Beyond caffeine and pre-workout: why game athletes Travis Mayer and Emily Rolfe are turning to carbs instead

Emily Rolfe admits she was reluctant to take carbs in drink form at first.

“I was pretty reluctant to take carbs… because, you know, I don’t like the sweet taste in my mouth and (with a lot of produce) I taste like drinking sugar all day long,” This attitude led to Rolfe not being 100% on board when her husband, Kyle, suggested she take UCAN’s SuperStarch before and during his long workouts.

The rising CrossFit athlete listened anyway and quickly realized that the product didn’t have that sweet taste that she didn’t like so much. Not only that, but her long workouts started to feel more productive than when she relied on a traditional pre-workout and the caffeine from a cafe to get her through.

This was in 2015, long before Rolfe was a two-time CrossFit Games athlete.

Six years later, Rolfe is a UCAN athlete and is more dedicated than ever to his products. Although she still drinks one coffee per day, she takes no other pre-workout products except SuperStarch powder, which she drinks in liquid form before each session. She also uses UCAN’s protein and electrolyte products and their on-the-go gels, often using them during and after workouts.

“Usually about 90 minutes in a hard room, you say to yourself, ‘okay, I’m starting to get hungry, like I’m ready to eat’, so that almost cuts that off and I’m then able to ‘go a little longer. ”

Travis Mayer, seven-time CrossFit competitor

Rolfe isn’t the only Games athlete to rely on UCAN to help her survive and thrive at the recent CrossFit Games, where she finished 15th overall. Seven-time Games athlete Travis Mayer, who placed 12th this summer, is another.

Mayer discovered UCAN in the last few months leading up to the 2021 Games when his agent gave him samples, and today UCAN powder, gels and bars have become a staple in his training and on competition days.

What exactly is SuperStarch?

SuperStarch, owned by UCAN, is a natural low-glycemic, non-GMO complex carbohydrate designed uniquely to provide long-lasting, long-lasting energy without the spikes and crashes you often get from sugar or sugar-based nutrition products. stimulants. .

Energy from stimulants, like caffeine, turns the brain on and increases feelings of alertness, but it does not provide muscles with constant fuel to keep you pushing hard throughout a workout. Energy from sugar is released into your bloodstream all at once, followed by a crash, and requires frequent refueling to maintain energy levels.

SuperStarch, on the other hand, delivers constant energy over time, keeping blood sugar levels stable, allowing the athlete to perform at a higher level for longer.

Five reasons why Rolfe and Mayer choose UCAN

1. Push through long training sessions

The first thing Mayer, who takes UCAN Energy powder 40 minutes before a workout instead of a traditional pre-workout, noticed how it helped him move on from longer workouts.

“Usually about 90 minutes after a strength exercise you say to yourself, ‘Okay, I’m hungry, like I’m ready to eat,’ then that almost cuts that off and I can then go for a while. little longer before you feel the need to bring food, ”said Mayer, who also takes UCAN gel during longer aerobic sessions.

He added that he would recommend it not only to high performance athletes like him, but anyone who trains hard and finds it difficult to get hungry or feel drained during or after workouts.

2. Energy without the crash

UCAN was originally designed for children with life-threatening hypoglycemia to allow them to achieve a steady release of carbohydrates over several hours to manage their blood sugar.

This was one of the main selling points for Rolfe, who found that unlike other pre-workout products she had tried when starting CrossFit, UCAN had helped her avoid the crash she had been using. ‘she often felt in the middle of her workouts.

“It gives me this steady state and not this crash,” she said, adding that UCAN products are also gentle on the stomach, helping her to avoid that nauseous feeling she might experience when eating food. other types of food during a long workout.

She added, “It’s easy to digest because it’s liquid, really. It’s like a jerk. So when you don’t really feel like eating, that’s what I’ll take first.

3. Fast and easy

In addition to helping him get through long workouts, Mayer has also become drawn to UCAN bars and gels because they are easy for him to grab quickly between sessions, or when he’s in the car and needs to “refuel right away,” he said.

Rolfe agrees and says the same goes for their proteins. It’s quick and easy to add to her shake if she’s a little hungry during a workout “to keep me a little more full,” she said.

4. Snack

While Rolfe and Mayer are more concerned with performance than anything else, Mayer is adamant that if something doesn’t taste good it probably won’t stick to it.

That’s why he doesn’t drink coffee.

“Everyone around me always seems to drink it. And I’m like ‘You know what, maybe today is the day.’ No, it’s still not there… It’s the taste. I can’t forget the taste. I don’t like it, ”he said.

The taste of UCAN, on the other hand, is one of the main reasons he clung to it.

“It’s really good, and that’s kind of the key element. Sometimes a lot of things just don’t taste good, regardless of the product. If it doesn’t taste good, (it’s) very difficult to keep taking it. You say to someone, ‘Hey, drink fish oil, frankly… No,’… You must have some stuff that tastes good, ”he said.

5. Ideal for game day

During regular training days, Rolfe adds a scoop or two of UCAN Energy powder to her shaker, but she increased that number to three scoops at the Games this summer to help her get through the long days.

She and Mayer also relied on gels – a more concentrated version of the SuperStarch – in Madison because they don’t require any mixing and can be ingested quickly.

Rolfe even slipped it right into her swimsuit during the swim and ‘liquorice’ it during the transition from swimming to kayaking, an event where she saved a ton of time on the kayaking part. and placed fourth.

“That’s why I went so fast on the kayak… A little second wind there,” she said with a smile.