Forums >Health and Nutrition>All carb gel or carb/protein gel
Read mixed opinions on if you run a marathon say in 4hrs. Should you take a gel that is all carbs - like Hammer Gel or one with a little protein Like Accelerade ? Thoughts ?
you should experiment with them on training runs and see which one works better for you.
I'm not sure what your marathon time has to do with it.
It is far more important to get the right amount of carbohydrates if you are racing for "only" 4 hours. Take too little and bonk, vs. take too much and have it coming out both ends.
There is substantial debate over protein and BCAAs but it does not appear that these are any aid to race-day performance for shorter events, provided that the optimal level of carbs have been provided. Protein may help recovery but now we are talking a second-order effect, i.e. whether or not to ingest protein during the event vs. immediately after.
If you are talking ultramarathons, that may be different, but it is not definitive. Karl King, maker of Succeed S caps, puts BCAAs in Succeed Amino and whey protein + BCAAs in Succeed Clip2. Clip2 is designed for 6+ hour events and I have used it several times in such cases with excellent results. I can't say whether it is the protein + BCAAs, or the lack of stomach issues that it creates, that has generated the good outcomes for me. YMMV.
you should experiment with them on training runs and see which one works better for you. I'm not sure what your marathon time has to do with it.
+1. You may well find that the gel's flavor and consistency are more important factors than the presence of protein.
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