Tag: 32Gi Sports Nutrition

STRUCTURED FUELLING – FAILING TO PREPARE IS PREPARING TO FAIL

Post author By Mark Wolff
Post date December 7, 2022
1 Comment on STRUCTURED FUELLING – FAILING TO PREPARE IS PREPARING TO FAIL

When it comes down to race preparation athletes are all about the training never the nutrition around it. It is often an after thought. However its not just nutrition in and around the training an athlete should be focussed on its also the daily nutritional intake from waking up all the way to bed time. It plays a vital roll in maintaining an energy balance, supporting the recovery process, and keeping that immune system in check.

A few weeks ago, I participated in my first race after many years in hibernation due to ongoing commitments which never afforded me the time to put in the proper preparation. But when I decide to race it’s really a test of my consistent training and I don’t race for fun. I set a goal and stick to it. This time I went for Ironman 70.3 Tiberius with the single goal of getting a category podium to qualify for world champs. I knew what I needed to do from a numbers perspective to hit the target. But aside from training numbers the nutrition had to be spot on to support the effort. Over and above the actual training my age being a tender 51 meant recovery between sessions is more challenging and so dietary changes were needed to support the increases in volume and intensity. I wont dive into the daily nutrition in this blog as its quite detailed. I will leave that for another day. The purpose of this blog is to explain the approach to race day nutrition and how I properly prepared for it. Hopefully you can take away something and use it towards your big day.

WHEN DO YOU START?
Kicking off a race day nutrition plan needs to be tried and tested in training as much as you can. This needs to start many months before the actual race. In my case it was 10 months prior to race day. A fuelling plan needs to be properly structured, and tried, tested and stuck to like glue on race day.

FIRST STEPS
The first step you need to make is to think about the disciplines of swim bike and run and in your mind put a picture together of how you want to fuel each of those three.

-SWIM

Swimming being the first discipline means a pre-race meal and possible top ups on route to the start. In my case I decided to use 32Gi Pre-Race Meal as my pre-race fuel and because it such an important part of race day I consumed it prior to all my long and hard sessions. I also ensured I consumed it prior to most of my swims to ensure my digestive system was comfortable throughout. The serving sizes varied depending on how long before a training session I consumed it.

– BIKE
Generally this is the longest leg of a triathlon and the fuelling required to hold an effort for hours means a good fuelling plan that is simple and convenient while on the go.

Often cyclists complicate bike feeding, and this is something I like to keep as simple as possible. The way to determine intake on the bike is to understand a few very important things.

1.First is how long are you planning on riding for?

2.How many calories you are wanting to take in hourly (carbs only or carbs + protein)

3.How much fluid are you planning on consuming hourly for hydration purposes (this is weather and temperature dependant with heat and or humidity which can increase fluid loss)

In my case I pegged the bike to 2h30 as a pretty good estimate based on testing and in my case I went with around 280Kcals per an hour which equates to 70gram carbohydrates per an hour. Race weight is +-66kg placing me at over 1gram carbs per kg of body weight. However, I opted to go with 32Gi Race Pro which is a carbohydrate rich drink with a protein portion. I find protein intake during a long event keeps me stable and it can mitigate the onset of gluconeogenesis which can trigger muscle fatigue. 32Gi Race Pro is a single source feed so for me it was a simple uncomplicated feed and nothing else was needed from an energy perspective. I went with the mocha flavour due to it containing caffeine. I enjoy racing on caffeine. I decided to use a 600ml bottle and test the concentrate. This meant 10 scoops of Race Pro in the bottle for a 2.5hr ride. Aside from energy we need to also think about fluid intake to remain hydrated. By placing 10 scoops of Race Pro in a 600ml bottle that has turned the drink into a hypertonic solution which will provide energy, but it is not possible to hydrate. So, to manage this I placed an 800ml bottle of 32Gi Hydrate on the bike for hydration purposes. Optimal hydration is around 80% of lost fluid in the form of sweat. How do I know this number? I weigh myself before and after training sessions to determin weight loss which equates to fluid loss. During testing all went very well and I found my digestive system tolerated everything very well. The way I fed was alternating sips of energy and hydration spaced around 10min apart meaning Race Pro intake 3 times per an hour with fluid intake in between as needed. As we moved towards much hotter weather I realised that my fluid intake was not sufficient and that my sodium intake needed to be upped a little more. This led to a slight modification. Instead of 10 scoops in the 600ml bottle I placed 4 scoops in there to keep the solution isotonic (hydrates and provides energy with a more even pull through) and then I used a soft 300ml squeeze bottle which I placed the concentrate in, and carried that in my suite pocket for easy access. I then increased my Hydrate intake to 1.5 tablets in the hydration bottle so that I could get in around +-750mg sodium per an hour.
This worked amazingly well and on all training rides energy levels as well digestive comfort was spot on. I just needed to do one more test and this was on a 90km simulation which I did around 6 weeks out from race day. I woke up ate my 32Gi Pre-Race Meal as planned, pre-hydrated a little and then went out for a hard effort on the bike with my set fuelling strategy. I completed the course in 2h27 and the fuelling was perfect. These kind of tests demonstrate not just the level of fitness you at but more importantly the fuel required to achieve that effort was correct. It takes the stress off having to worry about any changes or adjustments. When it works bank it and take it to race day with a smile.

