Ketones and Endurance Sports Performance

I wanted to find the best ketones to drink for cycling, so I tried Ketone IQ, or what I thought were exogenous ketones, and nothing happened. I was really turned off, but then realized: I wasn’t taking ketones.

I should have been taking Delta G Tactical Ketones from the beginning, but lesson learned. In this article I’ll provide a Delta G Ketones Review as well.

Do ketones improve athletic performance? They do!

What are the best ketones? We’ll get into some of the initial studies, as well as my personal experience with ketones, as well as my experience with fake ketone drinks like HVMN Ketone IQ that don’t work for performance. If you’re looking for a Ketone IQ Cycling review or Delta G Ketones Review, this is discussed below.

Beware of the fake ketone drinks! Some companies are marketing “ketones”, when really they just have a piece of the puzzle which is more like an alcoholic beverage.

Before you get worried, yes, Delta G ketones do improve athletic performance, and actually a whole lot more in terms of general metabolic health, but let’s hone in on the athletic performance in endurance sports for now.

Some companies have decided to take advantage of the fact that many of us, like myself, really have no idea what we need to consume in order to boost our endurance performance by ingesting ketones. Therefore, I hope this article helps you find the best ketones and:

Have a better understanding of the chemical compounds on the market
Understand what real ketone esters are
Know how many ketones you should take (no need for ketone cycling)
Know when to take ketones (before, during or after a workout?)
What should ketone levels be for athletes
And of course: Have a ketone ester discount code from Delta G! (more than offered directly on the site!)

In this article, let’s get to understand ketones a bit better. What are the best ketones to drink? What are they, how can we use them to boost cycling and endurance performance, and what are some ketone usage protocols.

What is the difference between taking R-1,3 Butanediol and Beta-Hydroxybutyrate with R-1,3? There’s a HUGE difference.

As you read on, if you’d like to try ketones, I’d recommend Delta G ketones, and I have partnered with them to provide you with 15% off any product! We’ll get into the different ones, but here’s a link to Delta G Tactical, which is one of my go-to’s. Feel free to share that Delta G Discount Code with any of your friends!

Delta G Ketone Introduction

How did I first hear about ketones? Until recently, ketones hadn’t been on my radar. I heard a little bit about them, but it sounded like buzz. Pro’s were taking them, then I heard they weren’t taking them, then I heard how expensive they were, Chris Horner was experimenting with them to find out what are the best ketones for cycling…it all sounded like a bunch of unreliable information.

An athlete in the EVOQ Discord asked me about HVMN’s KetoneIQ (spoiler: Do NOT buy this), so I contacted them to try on. More on that later as we discuss HVMN vs. Delta G: They are very different products.

I Reached out to HVMN, got a sample, used them on a big 18,000 foot vert day, and FELT NOTHING.

The story gets worse.

The company was really awkward when I started questioning them more about the specifics of the product, and the whole experience had a bad vibe.

5 athletes responded to me when I posted pictures of their bottles and said, BUT DID YOU TRY DELTA G KETONES!?

I looked into it more, and reached out to them. HOLY COW!

WOW, what a difference in product; and that is because there are ZERO KETONE ESTERS in HVMN’s product. More on that below.

We’ll get into the differences between Delta G vs. HVMN vs Ketone Aid.

Delta G Ketones Discount Code

This link above takes you to my favorite, Tactical, because you can use them on the road very easily, as the bottle is plastic. Discount is 15% Off, and it won’t be that high forever!

If you want the fresh glass bottles for at home, get these as well! It’s the same exact product, but in glass.

Let's look at a study that highlights some important points in terms of exogenous ketone consumption, and how it can preserve glycogen during exercise, as well as understanding how our body has the ability to utilize different fuel sources.

How Do Ketones Improve Performance?

Ketones can improve our athletic performance by providing us with another fuel source. We will talk more about that below, but essentially ketones are naturally created by the liver when fat is broken down. Ketones are used when our body lacks carbohydrates, is in a fasting mode, or after long bouts of exercise.

By taking exogenous ketones like Delta G, we can provide extra fuel while also consuming carbohydrates! The dual fuel theory essentially allows us to tap into the ketones while conserving glycogen stores for later in our training and racing.

A nice benefit for performance is also that I’m seeing lower heart rate across the board, whether during endurance rides or hard threshold efforts. It also appears to keep my heart rate lower during hard surges, and when it rises, it falls back more rapidly. This is a huge benefit in my opinion as when your heart is bursting out of your chest, it’s really hard to drop the hammer!

