Does it really make sense that a 120-lb soccer player would have the same carbohydrate and energy needs during a game as a 180-lb triathlete training for an Ironman? How about the 225-lb strength athlete — does he have the same protein needs around a workout as a 150-lb distance runner?
The answer to both questions is no. Your requirements for calories, carbohydrates, and protein before, during, and after exercise are uniquely your own. They're personal and based on factors like your body weight and the intensity and duration of your training or competitions. Though your nutrition needs are truly individual, most sports nutrition products are anything but. In fact, most of what's out there is one-size-fits-all. But not anymore!
Taking innovation beyond the bar
PowerBar is changing the face of sports nutrition with the introduction of new muscle-fueling PowerBar
® Energy Bites and muscle-building PowerBar ProteinPlus
® Bites. These tasty, round balls of pop-able pleasure are the perfect blend of chewy and crunchy, and they're packed full of the nutrition that's necessary to propel you to the finish line or power you through a tough workout.
Plus, they deliver personalized sports nutrition. Packed in resealable pouches, you get to decide when, where, and how to eat them. No more eating half a bar and trying to rewrap the remainder for later — that's if you can remember where you stashed it! With Energy Bites and ProteinPlus Bites, you just open the convenient pouch, pop a few bites, and then reseal the rest. In seconds, you get the nutrition you need in amounts you want — and without any hassle. ProteinPlus Bites make it easy to get the protein you need before, during, and after lifting. And Energy Bites make it simple to meet the carbohydrate and energy demands specific to your training and competitions.
Why personalized is better
Personalized is the way of the future. With sports nutrition, it started with hydration. Gone are the days where every athlete was told to drink the same volume of fluid, regardless of effort or conditions. Today, athletes are encouraged to match their fluid intake to their sweat rate in order to stay in their hydration zone. Staying hydrated during exercise allows you to train and compete at your very best, every day.
The very same "personalized" thinking applies to calories, carbohydrates, and protein. Your energy needs are different from someone half or twice your size. They also vary from one workout to the next and from one day to the next, depending on the conditions in which you're training or competing. The same holds true for carbohydrates that fuel your muscles, and protein that aids in the repair and building of muscle tissue following exercise.
Many athletes inherently know their needs are unique, and try to make the appropriate adjustments by cutting their sport bars in half and tossing the remainder in their gym bags for later. Most hard-working gym bags have a "seasoning" of their own. But with Energy Bites and ProteinPlus Bites, you get the nutrition you need how and when you want it, and the resealable pouch keeps your bites away from your socks!
The science of PowerBar Energy Bites
With PowerBar Energy Bites, four pieces provide 26 grams of muscle-fueling carbohydrates, 5 grams of protein, and 140–150 calories. Energy Bites are the perfect high-carbohydrate, moderate-protein, energy-sustaining snack to top off glycogen stores 30–60 minutes before a workout.
Energy Bites are also a great choice during exercise, because they're made with PowerBar
® C2MAX dual source energy blend for faster energy delivery to your working muscles. In fact, C2MAX features the very same 2:1 ratio of glucose to fructose that has been shown in a number of studies to deliver anywhere from 20—55% more muscle energy in comparison to glucose alone. And in a recent study that looked at impact on performance, the glucose/fructose combination improved the performance times of cyclists by a hefty 8%. C2MAX is the cutting edge of muscle fueling.
The only thing topping the science is taste. Delicious PowerBar Energy Bites come in two delicious flavors — Chocolate and Oatmeal Raisin. Muscle fueling never tasted so good!
The science of PowerBar ProteinPlus Bites
Muscle is made up of protein, and when you strength train, you're providing your muscles with the incentive to get bigger and stronger in order to adapt to the workload. Lifting also causes damage to muscle fibers, and that damage needs to be repaired. This is where the protein you consume comes into play. Protein is made up of biological building blocks called amino acids. The protein you eat is digested into its component amino acids, which are then absorbed and repackaged into the specific kinds of protein your body needs, including those proteins required to repair and build muscle tissue. Strength training boosts the rate at which muscle tissue proteins are made, both during and after exercise. Therefore, it's important to have the amino acid building blocks on hand for when they're needed during and after lifting. Calories and carbs are also important to provide the energy and muscle fuel for workouts.
PowerBar ProteinPlus Bites deliver all 3 critical nutrients — energy to power your workouts, protein to build muscle, and carbs to fuel your muscles. Four ProteinPlus Bites provide about 10 grams of protein, 17 grams of carbs, and 150 calories. These bites are the perfect choice for before, during, and after a tough workout.