Run
The run leg is often where athletes can make or break their race, and this is determined by how well they fuelled on the bike leg and then how they continue to fuel through the run leg. A lot of triathletes test their fuelling on the bike and that is all then very often decide to rely on the course fuel for the rest of their race. I advocate never to rely on race course nutrition. You just do not know what you are getting from a dilution factor and that everything will go smoothly on the day. At Ironman Tiberius which was also Middle Eastern Championships 32Gi was the official nutrition partner. I remember going down the run course and being offered 32Gi products at the aid station by an athlete volunteering who knew me well. I refused the feed and kept going. He was a little in shock that I didn’t take my own fuel off the course. I explained to him afterwards when you go to battle take your own weapons that way you know they will work. The run course fuel was not my chosen fuel in training. My Run fuel was simple another soft squeeze bottles this time a 250ml hydra pack with a 32Gi Race Pro concentrate. All I needed in addition was water on the course and nothing else. Again, during training, I would run with the pack in my tri suite to get used to the feel and to ensure it worked well for me. I also did testers using longer harder efforts or brick sessions to test the nutrition worked well. Once I had tested dozens of times and was confident in the fuelling, I banked it.

ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS
The one thing I have not spoke about which is vital in any triathlon is always to be prepared for anything. In this case often full distances allow special need bags for those that want some insurance. In my case the transition zone becomes very important.
On race morning I place two extra bottles in the bike and run bags one is a hydration bottle which is just water and 32Gi Hydrate and the other is a 250ml bottle of Race Pro with some 32Gi G-Shot’s (caffeine shots). These bottles are there in case I need to top up on energy or hydrate between the different legs of the race. The caffeine is something I take in prior to the race start and a just in case between legs.

In my case our event started way over an hour after transition closed and I needed to use the time wisely to keep myself topped up. I sipped on Race Pro prior to the start of the event.

PLANNED NUTRITION
Below is exactly what went to the race course

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED
As they say if you fail to prepare then prepare to fail. As much as we watched the weather and had an idea of conditions, race day threw us a nice curve ball. At 4am the rain came down and a hard the wind picked up. This was going to be a tough day out for most of the field. The cooler conditions and the rain made for slight changes in my nutritional strategy. What happens when temps drop is fluid loss is not as high and so I dropped my sodium down to +-500mg an hour instead of the 750mg planned. I also decided to start the feed from the concentrated squeeze bottle in order to allow the body to hit peak temperatures to keep fluid intake nominal and not over do it early on. Later when my fluid loss was slightly higher I would switch to more fluid with the small Race Pro bottle in the bottle cage. Minor adjustments to an already tried and tested plan.

THE END RESULT
Physically it wasn’t my best day out due to a number of reasons but I am never one for excuses and regardless we soldier on. Regardless of how I felt my race times were in line for a tough day out. The nutrition was perfect down to the red carpet and I never felt any discomfort or lack of energy.

Although I wanted the top step I had to settle for second place. My podium goal achieved and that is what I set out to do from the day I decided to enter the race.

