Cycling, performed as a semi and professional way. This sport requires a high performance, that involves a high energy use to those who practice it. And gels for cyclists are an excellent complement to boost the strength and resistance during the practice.
However, is important to know how these work and their use, due depending their use, you can obtain different results. Here we will explain you everything you need to know before consuming them.
What are the gels for cyclists?
Gels for cyclists are fast ingestion and digestion supplements that generate an instant energy contribution, ideal to boost or increase resistance when pedaling. These contain high levels of carbohydrates, which makes them ideal.
These can be ingested during pedaling, without reducing bike speed or braking, thanks to packing and semi solid consistency (almost liquid). In short, these are designed to comfortably consume without interrupting a sport activity.
What is their function?
Exist two classes of gels for cyclists, being the most common those of fast and slow absorbing. Depending of what is desired or needed to achieve during the practice, is the supplement that must be consumed.
- Because of the great quantity of carbohydrates, mostly, sugars, the fast-absorbing gels are ideal for energy rise, due organism process nutrients as glucose & fructose. This kind of gel reduces the tiredness and fatigue, avoiding to suffer a loss of performance. The counterpart, is that this effect goes downhill and it usually lasts a few minutes.
- On the other hand, low absorbing gels for cyclists, even though include carbohydrates, may have other compounds, as cornstarch.
Thanks to the low ingest, allow body to distribute energy that provide during a more prolonged time; for example, provide two hours of energy without losing it neither going down.
Meaning, the fast-absorbing gels help to a greater strength, and slow absorbing provide more resistance.
To be consider
Of course, depends on the brand of gels that you consume, the effect of these can appear
since the first minutes of their intake, to the 15 to 20 minutes after their
intake.
However, the fast-absorbing gels have to be consumed during the sport practice to provide energy at the moment. On the other hand, those of slow absorption must be consumed before starting the training or competition.
Another important point to consider, is that, due composition of great levels of carbohydrates, these can cause upset stomachs when you are not used to their consumption. For that, is suggested to start to consume them little by little; preferably, some days before the training or the day of the competition.
If you are already used to a determined gel for cyclists, don’t change the brand or component the same day of your competition, your stomach can have a bad time.
Warnings!
By being products with high sugar levels or carbohydrates, their use is not recommendable in people with kidney, hypertensive or heart problems (above all, if gels contain caffeine). Likewise, their use must be moderated, due excessive use of these can generate a resistance to insulin and the appearance of type 2 diabetes.
Remember that the best sport diet is the natural one. If you consume supplements, such as gels for cyclists, their use must be moderated and responsibly. Don’t forget that cycling is one of the healthiest activities that you can practice.
