Learn about Maurten Caffeinated Gel and how to use it in your training.
By Matt Johnson
Founder of The Feed.
Maurten's Caffeinated Gel has arrived as the Maurten Gel 100 Caf 100 and it is the first athlete super-gel that combines short term and long term energy to fuel cycling, running, marathons, triathlons, ironmans and more.
Maurten Gel 100 Caf 100
Maurten Caffeinated Gel might be the hottest new product in sports nutrition this year. Maurten Gel 100 became the top-selling Gel in 2018 and now with the addition to caffeine, we have the world's first Super Gel that combines both long term and short term energy.
The new caffeinated Maurten Gel is called the Maurten Gel 100 Caf 100 and will deliver you 25g of carbs, 100mg of Caffeine, plus 22g of Sodium for added electrolytes. Combined with Maurten's drinks and their hydrogel technology you can consume almost twice as many carbs, 100g of carbs per hour, than any other products without stomach distress.
Maurten's Gels are the most innovative gels on the market, their consistency is more like Jello than the sugary syrup of most existing gels. Maurten Gels do not require water to be consumed with it. Maurten Gel, like the drink mix, doesn't have a flavor it is just slightly sweet, so you avoid the flavor fatigue that other gels are notorious for.
What we like about Maurten Caffeinated Gel.
Maurten has spent 2 years developing this Gel as they didn't want to add in any other ingredients besides caffeine. Caffeine is notorious for its bitter taste, so most companies have to use too little caffeine (25mg) or to add artificial flavors and acids to hide the bitterness. Maurten solved this by encapsulating the caffeine inside their hydrogel technology.
The result is what we think of as the first super gel. You get both short term energy (carbs) and long term energy (caffeine). It has a slightly sweet taste with very little bitterness given the 100mg of caffeine it contains.
Does Caffeine make me a faster athlete?
In 44 out of 46 scientific studies, caffeine increased athletic performance. Caffeine is widely used in all endurance sports. While some studies show an increase in VO2Max, the most recent research suggests that the effect is caffeine is more cognitive and keeping us more alert and reducing mental fatigue that would then lead to us telling our bodies that we are also physically fatigued.
Caffeine lasts a really long time.
Once you ingest a caffeine product, it is rapidly absorbed and is in your bloodstream within 5 to 15 minutes. Caffeine's impact will peak between 45 to 90 minutes after you take it. It will diminish its impacts 3 to 6 hours after you take it.
How much Caffeine do athletes need to take?
This depends on whether you are a regular coffee drinker or a habitual caffeine user. If you are the latter, you will need to take more. In most of the scientific studies, they use a lot more caffeine than you would normally consider. Which is why Maurten has 100mg in its gels. Most of the studies recommend 200mg of caffeine prior to training/racing. Then upwards of 200mg to 400mg more during your event. We recommend that you not exceed 400mg of caffeine in total per day.
How to use Maurten Gel 100 Caf 100 in your training/racing:
For training/races under 1 hour:
It is recommended that you reach 200mg of caffeine prior to starting training or racing. In order to not have too many carbs before you start, we recommend you get some caffeine from coffee/expresso (approx 100mg) and then take a Maurten Caffeinated Gel for another 100mg of caffeine during your warm-up. If you are racing, you should also consider using a regular Maurten Gel 100 when you are at 30 minutes into your race.
For training/races under 2 hours
The same 200mg of caffeine before your event applies, but you will want to take another Caffeinated Gel at 30 minutes into your training or race. Then again at 75 minutes use a regular Maurten Gel 100. You should combine this with either Maurten Drink 160 or Maurten Drink 320 and consume 1 bottle per hour.
For training/races over 2 hours:
We would recommend 3 servings of Maurten Caffeinated Gel. If it is a race, then do the 200mg at the start. But if you are training or it is a really long event (4+ hours), I would recommend waiting until the half-way mark of your workout and start using Maurten Caffeinated Gels at that time. Alternate between regular Maurten Gels and Maurten Caffeinated Gels and don't exceed 3 Maurten Caffeinated Gels.