Meet Näak: An Ultimate Ultra Fuel
By The Feed.
Our Feed Coach Joey dives into the newest endurance-focused fuel brand Näak. Learn why they have one of the most unique product line ups and how they're honing in on ultra endurance nutrition.
Naak Ultra Energy is a bit different than the traditional sports nutrition product. Sure, you can use it to help fuel your shorter workouts, but what it’s really here to do is to help keep you fueled all day long… or even multiple days!
Ultra is in their name, and their main focus is to help keep you fueled across ultra events.
Whether it be a day-long trail race, a multi-day bike-packing race, or even a long hike, their products contain everything your body needs to keep going. In the Naak product lineup, you will find drink mixes, waffles, energy bars, puree pouches, and recovery powder. This gives the athlete a wide range of products and can help prevent getting burnt out on any particular flavor or type of fuel.
As an athlete, carbohydrates are essential to provide your body with a continuous supply of energy, however, we can’t just have pure carbohydrates during an ultra-distance race! Our bodies will begin to crave less sweet options that aren’t quite as fast-burning as carbs. Naak has mastered the balance of carbohydrates, fat, and protein in their products to help keep the body going with sustainable energy.
A few key things to highlight about all of Naak’s products are:
Carbohydrate: this is obvious to most endurance athletes, but it is always good to mention that we need a continuous source of carbs while training and racing for longer than 90 minutes! This helps promote glycogen resynthesis (creating more fuel for our body) and prevents you from bonking.
Protein: This macronutrient is sometimes seen added to sports nutrition products, more commonly, we see branch chain amino acids added. We know that prolonged activity can lead to a significant amount of muscle damage, and we also know that by providing the body with protein during these prolonged periods, we can negate those effects. Naak has gone one step further by adding multiple protein sources to enhance performance and recovery while enduring a long, grueling race!
Fat: Many athletes will view fat as a bad option during training and racing, and while we want to limit the amount of fat we take in for a shorter event, it is crucial to a long ultra event. As mentioned above, carbs are a critical fuel source, but when racing for long hours, your body will also use slower-burning fuel sources! When exercising at a moderate to low intensity, our bodies do a great job of using both fat and carbs for fuel.
Sodium: All of Naak’s products contain a low to moderate amount of sodium as well as other electrolytes like potassium and calcium. This means that you will be able to continuously replace electrolytes lost in sweat by just fueling frequently throughout your event!
If you are curious on how you might be able to use some of the Naak products, we have outlined a sample fueling plan that could be used in a 100k trail race:
Every odd hour:
- Half a serving (250mL) of Energy Drink Mix + 250mL of water
- 1 Waffles + 1 Purée
Every even hour:
- Half a serving (250mL) of Energy Drink Mix + 250mL of water
- 1 Bar + 1 Purée
Post activity:
- 1 serving of Naak Recovery within 30-60 minutes
Remember to reach out to our coaching team for questions and to help you train your gut!