I've limited the hypertonic mixes to 12, butonly because of the amount of maltodextrin left after mixing up the other two. It's also because I think you'll need fewer of these.You could buy a 5kg of maltodextrin for £12.19 and, together with the white sugar and sea salt, you could make 75…
In contrast, that £30 spent on SiS products would get you:
• 20 gels
• 1kg of chocolate flavoured whey protein
• The ‘Team Sky Bundle’ (while it’s half price). This consists of 18 gels, 20 hydro tablets and 500g of rapid recovery powder.
I hope the above makes sense and that at least someone finds it interesting. If I’ve made any mistakes or jumped to incorrect conclusions, please let me know. All of this research has been done online and I appreciate you can’t always trust what you read. Any feedback would be appreciated.
Some simple curiosity and a bit of online reading has sent me down the rabbit hole of sports drinks. I’d like a bit of a sense-check on what I believe I’ve found. Any feedback on the below would be much appreciated.
A quick bit of background:
My closest friends have been mountain bike enthusiasts for as long as I’ve known them.I’ve never caught the bug in the same way until recently.
A few months ago I agreed to sign up for a 50km ride, which is this coming weekend. One friend spotted a discount on a Science in Sport (SiS), variety pack. This includes energy gels, energy powder mix, electrolyte powder mix and energy bars. I’ve watched a few GCN YouTube videos where they discuss SiS. I’ve alsoseen that they work with Team Sky and the GB Olympic riding team, so I went and bought the pack.
After receiving it, I made a comparison of the ingredients.All the different packs containvarying quantities of Maltodextrin and Fructose. The recovery powder also includes soy protein, electrolytes and vitamins.The electrolyte powder just has added electrolytes (more on that later).
I didn’t know what all thatmeant, but I wanted to find out.I used to make protein shakes from MyProtein, and I figured it wouldn’t be hard to make my own ‘SiS’ mixes for a lot less.
So I went on a bit of a research mission. I haven’t cited my sources but I’m happy to go back and add them in if anyone things that would be a good idea.
Here’s what I’ve found:
Time for a science lesson
The body stores energy in the liver,and in muscles, as glycogen. Glycogen isa starchy polysaccharide carbohydrate made up of long chains of glucose. Glucose isa monosaccharide carbohydrate; or simple sugar.
Muscle glycogen can only be usedby muscles,whereas liver glycogencan be used for energy throughout the body. But, muscles can store up to 400g of glycogen, whereas the liver can only store up to 100g.
During exercise, the body breaks down these chains of glycogen into single glucose molecules.These are then converted at a cellular level into Adenosine Triphosphate or ATP. ATP is the primary source of muscle energy production.It transports chemical energy within the cells of the muscles.
If your muscles deplete their glycogen stores,the liver will break down fat and protein from other parts of the body to create the glucose it needs. This process iscalled glycogenolysis. Glycogenolysisis a much slower and less efficient process than using stored glycogen.It also takes a while to kick in after you deplete yourglycogen stores.
The gap between running out of glycogen and glycogenolysis startingis when you suffer from hypoglycemia. Going into a hypoglycemic state can be dangerous as it’s a complete loss of energy. Sometimes called ‘hitting the wall’ or ‘bonking’, it can result in dizziness and fainting. This is also what happens to diabetics if they let their blood sugar levels drop too far. In the most severe cases, it can lead to a hypoglycemic coma and even death. Athletes talk about ‘breaking through the wall’.This is because they start creating glycogen through glycogenolysis (or they consume carbs).
When exercising, you want to maintain your energy levels and replace any glycogen stores you’ve used.This avoids hitting the wall and going into glycogenolysis.
Monosaccharides
You get an energy boost during exercise by consuming monosaccharide carbohydrates (simple sugars). These bypass your glycogen stores, mainlining into your muscles.They also replenish used glycogen.
There are different types of sugars, depending on their formulation. Glucose is theform used by the body, also referred to as blood sugar, andsold as a supplement called Dextrose. Fructose is the form found in fruit. Then you have sucrose, a disaccharide, made up of a glucose and a fructose molecule bound together. Sucrose is what we know as white table sugar. There are other disaccharides such as lactose,found in milk,and maltose,found in malt and beer. These other formsaren’t as relevant to exercise. The three sugars above are the important ones for this discussion.