The point of this blog is really to stress the importance of proper structure not just in training but in the nutrition in and around the training. There is no ways you can reach your true potential or push any hard efforts without a tried and tested nutrition and hydration strategy.

Below is a how I structured my race day nutrition. I know some of you have never truly given the nutrition much in-depth thought and many just thumb suck their way through. But you ask any professional or elite athlete about their intake during an event they will break it down into the finest of details because they know it’s the difference between a win a loss and a hard or smoother day out.

Hopefully you learned something from this approach above and will give your nutrition some proper thought before your big day.

Yours in health always

Tags 32Gi, 32Gi Sports Nutrition, cycling, endurance addict, endurance sport, Fitness, half marathon, health, ironman, ironman703, marathon, race day, running, sports nutrition, swimming, triathlon

Health

HARDEN YOUR HEALTH

The last few weeks has seen global efforts to thwart COVID-19 the latest Corona virus strain which is creating momentum worldwide with escalating infection rates. Over the last few days we as athletes have also seen the postponement and cancellation of some major sporting events which as hard a pill as it is to swallow , but its definitely the correct course of action to reduce high a infection risk. Plenty of training and racing goals have been thrown a curve ball and these goal posts have had to be shifted. Personally right now I feel the focus should be on our health and ensuring we are not just responsible for ourselves but for those around us.

The training for us all should continue as we do not just do this for finish line medals and kudos. For most of us it’s a lifestyle and yes racing motivates us to train. However right now we have a much more important motivating factor which should keep us on our toes and that my friends is health. As we stand without a treatment for this virus our only course of action is to boost our own immune systems and make sure that we are in excellent condition to be able to fight off any infection that comes our way.

Training and racing especially as intensity and volumes increase so does immune system suppression which makes us far more susceptible to infection and illness. In line with a real war we are just about to face, I decided to put together a short guide of how we as athletes can strengthen our health and boost our immune systems to be able to navigate this next part of our journey.

WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT HEALTH STATUS
Starting with the basics, it’s always best to get a proper snapshot of your health first. How can you hope to strengthen your immune system if you have an underlying condition? In my line of work I come across many athletes with underlying conditions such as anaemia, insufficient vitamin levels, improper organ function or underlying infections and inflammation. If you have an underlying condition and do not know about it then you basically starting on the back foot and this needs to be addressed first.

What should you do?
A full medical with a nice batch of basic bloods & some additional vitamin and mineral testing to make sure everything is in good order. Remember as an athlete you place your body under stress and if certain levels are on the low end its highly likely that you will reduce them further and impact your health. Vitamin drips in my view are a complete waste of time without understanding exactly what you are treating. There is something called excessive vitamin and mineral dosing and in some cases this can be highly toxic to the body. My advice is to see a medical professional and get it done properly without playing a guessing game. I wrote in a previous blog called Blood’s don’t Lie you can check it out by clicking here.

LISTEN TO YOUR MESSAGES
Once you get the results from your physician its best to discuss them with him or her and make sure everything is in line. Remember you are an athlete not a couch potato. So make sure the physician understands that because some might say your levels are normal. However that is the general population norm. You want to rather be on the upper end of the spectrum not on the lower end due to the amount of stress the body goes through daily. If you do have an underlying condition you have to address it. Athletes are so good at ignoring issues when it comes to injury and illness. Don’t ignore them and adhere to proper medical advice.

NUTRITION
Proper nutrition is absolutely the health fuel for your engine. Healthy nutrition allows the body to fortify and strengthen itself against illness and disease as well as ensure our energy system is kept up at all times. When we make bad food choices we place additional stresses on the body and in times of need when we should be our strongest to fight off foreign invaders this should be kept to a bare minimum. After all our own natural defences are all we have and we need to make sure that they are fortified. Eat nutrient dense meals with plenty of vegetables and fruit and ensure that you are eating properly for your unique needs. As an athlete ensure your calorie intake is not an excessive deficit so that the body gets sufficient nutrients to help with restoration and repair. Carbohydrates often get a bad rap however when it comes down to endurance sport carbohydrates are your fuel king and when it comes to recovery there is nothing that will get your fuel tank recovered quicker than carbs. Remember carbohydrates can come in healthy forms such as fruits and vegetables which are high in anti-oxidants and free radical fighting nutrients. Eat with intent and insure that whatever goes into your mouth has a purpose for strengthening your body.

