Have you ever tried to figure out what the heck you should
be eating and taking to optimize your performance as an athlete?
I have… simply put, there is enough
information out there to choke a horse, not to mention stops you dead in your
tracks going WTF???
So, as I promised
last week, I did some research in hopes of weeding through what I realize to
many folks is either a mind numbingly boring subject or simply too overwhelming
due to the sheer volume of information.
The topic of nutrition, not to mention sport nutrition is a
complicated one.
For example… if you were to ask different nutrition
“experts”, exactly which supplements, aka which minerals and vitamins, should you be
taking??? My guess is… you would get a
number of answers.
Someone in the group might even convince you that you would
be better off chewing on a weird root that smells like it came from the wrong end
of a baboon and tastes just as bad. The
pitch would be it grows deep in a lush
rain forest far, far away where the Pygmies harvest the roots… and
not to worry, that root stain around you
mouth will fade in a month or so.
Other “expert’s” will
convince you to take 6 different supplements, all in various shapes, sizes and colors… that
you would have to choke down with gallons of water, to be spaced out during the
day and timed to the second, so that they don’t interact with one another. The annoying little side effect of bed wetting
should stop after 2-3 weeks. That will
be $375 per month, thank you very much!
In addition to the complicated nature of vitamins and
minerals… supplements, particularly the off the wall ones, can be prohibitively
expensive. So, I did a little vitamin
and mineral research (you can check out the two sites below… both are good
articles), what they said was surprisingly consistent…
http://www.usada.org/
httphttp://www.usada.org/://www.usada.org/
httphttp://www.usada.org/://www.usada.org/
The bottom line… as long as you eat a balanced diet, other
than perhaps a multi vitamin… you should be getting everything you need in your
diet with the exception of 2 things… Calcium and Vitamin D.
So, I guess the big question we should all be asking
ourselves is???? Are we all taking our daily Flintstone chewable???
Regarding Calcium and Vitamin D… Here’s what the PowerBar
Article had to say about it (I simply did a little cut and paste):
Per the PowerBar Article:
Calcium and vitamin D work hand in hand when it comes to
supporting bone development. Both tend to be in short supply in athletes' and
nonathletes' diets alike, particularly in the diets of females. As an athlete,
training and competing puts a stressor on your bones. You don't feel it, but
your bones are constantly undergoing a remodeling process, where bone mineral
is being dissolved away and then replaced. By having enough calcium in your
diet, you help to ensure that you have enough calcium available to fully
support the bone remodeling process. And having enough vitamin D helps to
promote the absorption of calcium from your gut.
In the sports world there is another version of sports
supplements … and I’m not talking about the version Alberto Contador took. I’m referring to the products that are
approved by the FDA and just as importantly, the USA and International Cycling Federations. These products like any other products Hammer,
PowerBar, GuEnergy put out on the market,
Go through extensive testing,
have to be approved by the various federations and then are allowed for athlete
use.
‘FYI, I feel it imperative
to point out that I do believe supplements are important. But as is my mantra, as with anything
else, in conjunction with your diet and training program. I do take supplements and take specific
supplements during training and incorporate additional supplements when I am
racing (Most of which are Hammer Products, all of which I will share later in
this Blog).
As a shop we sell a ton of nutrition products, and throughout
the season we help lots of customers with their nutrition questions and needs.
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The typical customer falls into the category of…
“Hey... I'm tired of getting about ¾ of the way into a 2
hour ride, start feeling like crap; drag my butt home feeling even
crappier. Get up the next day and guess
what…. Yup, before I get 10 miles into the ride, my legs feel crappier than
they did the day before. Can you help me
fix that?”
I generally ask them a few questions about what they do for
a work out... what they eat and drink when they ride (and the amount), as well
as what they do for recovery drink/fuel and then make some
recommendations. It's pretty easy once I
have a little info to work with.
The second category of customer isn't as easy to assist, the
reason being... they know way more about the product than anyone in the shop
will EVER know. They are actually
students on the subject of nutrition.
These guys typically blast into the shop and made a bee line for the Hammer section all the while talking out loud... mumbling something
along the lines of…
“Hey... Jed, at Hammer research development said they were
working on a product that was designed to anticipate the rate of replacement of
Electrolytes based on brain wave
activity, brain synapse and rate of perspiration”... Do you have that product yet???
My response... huh???
Customer's response... “Oh, never mind... you don't have the
security clearance.”
At which point I
fully expected to see him whip out his smart phone, put it up to
his eye... do a retinal scan, which then speed dials Jed... who is probably dressed in Hammer logo-ed
hazmat gear, in some secure test site in Nevada, Bio Safely level 6!!!!... for his product update.
Uhhh... I'll be over here if you have any other questions...
and by the way! I don't want my eyeball
anywhere close to that handheld device of yours, okay! I may be a Cyclocross racer, but that just
freaked me out!!!!
All kidding aside, there are a number of customers who do in
fact know way more about the products than we will ever know... they take the
time to do their research and come into the shop knowing exactly what they
want. I hold a great deal of respect for
those folks. Nutrition is as critical as the training itself in a training
program.
I cannot stress
enough, how important proper hydration and nutrition on the bike is. Both in your training, as well as in your
racing. You can neither short cut nor
fake it. If you are trying to lose
weight… do not attempt it by not properly fueling during a training ride. You will do nothing by torch a perfectly good
ride and bonk… force someone to come pick you up on the side of the road, or
have your training partners tow your tired butt home.
I used the Hammernutrition and GUEnergy Website for my
nutritional information source. Hammer
and GU have made a business of creating nutrition products for athletes by
athletes.
