Category: Performance

With only a few weeks left to Comrades Marathon there is a lot of chatter going around on fuelling, hydration, cramp prevention and immune system boosting to ensure health and decent day out. Unfortunately most of the advice is personal opinion without a clear understanding of what the human body actually requires in an endurance event over a long period of time.
As far as immune system strength goes I will touch on that in a separate blog to dispel the crazy myths that so many think work. In this blog I will cut through the nonsense and explain exactly how to approach your hydration and fuelling strategy for the big day.

In any ultra distance event there are three main areas of focus that need to be adhered to.

1. Pre-Race Meal
2. Fuelling Strategy
3. Hydration Strategy

If you can nail these three you are sure to have a pretty decent day out. Unfortunately many athletes tend to forget about the importance of this and often leave it too late to try it out in training. A proper nutrition strategy needs to be practised many times way in advance of the event and under similar conditions in order to ensure that it works well. If you do not test your strategy and plan it properly there is an excellent chance that your day will go pear shaped.

The Pre-Race Meal
Definitely the most important meal of your race day. A pre-race meal is so crucial in terms of setting the body up for those first few hours exercise. It is the only opportunity to ensure your fuel tanks stay topped up in the hours leading up to the race especially after a night of fasting. Stabilising your blood sugar and ensuring some fuel for the first bit of your race.

The morning meal of race day is vital. The food you consume prior to your race will form an important part of your actual race fuel.
It’s best to consume a meal which will provide you with stability and give you the energy requirements you need during the event. This meal should be a sustainable meal including carbs, make sure it does not spike your blood glucose levels but provides balance. If you are caffeine intolerant you will be able to benefit from taking in caffeine at this point.
Your meal should be consumed at least 2 hours before the event and have a volume of around +-300 – 400 Calories. A meal should consist of easily digestible carbohydrates and some protein. Fibre should be limited as much as possible as it can lead bowel irritation and digestive discomfort. If you are even slightly lactose intolerant then avoid any dairy at all costs.
Some examples of a pre-race meal are listed below.

• Rolled oats, peanut or almond butter, half banana
• Toast (low fibre) oats or seed load, peanut or almond
  butter, honey, banana
• Cereal or porridge (low fibre) with some fruit and nut butter.
• Potato or white rice pudding
• Pancakes
• Eggs on toast
  
  
  

If you are a fan of racing or training on caffeine then now is the time to dose on it. Generally its recommended to consume around 1-2mg of caffeine per a kilogram of bodyweight. Caffeine has been shown to help free up free fatty acids which is an excellent source of fuel in a long distance event. It has also demonstrated the effects of delaying the onset of fatigue as well as improving oxygen uptake which of course is a major benefit to the energy system in any long distance event. Caffeine also plays a role in performance improvement during a long distance event. If you have no experimented with caffeine in training then do not try it on race day.

Some nutritionists advocate that you should consume heavy or blood glucose spiking products prior to your event to maximize liver glycogen levels. I am personally against this. The event is not a high intensity event its a pace controlled ultra and you will by no means be doing yourself any favours by elevating your blood sugar significantly. The opposite it will most likely cause some major issues early on. Lastly do not over hydrate prior to the event. This can cause an overloaded bladder and major discomfort. Moderate fluid consumption prior to the event is absolutely fine.

 

FUELLING YOUR ULTRA
The best way to spare glycogen in a long endurance event is proper pacing, and moderate carb consumption. In an ultra marathon proper clock feeding or distance marker feeding (assuming you know your exact pace) is the ultimate way to fuel. We call this a drip feeding mechanism. The idea is to fuel smaller amounts more frequently.
Why is this a benefit?
It simply reduces the risk of GI (gastrointestinal distress) and prevents major peaks and troughs providing better blood sugar stabilization during exercise. Secondly it allows better fluid absorption as not a large amount of fluid is required with the intake meaning more manageable feeds to provide energy as well as fluid to keep you hydrated.
Consuming a high large amount of glucose concentrate (such as a standard gel) requires a fair amount of fluid to ensure a proper dilution ratio (isotonic) to ensure efficient fluid and energy pull through. Failure to do so will likely lead to gastrointestinal distress as well as dehydration.
Do not delay your fuelling in you race. Start early on and keep it consistent.
Mix it up nicely even combining some food solids along route such as bites of a banana or potato can make for a nice break in between the monotony of other feeds.

Its crucial to get protein in the system during a long distant event as well. I highly advocate consumption either hourly or at certain points in the event. It has been shown to help in delaying the onset of muscle fatigue as well keep you satiated topped up and the hunger at bay.

Below are examples of fuelling charts of elite  and amateur athletes to give you an idea of the planning that goes into place not just for training but from a nutrition perspective as well.

* The below charts are tried and tested method for an athlete of specific weight, pacing, fuelling and hydration requirements. Each person is unique in what they require and what works for one person will not necessarily work for the next.

