Energy gels have long been a common sight in running, cycling, tennis, or on long mountain treks. But do you really need a gel for every workout? And if so: When is the right time – before, during, or after exercise?
The short answer: An energy gel makes sense primarily when you need carbohydrates to be available quickly and conveniently. The decisive factors are the duration, intensity, and goal of the activity.
For a casual 45-minute training session, a healthy person with a normal diet usually does not need an energy gel. For longer or more intense efforts, it’s a different story.
The most important figures at a glance
For athletic performance, the following rough guidelines apply in sports nutrition:
| Activity | Carbohydrates during exercise |
|---|---|
| under approx. 60 minutes | usually no additional intake necessary |
| approx. 60–90 minutes, high intensity | small amounts can be useful |
| 1–2.5 hours | about 30–60 g of carbohydrates per hour |
| over 2.5 hours | up to about 90 g per hour possible for trained endurance athletes |
These amounts are not mandatory requirements for every athlete. They are guidelines from sports nutrition and must be adapted to the type of sport, intensity, diet, digestive tolerance, and training status.
You should definitely not try very high carbohydrate amounts for the first time on the day of a competition.
Why does the body need carbohydrates during sports at all?
Our muscles can derive energy from various sources. At higher intensities, carbohydrates play a particularly important role.
Some of this is stored as glycogen in the muscles and liver. However, these stores are limited.
The longer and more intense an activity lasts, the more relevant the question becomes as to whether additional carbohydrates should be consumed during the exercise.
In this regard, an energy gel is nothing magical. First and foremost, it is a compact and easily transportable source of carbohydrates.
That is precisely its advantage: while cycling, running, or during a tennis match, a plate of pasta is rather impractical.
Energy gel before exercise – useful or unnecessary?
In many cases, a normal meal is sufficient
For example, if you are training for an hour in the afternoon and have eaten normally a few hours earlier, you usually do not need an energy gel immediately before your workout.
Before longer or particularly intense efforts, nutrition in the preceding hours is more important.
For competitions and intensive endurance efforts, a common guideline is about 1–4 g of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight in the 1–4 hours before the activity. How much within this wide range is actually appropriate depends on factors such as the duration of the activity and individual tolerance.
A 70-kg athlete certainly does not automatically need to eat 280 g of carbohydrates. The wide range shows that a two-hour cycling workout has different requirements than a marathon or an entire competition day.
When can a gel be practical immediately before the start?
An energy gel can be useful, for example, if:
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a long time has passed since your last meal,
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you cannot tolerate a larger meal before the start,
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a long or intense effort lies ahead,
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the gel is already part of a proven competition strategy.
In this case, a gel taken about 10–20 minutes before the start can be a practical source of carbohydrates.
However, it does not replace a sensible meal before a competition.
Example: MelliGEL
A 32 g pouch of MelliGEL contains approximately 27–28 g of carbohydrates, depending on the flavor. The basis of the recipe is organic honey; no maltodextrin is used.
This makes it relatively easy to calculate the carbohydrate amount into an individual nutrition strategy.
Energy gel during exercise – this is the most important area of application
The classic use of an energy gel is during prolonged physical exertion.
But even here: not every training session requires additional energy.
Training under an hour
For a normal run, fitness workout, or a bike ride of, say, 45 minutes, an energy gel is usually unnecessary.
With a normal diet, the body’s own energy reserves are generally sufficient for this.
For high-intensity efforts lasting about an hour, studies show that even small amounts of carbohydrates can have a performance effect. However, for recreational athletes, this does not mean that everyone needs a gel for a 50-minute workout.
Activities of 60 to 150 minutes
From about an hour onwards, carbohydrate intake becomes more interesting – especially at higher intensities.
A frequently used guideline is:
30–60 g of carbohydrates per hour.
One MelliGEL contains approximately 27–28 g of carbohydrates.
In practical terms, this means, for example:
1 pouch per hour ≈ 27–28 g carbohydrates
2 pouches per hour ≈ 54–56 g carbohydrates
However, this does not mean that everyone should automatically eat two gels per hour.
Carbohydrates from sports drinks, bars, bananas, or other foods also count toward the total amount.
If, for example, you are already consuming 25 g of carbohydrates through a drink and use an additional gel with 28 g, you are at a total of around 53 g of carbohydrates per hour.
This is precisely why a sports nutrition strategy should always consider the total carbohydrate intake – and not just the number of gels.
What applies to very long efforts?
For endurance efforts lasting more than about 2.5 hours, well-trained athletes can benefit from higher amounts.
The established recommendation here is up to about 90 g of carbohydrates per hour, for which combinations of different types of carbohydrates are usually used.
In recent years, professional cyclists and other elite endurance athletes have even been experimenting with amounts of 100–120 g or more per hour.
However, this is not a general recommendation for recreational athletes.
A current scientific review from 2026 also concludes that higher amounts may be interesting, but the data is not yet sufficient for a general recommendation significantly above the classic 90 g per hour.
More is not automatically better.
The stomach must be trained along with the body
A frequently underestimated topic with energy gels is gastrointestinal tolerance.
Anyone who normally does not eat anything during training and suddenly tries to consume 80 or 90 g of carbohydrates every hour at their first marathon may encounter problems.
Possible symptoms include:
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feeling of fullness,
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nausea,
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bloating,
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abdominal cramps,
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diarrhea.
Therefore, one of the most important rules of sports nutrition applies:
Nothing new on race day.
