Just a few years ago, most endurance athletes aimed to consume around 30–60 grams of carbohydrates per hour during exercise. Today, we increasingly hear about strategies involving 90 or even 120 grams of carbohydrates per hour.
Does more really mean better? Should every athlete aim for such a high energy intake during exercise? And most importantly – can the body use that amount of carbohydrates without gastrointestinal issues?
Where did 120 g of carbohydrates per hour come from?
For many years, it was believed that the human body could oxidize around 60 g of carbohydrates per hour from glucose.
However, research into intestinal transport showed that using different carbohydrate sources – primarily glucose and fructose – can increase the amount of energy supplied during exercise.
That is why modern fueling strategies increasingly use carefully selected glucose-to-fructose ratios. This makes it possible to increase energy intake without a proportional increase in the risk of food remaining in the gastrointestinal tract.
This does not mean, however, that every body will automatically cope with 120 g of carbohydrates per hour.
More energy does not always mean a better result
Social media can easily give the impression that the more carbohydrates you consume during exercise, the better.
The reality is more complex.
Carbohydrate intake should be adjusted to factors including:
For some athletes, 60–75 g of carbohydrates per hour will be the optimal solution.
During long-distance triathlons, marathons or cycling races, others may benefit from increasing their intake to 90–120 g per hour.
However, gut preparation is crucial.
Your gut needs training too
In the world of endurance sports, people are increasingly talking about gut training, or training the gut.
Just as muscles adapt to training loads, the gastrointestinal tract can adapt to consuming larger amounts of fluids and carbohydrates during exercise.
People who normally consume only small amounts of carbohydrates during training often struggle to tolerate high energy intakes during competition.
Issues such as:
-
nausea,
-
a feeling of fullness,
-
burping,
-
stomach pain,
-
diarrhoea,
often result not from the amount of carbohydrates itself, but from a lack of prior gut preparation.
That is why energy intake should be increased gradually and made part of the training process.
When can 120 g of carbohydrates per hour make sense?
The greatest benefits are usually seen during very long efforts, such as:
In these situations, maintaining high energy availability can help limit a drop in exercise intensity and delay the onset of fatigue.
This does not mean that every recreational athlete should try consuming 120 g of carbohydrates per hour from their next training session.
How can you increase carbohydrate intake in practice?
The safest approach is to gradually increase the amount of carbohydrates consumed during training.
Combining different energy sources can help:
This approach not only makes it possible to increase total energy intake, but can also improve eating comfort during prolonged exercise.
In practice, many athletes tolerate a strategy based on several carbohydrate sources far better than one based exclusively on energy gels.
What does practice show?
The best fueling strategies are not the most fashionable ones, but those we can execute effectively during competition.
For one athlete, an intake of 70 g of carbohydrates per hour will be optimal.
For another, 100–120 g.
The most important factors are individualising the strategy, testing it regularly during training and developing gastrointestinal tolerance.
Summary
120 g of carbohydrates per hour is not a universal target for every athlete. Under certain conditions, it can be an effective tool for supporting endurance during prolonged exercise, but it requires appropriate preparation and gut training.
Rather than blindly copying the strategies of elite athletes, it is worth developing your own fueling plan, adapted to the duration of the effort, your sporting level and your gut’s capacity.
It is individualisation, rather than maximising carbohydrate intake at all costs, that most often leads to the best results.
Products to support a 90–120 g carbohydrate-per-hour strategy
Does 120 g of carbohydrates per hour make sense? What science and endurance sports practice have to say
Just a few years ago, most endurance athletes aimed to consume around 30–60 grams of carbohydrates per hour during exercise. Today, we increasingly hear about strategies involving 90 or even 120 grams of carbohydrates per hour.
Does more really mean better? Should every athlete aim for such a high energy intake during exercise? And most importantly – can the body use that amount of carbohydrates without gastrointestinal issues?
Where did 120 g of carbohydrates per hour come from?
For many years, it was believed that the human body could oxidize around 60 g of carbohydrates per hour from glucose.
However, research into intestinal transport showed that using different carbohydrate sources – primarily glucose and fructose – can increase the amount of energy supplied during exercise.
That is why modern fueling strategies increasingly use carefully selected glucose-to-fructose ratios. This makes it possible to increase energy intake without a proportional increase in the risk of food remaining in the gastrointestinal tract.
This does not mean, however, that every body will automatically cope with 120 g of carbohydrates per hour.
More energy does not always mean a better result
Social media can easily give the impression that the more carbohydrates you consume during exercise, the better.
The reality is more complex.
Carbohydrate intake should be adjusted to factors including:
exercise duration,
intensity,
body weight,
gastrointestinal tolerance,
weather conditions,
individual fueling strategy.
For some athletes, 60–75 g of carbohydrates per hour will be the optimal solution.
During long-distance triathlons, marathons or cycling races, others may benefit from increasing their intake to 90–120 g per hour.
However, gut preparation is crucial.
Your gut needs training too
In the world of endurance sports, people are increasingly talking about gut training, or training the gut.
Just as muscles adapt to training loads, the gastrointestinal tract can adapt to consuming larger amounts of fluids and carbohydrates during exercise.
People who normally consume only small amounts of carbohydrates during training often struggle to tolerate high energy intakes during competition.
Issues such as:
nausea,
a feeling of fullness,
burping,
stomach pain,
diarrhoea,
often result not from the amount of carbohydrates itself, but from a lack of prior gut preparation.
That is why energy intake should be increased gradually and made part of the training process.
When can 120 g of carbohydrates per hour make sense?
The greatest benefits are usually seen during very long efforts, such as:
high-level marathons,
long-distance triathlons,
ultramarathons,
cycling races,
multi-hour endurance training sessions.
In these situations, maintaining high energy availability can help limit a drop in exercise intensity and delay the onset of fatigue.
This does not mean that every recreational athlete should try consuming 120 g of carbohydrates per hour from their next training session.
How can you increase carbohydrate intake in practice?
The safest approach is to gradually increase the amount of carbohydrates consumed during training.
Combining different energy sources can help:
energy gels,
energy chews,
carbohydrate drinks.
This approach not only makes it possible to increase total energy intake, but can also improve eating comfort during prolonged exercise.
In practice, many athletes tolerate a strategy based on several carbohydrate sources far better than one based exclusively on energy gels.
What does practice show?
The best fueling strategies are not the most fashionable ones, but those we can execute effectively during competition.
For one athlete, an intake of 70 g of carbohydrates per hour will be optimal.
For another, 100–120 g.
The most important factors are individualising the strategy, testing it regularly during training and developing gastrointestinal tolerance.
Summary
120 g of carbohydrates per hour is not a universal target for every athlete. Under certain conditions, it can be an effective tool for supporting endurance during prolonged exercise, but it requires appropriate preparation and gut training.
Rather than blindly copying the strategies of elite athletes, it is worth developing your own fueling plan, adapted to the duration of the effort, your sporting level and your gut’s capacity.
It is individualisation, rather than maximising carbohydrate intake at all costs, that most often leads to the best results.
Products to support a 90–120 g carbohydrate-per-hour strategy
Energy gels
Caffeinated energy gels
Caffeine-free energy gels
Energy chews
Carbohydrate drinks