The following products are utilized in the fuelling charts below

Elite Athlete Fuelling Structure

Amateur Athlete  1 Fuelling Structure

Amateur Athlete 2 Fuelling Structure

Elite Athlete 2 Fuelling Structure

 

STAYING HYDRATED IN YOUR ULTRA
Hydration is where most of the chaos occurs in an ultra distance event. This is very often when the wheels come falling off and the body just goes through a world of hurt and pain. I would even go so far as to say that proper hydration is even more crucial than energy intake.
You need to firstly understand that consuming water in large amounts on route does not mean you will remain hydrated. Hydration depends largely on the absorption rate of the fluid you are consuming. Water on its own has a low absorption rate as opposed to water consumed with a mineral solution (in particular sodium). When it comes to proper hydration the idea is to take in around 80% of fluid lost in the form of sweat. Small frequent sips of fluid intake will be easier to be absorbed however I would suggest consuming fluid with a mineral solution which is hypotonic or isotonic in nature to maximize the absorption of the fluid. I have written a previous blog on hydration which will help clarify this Simply Hydrate (Click Here)

Over consumption of water will only lead to what we call the washing machine effect. When the stomach gets overloaded with fluid as its not being absorbed and this can lead to a large amount of discomfort as well as in severe cases the dreaded hyponatremia. If you do feel fluid sloshing in your stomach and its not being absorbed you need to stop drinking immediately and consume something in the form of salt to help pull that fluid out. Once it empties you can carry on hydrating again. Under over hydrated circumstances very often thirst actually kicks in quite strongly so do not mistake this for dehydration it can be over hydration as well and your stomach will signal on which side of the fence you are sitting. One of the main reasons I developed the 32Gi Cramp Assalt gel (Click for more Info) was to address this exact issue. It’s a hydration gel which is designed to maximize fluid absorption during exercise as well as containing an anti-cramp trigger. Prevention however is better than cure and its an easily carried product which is sure to aid proper hydration.

In conclusion I just want to stress when it comes to fuelling and hydrating the least amount taken in to achieve the best result is what you should aim for. Under consuming can always be addressed but over consumption will swing the pendulum way to hard and leave you in a really tough space that will be pretty hard to get out of.

Over the next few weeks we will be giving a lot of tips and tricks as we head towards Comrades Marathon and hopefully we can guide you to your best day out.

all the best

M

Mark Wolff is a certified exercise & sports nutritionist, endurance nutrition and physiology expert with over 20 years experience. An endurance multi-sport athlete with a running, triathlon, mountain biking and weight lifting background, he works extensively with professional and amateur athletes in a variety of sports disciplines as well as those just wanting to change their lifestyles. He firmly believes that a person can only reach their full potential when their health and nutrition is given the proper focus. Mark’s focus on nutrition and physiology is not just on training and racing, but he places major emphasis on recovery, immune system health, emotional stability, stress management and performance. Mark is co-founder of 32Gi, a sports nutrition company, focused mainly on health and endurance nutrition. He is also co-founder of Rapid Recover focussed on pneumatic compression equipment to improve circulation for recovery and health. 

Over the last few weeks there has been a lot of hype and excitement over 32Gi’s latest edition to its product range the new 32Gi Race Pro.
It is a product that I have taken great pride in developing and getting to market. This blog is aimed at to giving you the low down on everything you need to know about it.

First let me explain the history of how this product came about. There is a nice little story as to why we decided to bring it to market. For many years I have been working very closely with many athletes on their sports nutrition. When it comes to the various theories of sports nutrition there are many debates that take place as to what is actually scientifically proven. Often with research we see cases for and against different scenarios and often it boils down to what works for an individual. As a professional sports nutritionist and endurance exercise expert I have been intimately involved with many different athletes at all different levels and each has a unique need and requirement when it comes to nutrition and fuelling strategies.

The last 9 years I have had the fortune of seconding some of the best ultra runners in the world at Comrades Marathon. If anything Comrades is one of the true testers of what an athletes body will go through over time. Duration of effort is huge especially with the temperature variations during the course of the day and the elite athletes are running around the 3:47min/km pace over the 90km course for the coveted title. This is by no means an easy task. The climbs and descents are extensive and the route is undulating and tough. If anything the digestive system undergoes a huge amount of stress especially in light of temperature climb over time and where much of the blood is diverted away from the digestive tracts to the heart, lungs and working muscles for performance as well as the skin for cooling. This leaves the digestive system fairly sensitive over time and proper fuelling and hydration on the day can make or break your efforts on route to the finish line.

I have also worked very closely with triathletes over the years to develop successful fuelling strategies especially during long course events. However the digestive system is much more stable while on the bike. What a triathlete consumes during a long course triathlon will not work the same for an ultra runner. With running the cooling effect is much lower and the high impact of running combined with other various factors leave the digestive system way more sensitive.

With the ultra runners the fuelling methods needed to be more conservative and a focus has to be placed on reducing the risks associated with GI (gastrointestinal) distress as well as hydration.
A few years ago I developed a drip feeding mechanism which meant smaller feeds more frequently over time to help stabilize the energy system and reduce the risk of gastrointestinal complications. The first few years we kept the focus on the carbohydrate feed ensuring the digestive system coped well with the carbohydrate combination and volume of intake over time. It is important to stress that carbohydrates are not created equal and each has varying properties depending on how much is consumed as well as the volume and type of fluid consumed with it.
This ultimately determines the gastric emptying rate and the efficiency of glucose supply as well as fluid absorption to remain hydrated. I have written a previous blog discussing osmolality and the various drink mixture options which can be read about here (Simply Hydrate). Most energy product users don’t actually understand the difference between the different saccharides (sugars) that are available and some are classified as sugars and others are not depending on the type of saccharides or combination of use. Sugar gets a bad wrap as the bad one, but most have no clue how untrue that is because they fail to understand the actual attributes of the carbohydrates used and the composition of them to achieve a specific function.