ProteinPlus Bites offer the additional advantage of having three different protein sources: whey, casein, and soy. These proteins are digested and aborbed at different rates. Whey protein is digested and absorbed the fastest, followed by soy, then casein. The advantage of combining all three sources is that you get a sustained delivery of amino acids to meet the muscle-building demands of your training. In addition, all three sources are complete proteins, meaning they offer an ample supply of the essential amino acids you can't make yourself and need to get from your diet. At PowerBar, this trio of proteins is called TriSource™, and PowerBar ProteinPlus Bites deliver the TriSource advantage with each bite.
Delicious PowerBar ProteinPlus Bites are available in a scrumptious Chocolate Peanut Butter flavor.
Ideal for endurance, strength, and team sports activities
No matter what your sport or activity, or where your workouts or competitions take you, PowerBar Energy Bites and PowerBar ProteinPlus Bites make for good traveling companions.
PowerBar Energy Bites are perfect for endurance sports like cycling, running, and swimming; team sports like soccer, volleyball, basketball, football, and baseball; and individual sports and activities like tennis, skiing, rock-climbing, and hiking.
PowerBar ProteinPlus Bites are great for resistance-training and strength-training workouts, and for any time that you’ve boosted your workout, taxed those muscles, and could benefit from a little extra protein for muscle tissue repair and rebuilding.
Toss a few extra pouches into your gym bag and share with your teammates, training partners, and friends. But hide a package for yourself — these delicious bites will go fast.
Handy Guide for Personalized Usage
PowerBar Energy Bites
It's easy to personalize your use of PowerBar Energy Bites. To guide you, each resealable pouch has a usage chart on the back of the package similar to the one below:
| PowerBar Energy Bites Personalized Usage Chart |
| Your Body Weight | Before
30–60 minutes before activity | During
During every hour of activity for exercise of less than 2 hours in length |
| 100 lbs (45 kg) | 3–5 bites | 4–5 bites |
| 150 lbs (68 kg) | 5–7 bites | 6–7 bites |
| 200 lbs (91 kg) | 7–9 bites | 8–9 bites |
|
As an example, if you weigh close to 150 lbs (68 kg), consume 5–7 Energy Bites in the 30–60 minutes before your activity. And then during the activity itself, consume 6–7 Energy Bites every hour or so. The chart effectively illustrates the power of personalization. If you're closer in weight to 100 lbs (45 kg), you'll want to pop 4 or 5 bites every hour. If you weigh in near the 200-lb (91-kg) mark, your rate of intake will be double that!
For those of you whose activity of choice requires working hard for greater than 2–3 hours at a time, you may benefit from increasing your rate of muscle-fueling carb intake during exercise. The typical recommendation is 30–60 grams of carbs per hour, as shown in the chart above. But when you're working overtime at an intense pace — such as during a long stage of a bike race, an ultra-endurance running event, or an Ironman triathlon — you may benefit from consuming PowerBar
C2MAX dual source energy blend carbs at the higher rate of 45–90 grams per hour. In those circumstances, the following chart can be a useful guide:
PowerBar Energy Bites Personalized Usage Chart
for Long-Duration, Intense Activities |
| Your Body Weight | During
During every hour of activity for intense exercise of more than 2–3 hours in length |
| 100 lbs (45 kg) | 6–8 bites |
| 150 lbs (68 kg) | 9–11 bites |
| 200 lbs (91 kg) | 12–14 bites |
|
PowerBar ProteinPlus Bites
To promote muscle tissue repair and building in response to strength-training, consume 9 grams of protein for every 50 lbs (23 kg) of body weight before or after working out. To personalize your use of PowerBar ProteinPlus Bites, again follow the handy usage chart on the back of the package:
| PowerBar ProteinPlus Bites Personalized Usage Chart |
| Your Body Weight | Before and/or After Training |
| 100 lbs (45 kg) | 3–4 bites |
| 150 lbs (68 kg) | 5–6 bites |
| 200 lbs (91 kg) | 7–8 bites |
|
As an example, if you weigh close to 150 lbs (68 kg), consume 5–6 ProteinPlus Bites prior to or as soon as possible after your strength-training workout.
The latest from PowerBar Sports Nutrition
Soft yet chewy and crunchy, delicious and decadent yet packed with nutrition, backed by PowerBar science and delivering personalized sports nutrition — you've got to try new PowerBar Energy Bites and PowerBar ProteinPlus Bites! Performance nutrition doesn't get any better! PowerBar Bites are available for purchase online or at sports retailers including Big 5, Bike Nashbar, Hudson Trail Outfitters, Performance Bicycle, REI, Road Runner Sports, and Sport Chalet.
References:
American Dietetic Association; Dietitians of Canada; American College of Sports Medicine, Rodriguez NR, DiMarco NM, Langley S. American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Nutrition and athletic performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2009;41:709–731
Topics:
General, During, C2MAX, Carbs, Energy, Stamina, Strength training, Usage
Rights of Usage Policy