Initial reports are coming in that ketones will also help recovery, in terms of muscle regeneration and glycogen resynthesis. This article is very interesting as it covers a lot of early discoveries with ketones.

Let’s look a bit more at the science of ketones.

Exogenous Ketone Science

Check out this article, with a snippet below, that talks about how nutritional ketosis alters fuel preference and thereby endurance performance in athletes.

Substrate metabolism in the normal human body is flexible: our bodies have evolved to utilize different fuel sources depending on their availability (Randle et al., 1963). During exercise, energy expenditure increases dramatically above resting levels, with rapid turnover of mobilized fuels required to keep pace with ATP demand (Spriet and Peters, 1998). Usually, as exercise intensity increases, mitochondrial oxidation of fatty acids reaches a ceiling, shifting the burden of energy provision to CHO so that glycolytic supply of pyruvate is the major carbon source for oxidation during heavy exercise (Romijn et al., 1993, van Loon et al., 2001). Despite the stimulation of sustained exercise here, the elevated circulating ketone concentrations significantly decreased human skeletal muscle glycolytic intermediates, including pyruvate. Remarkably, this suppression of glycolysis occurred despite physical workloads that would normally be highly glycolytic (∼75% WMax).

With ketone’s ability to potentially spare glycogen for later in the ride or race, athletes will have a big advantage on events that last 3 hours or more.

The other interesting use case that I’ve been dialing in is ketones for recovery. This is where a lot of the Pro teams started using ketones first: after the ride.

I’ve been taking 5g of Tactical or the coffee booster (it’s the same exact product, but Tactical is made for on the road, and Coffee Booster is more for at home, since it has a nice glass jar).

We had 5 major questions on Instagram, so before I get more into how amazing these are and the science, let's do Ketones Part 1. Or Ketones 101!

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What Is The Best Time To Take Ketones?

Should I take ketones before or after workout?

When I first started taking exogenous ketones from Delta G, I was only taking large doses (16g or more) before, during, and after a workout. But that got really expensive, really fast!

I’d take them during the workout if it was a long 4-6 hour session, but now I’ve been taking them more often, in much smaller (5g) doses, and saving the 10g doses for the long 5-6 hour rides.

At the time of writing this article (February 2023), it is fair to say that we have a long way to go to know EXACTLY the best way to utilize ketones.

One big question is: How should I take ketone esters if I only have 2 bottles?

Let's say I have two bottles for a 6h ride. What is the best time to consume ketones for a long bike ride? At the start and hour 3, or hour 2 and 4, or differs person to person?

The exogenous ketones protocol from Delta G: Our "gold standard" protocol would suggest you take 1/2 bottle 20 minutes before you start, and another 1/2 bottle every hour with your carbohydrates. Although you only have two bottles, using this protocol in the beginning of your ride will still yield results!

I can attest to trying this protocol in a slightly different way, taking a bottle before riding, then taking 1 bottle at hour 2, and another bottle at hour 5.

I was amazed at how much fatigue was wiped away when I consumed the second bottle. I felt like I could have just kept pedaling!

Now let’s take a look at the difference between Delta G and HVMN Ketone IQ. I am disappointed to have to write this Ketone IQ review, because they tout a lot of great science, but unfortunately it is not true. On the other hand, I’m glad to review Delta G and know that they are the best exogenous ketones on the market for endurance athletes!

Delta G vs. HVMN Ketone IQ

Let’s discuss the scientific difference between ketone esters like Delta G, and other “ketone drinks” that contain just BDO, or R-1,3-BDO, such as HVMN’s Ketone IQ.

Delta G Is 1 part BHB and 1 part R-1,3 Butanediol (BDO). This is what is known as a ketone ester.

An ester is an oxygen bond. DeltaG is a "ketone ester" because they bind Beta-Hydroxybutyrate to R-1,3 Butanediol with an oxygen, or ester, bond.

This becomes very important when we start to compare products, as you will learn that HVMN’s KetoneIQ is not an ester at all; it is simply R-1,3 Butanediol, without the ester bond. This is actually more along the lines of an alcohol that can make you inebriated.

The fact that Ketone IQ is missing the BHB is a huge problem, as R-1,3 (BDO) alone is in the same family as alcohol! There have been studies showing that subjects in tests felt inebriated when consuming HVMN’s Ketone IQ, and I can attest to that feeling.

To highlight the fact that this is an alcohol, not for sports performance but for recreation, Ketonaid is another brand that has a drink with ONLY R-1,3, and they market it as a new alternative to ethyl alcohol (beer, wine, spirits) to get you buzzed, and they warn you not to drink and drive.