Once I was satisfied with various carbohydrate fuelling methods we started to introduce protein intake with the carbohydrates in the longer distance events. The purpose was to achieve a reduction in the onset of muscle fatigue and to keep an athlete more stable and satiated on route. After much testing with the triathlon community with 32Gi Recover (click here for more info on 32Gi Recover) during long distance events and the excellent feedback, I began my testing on the ultra runners. The idea was to introduce the protein feed a few hours into the event. The elites would feed around half way and for the back pack athletes earlier to get it between the 3-4hr mark. Fuelling needs to be time not distance based and this is something most athletes get wrong. An athlete covering 45km’s at 3:50 – 4:00min pace will hit that mark under 3hrs while an athlete running around 6-7min pace will only reach the 25-30km mark in that same time. Meaning fuelling is very different and unique for each athlete.

The feedback with the protein intake was phenomenal and the amount of ultra distance runners that incorporated the protein feed into their fuelling strategies were elated at the results. Then came the turn around point and that was the introduction of caffeine into the protein mix in the form of coffee. This not only made the drink more palatable later in the race due to the reduction of sweetness but the caffeine kept the athletes nicely focussed and able to perform.
It’s important to mention that it’s a fact that caffeine is a scientifically proven performance enhancer for endurance sport. The major shift came over the last few years where I was holding up two seconding bottles for the elite athletes to give them a choice on route. One bottle was the pure carbohydrate drink mix and the other the protein / carbohydrate combination. I noticed the demand for the protein shake was increasing. Last year at Comrades the majority of elite runners I was feeding consumed the protein shake on route. I knew the composition was not perfect for the distance but in the timing of the feeds and volumes I gave, certainly did the trick.

Enter project Race Pro. The idea was to develop a world class carbohydrate protein endurance sports drink which was very different to any other product in the market and just did the job better.

32Gi Recover uses a 1:3 ratio of protein to carbohydrates which is excellent for recovery. However for Race Pro I wanted approximately a 1:7 ratio making it much more of a carbohydrate endurance drink with the ability to completely stabilize the energy system and assist in delaying the onset of muscle fatigue. I wanted it to be highly palatable over time and I wanted the drink to have an excellent gastric emptying rate to provide immediate energy and stability as well as reduced risk of gastrointestinal distress.

We decided to use a HBCD (Highly Branched Cyclic Dextrin) as the main carbohydrate due to its incredibly high gastric emptying rate and ability to provide immediate energy in the form of much needed glucose to the working muscles. We then added some stage releasing carbohydrates to stagger the release providing some stability and we topped this off with a high quality plant based protein. The structure of the drink went through a few modifications during the testing phase to ensure the key criteria of the drink were met.

1. Immediate and Stable Energy
2. Digestive Comfort
3. Reduction in Muscle Fatigue

Eventually we reached the correct formulation and now all that was left was to properly flavour it and run intense testing.
At 32Gi we do not use unnatural flavours or colours and this is a strict criteria the brand adheres to. Each product needs to be clean and meet the food category classification. At the onset of the testing phase I used a fruit flavour but then realised it was not suitable for this product. We then turned back the clock to how the athletes had raved about the chocolate and coffee mix they were fed on Comrades route and we decided to test this blend. Real cocoa and a high quality coffee to ensure a nice flavour as well as decent caffeine content. When the testing started I was thinking this is too good to be true. Session after session I was absolutely loving the drink. I then used it over a 12 week period where every single weekend was 4.5hr – 6hr training sessions in hot temperatures to see how the product faired over time. I was extremely happy with the outcome. I have a very sensitive stomach and I found the product to be easy on the digestive system but more importantly it kept my energy levels stable and completely comfortable throughout every single session.
I then tested the product in a stage racing simulation which included multiple long distance intense efforts on consecutive training days. It was very apparent that Race Pro enabled a quicker recovery between sessions by ensuring stability during the session and the much needed MPS (muscle protein synthesis) post exercise with the addition of the protein into the feed. I did comparisons on pure carbohydrate feeds against the Race Pro over distance and the Race Pro just gave me a much better sense of stability, spot on energy and reduced hunger post exercise.

So let me explain a little deeper as to why 32Gi Race Pro is going to be such a successful endurance sports drink.
It utilizes one of the most advanced carbohydrates in the world which is exceptional at emptying the digestive system and providing immediate energy while keeping the digestive system very comfortable. A carbohydrate of this nature is expensive and of high quality. Another philosophy of 32Gi is we don’t compromise on quality and we we will make sure the best ingredients we can get our hands on will be available to the masses. If this means reducing margin to ensure the customer can afford the product then we will do our utmost to ensure the consumer can get their hands on it at the correct price. I launched a video a few months ago explaining how instead of using an unhealthy synthetic blue colour in our blueberry and lime flavour products (lime is blue + orange to get to green) we use a very expensive blue spirulina extract (click here to watch video). We place a priority on the health of our consumers and do not compromise.

