GRIZZ Energy Gum tijdens het wintersporten

Energy gum during winter sports

The first snow has already fallen in the Alps. The moment all winter sports fanatics have been waiting for. Time to plan a trip! Of course, the well-known sports such as skiing, snowboarding, or cross-country skiing are favorites with recreational users, but the professionals in a wide range of winter sports have been training for a long time already to be able to peak during the winter season and the upcoming Olympic Winter Games in China.

After extensive summer training, the top athletes start training at altitude as soon as possible, preferably in the snow. The use of caffeine chewing gum, also known as sports chewing gum, is most often used as a pre-workout during training sessions in the summer. Building up strength and improving endurance, but also in the field of muscle recovery, ensures that these types of products have been established among top athletes for some time now.

GRIZZ Energie kauwgom voor wintersporters

There is of course a big difference between the various winter sports and the purpose of using an energy gum. Needless to say, you can't compare a sport like cross-country skiing with bobsleigh or freestyle skiing, so this blog highlights a number of different winter sports activities with the aim of giving a better insight into why and at what time the use of caffeinated chewing gum could be helpful.

Caffeine is a popular physical and cognitive enhancing supplement that has been actively (scientifically)researched since the 1970s. Now that the popularity of caffeine supplementation is increasing, especially among non-professional athletes, it is important to consider which dose would be ideal for (fanatic) amateur or “occasional” athletes.

In addition, many winter sports often take place at altitude, in the mountains, which can have a different effect on the body than when it takes place at sea level.

It’s already known that doses below 2 mg/kg body weight cannot be considered as effective and fall within the insignificant margins. These margins correspond to the comparable effect of the placebo(!).

So, for example, if people take an energy gum with 40-80 mg of active energy substances, it means that you can weigh a maximum of 40 kilos in order to enjoy an actual effect of the active substances in the energy gum. If you weigh more, you should actually take two, but due to the size of some energy gums, that is practically not feasible or not pleasant. Not to speak about energy gums that only contain 12,5 mg of active energy substances. 

The use of an effectively working sports gum stands or falls with the purpose for which it is used. Is it used to gain more strength and increase your stamina or is it primarily used for more focus, better alertness, or better concentration? Or is it a combination of all these? This depends on the type of winter sport that is practiced. Of course, there will be many overlaps in the various sports, but the moment of taking the caffeinated energy gum (and other active energy substances) still varies.

Energiekauwgom tijdens het skiën

Alpine Skiing/ Snowboarding

One of the most practiced winter sports is of course alpine skiing and snowboarding. Many enthusiasts from all over the world rush to the mountain areas as soon as they turn white. From the end of September, the professional ski and snowboard teams will take up residence in the Alpine countries, where from then on you can train on the breathtaking glaciers. The holidaymakers usually come a little later in the season when the professionals are already traveling the world to ski or board the World Cup competitions.

An energy gum can be helpful in terms of strength, endurance, alertness, and focus, given that all these characteristics are called upon. It is easy to take with you in a ski jacket given the size and the energy gum can easily be consumed during the ride in the ski lift (can be earlier of course!) to be effective when you start the descent. In addition, it also prevents you from having to stop more frequently because of toilet visits, which makes it the ideal sugar-free energy boost (frequent toilet visits are often the case when taking energy drinks or coffee). It also contributes to safety on the slopes because of increased alertness and focus, so that the number of (near) accidents could be reduced.

GRIZZ Energy Gum tijdens het wintersporten

Cross-country skiing and Skitouring

Other ski variants include cross-country skiing and ski tours. Of course, during Cross-country skiing and Ski touring it comes down to stamina, focus, and alertness. Cross-country skiers and ski-tour athletes are of course much longer on the road, where sanitary stops along the way are often difficult to make because of the lack of mountain restaurants, especially in the case of ski tours. Energy gum is therefore ideal to take with you when a decrease of your energy levels starts to play a role. 