R1,3 Butanediol is an alcoholic ketogenic precursor, not a ketone ester, and we’ll talk about how this negatively affects performance AND some really bad test results in a study.

Delta G even tried with @darpa and @nihgov to use R-1,3 Butanediol because it was cheaper to make, however it was discarded since it was getting subjects drunk and they realized that using R-1,3 Butandediol alone was not effect like actual ketone esters.

It is important to note that you also cannot just mix R-1,3 Butanediol with BDO. It must go through the esterification process in order to be a beneficial ketone ester, like Delta G’s product line.

As we’re seeing, there’s a lot of science going into this product!

R-1,3 Butanediol

R-1,3 Butanediol is not a new compound.

The University of Oxford and the NIH tested it extensively in 2003 when they received the $10 million DARPA grant but it was very ineffective at raising blood ketones. (This wasn't published research, just insights on the iterative process from Professor Clarke and Todd King at the NIH, as reported to me by Delta G.)

Also, there were serious deleterious effects from attempting to achieve deep ketosis (similar symptoms as ethanol). You will never see R-1,3 Butanediol being called ethanol, because it is not, but it certainly is an alcohol, and will make you feel inebriated if consumed in excess. This is a major red flag if you are taking this product and then racing in a crit or descending down a mountain!

If this were not the case, KetoneAID would not have launched their "Hard Ketones" product, a product intended on replacing ethanol as a drink to get you "buzzed".

Keep in mind, this is the same exact molecule that HVMN is selling as a physical performance enhancer. As you can see on that product page, it says explicitly that R-1,3 Butanediol is not for performance enhancement and that you should not drive if intoxicated.

R1,3 IS NOT A KETONE ESTER FOR PERFORMANCE.

Delta G Ketones Review and Ketone IQ Review

Don’t believe just me on my Delta G Ketone Review, this is information From The Feed, a trusted online retailer. If you decide to purchase the best ketones though, get them directly from Delta G by clicking here (so you get a discount!).

What is the difference between deltaG® and KetoneIQ®?

DeltaG® is from the company TΔS and is the original Oxford Ketone Ester that most athletes have been using and has a large body of research supporting it. Not to get too scientific, but it is an "ester" of BDO & BHB that effectively increases ketone levels in the blood.

While DeltaG® is more expensive, it has the most research behind it for sports performance and will almost always increase your blood Ketones levels above 2 mmol of ketones in your blood for performance benefit.

KetoneIQ is a new drink from HVMN and is only the BDO part, essentially one-half of what is in deltaG®.

What's confusing is that HVMN used to market and have the deltaG® product in their original ketone product, but now they do not use deltaG® and have their formula called KetoneIQ.

HVMN's new KetoneIQ has shown that you still get to 1 to 2 mmol of Ketones in your blood after 60 minutes, but this was NOT MY experience.

I took 2 doses and only hit 1.1mmOL. I consumed 3 doses, the max for an ENTIRE DAY, and only hit 1.7. So disappointed.

KetoneIQ is Much less expensive, but for a reason: it does not work for performance gains, and is using false information on their site with old data. They post studies from when they used to license Delta G ketones, but continue to use this data on a brand new product (Ketone IQ) that has a completely different molecular structure. To add to that, some athletes are getting intoxicated feelings from the product!

The research lead has told me via email that they are coming out with a new product which hopefully addresses this issue.

Will it actually be new though? Companies like Thorne and Juvenescence spent tens of millions attempting to solve this problem and they both appear to have failed so far.

So far it is clear, Delta G ketones are the best ketones to drink.

What Should Ketone Levels Be for Athletes?

Test your ketone levels if you are taking ketones for cycling or any endurance spot. This will help us understand what is happening when we consume these ketone drinks.

As of now, we want to have the levels between 1.5-3.0 mmoL, and there may be benefit of ketones for cycling even after the levels decrease. What we really want to focus on is making sure that we don’t take too many ketones; more is not always better in this case, and too many ketones can actually inhibit glycolysis and our ability to utilize carbohydrate, which is clearly a bad thing!!

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Here’s a standard testing protocol:

Get a baseline reading of BHB by taking a test with the Mojo Ketone Meter, which can be found here when you purchase your Delta G Ketones with the Discount code, or slightly more expensive on Amazon (at time of blog posting).
Take the designated amount of deltaG
Test again in 20 minutes

This will give you an idea of how high your blood ketones get with a specific amount of deltaG.