That is athletic scientists... they aren't just random
riders whipping up powder drinks in the bathtub for God sake! Brother, I should
quit while I'm ahead right??? Can you tell I’ve already exceeded my limit of
allowable coffee, before the blog is totally off the hook??
Anyway, these guys have been in business a long time and
they are experts at what they do. I have
been a long time customer and more importantly, my customers trust them. As I’ve
mentioned earlier, we sell a ton of Hammer and GU products, so I find them a very
reliable sources when it comes to nutritional information.
You will note that at times I have paraphrased, other times
I have shamelessly cut and pasted what I thought to be most pertinent to
today’s Blog. That should cover me re:
giving credit to my information sources.
I’m sure a lawyer would disagree… but… whatever.
If you folks want to go read the entire Hammer article, just
Google Hammernutrition.com and it will
get you there.
Hammer has a ton of info out on their site and if you love
detail… you’ll be in hog’s heaven and stay on the site for days. If you are like me… Once you get to their
site, your eyes will start to glaze over, your brain will seize up, and a tiny
drop of drool will form in the corner of your mouth… your right hand will begin
to tremble, as your right pointer finger starts to twitch and heads towards the
escape key.
So, here’s the deal…
It is critical to keep in mind that the body cannot replace
fluids and nutrients at the same rate it depletes them.
Your goal is to never try to replenish at your rate of
loss… Actually, when training, keep in
mind when drinking and eating “less is best “!
Research has shown over the past 23 years, athletes who
experience fueling success:
• Consume
at or under 28 fluid oz. /hr.
• Salt
(sodium chloride) intake between 300 mg and 600 mg/hr., with 400 mg/hr. being
the most often reported dose
• Caloric
intake was at 280 call/hr or less
• Minimal,
if any, simple sugar intake, favoring complex carbohydrates instead
Now... how the heck do you translate the above into English
Here's how I would translate the above:
Sarvary’s 2 hour Ride fueling routine (if you are going for
a 2+ hour ride… you would use a Different Hammer product (Perpetuem) in place of HEED…
designed for longer duration rides.
• 2 large
water bottles filled with Hammer Heed (2 level scoops each)
• 1 GU or
Hammer Jel right before I jump on the bike.
• 1 GU or Hammer
45 minutes into the ride.
• 1 hour
into the ride... I should be through my first bottle of Heed
• 20 mins
later I will fire down another GU
• All the
while remembering to steadily drink... the goal is to drink before you are
thirsty
• Here is a
very important point!!! As soon as I get to my destination... within 10 mins...
I get out of my cycling shorts and I am drinking my recovery drink. Which is AS IMPORTANT, as my on the bike
FUEL. 2 level scoops of Hammer
Recoverite.
The Heed, GU/ Chomp combination above has fueled me
successfully for many hard training rides; if it works for me... it may work
for you.
Regarding Sport Supplements:
During the Training
Season: Hammer Endurolytes (During my
longer rides)
During The Racing Season: Hammer
Race Cap Supreme, PowerBar High Intensity Caps
Finally… Can’t have a nutrition section without covering off
the biggest boo boos… can we???
Okay... everybody makes mistakes with regard to their
nutrition and to help you avoid sticking your wheel in a nutrition pothole... I
figured I would share the biggest ones with you.
The Top 5 – Biggest Mistakes Endurance Athletes Make
On the Hammer website they have the Top 10 biggest mistakes…
but I just couldn’t bear to list them all… so I took the top 5… trust me,
number 6 was too much solid food during exercise…PALLLLEEEEEEASE! Can I have fries with that burger… to go! I’m in the middle a 6 hour mountain bike
race and I’m leading the race… gotta go! Just being a wise guy… but just wanted to let you know there
were 5 others out there.
#1. Excess hydration
We talked about this above.
Over hydrating will cause fluid to slosh around (a bit like a water
buffalo… we’ve all had that happen, ultimately leading to cramping, it could lead to worse things link tossing your electrolytes in a
tail spin and ever grimmer news if you happen to drink from a fire hose. Bottom line, everything in moderation.
#2. Simple sugar consumption – sucking on a sugar cube won’t
do it.
The easiest simply sugar would be a gel, GU type product,
Chomp, or Powder Mix like a Heed.
#3. Improper amounts
of Calories. Too many athletes fuel
their bodies with the number of calories they are burning, that’s too
many. 250 - 280 calories per hour is
sufficient.
#4. Inconsistent
Electrolyte Supplementation
Electrolyte supplementation is as important as calories and
fluids… without it, debilitating cramping and spasms may impair your
performance or ruin a workout. Hammer
has a product called Electrolytes, which comes in either a powder or capsule.. Both
are inexpensive and easy to dose.
#5. No protein during
prolonged exercise
When exercise extends beyond about two hours, your body
begins to utilize some protein to fulfill its energy requirements, as you begin
to derive glucose from amino acids. This metabolic process helps to satisfy
anywhere from 5-15% of your energy needs.
Solution: Using
Perpetuem Or GU Roctane as your fuel
during workouts and races longer than two to three hours will satisfy energy
requirements from a precise ratio of complex carbohydrates and Soy Protein, the
latter of which helps protect against excess muscle breakdown. You stay
healthier, reduce soreness, and decrease recovery time.
In closing
An important note: As an individual and shop owner I am neither
subsidized nor sponsored by Hammer or GU or any other nutrition vendor. I am a die-hard fan of both products have
been using them for years. I use them in
both training and racing and have learned to both trust and count on them as
part of my racing and training program. If
you want some help, swing by the shop,
we would love to talk with you about it.
Consistency is good, consistency is key. I never blame the product when I don’t do
well. I only hold the rider responsible
for the outcome of the race.
I hope the past 2 weeks has been helpful…
Ride safe out there, have fun
I’ll take to you
soon,
The Peanut Gallery