Glucose and fructose affect the body in different ways. Once metabolised,any part of the body can use glucose for energy.The liverhas to process Fructose before it's turned into glucose (and then glycogen) so it’s less efficient. Also, fructose doesn’t produce an insulin spike the way that glucose does. Insulin acts as a signal for fat and muscle cells to absorb glucose faster.Consuming carbohydrates that trigger insulin productiongets glucose to the muscles quicker than fructose. Finally, only limited amounts of fructose can turn into glucose; the majority turns into fat. This is why high-fructose corn syrup is contributing to the obesity crisis in America.
Fructose isn’t all bad. The intestine takes in glucose and fructose in different ways, so it can absorb both at the same time. This is useful for athletes because the body can usually only absorb 60g of carbohydrate per hour. By consuming fructose and other carbohydrates at the same time, you can increase theabsorption rate. Butyou only need to exceed 60g/hour intake of carbs if you’re doing strenuous exercise over a period of more than two hours. If you’re going out for less than 90 minutes; or on a longer easyride, you’re better off avoiding fructose.
The big problem with glucose and fructose is that they are sweet, especially when you’re aiming for 60g of carbs per hour. Imagine eating 15 teaspoons of white sugar every hour.
Enter maltodextrin
Maltodextrin is apolysaccharide, astarchy complex carbohydratemade up of a chain of glucose molecules. It is similar in composition to glycogen. Despite beingformed ofglucose molecules, it’s not sweet. It also triggers an insulin spike, so it can get to the muscles fast. Unlike some polysaccharides, the molecular bonds between glucose molecules aren’t strong.So you can break it down and metabolise italmost as fast as pure glucose. All these factors combine to make maltodextrin the carbohydrate of choice for energy drinks.
So what does that all mean in relation to gels and drinks?
A 60g SiS energy gel contains:
• 22g maltodextrin
• 0.6g fructose
• The remaining 37.4g is water
• It also contains flavours, stabilisers, gelling agents, acidity regulators, preservatives and colourings
A 50g serving of energy powder (mixed with water) contains:
• 43.5g maltodextrin
• 3.5g fructose
• flavourings, citric acid and sweetener
A 40g serving of ‘electrolyte’ powder (mixed with water) contains:
• 29.3g of maltodextrin
• 6.7g fructose (sugar)
• 0.5g of electrolyte power
• flavourings and citric acid
So you can see that the majority of the contents is maltodextrin, with a much smaller percentage of fructose. SiS no doubt use fructose instead of glucose because of the benefits relating to the 60g/hour carb intake without it. This fits in with their alignment to top athletes, but it’s less critical for your average hobbyist. Using dextrose (glucose) instead of fructose would be more beneficial in all but the longest exercise sessions.
If you wanted to include fructose in your energy drink mix for longer rides, you could add sucrose (plain old white sugar) to a maltodextrin mix. This will give you all the fructose you need, along with a bit of glucose — so it’s a win-win.
Then we come on to electrolytes. This is just a fancy name for salt. If you look on the pack, it says it includes sodium chloride, calcium, potassium and magnesium. All these elements are in regular salt in your kitchen (table salt or sea salt). Table salt is just sea salt that’s gone through a refining process, which removessome of the above minerals. So for an energy drink, sea salt is preferable, but not essential.
Electrolytes are important to maintain hydration during exercise. They can also increase carbohydrateabsorption rate. I’m sure SiS have a good reason for not adding salt to their gels and energy powder, but I can’t find any research online that would explain it. I would create an all-in-one drink that has the ‘energy’ and the ‘electrolytes’ (sugar and salt).
Gels
The benefit of a gel while out riding is that it’s a small volume to consume with a large ratio of carbs. Compare that 60g gel to the 500ml of water you’re supposed to mix with the 50g energy powder.You’ll see that although it’s 50% of the carbs, it’s 10% of the volume.
It would be possible to recreate this gel at home with some added xanthan gum or gelatin.But it’s difficult putting it into a container that’s easy touseout on the trails. I’ve read a couple of ‘home made energy gel’ recipes that use a mixture of honey and molasses, with a bit of salt and protein powder. This is fine, but much sweeter than a blend made from maltodextrin.
