GU Energy Liquid Energy Gel with Complex Carbohydrates, Vegan, Gluten-Free, and Dairy-Free On-the-Go Energy for Any Workout, 12-Count, Cola

Delicious and great energy boost. I’ve made a habit of going to CrossFit, putting in my all, doing a little extra strength workout then going straight to run club. It’s almost a 3 hour workout span with no fuel. I am running a marathon so I bought these as fuel. I decided to do a trial run between CrossFit and run club (a short but fast 5k). I am always sluggish and achey after CrossFit but not today! Wow was this little packet a difference maker!! I felt amazing after I took it, during the run and after the run. I even PRed. After CrossFit!!! Usually I can only PR after a rest day. Excited to train with these!! Also the lemonade tasted great!

Excellent choice for GU to do this! Their original GU is very thick in viscosity and AWFUL to try to consume when you’re in the midst of a peloton gasping for air. The only thing I wish they’d try to do is reduce the size of the pouch. I enjoyed all the flavors except the espresso one.

As far as the product offering, these were packaged and delivered perfectly. They do what they are designed and advertised to do, and the flavors are great!That said, I thought I wanted a more liquidy goo for my first IronBoy (70.3) because I had had some goos in a past marathon and remembered being a little confused by the eating while breathing process. Just a few weeks into my training I realized that you can tuck a normal goo in your cheek and breath just fine, so it was just a novice technique problem. Having refined this skill, I would now highly recommend normal goos over these because of the following observations:1. To pack enough calories in these, they need to be physically larger, which makes A) storing them on your person or on your bike a little more cumbersome and B) drinking them a 2-squeeze operation for me, rather than a 1-squeeze operation for a traditional goo. These are basically the size of your palm+fingers, whereas a traditional goo is just the size of your palm.2. I got stickier hands holding these while pumping my arms. These splash and run more than a traditional goo, which stays contained if you need to take a few strides between bites/sips, especially considering point #1.3. When these are inevitably warm during a multi-hour race, it's kind of hard to tell if it's in your mouth or not, given the liquid has minimal weight and texture in your mouth.4. They kind of spray to the back of your throat, which is annoying for the eating+breathing thing, compared to scraping a traditional goo with your teeth onto your tongue, flipping it to your cheek, and then breathing while your saliva gets working.There's probably more expert advice out there, but thought my experience might be helpful for other novices.

Considering that you likely will be drinking them warm, some of the flavors are a little intriguing. The warm cola flavor is OK, but just seems a bit odd, like cola left out on the counter overnight. The espresso flavor also is a bit of a surprise at ambient temperature.They are definitely liquid, and I guess they don't want the contents to squirt out when you tear it open, so even once it is open, you have to squeeze the packet to get it flowing and suck and squeeze the contents. Even doing that, I almost always had some left in the packet. To really empty out a packet, I would have to use both hands to fold the packet up from the bottom to squeeze everything out. Might be ok for running, but not on a bike ride when you don't want to stop.Still, the liquid-gel is easy to swallow and doesn't make you feel like you need to wash it down with water. Knocked off a star on easy-to-swallow because of the difficulty getting it out of the pack.Compared to the energy gels, you get a bigger hit of energy, and quicker, too, but it doesn't last as long. Also, since there is more volume (for the same amount of calories, sodium and amino acids) than the gels, you can't carry as many on long bike rides. So, I've switched back to the gels.May be good for runners and shorter rides, or a quick burst of energy at strategic points, like just before a hill climb.

This stuff tastes like a melted freezie, it's easy to drink, and gives you good energy. I have a hard time swallowing gel energy supplements. I feel like lose a few breaths while trying to choke them down. I don't have that challenge with this stuff. The only draw back is the size. These pouches are about double that of a gel based supplements. I'm good with it, but if you don't have an issue with gels you may prefer to stick with those.

These work well and are easy to swallow. They are more liquid than gel. Very close the consistency of water actually. They are a bit big so you can’t shove as many of these into your pockets as you can with the gels. Also in my opinion they taste terrible. I’m not very picky when it comes to food, but these make me want to gag they taste so bad.

These were a must. I accidentally bought these instead of the gels. They are a few bucks more but totally work it. The taste is great and your ability to eat it while working out (without the fear of chocking down gel) was awesome. I was a little apprehensive about the Cola flavors, but it was kind of nice to have the thought and flavor of a “Coke” mid-race. Would use again!!

I drink one before my 1.3 mile swim and it has helped me maintain a strong swim throughout my marathon practice