Hydration & Nutrition Packs Belt Systems For Peak Triathlon Performance. Gels, Bars & Liquids

www.trinationsports.com

It has been said that that the fourth leg of triathlon is nutrition. If you have ever bonked or had digestive problems during a race, you know how true that statement is.

This article will help you to decide which items will serve you best for peak triathlon performance.

Packs and belts

One cannot start a conversation about hydration packs without the discussion of the back pack version of hydration packs. Although immensely popular and functional for the individual sports of running and biking, their use other than a training item for triathlons is not great. The nature of triathlon and the ease of putting on the belt type hydration systems has caused them to be the mainstay for distance training and racing.

The belt hydration systems are worn just as they sound, as a belt. They are made of a form of elastic for comfort and held together by Velcro. Bottles fit snugly onto the belt for maximum vibration protection and can carry from 2 to 6 bottles. Your choice of the number of bottles will be dependent upon the distance and hydration needs you will require. I have found for half-iron and iron distance training 4 bottles has been adequate.

Most belts will come with a pocket for gels, electrolyte tablets, or keys, whatever you need to carry. Some will also have tabs for your race bib.

Waist Packs

Just as their name suggests these are packs that wrap around your waist in a belt like manner. These will usually come with a standard sized water bottle that is located in the small of your back for a snug fit and minimum vibration. The other waist packs are intended to carry your keys, gels, money, or a credit/debit card for stops along the way.

Gels

There are many kinds – all touting to be the best – with many flavors, differing consistency, caffeine, no caffeine, honey, etc. This leads to two questions. Why are there so many and which one is right for me?

First the reason there are so many kinds is because we as people are all different. We have different tastes, different gastrointestinal comfort levels, a need or lack thereof for caffeine, honey or other flavors.

Before we address the second question, let´s discuss the purpose of the gel. The purpose is to deliver a lot of calories to your body quickly. In triathlon, we burn tons of calories very fast and gels taken at the right time keep your body from running out of fuel at the wrong time.

My favorite kind is the Accel Gel by Endurox because of the 4 to 1 carbohydrate to protein formula which not only provides the calories I need in the carbs but the protein allows the fuel to last longer.

Which one is right for you? Simply the one that gets used. Nutrition is such a vital piece of triathlons that if you can find a gel that works for you in taste and digestion then you should use it. It is vitally important to train with the gels to experiment in training not on race day.

Bars

Just like gels, there are many different kinds of nutrition bars. There are different flavors and consistency and each have a different purpose. Some are for fast efficient consumption of calories, others are for endurance training and recovery, while others are for weight management.

As is my advice to experiment and train with gels, I advise the same for bars as well.

Liquids

It doesn´t take long to get confused with sports drink options. There are so many brands available with differing purposes and marketing budgets. Since everyone has differing tastes, needs, and likes, my advice is to try as many as you can and decide which works best for you before race day. My favorite is Accelerade by Endurox. It boasts the 4 to 1 ratio of Carbohydrates to proteins and has worked very well for me. I have also used all of the Gatorade and Powerade options and have had good luck as well. I will say that they are sweeter than the Accelerade. On a long day of training or racing the Gatorade and Powerade can be too sweet and therefore hard to keep drinking at the most important time.

Summary

The best hydration packs for triathletes are the belts and I would advise erring on the side of too many bottles than not enough. Consider a 4 bottle hydration belt. My advice on nutrition is very subjective and open to the end user. Try various options to decide for yourself which will be best for you.

Get yours at www.trinationsports.com