To test the “curve”, or how many ketones have left your blood, you would just need to test every 30 min. This will tell you how long you stay elevated.

1.5 - 3 mmol/L is the “Goldilocks” range. This is the range you would want to try to stay within for the duration of your training session/event, although I have still felt a benefit when the number has decreased below this during training sessions.

It is also important to keep in mind that we are still learning more and more about ketones, and it is going to be really interesting to learn more about what the daily usage of ketones does.

I’ve noticed a lower heart rate in general, but especially a lower heart rate at endurance pace, during any intervals and sessions around my lactate threshold, and a faster decrease in heart rate after a hard effort.

One thing that is harder to quantify is muscle recovery. I always heard master’s athletes talk about how much harder it was to recover from big days once they neared the age of 40. I was surprised to start noticing this when I turned 37 in 2019! The 5 to 6 hour days left much more fatigue, and I was not as sharp by Stage 3 of a stage race or omnium. Now at age 41, small and consistent doses of ketones appear to have aided in getting back on the bike and riding harder, for longer, and recovering better.

I recently tied my season best 2 minute effort at 610W, and best effort over the past 3 years! To be fair, I also attribute lifting and Lactigo to this equation, but to crawl back on top of my own personal leaderboard felt awesome!

Ketones and Carbohydrates

Do you need to consume carbs?

You do not need to consume carbs, but for performance and recovery it appears that taking carbs with your deltaG allows you to utilize both fuel sources more effectively for performance.

See Also: The Science of Cycling

Adaptation To Ketones

Does the body adapt to taking this over time? Will it wear off as I take more?

The body slowly gets better at using deltaG over time. It does not affect your body's ability to produce its own ketones. So this is just a bit of speculation, but it appears that the body and the brain, when introduced to ketones consistently, become more efficient at utilizing ketones for energy over a long period of time. This does not mean you won't be able to use ketones effectively on day 1, but it does appear that the body will become even more efficient with consistent use!

We will get into specific protocols in upcoming YouTube videos, but I have been seeing a big benefit (lower HR, faster recovery, increased cognition at work, increased focus at the end of long 5-6 hour rides) from taking smaller doses, more often.

I’ve been taking 5g to start the morning, 5g immediately post ride, and then 5g halfway through the work day.

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Ketone’s Goldilocks Zone

What does BHB actually do in the 1.5-3mmOL period? Give us extra 20% glucose availability ? Why is this the "goldilocks zone"?

All of the positive research points in this direction. There seems to be a lower threshold (1.5 mmol/L) where your body will start shifting substrate utilization. There is no need to go above 3 mmol/L as those are mostly likely "wasted" ketones and if you get way too high (4+), you could inhibit a bit of glycolysis.

Are Ketones a Food Group?

Can we call it a food group? Isn't this somewhat crazy, or are we just so new to ketones.

You can definitely call it a food group! It is actually recognized quite often in the scientific community as a fourth macro nutrient. There is even a very good book titled "The Fourth Fuel" about the history of ketones. Ketones, specifically BHB, are a completely separate molecule from glucose and fat, and it is broken down and used as energy by the body. Now that we are able to eat/drink ketones, it would make sense to call it a "food".

Ketones and EPO

https://researchportal.bath.ac.uk/en/publications/ketone-monoester-ingestion-increases-post-exercise-serum-erythrop

The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of ketone monoester ingestion on postexercise erythropoietin (EPO) concentrations.

Why Is EPO Important? EPO is required for red blood cell production. EPO is the primary regulator for production of red blood cells that transport oxygen in the circulation from the lungs to the tissues.

Athletes ingested equivalent to 1/2 to 3/4 a bottle 1h and 2h post-exercise with a carb/protein mix, and blood samples were taken 7 times over 4 hours

In conclusion, ketone monoester ingestion increases postexercise erythropoietin concentrations, revealing a new avenue for orally ingestible ketone monoesters to potentially alter hemoglobin mass.

1) What do they hypothesize might be the benefit with EPO when smaller doses are consumed? At 0.29g per 1kg, that's going to be just over 1 bottle for a 70kg athlete. That's a reasonable amount, but maybe they can't afford a full bottle for post exercise, as they want the benefits during the training/event. Do they have any idea if these findings can be scaled down to bring benefit for smaller doses, say 5-10g?

1.) In speaking with the researchers, their pilot data suggests that you need to achieve very deep levels of ketosis (2.5+ mmol/L) for the benefits to manifest. This is why the researchers are quite frustrated with HVMN marketing with their studies!

