Transition Nutrition: Supporting Brick Sessions with Active Root

Training for - and participating in - a triathlon is a monumental challenge that requires meticulous planning and will test both your physical stamina and mental fortitude to the limit. Whether you’re an experienced triathlete or tackling your first race, practicing brick sessions in your training is a critical part of the process. Active Root is here to support your training and racing with our range of ginger-based nutrition and hydration products.

A brick session is a combination of multiple triathlon disciplines - most commonly bike and run - within a single training session with a quick transition between each.

Key benefits of a brick session include adapting your muscles for the purpose of combining one discipline after another. It also trains your body to continue with the next discipline when you are already fatigued. Brick sessions build speed, strength and endurance, as well as mental confidence and resilience which will help on race day. These sessions are key for preparing for and practising transitions (T1: swim to bike, and T2: bike to run) and help you iron out any issues with your transition set up.

Fuelling and hydrating are essential parts of this training process - figuring out what you need at each stage and practicing your race day nutrition, so you can arrive on the start line feeling confident in your fuelling and focusing all your energy on enjoying the journey to the finish!

How does Active Root help fuel your brick sessions?

Make sure you are hydrated, starting with a pre-loading strategy; ideally, 500ml of Sports Drink Mix. The maximum benefit is obtained from drinking early, as the slower you sip-feed your fuel into your system the more time the body has to absorb it and maximise performance.

For longer training sessions taking on extra salts pre-event will help with dehydration and will help combat stomach issues and cramping. Electrolite Drink Mix provides a convenient way to take on additional salt, 800mg to be precise. Our Electrolite drink is PH neutral, tastes delicious, and masks the salty taste often found with rehydration drinks.

We offer two options of gel-based fuelling in the form of our Energy Gels and Gel Mix. Both would be excellent options for brick training sessions, providing easy, on-the-move fuelling that can be consumed during transition, or taken into the next discipline. Our Energy Gels contain 30g carbohydrates and 40mg sodium, along with 50mg of ginger to help prevent gut bombs, and are designed to make sure you don't hit the wall, and keep pushing on!

If you have had issues with energy gels before don't let this put you off; taking nutrition too late in a race can cause stomach distress, also a drop in sodium can have a similar effect. Practice fuelling with gels during your training and remember to fuel little and often from the start.

Additional fuel can be gained from Gel Mix and Energy Chews to real food - whatever you can happily consume during your run or ride.

Our Gel Mix allows for customisable nutrition, with up to 96g carbohydrates with 4 servings in your soft flask. There’s 24g of easy-to-digest carbs per serving, providing steady sustainable energy when you need it most. Blended with real ginger, it helps calm nausea and gastrointestinal distress, ensuring you can push through intense efforts without discomfort. Choose from three delicious natural flavours and simply mix with water for an easily digestible energy gel mix.

Finally, our Energy Chews are an ideal option for portable, on-the-go fuelling. Easily carried and delivering 24g of carbs per serving (approx 5 chews), our chews are deliciously fiery and a refreshing alternative that provides a clean, natural boost of energy and hydration.

The key is to take on fuel consistently from the start, and don't wait until it's too late! Practice your fuelling during your training, and don’t neglect the all-important brick sessions to prepare you mentally and physically for your triathlon.