The new TORQ bars have started to land at TORQ HQ. We’ll get some sexier pictures up online as soon as all the flavours have arrived by the middle of next week, but for now – here’s a sneak preview.

The new 45g TORQ bars are smaller than their 65g predecessor for good reason. TORQ are launching a new campaign to make fuelling endurance exercise much easier. What we’ve done is to make the TORQ bar identical in carbohydrate content to the TORQ gel (30 grams of carbohydrate), which is also consistent with the 30g of carbohydrate delivered in 500ml of TORQ energy drink.

Research suggests that most people can consume and use about 60 grams of carbohydrate per hour, providing that it’s from a lean concentrated source of carbohydrate. However, the recent research into Maltodextrin:Fructose on which TORQ products are based, suggests that 90 grams per hour is more achievable. There is some suggestion that smaller individuals may be unable to take on and use as much as larger individuals, but the jury is out on this at the moment.

This aside, there’s a sizable amount of clear evidence supporting a 40% greater carbohydrate delivery with 2:1 Maltodextrin:Fructose over glucose or glucose/dextrose/maltodextrin combinations irrespective of body size. So, using the TORQ formula is going to deliver energy more strong full stop.

So what is the new TORQ Fuelling System?

Our guidelines are simple. Take 2-3 TORQ units per hour. 1 TORQ unit is 30g of carbohydrate, or 1 TORQ  gel, 1 TORQ bar or 500ml of TORQ energy drink. If the weather is hot, it makes sense to consume more 500ml energy drink units, because you’ll be getting fluid and electrolytes with your carbohydrate to facilitate hydration. In cooler weather, overconsumption of TORQ energy will fill you bladder and your exercise will be interrupted by toilet stops! This is where drinking less, but gaining TORQ units through the more concentrated TORQ fuel sources (bars and gels) makes more sense.

So effectively, your carbohydrate intake should always be 60-90 grams per hour, irrespective of the weather conditions and perspiration rates, but the method you chose to fuel yourself will vary.

We’re recommending that newcomers and smaller individuals begin with a strategy of 2 TORQ units per hour and experiment with 3 TORQ units per hour as they feel comfortable. Individuals over 65kg in weight and experienced sports people should be able to move onto 3 TORQ units per hour fairly easily and without any cause for concern.

What happens if you over-consume and take on too much carbohydrate? There is little point in exceeding 3 TORQ units per hour from a performance perspective, because you won’t be able to use the extra fuel anyway, but over-consumption can cause gastric discomfort. However, the great benefit of TORQ’s Maltodextrin:Fructose matrix is that it is so quickly digested that the human body can handle larger quantities of carbohydrate. Therefore the likelihood of gastric upset is so much lower than with more traditional formulations anyway. Certainly at 2 TORQ units per hour, your body will just soak up the carbohydrate.

We’ll be putting plenty more information up on the website about the TORQ Fuelling System in due course, so we’ll keep you posted.

Four out of 5 of the new TORQ bars are now officially ‘Fairtrade’ and the other one is Soil Association Certified ‘Organic’. Fairtrade bars retail at £1.35 per bar (same as the TORQ gels without Guarana) and the Organic Mango bar retails at £1.60 (same price as TORQ’s Guarana gels). The new bars

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate in contacting us on enquiries@torqfitness.co.uk or on freephone (from landlines) 0845 128 4312.