How Many Carbs Do You Need Based On Your Exercise?
If you’ve ever hit a wall during a long run, ride, or grueling long CrossFit WOD like Murph, chances are your body ran low on fuel, specifically: carbohydrates. Carbs are your body’s preferred energy source during exercise, and getting the right amount per hour can make or break your performance. It’s important to note that there is a fine line to walk of carbohydrates, as they are easy to over-indulge in. If you’re not sure of your current carb intake and if it is too high or low, feel free to reach out to me and I can help you tweak this!
Let’s break down how many grams of carbs you need per hour of training, depending on the length and intensity of your session:
🕐 < 60 Minutes: No Extra Carbs Needed
If your workout is less than an hour, you likely don’t need to take in any carbs during your session, especially if you’ve had a solid pre-workout meal or snack. I am a CrossFit coach and feel like this is something our athletes ponder a lot. But if you’re sticking to your hour-long standard CrossFit class, you don’t need to specifically add extra carbs into your day for it. You can simply just eat your regular amount of carbs that you typically ingest daily and eat them mostly surrounding your 1 hour class-time for optimal use of them.
✔️ Pro Tip: Focus on fueling beforehand with a meal that contains about 25-30% of your daily carbs, 2–3 hours prior, or a small snack 30–60 minutes before training.
🕑 1–2 Hours: 30–60g Additional Carbs Per Hour
For longer or more intense workouts, like endurance runs, very long metcons, or back-to-back strength circuits, aim for 30–60 grams of carbs per hour.
🧃 Examples of quick-digesting carb sources:
Sports drink or electrolyte carb mix
Ripe banana
Dates
Applesauce pouch
Gels or chews
💡 Start with 30g/hour and work your way up if needed based on how you feel. Everyone digests carbs differently during movement, so experiment during training, not on competition or race day.
🕒 2–4 Hours: 40–90g Carbs Per Hour
If you're training or competing for 2+ hours (marathon, HYROX, triathlon, long rucks, etc.), your carb needs increase significantly. You’ll want 40–90 grams per hour to avoid hitting the dreaded wall.
To absorb this amount efficiently, use a dual-source carbohydrate mix (like glucose and fructose in a 2:1 ratio) which allows your body to take in more carbs without causing digestive issues.
🚴 Examples:
Endurance fuel powders with 2:1 glucose:fructose
Carb gels labeled “multi-source”
Honey + sports drink combo
🍽️ Keep Fat & Protein Low During Workouts
Fat and protein slow digestion a bit which is why they make you feel full for a long time, which isn’t ideal when you need quick energy during a workout, but great for the rest of the day. These are still NEEDED! Save them for your post-workout shake + meal.
🧠 Practice Makes Fueling Perfect
Don’t wait for race day to try fueling strategies. Your gut, like your muscles, needs some training! Use your longer training sessions to test how much carb you can handle and which forms work best for you.
