Gu Energy Gel

Months ago I went out and bought two of almost every brand of gel I could find in the store. With long training runs and a lot of races I get to use gels fairly often. I recommend that you personally try a few different brands and flavors to find what works best for you. My taste buds and stomach say one thing, but yours say something completely different.

With all that said GU is my favorite gel out there. They have a good selection of flavors, my personal favorite being espresso love. I find that GU’s tall and skinny packages fit very well into a pocket or a water bottle holder. Once you pull it out of your pocket you can very easily bite the top off, its also very easy to take that piece and put it in your pocket so you don’t litter. These are clean and easy to get from the tube to your mouth.

The only complaint I have is that it has become very hard to find GU without caffeine in it. Sometimes I might want a caffeinated gel, but if I don’t want caffeine I have to turn to another brand. If you want to know how much of a boost these give you I would say that there is very little difference between gels, but this one seems to be identical to the other brands I have tried. Just like most gels, too many of them will mess you stomach up a little.

I got a deal on the peanut butter flavor of the GU gels, skeptical at first. The other flavors I have tried were good, but peanut butter? Well, a couple of packets during a long ride convinced me that is the flavor for me!! I love the fact I get the peanut butter flavor without the stick to the roof of your mouth stickiness. (Plus, it's tough to carry a jar of peanut butter in your jersey pocket). I have also tried Justin's nut butter packs, but this stuff goes down much easier. I am going to try mixing with another flavor in the future, try to get that PB&J taste maybe?? The boost of energy is gradual, but lasts for awhile. Great for rides. The other flavors I've tried are great too, but nothing to bring back that feeling as a kid eating a PB and banana sandwich so much as the peanut butter GU.

For those who have a hard time swallowing these, don't just gulp them down. Let the GU sit in your mouth for a little bit, your saliva will soften it up. If you don't have saliva, your issue isn't energy, you need some liquids. Plus, drinking a little bit after a GU shot helps. I've never had that "sit in the bottom of your stomach" feel with the GU gels.

I picked up two packs before a recent 14 mile day hike with 4000' of elevation gain and am glad I did!

Tri Berry and Jet Blackberry both tasted great. The effect was both subtle and noticeable. Meaning no sudden jittery boost but sustained energy for that extra push. I downed one of these approximately 6 miles in, just before the summit, and everyone commented on how I just "took off" during the last push to the top. Everyone else agreed that the last climb was noticeably difficult for them but I sailed up as fresh as if I'd just begun the hike.

Recovery was quick too. Much quicker than other hikes done without GU. Not sure if there is a correlation or not but thought it worth mentioning. Also, these were easy on the stomach and I tend to have a sensitive digestive system and steer away from excessive amounts of caffeine.

As other reviewers have mentioned, they do make you thirsty so be prepared. All in all, great product! These will be in my backpack and possibly my desk drawer from now on!

I love GU! I depend on it to keep me from bonking on my long runs. It's easy to ingest while running, and it's also very convenient! Small size easily fits in a pocket. Use as advised, it will keep your energy up for hours - perfect for marathon/half marathon training - or any endurance activity! Must use with water - but you wouldn't think about endurance activity without water anyway, so that shouldn't be considered a problem.

I love the Chocolate Outrage the best- not only is it palatable, but it's actually quite delicious; the taste and consistency is like chocolate fudge. Yum!

I road bike a lot and just got into mountain biking. If I hit a stretch that zaps my energy, I take GU and within 1-2 minutes I feel 100% again. The value of this product in long distance rides is extraordinary. Even if I'm training doing bike sprints or hills, I take GU whenever I start to feel sluggish. They travel easy with you and are easy to take while riding. Take a drink afterwards from you water bottle and life feels good again. I love them.

This stuff is really great because it really works. The consistency throws you off at first and can make it hard to swallow, but you get used to it. After trying a few different flavors, I've decided that Chocolate is the flavor for me. To me, it is just like chocolate pudding. One packet of this before any activity like climbing, hiking, or cycling and you should have energy for about an hour. Like they say, stay hydrated or you'll wish you hadn't even eaten the Gu.

Im a mountain biker and have tried many of the gels out there and GU is by far my favorite. I mainly use the Chocolate Mint if I don't want caffeine and the Jet Blackberry if I want caffeine. Both work great and don't taste half bad at all. Compared to Hammer Gel, the taste is much better and slightly smaller serving is quicker to eat and just as effective. I eat one 15 mins before I hit the trail and one 45 mins into my runs.

I wasn't a fan of gels in the beginning. They tasted awful and caused me to have digestive problems while exercising. I've moved up the distance I run and needed a quick and easy energy source. I thought I'd better give gels another try. After trying several brands I found I like GU the best. The flavor and consistency of the gels are good and I haven't had any digestive issues. Well worth giving a try.

I actually use this while hiking on strenuous trails. I'll take one packet toward the beginning of the day (after 30ish minutes of warming up), and have found that it will easily last for several hours. It works quickly, and I tend to feel strong, even while climbing up steep hills. Personally, I think the berry and chocolate flavors are the best. I didn't care for mandarin orange.

I used this stuff on several 10k's and woah does it work well. Make sure you hydrate during usage with it. There is not after burn nor crash with it. It has the same taste and texture as caramel though. I've used it on several long backpacking trips as well. Well worth the price.

*Just makesure you have some food in your stomach though.