△G: Using deltaG for Endurance Swimming

Swimming is fun. As a little kid it was all I wanted to do. Pool, Ocean, Lake – It didn’t matter to me. 

At age 27, this sentiment remains unchanged. Swimming is still one of my favorite activities. With that being said, the type of swimming I enjoy has changed. Today I find myself immersed in the world of endurance swimming. 

Swimming is one of the three legs of a triathlon and with my Half-Iron Man approaching rapidly, I am finding myself in the water more than ever. This won’t be my foray into endurance swimming however. I have competed in numerous triathlons and open water swimming events that were up to 5 Kilometers in distance.

When people think of endurance sports, I am not sure swimming is top of mind. Running and biking are the usual suspects. That does not change the fact that swimming long distances requires the high amounts of stamina and mental focus associated with endurance activities. Truth be told, I find swimming to be the most taxing of the three activities. The muscles you are recruiting and the unique breath rhythms present a real challenge when attempting to get in a groove and swim for miles.

deltaG has become a huge part of my long swims. This exogenous ketone ester allows me to train in the water for well over an hour without hitting a wall of fatigue that I would normally hit much sooner. Another benefit is the mental focus that deltaG provides. deltaG allows me to focus on my form and breath rhythm without sacrificing mental bandwidth that I put towards sustaining power output.    

Although the effects of deltaG kick in around 30 minutes, I normally wait 45 minutes after ingestion to get in the water. I spend that first 15 minutes of “delta energy” performing my out-of-water breathe work and warmup routine. 

I personally experience some stomach discomfort if I rush into the water before letting the ketones settle in my stomach.

As always, I pair deltaG with a source of carbohydrates. In the case of swimming, I find bananas to be a great choice. Aside from their high mineral content, they are a great source of easily digestible carbs that never seem to present gastric issues. 

-Jarret Ross

Jarret Ross, 27, is a risk management professional by day and a fitness and longevity enthusiast by night. As a former NCAA Division I cross country runner and current triathlete, he strives to impart his knowledge and passion for optimizing human performance through a combination of research and anecdotal experiences.