I cheated and loaded it in my Ninja blender to mix before loading it in bottles. Still not much different than EndurElite. That’s all I have to compare it to.
1 Like
Agreed. Using a taller than regular bottle to fit all of one packet in with the recommended amount of water. An uninsulated 26oz purist bottle is just about perfect for me.
I just purchased the Superfuel to give it a try, as i use Skratch products with alot of success. I do the 2:1 Gatorade and Malto mix too. I find that is extreamly sweet when mixed to a 90g mix. Its like taking a big gel with you, definatly not hydration. Skratch claims this has the same properites as their Hyrdation mix and can be used as both as long as your hydration needs are not really high, basically a great source while its cold outside.
Dose anyone know how cluster dextrin really compares to Malto as far as performance for quicker energy needs? I know its slower and supposed to be easier on the gut, and this was designed to be used on long events where you need all day carbs, Not a 1.5-2 hour ride or work out. I think the taste is extremely light. I think ill use this for my longer outdoor rides and keep the malto gatorade cheap mix for on the trainer.
1 Like
I’ve been using Superfuel since it came out, I like it. I use it almost exclusively on my outdoor rides that are 3-5 hours. I try to use it as my next to last bottle of hydration (sometimes alternating sips from my last 2 bottles and trying to finish the Superfuel bottle before I finish my last regular bottle).
Cluster Dextrin is a more sustained release than Malto so I have found that I may still need a gel/chews while in the Superfuel “stage” of my ride…just not as many (gels/chews) or as often depending on your mix ratio. Sometimes I don’t do the full number of scoops recommended per bottle…I just mix what I need based on my ride and other fuel choices I have made to take that day. I really try to finish the bottle, because of the cost and I can always save the gel or chews for another day if I have an extra or two when I’m done.
2 Likes
Yea that was gonna be my next test is how my gut handles taking it while also throwing in a gel with it especially after or before a big effort. I like it thus far and I can see the benefits on longer days for sure.
Am I the only one that dumps all the chews out into my jersey pocket and discard the packaging?
For long rides (4+ hours) I have a small top tube bag that I dump several bags of chews into. Allows me to carry more and consume them easily as I ride.
Anyone else find it kinda ironic that the guys who basically started the “drink your hydration, eat your calories” trend are now doing high calorie drinks? 
2 Likes
I think they just recognized the rediculous market for these high energy drinks and wanted to cash in too. On their site they still recommend their skratch hydration to be the better solution.
1 Like
Cluster dextrin is no better or worse than maltodextrin. It just sounds cool and costs a lot.
Not to mention if cluster dextrin is the only thing you’re using, or even if mixing 1:1 with Gatorade you’re going to saturate your glucose absorption limits and leave fructose absorption limits untouched.
If you’d like to pay more for your carbs, purchase cluster dextrin based products and mix with fructose.
Fructose from Bulk Supplements on Amazon
If you’d like to pay less for your carbs, use sucrose. Purchase with your groceries. The osmolarity will be lower, but all that really matters is energy density and sugar ratios, both of which are nailed spot-on by sucrose.
1:1 gluc:fruc for the win.
1 Like
Isotonic shouldn’t be the goal. If sugar ratio of 1:1 gluc:fruc is maintained, or maybe 1.0:0.8 or 1.0:0.9, then absorbing 90-140g/hr is no issue for a lot of folks.
10-18% is often tolerable in cooler conditions (hydration is good).
8-12% for hotter where hydration may be compromised.
You’re right. It’s the same.
If cost on intra-workout nutrition is important to you: Saving Money as an Endurance Athlete
TLDR: sugar, sodium citrate, Gatorade.
Cheaper, more optimal.
Use more fructose. You can increase your carb absorption and utilization rate. Closer to 1:1 is better than 2:1 gluc:fruc ratio.
GONZALEZ_2017_Glucose plus fructose ingestion for post-exercise recovery-Greater than the sum of its parts.pdf (1016.7 KB)
REVIEW, Rowlands2015_Article_FructoseGlucoseCompositeCarboh.pdf (785.1 KB)
JENTJENS & JEUKENDRUP 2005 ‘1-1 ratio is good!’ high-rates-of-exogenous-carbohydrate-oxidation-from-a-mixture-of-glucose-and-fructose-ingested-during-prolonged-cycling-exercise.pdf (194.5 KB)
3 Likes
I have never heard of Renaissance Periodization before, but this is the second time I have seen you link to the site. The site looks interesting, but I like knowing when I am being marketed to. Are you affiliated with Renaissance Periodization in any way? Also, what degree does the Dr. in your name refer to?
