What are the Benefits of Intra-Workout Nutrition and How to Implement It in Your Fitness Routine?
- Kaitlyn Marie Redmore
- Sep 17, 2024
- 3 min read
What is intra-workout nutrition and should you even consider it?
Have you ever heard the term "intra-workout nutrition"? This type of nutrition has been a bit of a hot topic lately in the fitness world. So let's talk about it!
What is Intra-Workout Nutrition?
Intra-workout nutrition refers to nutrients that you consume during your training session. This type of nutrition can help you maintain energy levels, enhance performance, and accelerate recovery.
Types of Intra-Workout Nutrition:
Typically, there are two main types of nutrients to consider consuming during your workout:
Quick-Digesting Carbohydrates: These can provide a quick burst of energy to help you power through your workout for longer. These can include sports drinks, gels, lollies, fruit, or other simple carbohydrates.
Amino Acids: Supports muscle preservation and recovery. Ideally, these are best consumed in the form of BCCAs (Branched-Chain Amino Acids) or EAAs (Essential Amino Acids). Protein powders can be used but may lay heavy on the stomach for many people.
Most sports drinks and some BCAAs and EAAs also contain added electrolytes, these help rehydrate the body and replenish important minerals that are lost during exercise and sweating which is important to consider.
What are the Main Benefits?
Intra-workout nutrition is less commonly discussed than your pre-workout and post-workout nutrition. However, it can be extremely beneficial depending on your fitness goals and exercise duration/intensity.
The main idea behind consuming nutrients during exercise is to provide your body with more fuel to keep going throughout your session. Quick-digesting carbohydrates are an easy and convenient way to replenish glycogen stores which deplete during exercise.
BCCAs and EAAs help promote recovery and boost hydration, consuming these during exercise can help minimise muscle breakdown and support muscle preservation.
Who Should Consider It?
Intra-workout nutrition may be worth considering if you workout for longer than an hour, or if your workouts are particularly high-intensity.
If you are working out insanely hard or for a long period, you have probably encountered feelings of fatigue. A goal of introducing intra-workout nutrition is to help minimise those feelings of fatigue by giving you a much-needed boost in energy.
By just simply consuming a quick-digesting carbohydrate, you can sustain your energy levels for longer, which can also help improve your performance. Then if you want to promote recovery nice and early, you could consider introducing an amino acid during your workout.
How To Implement Intra-Workout Nutrition:
If you work out for longer than an hour or at a very high intensity, try consuming an intra-workout drink or snack. Choose something you believe your body tolerates well and start with small amounts to see how your body responds. You can always make adjustments as you go.
Generally, for every 60 minutes of exercise, it is ideal to consume approximately 30g of carbs per hour. However, it can be beneficial to consume closer to 60-70g per hour depending on the intensity and duration of your sessions.
Start by consuming 20-30g of quick-digesting carbohydrates during your session, assess how you respond, and adjust as needed.
Keep in mind that not everyone needs intra-workout nutrition, it is important to find what works best for you. Ensure your overall nutrition is optimised first before considering intra-workout.
If you’re interested in implementing intra-workout nutrition to help you maximise your workouts, I’d be happy to help you tailor a strategy to fit your specific needs and goals. Feel free to contact me through my website or via instagram @kaitlynredmore.
