Carbohydrates

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Carbohydrate supplements give you fast, easy-to-digest energy for long training sessions, endurance events and recovery. Shop highly branched cyclic dextrin (HBCD), Vitargo, Cream of Rice, energy gels and carb blends from Cyborg Sports, Rapid Supplements, Science in Sport, Redcon1, Vitargo and Life Cykel.

Read the Carbohydrates buying guide
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Carbohydrates: buying guide

Which carb supplement?

  • Intra-workout carbs (HBCD, cluster dextrin, Vitargo): mixed into a drink and sipped during long or hard sessions.
  • Energy gels: handy for running, cycling and races.
  • Cream of Rice: a quick-cooking carbohydrate food that is easy on the stomach before training.

Sports dietitians often suggest carbohydrate during exercise lasting longer than about an hour. Add electrolytes on hot days. See our guide to mass gainers if your goal is extra calories.

Order online with Australia-wide delivery, free on orders of $100 or more, or visit a Supps247 store in Melbourne, regional Victoria or Brisbane to compare tubs in person and taste flavours before you buy. Members can use our price match guarantee on full-priced items.

Always read the label and follow the directions for use. If you have a medical condition, are pregnant or take regular medication, check with your doctor first.

Carbohydrates: questions and answers

When should I use intra-workout carbs?
They are most useful in sessions longer than about an hour, endurance events, or when training twice a day. For shorter workouts most people do not need them.
What is the best carb powder for athletes?
It depends on how you train. Highly branched cyclic dextrin (HBCD) powders, such as Cyborg Sport Glycoject HBCD and Redcon1 Cluster Bomb, and Vitargo S2 are made to mix into a drink you sip during long or hard sessions. International Protein Extreme Carbs and Zombie Labs Carbs are other powders to compare, while Rapid Supplements Pure Cream of Rice is a quick-cooking carb food for meals before training. The AIS suggests 30 to 60 g of carbohydrate an hour for sessions of 1 to 2.5 hours, so check the grams per scoop. Cluster Bomb, for example, lists 25 g.
Is a carb powder the same as a mass gainer?
No. A carb powder is mostly carbohydrate with little or no protein, and is designed to fuel training or top up energy around sessions. A mass gainer, such as Ronnie Coleman Signature Series King Mass XXL on this page, combines carbohydrate with protein and is used to add extra kilojoules when you are trying to gain weight. If you only need fuel for long sessions, a carb powder like Vitargo S2 or Cyborg Sport Glycoject HBCD is the simpler choice. If you want more energy overall, compare our mass gainers.
Is cyclic dextrin the best intra-workout carb in Australia?
Not necessarily. Highly branched cyclic dextrin (HBCD) is a starch-based carbohydrate, stocked here as Cyborg Sport Glycoject HBCD, with 14.1 g of carbohydrate per 15 g scoop, and Redcon1 Cluster Bomb, with 25 g per scoop. Its best-known claimed benefit, leaving the stomach faster than glucose, comes mainly from a study in mice. Human trials so far are small, found it well tolerated, and mostly compared it with water rather than other carbs. Choose cyclic dextrin for its clean taste and how your stomach handles it, not for a proven edge. You can buy it online with delivery Australia-wide.
Does carb powder work, and what are the benefits of intra-workout carbs?
It works the same way as carbohydrate from food or a sports drink, in a more convenient form. The AIS explains that carbohydrate taken during exercise helps in two ways: it gives working muscles extra fuel, and carbohydrate in the mouth signals the brain, which can make the effort feel easier. Performance benefits are well documented in endurance and stop-start sports. For sessions under about 45 minutes it is not needed, and for hard efforts of 45 to 75 minutes small sips or even a mouth rinse may be enough. A carb powder also adds kilojoules, so skip it on easy days.
How do I take carb powder or cyclic dextrin as an intra-workout drink?
Mix a scoop into water at the strength on the label, for example one scoop of Cluster Bomb in about 240 to 350 mL, and sip it steadily through the session rather than all at once. Glycoject is an unflavoured cyclic dextrin, so you can stir it into an electrolyte or amino drink you already use. If you want carbs before training, the Vitargo S2 directions suggest a serve 20 to 60 minutes beforehand, and after training a scoop can go into your protein shake. If you are new to fuelling during exercise, start small and build up over a few sessions so your gut adapts.
Can carb powders or cyclic dextrin cause side effects?
The most common problem is an upset stomach. The AIS notes that glucose-based carbohydrates taken faster than about 60 g an hour add no extra benefit and can cause gut discomfort, so stick to the label serve and practise in training. Carb drinks also add kilojoules you may not need on short or easy sessions, and like other sugary drinks they can contribute to dental erosion, so rinse with water afterwards. Vitargo is made from barley, so check the gluten information if you have coeliac disease. If you manage your blood glucose for a medical reason, talk to your doctor or dietitian first.
What is the difference between dextrose and maltodextrin?
Dextrose is simply glucose. Maltodextrin is made of short chains of glucose from starch, tastes far less sweet, and is digested so quickly that sports scientists describe it as behaving just like glucose. The AIS groups both as glucose-based carbohydrates that use the same transporter in the gut, which is why intakes above about 60 g an hour do not add more benefit. For long events that need more, blends of glucose and fructose are absorbed better. In this range, Glycoject and Cluster Bomb use highly branched cyclic dextrin and Vitargo S2 uses barley starch, so check the ingredient list of other powders.
Can I use a carb powder for carb loading, and can I order one online?
It can. Carbohydrate loading for events longer than about 90 minutes usually means 10 to 12 g of carbohydrate per kg of body weight a day for 36 to 48 hours, while easing back on training. For a 70 kg runner that is 700 to 840 g a day, which is hard to reach with food alone, so a carb drink or a bowl of Rapid Supplements Pure Cream of Rice can make the target easier. Practise your plan before a long training run first. You can buy carb powders and intra-workout carbs online, with delivery Australia-wide in usually 2 to 8 business days.

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