Often this type of winter sports enthusiasts have energy bars or chocolate with them, but since these go through the gastrointestinal tract for absorption by the body, many athletes find out too late that they have already used their energy reserves, after which it takes another 45 minutes before the energy balance is restored. The energy gum is absorbed through the oral mucosa after about 5 minutes so that the energy level is quickly brought back up to standard. Weight is also an important factor in endurance sports in the snow because carrying extra weight for hours is also not preferred. A pack of energy gum is light and contains enough energy for a day of winter sports fun.

GRIZZ Energy Gum voor biatlon sporters

Biathlon

Biathlon is a sport that has become very popular mainly in Germany, France, Scandinavia, and Eastern Europe. The combination of cross-country skiing and thus endurance, in combination with shooting (lying and standing) with a high heart rate, is an enormous challenge for many athletes. An energy gum with sufficient active energy substances comes in handy here, because almost all boxes are ticked in biathlon. Whether it concerns strength, speed, and endurance during cross-country skiing or focus and concentration when shooting, everything is possible with an energy chewing gum. Take shortly before departure and have no diuretic properties, so do not stop along the way for a sanitary stop.

Speed skating/ Short Track Speed ​​Skating

A winter activity that for the most part no longer takes place outdoors is speed skating and short track speed skating. While a naturally formed ice rink is the exception rather than the rule these days, these sports are most commonly practiced in indoor speed skating rinks all year round. The number of natural ice rinks is limited and marathons on natural ice are only held on lakes like the Weissensee in Austria. Nevertheless, we include speed skating and short track speed skating in this list because these athletes can also benefit from the use of energy gum. The strength, endurance, speed and concentration and focus all apply to speed skating, in any form of this sport. Take the energy gum shortly in advance so that you don't have to gamble when the energy is released. For speed skaters who are active at a professional level, it may be necessary to take two energy gums due to the combination of body weight and the number of active energy substances. With the energy gum from GRIZZ Energy Gum, this is fairly easy, given the size of the energy gum. A simple calculation can be found in the blog: “Is the difference in energy gum effect sex-dependent?

Energie kauwgom tijdens het ijsklimmen voor meer focus

Ice climbing

Ice climbing is a sports activity that many winter sports areas are currently focusing on. Frozen waterfalls are often climbed, whether formed naturally or not. It is a cool activity, also in competition, where attentiveness, coordination between hands and feet, and to some extent strength and more endurance play a role. Coordination, focus, and staying focused during the climb can be supported by the sports chewing gum, which can be taken just before you start. At the last check of the crampons, checking the ice axes, and checking your body fuse, sufficient time has passed for the body to absorb the active energy substances.

GRIZZ Energy Gum freestyle snowboarder

Freestyle skiing/ snowboarding

Every self-respecting ski area currently has an extensive fun and freestyle park with a combination of jumps, rails, and half-pipes. Many adrenaline junkies often turn directly towards these activities at the ski lift instead of riding the “regular” slopes. Cool new tricks and jumps, freestylers often accompanied by content creators with GoPros, cameras, and music, make the young people excited to be active in the freestyle park for a long time. In addition to creativity, aspects such as concentration, focus, and alertness are of course also key in order to maintain the flow, try out new techniques and tricks and therefore also be able to make timely adjustments when things go differently than planned. A small pack of energy gum at hand, and you can spend the whole day active, productive, enjoyable, and as safe as possible in the freestyle park.

Tobogganing

Traditional sledding is no longer of this time. Many winter sports areas offer beautiful toboggan runs, often illuminated as an evening activity. It seems like an innocent walk down, but it is not surprising that people are increasingly urged to wear a helmet. The speeds that can be achieved are considerable, the footwear is often slippery and not sufficient to make an emergency stop and, especially in the case of evening activity, sobriety and alertness are often hard to find. Here, taking chewing gum with caffeine and other active energy substances can make a positive contribution to focusing and increase alertness so that timely adjustments or braking can be made if a sharp bend is approaching and you do not want to disappear between the trees, with all the consequences after that.

Can't wait to book your winter sports trip? Good preparation is key, so order your GRIZZ Energy Gum in our webshop today.

FRESH, FOCUS, FIT & FUN!