I’ve recently switched my Training Plan, as well as time of day. I’m on a Master’s Plan which gives me two intense workouts and two endurance rides. All workouts are 60-85 minutes. I’m doing these rides immediately after getting up a 5am. I’m fairly used to doing 60 min. endurance rides fasted, so this is not an issue. I usually drink one bottle of no calorie electrolytes (per hour).
However, I’m not sure how to handle fueling for the more intense workouts. I obviously have no way to fuel in advance. What would you suggest I do? Would it be enough to just have a bottle of electrolytes & glucose (or whatever sugar)? Would it be better to eat something really light during the warmup? Would it work to just eat a carb heavy(ish) breakfast afterwards?
I would try a hard workout with nothing and then try with a bottle full of sugar and see if it makes a difference. Granted, in a 60 min workout it shouldn’t really matter, but it does for me and I like to have sugar. Could absolutely be placebo though. And I’m ok with that.
I make my sugar water the night before and have it waiting in the morning to make things easier and startup faster.
I have worked out first thing in the morning since college (so 25 years ago … $%^& I’m old!). Anyway, for any Z2 longer than 90 minutes or any workout above Z2, I fuel with ~90g of carbs using a homemade drink mix in a 1L bottle. If I feel hungry before I start I’ll also eat a banana before getting on the bike. If I feel sluggish on the bike or struggle after the first interval, I down a gel to get another 20g of carbs in a quick “shot.”
The quick clip below addresses your question! The team echo some of the helpful suggestions above but also offer some additional quick breakfast ideas .
I eat a gel as I’m getting on the bike (presumed 15 min warmup), and if I’m going to need more for the particular workout (i.e. it’s longer than an hour or I ate low carbs the previous day) then I’ll eat another gel right before starting the intervals. It takes them 10-15 mins to really hit my system is why I use this timing.
Others use other ingredients and as @Power13 mentioned, there are a few threads on drink mix full of recipes. Some quite long! I think this is the main one.
I typically eat a banana within 15 min of getting on the bike, then drink 40-50 grams of carbs. It’s usually just maltodextrin so it’s not sweet. Otherwise, it’s 40 grams of regular sugar. Bottle is mixed the night before and left the fridge.
Yes this is what I do, but I still eat my regular breakfast afterwards
Not worth the bother, also avoid caffeine until after you’ve warmed up.
yes, depending on the intensity of the workout and how well topped off your glycogen stores are from the previous day. I find that it’s better to fuel the work on the bike than try to make up before and after. Don’t forget to add some protein to your high carb breakfast.
Coffee with a healthy dose of sugar is my go-to for early-morning rides – I can’t handle solid food very well right before hopping on the bike (especially for a harder workout), so I’ll have a bottle of instant coffee + sugar mixed up for those O-Dark-Thirty days.
Cheaper than caffeinated gels too, but I understand that some athletes don’t dig the taste all that much!
I have been doing 5am rides for a few years now. The only thing I use is Gatorade Powder at about 65g per hour for intervals and like 20g for z2 rides - with 20oz of water.I just make sure to drink about 1/4 of my mix within first few minutes. If it is a 90min threshold or SS I might also take a gel in - but that gets expensive so I mostly double up on gatorade. I eat a cliff bar or perfect bar afterwards for breakfast on my drive to work and call it a day.
For endurance, a bagel with honey or jam +/- a banana and a cup of coffee (usually cold brew)
For intervals, overnight oats with milk and dried fruit with coffee.
Apple sauce in a pouch for longer rides.
I have been working out early in the morning since 2017. Initially, I did most of my workouts fasted, but I was ravenous during breakfast. I’d literally eat half a loaf of bread.
Now I fuel with 80–110 g per hour, all in liquid form. I mix fructose and glucose myself, add sodium citrate or table salt as needed. Moreover, I add lemon juice, lime juice or something similar to cut down on the sweetness.
Depending on the season, I drink 1–2 bottles per hour, so I need to adapt my fueling strategy accordingly.
That has worked very well. Fueling properly was a key component in getting faster, significantly faster.
I would advise you to revisit that. I did the same for several years, but I now take in about 80 g/h on endurance rides.
In my experience, this is not a good strategy for several reasons:
I noticed that my appetite would only adapt slowly. That is on days I do not train, I’d eat almost the same amount than on heavy training days. Also, my appetite would adapt only very slowly, so in the beginning of the off season, I’d eat way too much and in the beginning of a new season, I’d eat way too little.
You train to fuel intuitively. When I am well into my training, I can fuel outdoor rides without having to count calories, my body knows and regularly asks to be fed. Fueling is something you should train.
It is better for recovery since you stretch the intake over “several meals” (if we count your nutrition on the bike as a separate meal). Before, all the food would sit in my gut.
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