{"id":2989,"date":"2026-06-07T17:48:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-07T15:48:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jostkobusch.de\/?p=2989"},"modified":"2026-06-11T17:19:42","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T15:19:42","slug":"ear-fueling-energy-source-for-training-and-performance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jostkobusch.de\/en\/ear-fueling-energy-source-for-training-and-performance\/","title":{"rendered":"Ear fueling: Energy Source for Training and Performance"},"content":{"rendered":"

643 vertical meters up. Another 357 meters to go. The 30kg of rocks in my backpack feel heavy. My quads are pumped out of my brain. I switch from a podcast to music and keep going. The playlist will fuel me to the checkpoint, along with some Haribos. I follow a simple mental fueling algorithm, to preserve my energy and use it mindfully throughout the mission.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fueling is an integral part of mountain climbing and the workouts that go along with the sport. Without proper fueling strategy I\u2019ll be out of energy not even halfway up the hill. However, fueling<\/em> can be much more than just food or drinks.<\/p>\n

\"BlackI bet we\u2019re all used to reaching out for that rattling bag of sweet treats in the chest pocket, but sometimes that\u2019s not the best solution. When the day is long, my performance can crash down simply because my head starts to fail.<\/p>\n

Thoughts have been going through the same cycle for the past three hours, and I still have at least another three hours to go. My brain starts to come up with excuses to turn around. The objective begins to fade into fog.<\/p>\n

A colourful gummy bear often helps in this situation. But sometimes candy isn’nt the best option, and for those moments I have an additional fuel source:<\/p>\n

Music. Podcasts. Phone calls. This is what I call \u201cear fueling.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Photo
Music and podcasts are great fuel especially for multi-hour cardio workouts. Photographer: Nico Dreier<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Why It Works?<\/h2>\n

Distracton. That\u2019s what ear fueling is in a nutshell.<\/p>\n

The reality is that even the most resilient minds do get tired. I’ve learned to recognize when it\u2019s my calves or forearms getting tired, and when it\u2019s simply my mind that starts to hinder me.<\/p>\n

Ear fueling is a way to distract my thoughts so that I’m able to get past that moment when I want to give up. And as a result, enter the next flow phase.<\/p>\n

Towards the end of my climb, hike or run I might notice that these flow phases start to get shorter and shorter. If I’m not prepared, my brain needs new stimulus nearly every ten minutes. But by now I know myself very well, and I’ve come up with a well optimized algorithm that keeps me engaged thoughout the workout or climb.<\/p>\n

Listen to my favourite playlists:<\/h2>\n