Race Pro has the much needed property of providing stability with other unique carbohydrates and this with the protein content is guaranteed to leave any athlete feeling topped up, energetic and comfortable through any endurance training or racing session. What makes the product even more attractive is that it can be a single feed bottle by making a concentrate according to calorie requirements. In other words no other fuel needed. Toss all the other carry along’s go with simplicity to focus on a convenient and nourishing feed which is guaranteed to keep you stable over time. The only other need is hydration and this can come in the form of water or preferably 32Gi Hydrate to ensure optimal fluid absorption.
A final but noteworthy attribute is the simple fact that both flavours just taste so good over time and there is the addition of caffeine in the product for those that want it during their session.

In conclusion I have always stated there are no silver bullets when it comes to sports nutrition and performance. I think I might need to eat those words as it’s highly possible the silver bullet has arrived in the form of 32Gi Race Pro. Don’t take my word for it, go and give it a try for yourself.

all the best

M

Mark Wolff is a certified exercise & sports nutritionist, endurance nutrition and physiology expert with over 20 years experience. An endurance multi-sport athlete with a running, triathlon, mountain biking and weight lifting background, he works extensively with professional and amateur athletes in a variety of sports disciplines as well as those just wanting to change their lifestyles. He firmly believes that a person can only reach their full potential when their health and nutrition is given the proper focus. Mark’s focus on nutrition and physiology is not just on training and racing, but he places major emphasis on recovery, immune system health, emotional stability, stress management and performance. Mark is co-founder of 32Gi, a sports nutrition company, focused mainly on health and endurance nutrition. He is also co-founder of Rapid Recover focussed on pneumatic compression equipment to improve circulation for recovery and health.

One of the most critical periods prior to a race is what’s known as the taper period. In longer distance events such as marathons, Ironman distance events, ultra’s or stage races, a peak in training volume is reached. Then comes the time to reduce volume, recover, sharpen and arrive at race day fresh. This is known as the taper period.  Many athletes put a lot of focus on the actual training and recovery aspects but completely miss the most fundamental aspect of the tapering period and that is nutrition. Another misunderstanding is the type of quality training that needs to be maintained until race day. Many athletes drop volume but then tend to neglect proper sharpening which involves speed and strength work. The focus of this blog is aimed at the nutrition required during the taper phase.

The kind of nutrition you take in the 2-3 weeks before a big event can make or break your big day. There are a few areas where nutrition plays a very critical role when it comes to the taper period and very often these can get the better of an athlete.
These are:

1. Immune System Strength
2. Weight Management
3. Muscle Recovery
4. Race fuel preparation

Immune System Strength
An athlete’s biggest fear is falling ill prior to race day. Let’s face it when we hit peak training volumes 3 weeks out from a big event our bodies are fatigued, immune system is low and we are very susceptible to infection. Even more so when we are exposed to children or closed work spaces on a daily basis. Contrary to popular belief athletes are quite weak at fighting illness during volume periods of training.

Weight Management
Heavy volume training periods only mean one thing, cravings. An athlete requires food to fuel the body not just from an energy point of view but also from a recovery perspective. Many athletes also feel the need to eat because they deserve it after long hard sessions. Sugar highs and sugar lows causes appetite triggers and as disciplined as athletes are when it comes to training, they often fail when it comes to eating. There are also many athletes that worry constantly about weight gain and eat insufficiently to support the bodies fuelling requirements. Once training volume is reduced one of the toughest things to be able to do is shape the eating volume accordingly. Many athletes arrive at race day a lot heavier than they were during training and this is a common athlete mistake.

Muscle Recovery
A taper period is there for one thing. Muscle recovery and strength gains. It’s time to repair and recover and build. Remember training breaks you down, proper rest and recovery builds you up and makes you stronger. How you recover physically has a large dependency on nutrition not just reduced training and rest.

Race Fuel Preparation
The way you prepare your body from a nutrition perspective in the weeks and days leading up to an event will either make or break your fuelling strategy on the day. What you eat can either make your race fuel strategy very effective or completely the opposite and this is something you need to constantly have in mind as you approach the big day.

With all of the above in mind, I felt it quite good timing to discuss these aspects especially with goal races approaching fast.

Where your focus should be on a training perspective should be pretty well understood in terms of quality sessions leading up to the race. If you are not sure how to properly taper from a physical point of view towards your big race its best to consult a knowledgeable coach. The focus of this blog as mentioned earlier revolves around the nutrition leading up to your big day.

With a few weeks out of your big day, it is not easy to focus on nutrition. You have to make a conscious effort to make the right decisions when it comes to eating and drinking, because whether you like to believe it or not, you can make a big difference on the actual day by taking the best nutritional approach. Eat with intent.

Where to start is quite simple, just try to adhere to these few simple rules.

