With nutrition and hydration taken care of, the final thing to consider is supplementation. Caffeine is one of the most researched ergogenic aids and is regularly used to enhance endurance running performance [2]. Low-moderate dose of caffeine between 1-3mg/kg appears to be sufficient for enhancing endurance performance[3]. Concentrations are in the bloodstream after just 15 minutes and peak 1 hour after ingestion so aim to have you caffeine supplement within the final hour leading up to the race. You can then look to top up towards the end of the race to help power you through the final stages, around 60-90minsis a good time to take this on board, so if your target time is 4 hours, then around the 3 hour mark is fine. g of amino acids, including citrulline, glutamine, tyrosine, taurine, beta-alanine, arginine and three BCAAs As with any nutrition strategy, race day nutrition should be practiced during a training run. This will give your client the opportunity to trial the foods you suggest and they prefer, on their digestion and fine-tune the timings of when they eat and drink to support their race. This should increase their confidence around their race strategy and have a positive physiological impact on their performance.

Maintain hydration during the race by replacing lost water and salts through sweating by drinking water and carbohydrate-electrolyte solutions. Drink two-three big gulps every 15-20 minutes, a little more if it’s a hot day or you tend to sweat a lot. Goldstein, E. R. et al. (2010). International society of sports nutrition position stand: caffeine and performance. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 7, 5-20. Mix up Essential Amino Energy in your ON Shaker any time you’re looking to improve mental focus and alertness. Assuming that your client has loaded their muscles in the 24-36 hours prior to their start time, the aim of race day nutrition is topping up liver and muscle glycogen stores and hydrating adequately, while ensuring your client is not hungry or overly full at the start line. Each serving of Amino Energy contains 17 separate ingredients per two scoops. The primary component of Amino Energy is the Amino Blend which comprises 5 grams per serving (serving size is two scoops). In this 5 gram component, there are 14 separate ingredients. This goes beyond the standard BCAAto include even non-essential amino acids and beta-alanine. WHAT DOES OPTIMUM NUTRITION AMINO ENERGY DO?All in all, we think that this is a pretty option that combines a range of important Amino Acids with other ingredients such as Caffeine and Green Tea Extract. Essential Amino Energy’s label says that it’s for “anytime muscle recovery” and “energy and focus,” and it has perhaps more ingredients than any other BCAA supplement we’ve seen. Are they bogus, or could it be the ultimate BCAA? Jeukendrup, A. et al. (2014). A step towards personalized sports nutrition: carbohydrate intake during exercise. Sports Med, 44, S25–S33. These contain between 75mg-150mg caffeine per serving or a piece or two of caffeine gum which contain 100mg of caffeine per piece. Again, this is very individual depending on your caffeine tolerance and body weight so I recommend testing what works in training leading up to the race. The main reason for this is their ubiquitous whey powder Gold Standard, the most popular protein supplement on the market. But ON provides pills, powders, and potions for almost any requirement an athlete or a casual exerciser might need, and today we’re trying their branch chain amino acid supplement.

Make sure you test out all of your nutrition strategies extensively leading up to the race so you know what works for you. It’s also a bit frustrating that this is a proprietary blend. Is it 2:1:1 leucine to isoleucine and valine? Do we know how many grams of each amino acid it contains? I don’t know, and that’s important to a lot of people. Essential Amino Energy Taste The main downsides are the fact that it uses a proprietary blend, so we don’t know the doses of some of the ingredients, and that it also contains the sweetener Sucralose.Do not try anything new on race day and ideally have a test run in the weeks leading up to the race to find out what works for you to help you feel your best when you are at the start line.

Optimum Nutrition Amino Energy is one of the most popular BCAADrinkson the market. The supplement has multiple purposes when compared to other amino drinks. As ON amino energy is sugar-free and contains a green teamatrix, it can be consumed in the morning, pre workout,intra workoutor evenpost workout. WHAT’S IN OPTIMUM NUTRITION’S AMINO ENERGY DRINK?It’s generally best not to regard fitness-focused supplements as ‘magic’ pills or powders that will work without any effort on your part. After the race before you go off and celebrate you need to replace the fluid you have lost. Signs of dehydration include severe headaches, muscle cramps and extreme fatigue, none of which are pleasant. Drink at least 500 ml in the first 30 minutes after the race, and then keep sipping every 5 to 10 minutes until you are passing pale coloured urine again.