For 1) so then are the 5g doses really more for cognitive benefit ONLY and nothing to do with performance? one must consume larger doses (16g or so) at some point in time if we want performance benefit?

1.) 5g will most likely not assist you in any athletic performance but I don't think the benefits are only cognitive at this dosage. 5g (especially when combined with caffeine) will get most people to ~1.5 mmol/L, a level that could assist with insulin sensitivity, hunger suppression, general energy, brain fog, fasting support, etc.

2) any hypothesizing on how much the timing matters (how soon after the workout is completed), or is ketone consumption in general going to increase normal EPO concentrations?

2.) I'm not quite sure on this. There is a hypothesis floating around that because deltaG mitigates overtraining symptoms, the cyclists were able to maintain intensity, thereby increasing EPO (we all increase EPO naturally if we workout consistently). But on the other hand, we do have some pilot data on the deltaG hypoxia study that should be released soon showing increased blood flow in the brain.

3) Serum β-hydroxybutyrate concentrations were also higher, and glucose concentrations lower, with KETONE versus CONTROL. What does this mean in terms of glucose? Why is glucose concentration lower? Are ketones inhibiting the glucose in the blood somehow?

3.) High levels of blood ketones not only contribute to energy on a cellular level but also serve as signaling mechanisms in the body. If your liver senses high levels of blood ketones, it will released less glucose into the system, what is commonly referred to as hepatic glucose output. The liver can produce glucose but a lot of that glucose being released is in the form of glycogen. This specific function can be good or bad, depending on how you look at it. We believe it is very good for endurance athletes, as endurance athletes would want to spare as much glycogen as possible and do not necessarily need consistently high levels of circulating blood glucose and when deltaG is used correctly with exogenous glucose, you will notice a blood glucose stabilizing effect.

For 3) is this related to how athletes can have an issue utilizing glucose then as well? If they consume too much, the liver doesn't release enough glucose to use for energy? is that what you mean when you say "this can be good or bad"? Or is that mechanism different?

3.) For instance, if you take too much deltaG, your blood glucose could enter a state of hypoglycemia, which would hurt performance. But if you follow our protocol and are supplementing with exogenous glucose in conjunction with deltaG, you will probably have a lot more stable blood glucose.

Ketone Protocol for Endurance Sports

How many ketones should you take for endurance sports performance? There are some general guidelines including what is too much, and what is not enough! Every athlete that continually uses ketones for performance has a slightly different variation on the protocol based on what has worked for them.

Part of my protocol is using ketones in the morning with coffee. I take 5-10g of ketones first thing in the morning before i drink coffee. This is not for sports performance, but for mental clarity and focus. The ketones wake the brain up immediately, without needing to consume any food (I tend to prefer to wait an hour or two until I eat breakfast, ride time dependent).

Delta G recommends taking a half bottle before events to get your ketone levels elevated, and then take another half bottle every hour. I prefer to start with half of a bottle, and then consume another half every 90 minutes, until I hit hour 3, and then I go with half a bottle every hour.

So here's an example of the protocol that I use for Delta G ketones. Right before I start, 1/2 bottle of Delta G Tactical. Then at minute 90 and 180, half a bottle each. I usually wait 90 minutes because the first 90 minutes of a gravel race or road race could be full gas and I don't want to be messing around with ketones just yet! This could be a use case for putting them directly in your drink bottle, but I haven't experimented with that yet, and as of now prefer to keep them separate.

I might consume some before the 180 minute mark, but really just depends on how I'm feeling in the moment and what is going on in the race.

Once the fatigue from the ride starts hitting hard, I usually go with half a bottle every hour. So then half a bottle at 240 minutes, half at 300 minutes, and the last half (of the third bottle) at 360 minutes. That gets me through a hard 6 hour day. If the day is longer, I might consume more if the race is that important!

Said differently:

Start Line: 1/2 bottle
1.5h: 1/2
2.5 - 3h: 1/2
4h: 1/2
5h: 1/2
6h: 1/2

Keep your bottles! Because of the viscosity of ketones, there could be upwards of 3g stuck to the inside of the bottle. Squirt some water in each one, shake it around, and drink after the race! Ketones after your event should help with recovery, as well providing a lot more clarity so that you feel less fatigued. They are amazing for the drive home after a long day.

There are recommendations to take half to a full bottle of Delta G before bed, but I don't do that purely because of cost. I might sip some from my morning 5g bottle, but all depends if there is any extra around!

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Cycling NutritionBrendan HouslerFebruary 28, 20237 Comments