Don’t Eat Out
Eating out firstly is not necessarily eating healthy unless you are completely sure of exactly what is on your plate. Just because it’s a grilled chicken breast or a fillet doesn’t mean it is basting free, not loaded with trans fats and has the correct nutrients. The risk of falling ill is one aspect as well as the issue of irritating digestive symptoms and then weight gain. Rather know what you are ingesting, keep it clean, keep it lean and prepare your own meals that you can ensure the nutrients you are taking in have a benefit and not a detriment.

Reduce or Cut Sugar Intake
Cutting sugar intake is one of the smartest things you could possibly do in leading up to a big event. By sugar I don’t just mean physical sugar. I am speaking about the large anti-nutritious carbohydrate portions that most people are so emotionally attached to in the form of instant and processed cereals, noodles and grains. Rather take in carbohydrates which have excellent properties not just from an energy point of view, but also for immunity strengthening. The better your carb selection the stronger you will arrive at race day. Opt for carbohydrates which are nutrient dense, such as vegetables in the form of greens, spinach broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, Swiss chard and the likes. Reduce fruit intake to a bare minimum and stick to the immune boosting lower sugar fruits such as berries.
Sugar just plays unnecessary havoc with blood sugar, and during the taper weeks it can only assist with contracting illness (the bad guys love to feed off sugar) and of course unnecessary weight gain due to roller coaster riding not to mention emotional highs and lows which play on pre-race nerves as well as sleep. Cutting it will certainly benefit you on race day.

The Protein Factor
Depending on the type of nutrition plan you are on whether LCHF (low carb high fat) or HCLF (high carb low fat) Beach, Paleo, Vegetarian, Vegan and the likes ensure that your protein intake is of quality and not just quantity based. By this I mean don’t overdo the protein, eat according to your requirements. Opt for proteins which are leaner and measure your fat intake with known fat measurements. Consuming leaner proteins can also easier on the digestive system. If you are a meat eater sticking to chicken, turkey, fish and eggs can keep the digestive system happy, and for plant based eaters such as myself I generally choose a fair amount of vegetable proteins such as pea, rice, hemp as well as protein rich beans and grains. Keep the preparation clean and preferably keep dressings to an unprocessed form.

Fats
Fats are so critical to any diet. They are an incredible source of fuel, and the only reason to keep fat intake very low is if your carb intake is very high. Try to get some good fats into the diet, Omega-3’s such as salmon, tuna, sardines, pilchards as well as the vegetable forms of flax and chia seeds make for excellent nutrient dense foods. One of the things I advocate in taper week is to up the MCT’s (medium chain triglyceride’s). They are fats that are not stored but more utilized as a source of energy and these are the types of fats you want in your system during a long endurance event. If you have never consumed MCT’s then don’t suddenly start as it takes time for the bowels to adapt and can cause digestive discomfort.

Hydration
I cannot stress enough the amount of fluid you should be consuming on a daily basis especially in the taper period. Try to aim for 30ml – 40ml’s per a kilogram of bodyweight, it might sound like a lot of fluid but it’s not at all. If you want to ensure you arrive at race day properly hydrated, in good health, topped energy levels and on top of the world then put some focus on your fluid intake. Whether in the form of water or herbal teas both are perfectly fine. If you are thinking in the form of fruit juice and coffee my answer to that is no as its high in sugar. If you are wanting a flavoured water, take a ¼ grapefruit and squeeze it into a liter of water, or a lime would be perfect. Sugar in fruit is very high and a fruit juice is just loaded with sugar. As for coffee check out the next section.
Personally I am a huge fan of mineral loading prior to a big training session or a race. Water with mineral increases the rate of fluid absorption. I use 32Gi Hydrate and consume a a few glasses day in order to maximize fluid absorption. It works incredibly well.

The Caffeine Effect
Caffeine can be a benefit or drawback. Caffeine is a mild stimulant that occurs naturally in a variety of plant species. There are people who view caffeine as a useful stimulant that increases ones concentration and awareness as well as many other physical traits.  The important thing to remember is that caffeine affects each and every individual very differently depending on the amount consumed, the frequency of consumption, and a person’s individual tolerance levels.

Let’s get to the facts. Scientific proof of caffeine and sports performance is actually pretty strong. One thing to remember though and this is from a health perspective. Caffeine is a stimulant and it does have addictive properties. In a healthy diet your consumption should be limited and health professionals will recommend around 0-7 cups of coffee a week as a limit. Unfortunately the majority of people consume a much larger amount. One thing is certain caffeine does stimulate and it plays with one’s emotional and energy stability. Stimulant drinks such as coffee are also known to be one of the biggest role players in a person gaining weight and affecting emotional stability. Another important consideration is that caffeine impacts the ability to sleep properly and this is a critical element of endurance recovery. Caffeine also causes a rise in acidity in the digestive system, and from a health perspective one should try to consume a diet that is more alkaline, acid of course can lead to issues especially in sport. Finally caffeine has diuretic properties causing loss of fluid, and the last thing you want to be is dehydrated during a sporting event. An athlete that consumes caffeine in excess is actually doing himself a complete disservice.

