How many ounces of 6% to 8% multiple transportable carbohydrates should the athlete drink during the AM workout?

November 18, 2025 •

4 min read

According to sports nutrition guidelines, fueling properly during exercise is critical for performance and can prevent premature fatigue. A key consideration for athletes is determining precisely how many ounces of 6% to 8% multiple transportable carbohydrates to consume during an AM workout to sustain energy levels and enhance performance. This depends heavily on the workout's intensity and duration.

Quick Summary

Optimal carbohydrate intake during morning exercise varies based on workout duration and intensity. A 6–8% multiple carbohydrate solution allows for efficient energy absorption, with intake ranging from 16 to 48 ounces per hour for sessions lasting over 60 minutes.

Key Points

Start Low, Adjust Up: For workouts over an hour, start with 17-24 ounces of a 6-8% MTC solution per hour and increase intake as intensity and duration demand.
Regular Sip Strategy: Consume 6-12 ounces every 15-20 minutes to ensure a steady supply of fuel and fluid, especially for sessions exceeding 60 minutes.
The 2:1 Advantage: MTC solutions use multiple absorption pathways (glucose and fructose) to deliver more energy, faster, than single-carbohydrate drinks, reducing GI distress.
Combine Fuel Sources: For very long workouts (>2.5 hours) requiring 90+ grams of carbs per hour, use a combination of drinks, gels, and chews to meet needs without excess fluid volume.
Morning Prep is Key: After an overnight fast, liver glycogen is low. Proper morning fueling, even for a short session, can help prevent a performance slump.
Hydration vs. Fueling: A 6-8% concentration balances carbohydrate delivery with rapid fluid absorption, supporting both energy needs and hydration status effectively.

The Science of Multiple Transportable Carbohydrates

Multiple transportable carbohydrates (MTC) refer to sports drinks formulated with a combination of different carbohydrate types, typically glucose (or maltodextrin) and fructose. This blend is crucial because glucose and fructose use separate intestinal transporters (SGLT1 and GLUT5, respectively) to be absorbed. By utilizing two pathways, the athlete can absorb and oxidize more carbohydrates per hour compared to a single-source carbohydrate solution. The result is higher energy delivery to the working muscles, delayed fatigue, and often less gastrointestinal distress. The recommended ratios for glucose-to-fructose are commonly 2:1 or 1:0.8, with recent evidence suggesting the latter may offer additional benefits.

Why a 6-8% Concentration is Important

For most sports drinks, a carbohydrate concentration of 6% to 8% strikes the ideal balance between providing energy and promoting hydration. A solution within this range is isotonic or slightly hypotonic, meaning it has a similar or lower concentration of dissolved particles compared to body fluids. This promotes rapid gastric emptying and efficient fluid delivery to the body, which is critical for both hydration and carbohydrate absorption during exercise. Higher concentrations (hypertonic solutions) can slow down gastric emptying, leading to stomach discomfort and reduced fluid absorption.

Recommendations for During the AM Workout

After an overnight fast, liver glycogen stores are lower, making early morning fueling particularly important for maintaining blood glucose levels. Here are the guidelines for how many ounces to consume based on the length of your session:

Workouts Lasting Less Than 60 Minutes

For shorter, lower-intensity sessions (under 60 minutes), pre-workout fueling may not be necessary if glycogen stores were topped off the night before. However, for high-intensity efforts, a small amount of carbohydrate can be beneficial. A simple mouth rinse of a sports drink might even provide a neurological boost. If consuming a drink, aiming for 10–16 ounces of your 6–8% MTC solution is a good starting point to top off fuel stores without causing stomach upset.

Workouts Lasting 1 to 2.5 Hours

For workouts in this range, active fueling is essential. The recommendation is to consume 30–60 grams of carbohydrates per hour. To find the equivalent ounces, we must do a simple calculation:

Calculate grams per ounce: A 6% solution has 6 grams of carbs per 100mL. Since 100mL is approximately 3.4 ounces, that’s about 1.76 grams/ounce. An 8% solution has about 2.35 grams/ounce.
For 30g/hour: This translates to roughly 17–24 ounces of a 6–8% solution per hour.
For 60g/hour: This is approximately 34–48 ounces of a 6–8% solution per hour.

It is generally recommended to sip regularly throughout the workout, about 6–12 ounces every 15–20 minutes, to ensure a steady supply of fuel and fluid. The harder the effort, the closer you should aim for the 60g/hour mark.

