Carbohydrates & drink mix

Carbohydrates and drink mixes for athletes

Carbohydrates are an important energy source during sport, especially during long or intense exercise. Athletes therefore use drink mixes, gels and powders to consume carbohydrates in a practical way before, during and after exercise. Carbohydrate-electrolyte solutions help maintain endurance during prolonged aerobic exercise. Carbohydrate-electrolyte solutions also improve water absorption during physical exercise.

In this collection you will find SiS GO Electrolyte, SiS Beta Fuel 80 and HIGH5 Energy Drink as drink mixes, HIGH5 Energy Gels, Cyclic Dextrin from German Elite Nutrition and ESN, ESN Perfect Base, Maize Pudding from German Elite Nutrition, Isotonic Plus from Vit4ever and SiS Beta Recovery.

Why carbohydrates during sport?

Your body stores carbohydrates as glycogen in the muscles and liver. These stores are limited and gradually become depleted during long or strenuous exercise. By consuming carbohydrates during exercise, endurance athletes replenish their fuel. In sports nutrition, amounts of 30 to 60 grams per hour are often recommended for exercise lasting longer than one hour, and up to 90 grams per hour for very long exercise.

Drink mix and sports drinks

A drink mix is a powder that you mix with water in your bottle. Products such as SiS GO Electrolyte and HIGH5 Energy Drink combine carbohydrates with sodium. Carbohydrate-electrolyte solutions help maintain endurance during prolonged aerobic exercise and improve water absorption during physical exercise. These claims apply to drinks that meet specific requirements for carbohydrates, sodium and osmolality, so prepare the drink according to the packaging.

Beta Fuel: high carbohydrate content per serving

SiS Beta Fuel 80 is a drink mix with 80 grams of carbohydrates per sachet, made from maltodextrin and fructose in a 1:0.8 ratio. These sugars are absorbed in the intestine via different transport proteins. This is why this combination is used in sports nutrition by athletes who consume higher amounts of carbohydrates per hour, for example during cycling or triathlons. Always gradually increase such a high intake during training.

Cyclic dextrin and carbohydrate powders

Cyclic dextrin, also known as highly branched cluster dextrin, is a carbohydrate made from corn starch. It has a large, branched molecular structure and low osmolality, which means it behaves differently in water than regular sugars. You can find it as a separate powder from German Elite Nutrition and ESN, to dose yourself in your bottle or shake. ESN Perfect Base is a carbohydrate powder per 30-gram serving. Maize Pudding from German Elite Nutrition is a corn starch pudding used as a carbohydrate source in the kitchen.

Energy gels

In addition to drinks, you can also get carbohydrates from gels. The HIGH5 Energy Gels in this collection contain 23 grams of carbohydrates per gel, in Classic and Aqua variants, with or without caffeine and electrolytes. Gels are useful when you cannot drink enough to meet your carbohydrate target. Preferably take concentrated gels with a few sips of water. You can find more gels in our energy gel collection.

Recovery after strenuous exercise

After long or very intense exercise, your glycogen stores may be largely depleted. Carbohydrates help restore normal muscle function (contraction) after very intense and/or prolonged physical exercise that leads to the depletion of glycogen stores in the skeletal muscles. The beneficial effect is achieved by consuming carbohydrates from all sources in a total amount of 4 g per kilogram of body weight, in doses within the first 4 hours and no later than 6 hours after exercise. SiS Beta Recovery combines carbohydrates and protein in a shake.

Caffeine in drink mixes and gels

Some products contain caffeine, such as HIGH5 Energy Drink Caffeine, HIGH5 Energy Gel Caffeine and HIGH5 Aqua Caffeine. The amount is stated on the packaging. Add up all the caffeine you consume during the day; the EFSA recommends approximately 400 mg per day for healthy adults. Products containing caffeine are not intended for children or for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Choosing and combining

First determine how many carbohydrates and how much fluid you need per hour. A drink mix often covers a large part of both. Supplement with gels or bars if you want more carbohydrates than you can drink. Choose a separate carbohydrate source such as cyclic dextrin if you want to dose it yourself. Test everything during training and if in doubt, ask a sports dietitian for advice.