Fueling guide
Energy gels: what the research says
An energy gel is a concentrated carbohydrate source. Studies use gels, drinks and chews as a way to reach the carbohydrate per hour that position stands describe.
What matters in the research is the amount and the carbohydrate type, not the brand. Blends of glucose and fructose let the gut absorb more than glucose alone.
Your AI can count the grams in your own gels and plan when to take them.
What studies measure
Trials of fueling in cyclists and runners give carbohydrate in the form that suits the setting. A trial in cyclists found better performance with glucose plus fructose than with glucose alone at the same total.
Reviews explain this by transporters: glucose and fructose use different ones, so the combined rate can go above the roughly 60 g an hour reached with glucose alone.
- Glucose alone: absorption tops out near 60 g an hour in the reviews.
- Glucose plus fructose: higher rates, often described as a 2 to 1 ratio.
- Intakes of 90 g an hour and above need the blend.
Gut comfort
A review of stomach and gut complaints during exercise lists intake of concentrated carbohydrate and low fluid as common factors. Reviews of gut training suggest practice in training changes how well the gut copes.
A trial in runners tested two weeks of gut training. The research points to testing a product in training, not for the first time on race day.
Counting the grams
Labels give carbohydrate per gel. The sum per hour is what the studies compare, so a plan lists the product, the grams and the time. Race fuel plans show this worked out for a given finish time.
In your AI
The AI you already use, with your data in Memory.fit.
- ChatGPTChatGPT plans your week, fuels your long sessions and writes it all back to Memory.fit.Set up ChatGPT
- ClaudeClaude writes your plans back to Memory.fit, and asks you before it replaces or removes something you have.Set up Claude
Grok BotGrok Bot plans and reviews from your real training, and can re-plan a week after a bad night's sleep.Set up Grok Bot
MuseMuse plans sessions from your real training and writes them into Memory.fit's Plan.Set up Muse
DotsOpenAI says a dot's background research uses your connected apps read only, so plans are written when you ask in the chat.Set up Dots- GeminiType @ in a Gemini chat and pick Memory.fit to ask about your training. Gemini asks you to allow each session it plans, and planning a whole week is not reliable yet.Set up Gemini
- GrokGrok reads your training, sleep and fuel, and can plan around them.Set up Grok
- Perplexity ComputerPerplexity Computer reads your training in Memory.fit. Whether it writes a plan back isn't checked yet.Set up Perplexity Computer
- Claude CodeClaude Code reads your training and writes the sessions it plans back to Memory.fit, asking before each change unless you allowed it.Set up Claude Code
CueYour Cue agents plan your week and write your fuel plans from your real training, sleep and recovery.Set up Cue
What to send
Copy one, send it to your AI.
“My gels have 22 g of carbohydrate each. Write a fuel plan in Memory.fit for my long ride that hits the carbs per hour from the position stand range.”
Tools:
get_workoutsset_session_fuel_plan“Look at my last long run in Memory.fit and tell me how many grams of carbohydrate I took per hour.”
Tools:
get_workoutsget_session_fuel_plan“Save in Memory.fit that I use two gel flavors and which ones upset my stomach.”
Tools:
save_memory“Plan a gut training block in Memory.fit: add fueling to my next four long sessions, a little more each week.”
Tools:
get_training_planset_session_fuel_plan
Questions
In short.
Studies give grams, not gels. At 20 to 25 g a gel, 60 g an hour is about 2 to 3 gels, and the exact count depends on the label.
The two use different gut transporters, so together they allow more carbohydrate to be absorbed than glucose alone.
Reviews of gut complaints name concentrated carbohydrate with little fluid as a common factor. Hydration guidance is in the sweat rate guide.
Reviews and a two week trial in runners suggest practice in training improves gut comfort.
The studies compare grams and carbohydrate type, not the form. Many athletes mix forms.
Sources · Checked November 10, 2026
- ACSM, AND and DC joint position statement on nutrition and athletic performance
- Review of multiple transportable carbohydrates and performance
- Cyclists performed better with glucose plus fructose than glucose alone
- Trial of 120 g per hour of carbohydrate in endurance athletes
- Review: the gut can be trained to handle more carbohydrate
- Two weeks of gut training and gut comfort in runners
- Review of stomach and gut complaints during exercise
- Review of new carbohydrate research for endurance athletes
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