Intra-Workout Nutrition for Powerlifters: Fueling Your Longest, Hardest Sessions

You've nailed your pre-workout meal and have your post-workout shake ready. But what about the hours in between? For long, high-volume, or max-effort training sessions, intra-workout nutrition—consuming nutrients during your workout—can be a powerful tool to maintain performance, delay fatigue, and enhance recovery. This guide will cover the science behind intra-workout fueling and provide practical recommendations for powerlifters.

When is Intra-Workout Nutrition Necessary?

First, let's be clear: for a standard 60-minute training session, intra-workout nutrition is generally not necessary if you've had a proper pre-workout meal. Your body has enough stored glycogen to fuel the session.

However, it becomes highly beneficial during:

• Long Training Sessions: Workouts lasting longer than 90-120 minutes.
• High-Volume Blocks: During a hypertrophy or work capacity phase with many sets and reps.
• Meet Day: A long competition day is a prime scenario for intra-workout fueling.

The goal is to maintain blood glucose levels, provide a ready source of energy, and reduce muscle protein breakdown.

The Key Nutrients: Carbs and Electrolytes

Carbohydrates: The Performance Fuel

• Why: During long workouts, your muscle glycogen stores can become depleted. Consuming easily digestible carbohydrates provides your brain and muscles with a constant stream of energy. This can help you maintain intensity, perform more reps, and delay fatigue.
• What Kind: You need fast-digesting, simple carbohydrates that won't cause digestive distress.
  • Good Sources: Dextrose, maltodextrin (found in many carb powders), sports drinks (like Gatorade), or even gummy bears.
• How Much: The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) suggests that for prolonged, high-intensity exercise, consuming 30-60 grams of carbohydrates per hour is effective.

Electrolytes: For Hydration and Muscle Function

• Why: When you sweat, you lose key electrolytes like sodium and potassium. These minerals are crucial for nerve function, muscle contraction, and maintaining fluid balance. Depleted electrolytes can lead to cramping, fatigue, and a drop in performance.
• What Kind: Sodium is the most important electrolyte to replace during exercise.
• How Much: Most commercial sports drinks or electrolyte powders contain an effective blend. You can also simply add a small pinch of salt to your intra-workout drink.

What About Protein and Amino Acids?

• BCAAs/EAAs: Consuming Branched-Chain Amino Acids or Essential Amino Acids during your workout may help reduce muscle protein breakdown. However, if you've had a high-protein meal before training, the benefit is likely minimal. As a leading evidence-based resource, Examine.com notes, their primary benefit comes when training in a fasted state.
• Whey Protein: Consuming a full protein shake during your workout is generally not recommended as it can be harder to digest and may divert blood flow away from working muscles.

A Practical Intra-Workout Drink Recipe

For a long training session, try this simple and effective mix in a large shaker bottle (1-1.5 liters):

• 30-60g of fast-digesting carbs: From a carb powder like dextrose or maltodextrin.
• A scoop of an electrolyte powder OR a pinch of salt.
• (Optional) 5-10g of Essential Amino Acids (EAAs).
• Water.

Start sipping this after your warm-ups and continue between your main work sets.

Intra-workout nutrition is a specific tool for a specific purpose. For your longest and most demanding training sessions, providing your body with a steady stream of carbohydrates and electrolytes can be the key to maintaining high performance from your first set to your last. By fueling your body strategically during your workout, you ensure you have the energy to complete your planned volume and kickstart the recovery process.

Do you use an intra-workout drink? What's in your shaker bottle? Let us know in the comments!