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.

Fruit Salad: Water, Maltodextrin (from Maize) (33%), Natural Flavouring, Gelling Agents (Gellan Gum, Xanthan Gum), Acidity Regulators (Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate), Preservatives (Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate), Sweetener (Acesulfame K), Sodium Chloride, Antioxidant (Ascorbic Acid). Carbohydrate is your body's main fuel for moderate to high intensity exercise. During training and competition, our bodies can absorb around 60g of carbohydrate per hour, meaning that demand will outstrip the supply of energy. This shortfall is met by using your glycogen stores, which must be replenished post exercise so you are able to perform well in your next session. 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. 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 SIS Go Hydro Tablets are designed to help you stay hydrated during workouts. They come in various flavours like Cola & Caffeine, Lemon, Pineapple & Mango, Grapefruit, and Strawberry & Lime. Each refreshing serving is 9 calories!Our complete product range is developed using a world-class approach to banned substance testing, providing assurance for athletes. 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. 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.

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. Depleting your carbohydrate stores during exercise is one of the major causes of fatigue. Delivering additional carbohydrate during exercise is known to improve performance, race times and delay the onset of fatigue. Cherry: Water, Maltodextrin (from Maize) (33%), Gelling Agents (Gellan Gum, Xanthan Gum), Natural Flavouring, Acidity Regulators (Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate), Preservatives (Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate), Sweetener (Acesulfame K), Sodium Chloride, Antioxidant (Ascorbic Acid). They are designed to be consumed without water, minimising the risk of being bloated that can sometimes occur with over-drinking.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. 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. 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.

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. 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: 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. 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.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. Winner of the Queens award for enterprise, this innovative product continues to be seen at the forefront by endurance athletes. Use during endurance sessions and events to help avoid flagging.

The ‘Team Sky Bundle’ (while it’s half price). This consists of 18 gels, 20 hydro tablets and 500g of rapid recovery powder. Take our GO Energy Powder for example - a versatile and easily digestible supply of carbohydrate for energy, designed to be used as a loading strategy in the days and hours prior to a race. This practical solution is suitable for vegan diets and is also dairy, wheat, gluten and nut free! Or, browse our recovery products, which are perfect for helping you to achieve a fast and effective recovery after those gruelling workouts! Use REGO Rapid Recovery Powder within 30-minutes after exercise to achieve maximum recovery benefits. Simply add 50g of powder (approximately three full scoops) to 500ml of water in a shaker bottle and shake well to achieve a smooth consistency. Avoid mixing with milk as it will slow down the rate of absorption. Lemon and Lime: Water, Maltodextrin (from Maize) (33%), Gelling Agents (Gellan Gum, Xanthan Gum), Natural Flavouring, Acidity Regulators (Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate), Preservatives (Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate), Sweetener (Acesulfame K), Sodium Chloride, Antioxidant (Ascorbic Acid).

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. 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. When it comes to performing at your peak, you need innovative performance-driven products that will satisfy your nutritional needs to keep you working harder, faster and for longer. All of our sports nutrition bundles are designed with endurance sports in mind to give you a boost exactly when you need it most. SiS gels are highly beneficial as part of your fuelling strategy without the liquid volume that can leave you feeling bloated and sluggish. Our complete product range has been developed using a world-class approach to banned substance testing, providing assurance for athletes. 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.