The glucose performance zone (GPZ) is one of the most helpful and yet misunderstood aspects of the Supersapiens system. It is a concept designed to aid in feedback for users but often misused. This is the all encompassing guide to your GPZ and how it can be used for best benefits.

What is the GPZ?

The GPZ is the range of glucose in which you feel and perform best.
The keys here are that it is personalized and contextual.
It is a tool we designed to help you learn and gain feedback, not a prescription.

What if I can't get into my GPZ?

This is a question we hear often from users, mostly because they are using the default GPZ setting (110-180mg/dL) and training at a low intensity.

Firstly, as mentioned above, your GPZ is both personal and contextual. That is, you should dial it in for yourself and it depends heavily on your context. This context encompasses things like fueling strategy, modality of exercise, duration and intensity of exercise (though these 2 factors are inextricably linked).

How do I find my GPZ?

First you need to answer the question of ‘what is my event?’ or ‘what am I optimizing for?’. Once you know what this is (be it a 5k, transatlantic row or obstacle course race), you will know the duration and intensity of your key event.
This should form the basis for your GPZ. Now you can start to dial in your GPZ during training.

Complete a number of sessions of similar intensities as race day, that is pace, power etc and in similar climatic conditions. Additionally using something similar to what you will be on race day in terms of nutrition is a good idea in these sessions. Make sure that you are rating your feel and RPE post training session in addition to tagging these workouts and adding notes on them.
The tagging will allow you to find them (something like #GPZtrial may help). Noting the feeling and RPE will mean you start to understand where you felt and performed best in terms of your glucose levels. Finally, the notes will allow you to make comments about perhaps when you felt best during the workout or other factors that are relevant such as nutritional products or strategy.

Is GPZ the same for different sports?

Given that glucose behavior is slightly different for different sports, it stands to reason that there is the potential for GPZ to differ between sports. As an example swimming appears to have a more significant reduction in glucose levels than intensity matched walking or cycling.

How do I change my GPZ?

To change your GPZ, or for that matter your GRZ (blue zone), head to ‘profile’ then ‘settings’ and click on the zone you would like to change. From here you can change the upper and lower bounds of your zone (note for GRZ you will need to scroll down to see the numbers to change the zones).

Setting and changing your Glucose Performance Zone Supersapiens
Step-by-step guide to setting and changing your GPZ

How do you use your GPZ?

The GPZ was designed as a concept to help users better evaluate their own glucose during competition and training. Taking the time to link your glucose data to how you feel and perform is a key part of success in using Supersapiens to improve your performance. Understanding how much time you spent in your GPZ, when set properly, is a great feedback mechanism for users to evaluate their fueling, especially in combination with the other components of the glucose score.

So make sure you take the time to really dial in your GPZ, broad or narrow, to really benefit from the feedback and insights that Supersapiens provides. Most importantly, don’t get disheartened by “not being in the right GPZ” if you are using the default setting, especially on lower intensity training sessions.