Hammer Gel Comparison
Hammer Gel and e-Gel are both maltodextrin based with lots of complex carbohydrates, that’s a good thing. The main difference is electrolytes – Hammer Gel has almost none, while e-Gel is designed to provide complete and balanced electrolyte replacement. Read on for a complete comparison:
calories
e-Gel
150
per pack
Hammer Gel
90
per pack
Each pack of e-Gel provides 65% more energy than a pack of Hammer Gel. This makes e-Gel more economical because 2 packs of e-Gel is the energy equivalent to more than 3 packs of Hammer Gel. Fewer packs to carry and less trash to deal with, that’s a good thing!
Hammer Gel is also available in bulk bottles, eGel is not (here’s why).
complex carbs
e-Gel
30 g
Hammer Gel
20 g
e-Gel has more complex carbs per pack than any other energy gel and this is critical because your body can uptake more energy when you use complex carbs instead of simple sugars.
How is this possible?
Read on (or watch this video)
The carbs/energy in an energy gel are transported into your cellular system through osmosis. If you recall learning about osmosis in science class, it’s the way a fluid crosses a membrane. In order for the fluid to cross, it has to be an equal or lower concentration than the fluid on the other side of the membrane. In this case you’re trying to get the gel across your cellular membrane so you can use the energy. Gels by themselves are extremely concentrated (hypertonic), that’s why you need to use water with gel so that you can lower the concentration until it becomes isotonic (the same concentration as your cellular fluids). When you do, the gel and water get absorbed – osmosis!!
What’s interesting is that the concentration of a fluid (also called the osmolality) is largely dependent on the NUMBER of particles in the fluid, and less dependent on the size of the particles. Complex carbs by definition have a larger molecular structure than simple sugars, basically they have more glucose molecules stuck together. But remember, it’s the number of particles, not the size that matters most. What that means is that at the point of absorption (isotonic), a fluid with complex carbs can transport nearly twice as much energy into the cellular system compared to one with simple sugars.
This isn’t something that we’ve invented here a Crank Sports, it’s proven science. Many energy gels (including e-Gel) use at least some maltodextrin for this reason. Maltodextrin is a complex carbohydrate with an extremely large molecular structure. Where e-Gel sets itself apart from other products is that we use much more complex carb and less sugar. This allows you to get more energy when you use e-Gel compared to our competitors. Why do other companies use so much sugar? Simple, because it’s sweet and inexpensive, and sweet things sell. So if you want to sell a lot of something you make it sweet. But if you want to make the best PERFORMING product you use complex carbs.
carb sources
e-Gel
Maltodextrin
Fructose
Hammer Gel
Maltodextrin, Grape Juice, Rice Dextrine, Dextrose
Both e-Gel and Hammer Gel use maltodextrin as the primary carbohydrate source. Maltodextrin is the preferred complex carbohydrate for endurance athletes.
For Hammer Gel the remainder of the carbs are a combination of simple sugars. e-Gel uses fructose is in the product because it allows for additional energy uptake, read how
sodium
e-Gel
230 mg
Hammer Gel
25 mg
The biggest difference between e-Gel and Hammer Gel is electrolytes. We put all the electrolytes right in the gel, where it should be! Electrolytes are critical to maintain hydration and to avoid cramping and injuries.
Rather than putting the electrolytes in Hammer Gel, the company sells electrolyte supplements that you can take with your gel to get your electrolyte replacement.
Why should they be in the gel?
Energy gels have to be taken with water in order to be properly and rapidly absorbed (via osmosis). If you try to use a sports drink with your gel in order to get your electrolytes, it’s a recipe for disaster. The combined solution of the sports drink and the gel in your gut will be too concentrated (hypertonic), thus not allowing it to be rapidly absorbed. The result can be stomach discomfort, gas or worse. With other gels, the way to get your electrolytes is with some sort of electrolyte supplement. But this is one more thing to buy and one more thing to figure out how and how often to use. It doesn’t have to be that way.
Since energy gels are absorbed via osmosis, water is the transport vehicle that carries the gel into your cellular system. And we know how much water travels with the gel. Taking this into account, we have designed e-Gel to provide 500 mg of sodium and 200 mg of potassium per liter of absorbed fluid, which meets the recommendations of the American College of Sports Medicine for electrolyte replacement.
e-Gel has been doing this since 2001, and this is where the name e-Gel came from – it has all of the electrolytes and the energy you need, right in the gel. Just use e-Gel and water, it’s that easy.
potassium
e-Gel
85 mg
Hammer Gel
22 mg
Potassium is the other electrolyte that is important to replace during your training and competition, along with sodium. The level of potassium in e-Gel is designed to meet the American College of Sports Medicine’s recommendation for replacement during athletic activity. See the sodium discussion for additional details.
amino acids
e-Gel
Histidine, Leucine, Valine, Isoleucine
Hammer Gel
Leucine, Valine, Alanine, Isoleucine
Both e-Gel and Hammer Gel provide a blend of 4 important amino acids. Amino acids help to reduce lactic acid build up, reduce soreness, maintain muscle protein and aid in quicker recovery.
antioxidants
e-Gel
vitamin C 120%
vitamin E 120%
Hammer Gel
vitamin C 0%
vitamin E 0%
Antioxidant vitamins C and E help protect against tissue damage, reduce soreness and aid in the recovery process. Hammer Gel does not provide these antioxidants.
citrates
e-Gel
Sodium Citrate, Potassium Citrate and Citric Acid
Hammer Gel
Citric Acid
Citrates assist in the carbohydrate to energy conversion process as well as slow the build up of lactic acid in your muscles.
ready to try e-Gel?
we guarantee you'll love it!
Keith Castleton
Jeff Rommel
David Ball
Shawn Smith
Vicki Griffin
Kathy Murgas
NOTE: All Hammer Gel nutrition values shown are for Vanilla flavor as published on their website as of April 2021, other flavors may vary. e-Gel nutrition values are the same for all flavors, read why
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