So with all this negativity in mind, how can caffeine really help me as an athlete? Well there are two major benefits that caffeine has, the first is that consumed on its own without sugar has shown to raise the amount of free fatty acids available for use as a source of fuel. Fat of course is an incredibly powerful form of fuel and the more free fatty acids you have available for use in an endurance event the more you are able to benefit from it. There is one slight consideration though? That in order for this to work well, a person should be slightly caffeine intolerant, meaning at least not a lot of caffeine 7-10 days or more before and event, my recommendation is to cut it for longer. The second thing is the timing of consumption before an event. In scientific testing it’s been shown a consumption of around 1-2mg of caffeine per a kilogram of bodyweight around 3-4hrs before an event is best. It gives the body time to mobilise free fatty acids for use as well as being long enough before the event to remove the acid from the system, reduce the diuretic effect and of course negate the risk of dehydration.

The second major benefit is caffeine for recovery. Yes, believe it. It’s been shown that having caffeine with a complex carbohydrate after exercise has shown to speed up the time taken for glycogen replenishment. Under testing it’s been shown to speed up the process by as much as 60%. As an example a rolled oats meal and a very strong espresso or two as a recovery. Thought you would like that one. Just remember to hydrate yourself consistently afterwards. As I often recommend one cup of coffee = two glasses of additional water intake to keep you properly hydrated.

Finally, there is another major benefit, and this is the wake up & focus effect. In a major sporting event the mental endurance plays a very crucial role and the ingestion of caffeine has demonstrated the support of this and the ability to improve performance. The downside though is that an athlete who consistently takes a large amount of caffeine will not feel this affect as much as an athlete who refrains more from caffeine.

One thing I have to stress is if you are planning caffeine intake on race day should trial it during training. It is important to know how much you require through the event hourly and how you respond to it. I would suggest around 30-60mg per an hour. However some athletes like myself go up to around 120mg or more per an hour in an endurance event.

Race Day Nutrition
This is a very important mention. During your taper weeks you have a last few chances to check out your race day nutrition strategy. It keeps one confident and in check with what they are going to do on race day. The two aspects to look at are the pre-race meal, and this can easily be checked by getting up early eating a pre training meal and going out on a training session at tempo pace to gauge how you feel. The second type of testing is to fuel during a training session. This is also quite simple to do as all you need is at least 90min or longer and go out fairly fast (tempo) pace to test how your stomach and palate will cope with intake during the session. The other aspect’s to look out for are convenience form a carry and consumption point of view. The more you test your nutrition for an event over different durations and intensities the far better prepared you will be for the big day. Start months before and make sure you get it right.

To conclude this little blog I want to stress the importance of nutrition during the taper weeks and in the days leading up to your big event. It is often overlooked but yet it plays a vital role. Follow these simple guidelines and reach your race day, feeling energetic, healthy and at the proper race weight to give it your all.

Best of luck

All the best

M

Mark Wolff is a certified exercise & sports nutritionist, endurance nutrition and physiology expert with over 20 years experience. An endurance multi-sport athlete with a running, triathlon, mountain biking and weight lifting background, he works extensively with professional and amateur athletes in a variety of sports disciplines as well as those just wanting to change their lifestyles. He firmly believes that a person can only reach their full potential when their health and nutrition is given the proper focus. Mark’s focus on nutrition and physiology is not just on training and racing, but he places major emphasis on recovery, immune system health, emotional stability, stress management and performance. Mark is co-founder of 32Gi, a sports nutrition company, focused mainly on health and endurance nutrition. He is also co-founder of Rapid Recover focussed on pneumatic compression equipment to improve circulation for recovery and health.

 

I was wondering what to write about in my blog this week and when I came into the office my business partner told me a nice little story which triggered some memories and a nice little topic to touch on and clear the misconceptions.

In short he had gone to a birthday party with his kids and while there and speaking to some of the other parents it landed up in a conversation about nutrition. Being the managing director of 32Gi he was told that the products were not suitable for endurance athletes following a ketogenic diet. The strange conversation he had with them about ketosis made me realize that many of the keto converted did not really have much intimate knowledge about their own eating regime either.

He told me the story as he knew full well that I personally was fully ketogenic for a very long period of time before it even became well known in South Africa. Not just following a keto diet but I ran blood tests pretty much weekly and sometimes daily to ensure my ketone levels were correct and that I remained completely adapted. My reasons for going keto was an attempt to battle an illness that seemed to rear its ugly head quite regularly and I was attempting to subdue it. Being an endurance athlete I had to balance my ketogenic diet with my training and ensure that everything was on track to keep me healthy. I will get to the workings of it later, but in the mean time I want to share a story of my own with you.

Many years ago I was standing at an Ironman expo when an athlete approached me asking me for a product that did not cause any excessive rise in blood sugar as she was keto adapted and would never consider any gels for her race. While I was talking to her, her coach who is a well known top finisher in Kona came to me and said “what are you going to tell her Mark?” I smiled and I said “I am actually not going to tell her anything until I know more about her situation”. I then asked her how long she had been on a ketogenic diet for and the answer was just over three months. I then asked her if she was sure that she was in a state of ketosis. Her answer was most definitely. I asked her how she knew this and her answer was because she could feel it.

