Energy Gel vs Energy Drink: What's the Difference for Athletes?

When it comes to professional athletes, nutrition is more than just avoiding hunger. As training becomes more intense and longer, maintaining adequate carbohydrate intake is one of the most important performance-related indicators. And how you consume carbohydrates also matters. When choosing between an energy gel vs an energy drink, the right choice may depend on a number of factors.

According to studies conducted on sports nutrition, 30-60 g of carbohydrate every hour is recommended, especially if the training session lasts 1-2.5 hours. This can allow well-trained athletes to endure the increasing demands of the training session and perform better.

Coming back to the crux, how you take carbohydrates can be an important part of your fuelling strategy. While energy gel vs energy drink can be one of the common options, they often differ in how they are served. An energy drink may combine carbohydrates with fluid, giving hydration priority. A gel, on the other hand, is a more concentrated and portable way of consuming carbohydrates, especially when consuming large volumes of fluids is not practical.

So, which one should athletes choose? The answer depends on a number of factors, and this blog post is exactly about that. Read on to explore when energy gel may seem like the right choice and when you should be choosing energy drinks.

Energy Gel vs Energy Drink: What’s the Difference?

Both gels and drinks can provide carbohydrates during exercise. However, they deliver in a very different format. The classic difference, when you think about it, is concentration versus combination. An energy gel is a compact source of carbs, while a drink offers a combination of carbs and hydration. The IOC recognises both as tools athletes can use to support carbohydrate intake.

Energy Gels as Concentrated & Portable Fuel

Energy gels are designed as convenient and portable sources of carbohydrates, packed in a small serving. According to the Australian Institute of Sports, a sports gel is a highly concentrated and portable carbohydrate source, with each gel providing about 20- 30 g of carbohydrate.

The convenient, portable format is practical when athletes need to carry fuel or need a quick snack intra-workout. Unlike having to swallow large quantities of liquids, a gel can be taken at any point during a run, match or session, allowing you to meet your fuelling goals. In this context, Kinetica Sports’ caffeinated and caffeine-free energy gels offer 27g and 24.3g of carbohydrate in a small 70g sachet, respectively.

Energy Drinks as Fuel with Fluid

When it comes to delivering carbohydrates to the body, energy drinks follow a different format. This approach can be useful for athletes who are planning to combine their carbohydrate intake with hydration.

For instance, an athlete completing long sessions in warm or humid conditions might need extra fluids. And consuming carbs, along with water, may also contribute to the overall hydration strategy. The trade-off, however, is that unlike gels, which are pretty convenient, the carbohydrate intake won’t be exclusively specified here. Neither would it be too practical to chug down an entire bottle mid-training or competition.

So, when it comes to energy gel vs energy drink for runners, choosing between the two often depends on your priority. If you are looking for something portable, convenient and easy to plan, energy gels can be a good option. However, if you want to combine hydration along with fuelling, you can go for energy drinks.

Energy Gels: What You Need To Know?

When it comes to consuming fuel intra-workout, the amount of fuel isn’t the only thing that matters. In fact, athletes must also consider how much to carry and how easily the fuel can be consumed. This is where energy gels prove to be practical.

The concentrated carbohydrates in these energy gels can be useful for events like endurance sports, where athletes may be required to consume carbohydrates regularly without having to carry a large volume of liquids. Professional athletes take these gels at planned points throughout an event or a training session, while managing their hydration strategy separately.

According to sports nutrition studies, a carbohydrate intake of 30- 60 g every hour is recommended if an endurance training session lasts longer than 1-2.5 hours. Longer sessions may even require higher intake, depending on the athlete’s body composition.

That said, Kinetica Sports energy gels offer 24.3g of carbohydrates, along with 0.06g of salt and 24mg of vitamin C.

While energy gels can be taken as is, without water, athletes can also take them with water. This can help support hydration and improve gastrointestinal tolerance. Moreover, for athletes looking for caffeine-packed energy gels, Kinetica Sports also offers energy gels with caffeine that offer 27g of carbohydrates and 105mg of caffeine per 70g gel.

Energy Drinks: What You Need To Know?

Energy drinks take a different approach when it comes to fuelling. Rather than delivering carbohydrates in a concentrated form, these drinks mix up hydration with fuelling. According to the Australian Institute of Sports, sports drinks, like energy drinks, are designed to support hydration and refuelling during exercise.

This can make energy drinks very useful, especially when fluid requirements are very high. During longer sessions or in warm or humid conditions, an athlete may require more fluid replacement due to excessive sweating.

While formulation might differ from brand to brand, most energy drinks contain 6-8% carbohydrates. For athletes who prefer to sip continuously during a session, energy drinks can be convenient. However, when it comes to calculating the amount of carbohydrates you need from a drink, the carb target is usually based on your overall intake. A common guideline is to consume 30- 60 g of carbohydrate every hour if a training session is over 1-2.5 hours.

When it comes to carbs in energy gel vs energy drink, energy gel may have an upper hand here. If your main aim is to consume carbohydrates, an energy drink might not be a reliable source, especially if you want to meet your carb target without consuming excessive fluids. The AIS also notes that when carbohydrate requirement is more than fluid requirements, athletes may have to choose higher carbohydrate supplements like energy gels over drinks.

Energy Gel vs Energy Drink: Which is more Efficient?

The biggest difference between the two isn’t how much carbohydrate is provided by each one, but how these carbohydrates are packaged and delivered.

Carbohydrate Concentration

Sports gels are a more concentrated form of carbohydrates than sports drinks, allowing athletes to consume a large amount of carbohydrate in a very small serving. AIS also notes that a typical sports energy gel provides 20-30 g of carbohydrate per serving.

When it comes to a sports drink, carbohydrate intake is tied to the amount of fluid consumed. If you need more carbohydrate, more fluid must be consumed, which can be a hassle and not a very practical option sometimes.

Portability

This is another practical advantage of energy gels. A gel sachet can be extremely convenient to travel with, as they take up very little space and allows you to carry multiple servings at once. This can be super useful for an athlete when carrying a large bottle of fluids just doesn’t seem practical.

A compact fuel source can also allow you to plan your fuelling. Rather than estimating how much carbohydrate you may consume from an energy drink, energy gels offer precise carbohydrate intake. This can be relevant for longer sessions where athletes need to target a particular amount of carbohydrate intake for sustained performance.

Timing and Control

Energy gels can make carbohydrate intake more deliberate. Gels can be taken intra-workout without having to consume a lot of liquids.

Hydration

This is where energy drinks may have an upper hand. However, if you go for good quality gels, you might also be able to consume electrolytes along with carbohydrates.

In this context, energy gels by Kinetica Sports also offer important electrolytes like 0.06g of salts and others, allowing you to track your hydration as well.

Wrapping It Up: Energy Gel vs Energy Drink

When it comes to choosing between energy gel vs energy drink, it is important to consider which format may fit your fuelling and hydration requirements. While both can contribute to carbohydrate intake during and before exercise, energy gels can simply offer more convenience, portability and a definitive amount of carbohydrate in a single serving.