Carbo-ProCarbo-Pro is a pure complex carbohydrate powder. I love it because it has no flavor when mixed with water. There are 100 calories per scoop and I will generally put 2 scoops per 20oz bottle. This is enough for 1 hour of feedings. This type of carbohydrate is quickly absorbed and helps your body use muscle glycogen as the main fuel source. This will help reduce the use of muscle proteins as a fuel source. 1 serving of this has about the same amount of carbs as 1/2 lb. of cooked pasta. For my long training swims and the Catalina Channel, this was a perfect fuel source to help keep me going.
GU RoctaneGU Roctane is the other powder based fuel source that I use. This is where I get my electrolytes, amino acids, caffeine and additional carbs during long training swims and my channel attempt. It is not overly sweet and the flavor is very subtle. After I do a feed with this, I usually instantly perk up and am more focused. 2 scoops of this mixed with 20oz of water is another 1 hour of fuel for me.
Cliff BarCliff Bar is the only real solid food that I will use. I will eat half of a chocolate chip Cliff Bar every 2.5 to 3 hours. This provides protein and fiber so that I don’t get feelings of hunger and it breaks up some of the flavors so I don’t get sick of my other feeds. The only down side to this is that it requires chewing which makes the feed take longer than just liquid and gels. I also drink about 12oz of water with this to prevent dehydration from the protein in the bar.
GU Roctane GelI use the GU Roctane Gels only as needed. If I am feeling depleted and need a quick pick me up, I will use one of these. Within a minute or two of eating the gel I begin to feel better. The flavors of these are powerful and they can be very sweet. Be sure to try out different flavors when you are training to make sure you can stomach it. Personally the thought of eating a chocolate or peanut butter flavored GU in the middle of a 6 or 8 hour swim is nauseating. So I tend to stick to the fruit flavors but if you hate fruit then obviously you would want to pick a different option.
Successful Swims Are Built With Endurance!