I then asked her if she would mind if I tested her to make sure she was in ketosis. She looked at me and said “how will you do that?” My reply was a simple “I am going to take some blood from you and test it”. They both looked at me as if I was mad. I of course needed to know for sure so I pulled my ketone meter out of my bag, ran a finger prick test and the ketone reading came up at 0.1 mmol/liter. I turned to her coach and said “please give her some gels as we do not have gels in our range yet and I think she is gonna need them”. He was extremely surprised I had pushed a potential customer away to a competing brand in order to make sure she got the correct fuelling on the day.

One thing about me is I am completely honest in my approach to endurance sport and especially nutrition. A level of 0.1 mmol/liter is so low there is absolutely no chance she was close to ketosis or the ability of primarily using any fat for fuel even if she wanted to. If I work with an athlete who is in a state of ketosis a level under 1.5 mmol/liter would make me unhappy I would want them to be even higher. That is to me the base level for proper ketosis. I have run hundreds of blood tests over the years and unfortunately disappointed one person after the next in that they were nowhere near a proper fat burn zone. It is not entirely their fault, its just that they had absolutely no idea how to eat properly while on a ketogenic diet. That particular athlete insisted on low to no carb fuelling and eventually hit a massive wall on the bike course ending her race.

I sometimes hear people telling me its a high protein diet? Nonsense. All diets require protein and intake needs to be measured properly. Even overeating protein can cause a rise in blood sugar and offset a state of ketosis quite easily. A ketogenic diet is all about the balancing act of limited carbohydrate intake and sufficient fat intake.

I have seen so many errors when it comes to eating for ketosis. Excessive protein, too much dairy, hidden and elevated carbohydrate intake or excessive fat intake. If you embark on this journey then you need to understand exactly what you need to take in and as I have written in a previous blog Bloods don’t Lie.

So in short let me get back to keto and carbohydrates because this was the major topic of the debate that my partner faced over the weekend. There is a big difference between fat efficient and being ketogenic. When I speak of fat efficiency for an athlete it means that he or she can oxidize a higher percentage of fat during exercise at higher intensities as opposed to a carbohydrate dependent athlete. This does not mean that you need to cut out carbohydrates to be fat efficient. It is also a fact that at a high intensity there is no chance that if I put a carbohydrate feeding athlete next to a ketogenic fat fuelling athlete that the fat fuelling athlete will achieve the same power numbers as the carbohydrate feeder. You see there are two primary fuel tanks feeding the human body during exercise. One being glycogen (carbohydrate stores) and the other being fat. I call glycogen our rocket fuel, because when you want to put the hammer down and go you will need that fuel tank to fuel your efforts. The fat tank is more our diesel or long distance fuel, because it is what sees us over long periods of time and is primarily used at lower intensity efforts. During exercise over a range of intensities a combination of both are utilized one will just be more dominant than the other depending on the effort. This happens because in order to burn fat you require oxygen (aerobic) and under heavy intense sessions oxygen uptake is limited (anaerobic) and glycogen becomes the quickest immediate fuel for creating ATP to fire those muscles. I have done a nice little video explaining the fuel tanks you can check it out here talking about zone fuelling.

The problem with glycogen is that it is limited fuel and can only last around 90 minutes to 2 hours in well trained athletes. In a fat efficient athlete maybe even a little longer. The reason for this is a fat efficient athlete has the ability to oxidize a higher percentage of fat at a higher intensity than a carbohydrate dependent individual thereby sparing more glycogen over time. Once the glycogen stores are depleted fat becomes the primary source of fuel and this is what we usually call hitting the wall or bonking. In the case of a fat efficient athlete this transition is pretty seamless and speaking from experience its like shifting gears. I cannot go at the pace I was originally going at but I can gear down and pace control without that painful feeling of my limbs not wanting to work. On the other hand carbohydrates consumed during exercise do spare glycogen and can extend the rocket tank that little bit more of up to around 30%.

This is where the debate really starts. If I ingest carbohydrates during exercise am I preventing myself from burning fat? I will answer that in a moment but let us take a back step here.

How do you actually become a fat efficient athlete?
It is quite simple you train minimalistically and do some fasted training sessions to force the body to use it’s own internal fuel tanks without relying on any external fuel sources. You need to make sure you are not in a blood glucose elevated state when taking these sessions on. It does not have to be every single session but you start off small and build up and eventually over time you can adapt to a higher rate of fat burn.
How does this work? Quite simple when there is no blood sugar elevation the body will rely purely on its own internal tanks fat and glycogen and utilize both as a source of fuel to their optimum. Over time the body will adapt to a higher rate of fat fuelling by increasing ketone production for energy with lowered blood glucose This can be mitigated by the introduction of carbohydrates as the body will use the available blood glucose for energy and lower the rate of fat oxidation.

When it comes to sports performance I personally advocate carbohydrate periodization as it is better to reap the benefits of both worlds in order to achieve peak performance. In other words become an athlete that is both fat efficient and also has the ability to oxidize a decent amount of carbohydrates during exercise. This all comes down to training the gut and teaching the body to adapt to both situations.