Energy drink
I think the area where this research is most applicable is the home-made energy drink. Whipping up a 500ml bottle of water with some maltodextrin, dextrose, salt and lemon juice is going to be much cheaper than buying SiS powder.It also won’t come with the flavourings, and sweeteners like aspartame, that they use.
If you are planning a long, intense ride, replace the dextrose with white sugar. This will add fructose, and increase the 60g of carb per hour absorption rate.
Isotonic
There are three main types of sports drinks; isotonic, hypertonic and hypotonic.
If a sports drinks is isotonic, it means that it contains similar concentrations of salt and sugar as found in the human body. If it’s hypertonic, it contains higher concentrations of salt and sugar than the human body. Too much salt is dangerous, so most hypertonic drinks just have more carbs. Hypotonic drinks have lower concentrations than the human body.
Hypotonic drinks (the lowest concentrations)replace fluids lost through sweating without replacing much carbohydrate. These can be useful for low-intensity exercise. You might think ‘just drink water’, but there is a risk to drinking too much water without replacing salt and sugar. You’d have to drink a lot of water for this to become a problem, but the potential is there and hypotonic drinks are the solution.
Isotonic drinks are the most recognised, thanks to clever marketing by the likes of Lucozade. These replace the fluids lost by sweating and provide a boost of carbohydrate. They are often used by athletes and footballers. The idea of keeping the same balance of salt and sugar found in the body sounds attractive.But, as we’ve already seen, high-intensity exercise can need more carbs to keep you going.
That’s where hypertonic comes in.They have high concentrations of carbs for an instant energy shot, and to replenish your glycogen stores.
SiS advertise theirgels as isotonic (although I can’t get the percentages to add up – they seem hypertonic). The 50g of energy powder would be isotonic if mixed with 600–750ml of water. It would be hypertonic if mixed with 500ml of water or less (although there’s no salt in it). The 40g electrolyte powder would be isotonic if mixed with 500ml of water.
As with the carb discussion, I think the type of exercise you’re doing will dictate what ratio you need. SiS are aiming at pro athletes, so hypertonic ratios could be beneficial forsustained, high-intensity exercise. For most of us, isotonic ratios should be more than enough for all but the most strenuous exercise.
Energy bars and recovery powder
A 65g energy bar contains:
• 8.4g Protein
• 27g Maltodextrin
• 17g Fructose (sugar) from fruit juice concentrate and dried fruit
• 1.6 Fibre (from rice and oat flour)
• 0.1g of salts
A 50g serving of recovery powder (mixed with water) contains:
• 20g soy protein
• 17.9g maltodextrin
• 5.1g fructose
• 1g of electrolytes
• Added vitamins
Energy bar
Out of all the SiS products, the energy bar contains the most fructose; because of the dried fruit pieces it contains. They also contain protein (good for muscle recovery) and fibre. Based on my research, these aren’t ideal during exercise. This is partly due to the fibre, which can be hard to digest and cause an upset stomach. Like the gels, they are a good way of getting large quantities of carbs in a small volume. I think if you wanted some variety from the gels during your ride, there are tons of energy bar recipes online that will be better.
Recovery powder
It’s well documented that consuming protein in the 30 minutes after exercising is beneficial to muscle recovery. Bodybuilders tend to use whey protein (this comes from milk — think curds and whey). But there are other types of plant-based protein such as soy, pea and hemp protein.
There is an argument about whey vs. soy protein. The research is contradictory, but whey seems to be better. I believe SiS are using soy protein because it’s suitable for vegans and people with a dairy intolerance.This makestheir products accessible to the widest audience possible. For home-made recovery powder (assuming you’re not vegan/intolerant to dairy) I would go with whey protein.
There is a study from 2009 that suggests 20g of post-workout protein is the most required for muscle recovery. It foundthat any extra protein had little or no effect. Despite criticism of this study,the ‘20g of protein’ mantra is still pervasive today. This may be why the SiS recovery powder uses 20g of protein
For greatest effect, you need to work out the rightamount of protein required for your muscle mass, and the amount of exercise you’re doing. I think 20g is a reasonable starting point for your recovery recipe, but there’s no harm in increasing it. Many sites I’ve read now suggest 30–40g or even more post workout.
