Give the body what it needs!
During any workout longer than 1 hour, you need to consume carbohydrate while exercising. How much? 70 grams of carbohydrates per hour is a good benchmark to start from.
For shorter and low-intensity sessions, a smaller amount may be sufficient, but for all medium- and high-intensity sessions and for low-intensity sessions that are 3-4 hours or longer, 70 grams per hour is a good rule of thumb.
When you train at high intensity, you may need to consume even more carbohydrates, about 80-90 grams per hour. When consuming these amounts, it is important to consume both glucose and fructose. If you only take in glucose, your body can't absorb such large amounts. That's because glucose and fructose take different routes through your body.
But maybe it says that your sports drink contains maltodextrin, what is that? Maltodextrin is a compound glucose molecule but has the same fast absorption rate as glucose. So if your sports drink contains a combination of maltodextrin and fructose, you can absorb more than 60-70 grams per hour.
When you exercise, you want your carbohydrates to be fast and easily available to your body. That's why sports drinks are good, but you can also eat something containing fast carbohydrates.