So why did I move away from a completely ketogenic lifestyle?  Simple my immune system was just not coping with the volume of endurance training and the extremely low carbohydrate intake. My power numbers had also dropped but I could honestly see that over distance and controlled pace my ability as a fat adapted athlete was solid. However on hard intense endurance sessions the lack of power and inability to recover as fast as I wanted to just were not there. So I worked very hard at combining a low carbohydrate lifestyle with carbohydrate periodization depending on the duration and intensity of training. I measured my carbohydrate intake during and after exercise and the idea was to consume carbohydrates in a way that would keep me a fat burning machine but allow for fast recovery and better energy levels during sessions.

My regime brought back some decent power numbers, improved recovery rates and a much stronger immune system. In actual fact it became months and then years of not succumbing to major colds flu and illness.

Carbohydrate periodization is not a new concept and is widely used by many and something I highly advocate.

Below is a a slide from a presentation I did at a high performance sports centre in which I show the benefits of high carbohydrate intake, low carbohydrate intake and carbohydrate periodization

It is clear that periodizing carbohydrates will give you the best of both worlds allowing for high fat oxidation as well as high carbohydrate oxidation. I can tell you from experience that if you are on a low carb only regime your to carbohydrate oxidation ability is limited and the risks of gastrointestinal distress is a lot higher. As for a high carbohydrate regime yes your ability to oxidize a decent percentage of fat during exercise is limited. Periodization provides the benefit of both and its been demonstrated many times over in the world of endurance sport.

So now I am going to show you ketogenic folk something interesting which will further enlighten you. I mentioned earlier that carbohydrate consumption during exercise can limit the rate of fat oxidation.
Below are blood ketone measurements taken with my ketone meter post exercise while consuming carbohydrates during exercise. The first ketone measurement (far left) below taken was post exercise after a recovery meal consisting of 40 grams of carbohydrates (rolled oats) and 24 grams of protein yes my ketone levels dropped but not out of a fat burn zone and within an hour after the meal they were back up to over 1. The other three measurements were taken pre-recovery meal. These exercise sessions were anywhere between 2 to 4 hours in duration.

  

The interesting part is that I ingested carbohydrates in the form of 32Gi Endure on two of the days taking in around 30-40 grams of carbohydrates per an hour while in the last two I used the 32Gi Chews taking in 3/4 of a bar in 60 minutes (+- 25 grams per an hour) along with the Endure sports drink.

The above clearly demonstrates that consuming the carbohydrates during exercise had little impact at all to my ability to oxidize a high rate of fat. Over and above that I had the additional benefit of carbohydrate intake to help with fuelling. There were some days where I increased the carbohydrate intake per an hour up to 50 grams but the results did not change much. I do agree that consuming a very high amount of carbohydrates and also much quicker releasing carbohydrates will have a higher impact on fat oxidation. However the carbohydrates used in the 32Gi Endure range do not raise blood sugar significantly so as not to cause a major impact to fat oxidation ability.

In a 2008 study at the Freiburg University Clinic & Sports Medicine Institute in Germany, a comparative test was conducted between two groups of experienced cyclists utilising two different carbohydrates. The cyclists cycled for 90 minutes at sub maximal steady state, followed by a time trial. One group was given a sports drink containing isomaltulose one of the main carbohydrates in 32Gi Endure, and the other was given a liquid meal containing maltodextrin. During the time trial, the athletes that were given isomaltulose performed better, showing a very clear tendency to finish one minute (3%) faster than the maltodextrin group. In sports performance, it is a difference of this magnitude that can decide a race winner. Furthermore, the isomaltulose group also had more sustained energy, with a pedal power increase in the last five minutes of the test, a significantly higher fat oxidation rate and better maintenance of blood glucose levels until the end of the exercise. The higher fat oxidation rate with carbohydrate intake is a focus area of scientific research that has been conducted around isomaltulose the main carbohydrate 32Gi Endure, and this is one of the main reasons that it’s such an advantageous carbohydrate for an endurance event. It has a duel pronged feeding mechanism. It provides the much needed carbohydrates while allowing a high rate of fat oxidation. Click here for more on the 32Gi Endure Range

You need to remember that not all carbohydrates are created equal and the type and volume of a carbohydrate consumed will determine the over all impact. The above study indicates that.

So back to the weekend debate. It is a fact that an endurance athlete that is fat efficient as well as able to oxidize carbohydrates at a good rate will in a perfect world have the upper hand on any athlete that falls either side of the scale.

Debate over

all the best

M

PS: 32Gi Hydrate contains no carbs at all and is my go to on days where I do fasted training sessions.

Mark Wolff is a certified exercise & sports nutritionist, endurance nutrition and physiology expert with over 20 years experience. An endurance multi-sport athlete with a running, triathlon, mountain biking and weight lifting background, he works extensively with professional and amateur athletes in a variety of sports disciplines as well as those just wanting to change their lifestyles. He firmly believes that a person can only reach their full potential when their health and nutrition is given the proper focus. Mark’s focus on nutrition and physiology is not just on training and racing, but he places major emphasis on recovery, immune system health, emotional stability, stress management and performance. Mark is co-founder of 32Gi, a sports nutrition company, focused mainly on health and endurance nutrition. He is also co-founder of Rapid Recover focussed on pneumatic compression equipment to improve circulation for recovery and health.