Workouts Lasting More Than 2.5 Hours

Once exercise extends beyond 2.5 hours, the body can handle a higher rate of carbohydrate intake by using MTC, pushing the hourly intake to 90 grams or more. At this level, MTC is crucial for avoiding the saturation of single carbohydrate transporters.

For 90g/hour: This means consuming approximately 38–51 ounces of a 6–8% MTC solution per hour, depending on the exact carb concentration and fluid delivery needs. This is best achieved by combining a drink with other sources like gels or chews to manage the volume of liquid.

Strategies for Your Morning Workout

Implementing a fueling strategy in the morning requires practice and listening to your body, especially since you are starting from a fasted state.

Practice in Training: Train your gut to handle the fluid and carbohydrate volume during your regular morning sessions, not just on race day.
Start with Less: If you are new to this, start at the lower end of the recommended intake and slowly increase it. If you experience stomach discomfort, reduce the intake and ensure you are using a dual-carbohydrate source.
Combine Sources: For high-intake sessions, it's often more tolerable to use a combination of a sports drink, gels, and chews rather than relying solely on a beverage for all your carbohydrate needs. This helps manage the osmolality of your stomach contents.

Comparison of Fueling Strategies for a Morning Workout


Workout Duration	Recommended Carb Intake	Ounces of 6-8% MTC Solution*	Format	Benefits & Considerations
< 60 mins	0-30g/hr	0–24 oz	Water, or small sips of drink/mouth rinse	Often not needed for lower intensity, but helps for high-intensity efforts. Less volume is better.
1-2.5 hours	30-60g/hr	17–48 oz	Regular sips of sports drink	Prevents muscle glycogen depletion and maintains blood sugar. Start low and increase as intensity demands.
> 2.5 hours	60-90+g/hr	34–51+ oz	Combination of drink, gels, and chews	Higher MTC intake is possible by utilizing multiple absorption pathways. Crucial for sustained high performance.

Approximate based on a 6-8% solution and may vary. Always listen to your body and adjust based on tolerance.

Conclusion

Optimizing your AM workout fuel with a 6% to 8% multiple transportable carbohydrate solution is a science-backed strategy to enhance endurance performance and reduce gastrointestinal issues. The volume in ounces you should consume is not a fixed number but a variable based on the duration and intensity of your training session. For most athletes engaging in intense or prolonged morning exercise, consuming between 17 and 48 ounces per hour, split into regular intervals, is a practical and effective approach. For sessions exceeding 2.5 hours, integrating additional MTC sources like gels and chews can help meet the higher 90+ gram hourly demands without overwhelming your stomach with liquid. Ultimately, consistent practice and fine-tuning your strategy to your body’s unique needs is the key to unlocking peak performance during morning training.

For more in-depth research on the benefits of MTC and nutrient timing, consult the International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: nutrient timing.

Frequently Asked Questions

The main benefit is increased carbohydrate absorption and oxidation during exercise. By combining different carb types like glucose and fructose, your body uses multiple intestinal transporters, allowing for a higher total hourly intake and more energy delivery to muscles than a single carb source.

A 6-8% solution contains between 6 and 8 grams of carbohydrate for every 100 milliliters of fluid. This concentration is optimal for sports drinks because it facilitates rapid gastric emptying and efficient fluid and fuel absorption during exercise, minimizing gut discomfort.

For sessions lasting over 60 minutes, it is best to drink in regular, small intervals. A general guideline is to consume 6-12 ounces every 15-20 minutes. This prevents your body from having to process large fluid volumes at once and ensures a continuous energy supply.

For low-intensity or very short workouts (<60 minutes), it's possible to train in a fasted state, relying on existing glycogen stores. However, for high-intensity or longer sessions, this will likely lead to reduced performance, as liver glycogen stores are depleted overnight.

Gradually increase your carbohydrate intake during training to 'train your gut' to tolerate higher loads. Use an MTC solution with a balanced glucose-fructose ratio (like 2:1) and consider combining different fuel formats (drink, gels) rather than relying on a single source.

Yes. While carbohydrate intake is based on hourly needs, your individual sweat rate will determine your total fluid requirements. Adjust your total fluid intake, but aim to maintain the hourly carbohydrate dosage regardless of how thirsty you feel, particularly during longer events.

Yes. For high-intensity workouts, your body relies more heavily on carbohydrates. For lower-intensity sessions, you may not need as much or may even use a different fuel source. Always match your fuel strategy to the metabolic demands of the session.