There’s also a lot of conflicting evidence about consuming carbohydrate with protein post workout. One would think that the insulin spike from high-GI carbs like glucose and dextrose would allow for faster protein absorption. But some studies suggest it has no effect. It would also sound sensible to consume carbs as soon as possible after exercise to replenish glycogen stores. Again some studies show this isn’t essential in the same way as post-exercise protein. This is partlybecause your body will replenish those stores itself.
I believe one of the issues with the research is that it focuses on weightlifters andbody builders rather than runners and cyclists. Even the most intense lifting session isn’t going to deplete your glycogen stores in the same way as a long run or ride will.This could well be the reason SiS include much more carbs in their recovery powder than most body builder recipes recommend.
Then you get back onto the fructose issue — I’ve found no evidence that fructose benefits muscle recovery post exercise. The only thing I can think of is that, like the energy drink, it’sincluded to allow the user to exceed 60g/carbs per hour. I’d question how important this is to replenish glycogen stores once you’ve stopped exercising.
As an alternative to the SiS powder, I would create a recovery drink that uses whey protein, maltodextrin and salt. I'dthen take a multi-vitamin tablet to replace those vitamins they’ve included.
Conclusion
I’ve found it hard to come to the following conclusions. There is conflicting research about almost allthe key points; from the benefit of fructose to the amount of protein one should use. I’ve tried to rationalise the ingredients and ratios in the SiS products based on the research I’ve found.In some cases, this has been difficult. One would assume they know what they’re doing, especially with their links to Team Sky and the GB Olympic team. After all, I’m not a nutritionist or a sports scientist.
However, I’ve had to come to a conclusion and I believe that based on the research I’ve done, I would have three drink recipes:
• An isotonic mix for the majority of the time; ‘normal’ rides or shorter runs
• A hypertonic mix for long endurance activities —all day rides
• A recovery drink focused on protein rather than carbs, supplemented with a multi-vitamin.
The gels seem to be the hardest thing to home-brew because they need some easy-to-use packaging while out on the bike. This is one thing I might consider buying, but it would only be necessary for long rides. Pair the gels with the hypertonic drink when you needmore than 60g carbs/hour.
Off-the-shelf energy bars seem to be full of junk. If I were looking for a bit of variety to gels on a long ride, I would find a brownie recipe or something online. Gummy bears or M&Ms are also a good source of glucose in an easy-to-eat solid form.
Isotonic drink mix (with 500ml water):
• 25g maltodextrin
• 10g dextrose
• 0.5g salt
• lemon juice
Hypertonic drink mix (with 500ml water):
• 40g maltodextrin
• 10g sucrose (white sugar)
• 0.5g salt
• lemon juice
Recovery drink
• 25g whey protein
• 25g maltodextrin
• 15g dextrose
• 0.5g salt
• lemon juice
• multi-vitamin
Value
My Protein sell:
• 1kg of impact whey protein for £12.69
• 2.5kg of Maltodextrin for £7.99
• 1kg of Dextrose for £3.19
Your local supermarket can provide you with:
• 350g fine sea salt for £0.80p
• 1Kg white sugar for £0.59p
• 250ml lemon juice for £0.60p
• 90 A-Z Multivitamins for £3.50
So for under £30 you have enough to make:
• 40 Recovery powder mixes
• 40 Isotonic powder mixes
• 12 Hypertonic powder mixes
I've limited the hypertonic mixes to 12, butonly because of the amount of maltodextrin left after mixing up the other two. It's also because I think you'll need fewer of these.You could buy a 5kg of maltodextrin for £12.19 and, together with the white sugar and sea salt, you could make 75…
In contrast, that £30 spent on SiS products would get you:
• 20 gels
• 1kg of chocolate flavoured whey protein
• The ‘Team Sky Bundle’ (while it’s half price). This consists of 18 gels, 20 hydro tablets and 500g of rapid recovery powder.
I hope the above makes sense and that at least someone finds it interesting. If I’ve made any mistakes or jumped to incorrect conclusions, please let me know. All of this research has been done online and I appreciate you can’t always trust what you read. Any feedback would be appreciated.
