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Q:
Do PowerBar® products with PowerBar® C2MAX dual source energy blend contain caffeine?
A:
PowerBar® C2MAX dual source energy blend is a carbohydrate blend of glucose and fructose in a 2:1 ratio. This has been shown to deliver 20-50% more energy to working muscles and improve athletes’ cycling times by 8% compared to using glucose alone.(1)
PowerBar® products that are chocolate flavored or are enrobed in a chocolate coating contain small amounts of naturally occurring caffeine. We do not add caffeine to any of our bars.
Caffeine is added to several of our PowerBar® Energy Gel and PowerBar® Energy Blasts gel filled chews varieties. PowerBar Energy Gels contain up to 50 mg of caffeine per packet, and Energy Blasts gel filled chews contain up to 50 mg per 6 pieces. Please visit PowerBar.com to view the specific flavors with caffeine.
1 (Currell K, Jeukendrup AE. Superior Endurance Performance with Ingestion of Multiple Transportable Carbohydrates. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 2008; 40; 2: 275–281).
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Q:
Do you use recycled material in your packaging? Is the material recyclable?
A:
Yes! The cartons use 100% recycled material and are recyclable. In addition, the corrugated boxes used for product packaging cases have recycled content and can also be recycled. The film surrounding the bars and gels is not recyclable because it makes contact with food. Please check with your local recycling center for approved material that they will accept. Thank you for thinking green!
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Q:
I am training for a 125-mile cycle ride that starts at 7:00 a.m. What can I have before and during the ride to fuel me?
A:
Before the ride, make sure that you fuel up with easily digestible carbohydrates. For pre-workout snacks, we offer the PowerBar® Performance Energy bar, the PowerBar® Fruit Smoothie Energy bar, and PowerBar® Energy Bites. These products also provide some protein to help you maintain a stable blood sugar level. Consume your pre-workout snack 30–60 minutes before you begin.
These products will also work well during the ride by supplying much-needed carbs for continuous energy. And to meet your fluid needs as well as those for carbs, Ironman Perform™ sports drink is great to keep in one of your sports bottles. Keep a bottle handy for hydration and carbs during the ride — for satiety and additional carbs, opt for a few bites of a Performance Energy bar or PowerBar Fruit Smoothie Energy bar or a couple of Energy Bites. General carb recommendations during exercise lasting longer than 2–3 hours are 45–90 grams of carbs per hour of activity. This will help preserve your limited muscle glycogen stores.
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Q:
I am running a half marathon next month. At what point in the race would I use PowerBar® Energy Gel?
A:
The current sports nutrition recommendation for carbohydrate intake during events lasting 1–2 hours is about 30–60 grams per hour. Based on body weight, you can calculate your specific needs: 0.32 grams of carbs per lb (0.7 grams per kilogram) of body weight. One PowerBar® Energy Gel packet provides 27 grams of carbs. For a half marathon, which can take around 2 hours to complete, you can plan on one packet every 30 minutes, or up to a total of four for the event. Please note that sports nutrition products can affect different athletes in different ways. Test it out by using PowerBar Energy Gel in your long training runs, and come up with a nutrition strategy that works for you. Good luck in the half!
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Q:
In the off-season, how many calories do I need per day?
A:
In the off-season of your sport, you most likely will continue your training — or be involved with other activities — in order to keep your muscles fresh. But your workouts may be less intense than during the regular season, so you will be burning fewer calories from exercise. To prevent weight gain during the off-season, you will need to adjust your caloric intake accordingly.
The number of calories that you burn on an hourly basis will vary, depending on your primary sport. The following are a few examples of approximate numbers of calories burned in various sports for a 150-lb athlete:
Basketball: 261 calories per hour
Cycling: 261–326 calories per hour, depending on speed
Ice Hockey: 632 calories per hour
Running: 261–567 calories per hour, depending on speed
Swimming: 498–702 calories per hour, depending on stroke
For example, let's say you were a basketball player who trained and competed a total of 15 hours in a typical week. That's nearly 4,000 calories per week burned just from your workouts. During the season, you were consuming additional calories to maintain your training/competing weight and to keep up your energy level. Now, in the off-season, you're not burning as many calories. To prevent weight gain, consume fewer calories by having smaller portion sizes and cutting out some snacks. With this scenario in mind, reducing your calories by 500 per day will bring you back to your calorie needs without training. Again, if you continue to train in the off-season, but at a lower intensity, do not decrease your calories too drastically, as you will need some excess for energy for the workouts.
For more information on calories burned in a variety of different activities, please check out the Activity-Calorie Calculator on the PowerBar.com website. For a customized food plan based on your activity level, go to PowerBar® PowerCoach™.
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