3 Likes
Completely agree re knowing what you’re being marketed. I am associated with RP and will financially benefit from sales of a few of the RP products. Anything endurance oriented.
RP is a “science based” (that’s a terribly overused term!) exercise and nutrition company with a large following in the weight training and physique world. My wife and I are both consultants for RP and serve as coaches, but I’m not interested in more clients (we’re both at client cap). More interested in getting decent nutrition and lifting science into the endurance world of which I am a tiny part. (Just raced a merckx TT today in AZ). My wife is a cat 1 and All-American triathlete.
My PhD is in Sport Physiology and Performance. My first dissertation was going to be in nutrition. Bailed on that when I made Team USA in bobsled. Dissertation ended up being on bobsledder strength and power, and a bit of aerodynamic inquiry. I’ve since switched gears into the cycling and triathlon world and returned focus to nutrition and endurance training.
Great, thanks for the full disclosure, and glad to have you around.
2 Likes
I’m probably the slow kid just catching up with the rest of the class, but I noticed the last sentence on the directions for Superfuel tell you to “add more or less mix depending on caloric needs.” (Paraphrasing).
This got me thinking that one good use of Superfuel could be to add some carbs without tipping into super-sweet territory, even if it’s far short of the full 7 scoops for the 100g recipe.
So for today’s workout I made up my regular 24oz. bottle with 2 scoops of regular Skratch (42g carbs) plus 1 scoop of superfuel (14g). The result was a bottle with 56g of carbs that didn’t taste much different than my typical 2-scoop Skratch mix. It would have been too sweet (for me) to do more than 2 scoops of Skratch, so the Superfuel was an easy way to up the carbs while keeping things drinkable. Might try 2+2 next time.
I think this is a great way to go, unless you are nearing limits of absorption/digestion of glucose. My understanding of that limit is somewhere in the 60-90 grams glucose/hour. In reality I think this is highly individual, so you need to find what works for you. Even if you are not hitting the absorption limit, it still may not sit well with your gut. I would add malto until it stops working for you - that’s how you know what your limit it.
Hey I just got a 24 Hour MTB race over the weekend and my main nutrition source was SuperFuel…
Wanted to share my experience as GI distress is a familiar feeling with Everestings and long intense days. Not so scientific but at least gives some anecdotal hints…
- Pace - I went around 0.6IF and planned to drop 0.55IF at the end
- Laps - One lap was about 1:15-1:25 hour and I planned nutrition/hydration per lap and also switched bottles per lap (all pre-mixed)
- Liquid Nutrition - One Tall Bottle with 200Cal Skratch SuperFuel + 80Cal Skratch Hydration mixed - 70g carbs / lap ~10% mix (~55g/hour)
- Solid Nutrition - I tried to alternate a banana (120 Cal.) and a 250Cal food added per lap (rice cake/sandwich / Clif bar etc.) to add solid food continuously (~30g/hour carbs)
- Hydration - I got one short bottle of water to add more liquid if needed to get hydrated
What happened:
- For about 12 hours the pan worked well - drinking was easy, super fuel mix was easy to get down, and water helped to get more liquid…
- For 12 hours I got my lap time 0.6IF on the point 1:15-1:17 laps… pretty consistent, felt NO problem at all keeping the pace
- We started 11am so about 11pm I had a sudden “shut down” of intake in general… nothing really got down (salty / sweet / solid / liquid) only Coke + Biscuits in small doses… It was NOT a usual GI distress it was I think more of a circadian rhythm type body reaction
- After the lack of constant carbs (coke + biscuits gave me 25-35g carbs still) I dropped the pace down to IF0.55 so I kept riding
After the context… my personal thoughts about the mix
- was easy to drink for the whole period - not too sweet or stuff
- was easy to get a ton of liquid in ~1L / hour for 12-14 hours
- was easy to plan/calculate/adjust (I self-supported so I could always figure out whether I am ahead or behind)
- I had many maltodextrin-based formulas and I always had fatigue/GI issues with even less carb intake
- It was way easier to get the proper amount of solid food in per lap without issues than I had before when I had more “sweet” drink mix
- I am a pretty heavy sweater but as the pace was down and the temp was not too warm I did not sweat a lot - but I needed to pee like crazy over EVERY lap…
If I would do 6-8 hour harder efforts 0.75-0.8IF I would take out solid food completely and just run with 90g carb with the mix per hour.
Hope helps
2 Likes