Test your nutrition strategy during training.
This applies to:
Amount + Timing + Product + Fluid.
Especially with concentrated carbohydrate sources like energy gels, it makes sense to ensure sufficient fluid intake.
Energy gel after exercise – do you need it?
A clear answer is worthwhile here:
For normal recovery after training, an energy gel is usually not the best complete solution.
After exercising, the body does not need exclusively carbohydrates. Depending on the activity, fluid, protein, electrolytes, and overall energy intake all play a role.
Therefore, a normal meal is the more sensible choice after most training sessions.
For example:
Yogurt with oats and fruit, a sandwich with a protein source, rice with egg, fish, or tofu, or another balanced meal.
When can fast carbohydrates after exercise still make sense?
The situation is different if the next intensive effort follows only a few hours later.
For a very short recovery phase – for example, during tournaments, stage races, or two intensive training sessions on the same day – a carbohydrate intake of approximately 1.0–1.2 g per kilogram of body weight per hour during the first hours of recovery is discussed to replenish glycogen stores as quickly as possible.
For a 70-kg athlete, that would be around:
70–84 g of carbohydrates per hour.
In such a situation, a gel can provide a portion of these carbohydrates.
However, it should normally be part of a larger recovery strategy and not replace the entire meal.
Before, during, or after exercise: What is correct?
Before exercise
Can be useful if a long or intense effort is coming up and a long time has passed since your last meal.
Usually not necessary for normal short training sessions.
During exercise
This is the most important area of application for an energy gel.
For longer and more intense efforts, gels enable practical and easily dosed carbohydrate intake.
As a guideline for longer efforts, about 30–60 g of carbohydrates per hour are often recommended.
After exercise
Not fundamentally necessary.
A balanced meal is usually more sensible.
However, when facing multiple intensive efforts within a short time, fast-acting carbohydrates can be practical.
A concrete example: 3 hours of cycling
Let's take an ambitious three-hour bike ride.
Goal:
about 50 g of carbohydrates per hour.
This results in a total of:
3 × 50 g = 150 g of carbohydrates.
A possible strategy could consist of a combination, for example:
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MelliGEL,
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a carbohydrate-containing drink,
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a banana or bar.
You don’t have to consume the 150 g exclusively through gels.
With about 28 g of carbohydrates per MelliGEL, for example, two gels would already provide around 56 g of carbohydrates. The rest can be distributed via other sources.
In practice, this is often more pleasant than consuming the same product exclusively for three hours.
And what about tennis, hiking, or fitness?
Energy gels are not just for marathon runners.
Tennis
An intense tennis match, including long rallies, breaks, and multiple sets, can last well over 90 minutes.
Here, a planned carbohydrate intake during the match can be useful.
Hiking and mountain sports
For a leisurely two-hour hike, normal food is usually sufficient.
For long mountain treks of five, six, or more hours, it’s a different matter. A gel can be practical here as a compact reserve – especially in situations where solid food is difficult to eat.
Fitness center
For a normal 60-minute strength training session, you generally don’t need an energy gel.
For very long or multiple training sessions, the situation may look different.
Why MelliGEL?
MelliGEL takes a slightly different approach than many classic sports gels.
The basis is organic honey, which provides the carbohydrates. Depending on the flavor, a 32 g pouch contains approximately 27–28 g of carbohydrates.
Depending on the variety, the recipes combine organic honey with fruits or select other ingredients and Himalayan salt. MelliGEL avoids maltodextrin, GMOs, and artificial additives.
For athletes, this means one thing above all else:
MelliGEL can be integrated into an individually planned sports nutrition plan as a concrete carbohydrate source.
Nothing more – but nothing less.
Because even the best energy gel does not replace training or a balanced diet.
Frequently asked questions about energy gels
When should I take an energy gel?
For longer or more intense efforts, an energy gel is typically used shortly before or during exercise. For training sessions under about an hour, a gel is usually unnecessary with a normal diet.
How many energy gels per hour are sensible?
This cannot be answered solely by the number of gels. The decisive factor is the total carbohydrate intake. For longer efforts, about 30–60 g of carbohydrates per hour are often recommended.
A MelliGEL provides about 27–28 g of carbohydrates per pouch, depending on the flavor.
Should you take an energy gel with water?
For concentrated carbohydrate sources, sufficient fluid intake is useful, especially during longer efforts. How much fluid is required depends on factors such as temperature, activity intensity, and individual sweat rate.
Do I need an energy gel for a 10 km run?
For many runners, no. Anyone completing a 10 km run in about 40–60 minutes and having eaten sufficiently beforehand usually does not need additional energy intake during the run.
Is an energy gel useful after training?
For normal recovery, a balanced meal is usually sufficient. A gel can be practical if, after a very intense effort, carbohydrates are needed quickly and the next training session or another competition follows only a few hours later.
An energy gel is a tool – not a must
An energy gel won't turn a bad nutrition strategy into a good one.
Used correctly, however, it can be a very practical way to consume carbohydrates during prolonged physical exertion.
The most important orientation is:
Short training → usually no gel necessary.
Long or intense effort → carbohydrates become increasingly relevant.
1–2.5 hours → often about 30–60 g of carbohydrates per hour.
Very long endurance efforts → higher amounts possible individually.
And perhaps the most important rule of all:
Test your nutrition strategy during training – not on race day.
Discover MelliGEL
Discover the different MelliGEL varieties with organic honey and find the right version for your training, your competition, or your next sporting challenge.