TRAINING
It’s a scientific fact that exercise boosts the body’s ability to fight off infection and illness. However, one should not over do it. Endurance athletes tend to place huge stresses on the body with intense bouts of volume training. This will certainly place the immune system at risk. Over-training places any athlete at risk to infection. Rather stagger your sessions properly, reduce intensity ratios and volumes and allow the body to fortify itself without over stressing it. With most events now cancelled or postponed do yourself a favour and switch your focus to health especially in these trying times. Get outdoors more and limit your visits to the gyms in order to protect yourself more from infection risk. Most importantly just keep on going.

SUPPLEMENTATION
Alongside a healthy eating regime supplementation can play a beneficial role. I mentioned earlier blood tests can show where there are areas of deficiency and those can be addressed. Right now though our focus is on immune system strengthening and there are a number of supplements which have been shown to aid immunity.

Vitamin C
Its amazing how Vitamin C is at the top of most people’s lists when it comes to immune boosting. However it is not really the king on the list. It is an antioxidant which helps fortify and reduce inflammation however its over estimated by a large amount due to massive ongoing marketing in the supplements sector.

Vitamin D
If someone asks me what to take for immune system strength I will always advocate vitamin D as one of the best immune system defences. Vitamin D can improve immune system responses and a deficiency in vitamin D is associated with increased susceptibility to infection. Research suggests that vitamin D can help reduce the risk of respiratory infections, including colds and flu especially among people who don’t get enough of the vitamin from diet or exposure to sunlight which is most of the population. Athletes tend to train in the early morning hours and many also indoors which limits exposure to sunlight and then again sun creams further limit the body from it. It is worth dosing with vitamin D and a simple blood test.

Wellmune®
This is something you have probably never heard of but it is the bomb. Wellmune^®is a leading natural yeast beta glucan clinically proven to help strengthen your immune system. In a clinical study, marathoners taking Wellmune® for four weeks experienced a 40% reduction in upper respiratory tract infection symptoms. Wellmune^® primes immune cells helping them find and kill foreign invaders.Where can you get this ingredient. 32Gi’s new plant based pure protein being launched this week contains the correct dosage of Wellmune^® to ensure your immune system is properly fortified. A medically backed natural supplement is absolutely worth taking.

**32Gi’s NEW Immune Boosting Pure Protein**

Zinc
I think zinc is an awesome mineral . It does help the immune system fight off invading bacteria and viruses and worth dosing to keep immunity up nicely as well as it being good for the skin.

Elderberry
Elderberry is packed with antioxidants and vitamins that may boost your immune system. It can aid the reduction of inflammation, lower stress levels and help protect the heart. It is often advocated in the prevention and ease of cold and flu symptoms.

Probiotics
Probiotics are there to keep the gut healthy and to ensure the immune system functions well. Taken from a peer reviewed research publication it states that probiotics can also modulate the immune system, enhancing the body’s innate immunity. This modulating effect helps alleviate excessive inflammation in the gut, thereby boosting immune function. We know that health gut bacteria is important for proper health and immune system function and there is no harm in dosing with probiotics on a daily basis.

In short there are many avenues we can try to help fortify and improve our immune system function and health. Not all vitamins and minerals have been researched to such an extent that they are conclusively providing the best benefit. We are after all unique and what works for one individual may not work for another. One thing we do know and that is proven, is that proper healthy nutrition, plenty of good sleep and exercise goes a long way to ensure that our body’s remain physically strong and healthy to weather the storms.

all the best

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 focused on pneumatic compression equipment to improve circulation for recovery, rehabilitation and health.

Nutrition

ARE YOU FUELLING TO FAIL?

Post author By Mark Wolff
Post date March 11, 2020
No Comments on ARE YOU FUELLING TO FAIL?

The world of sports nutrition is quite an interesting space to be in. I often get to hear sob stories of failed races due stomach issues, lack of energy, severe cramping and nausea. Just this past week I stood at the 32Gi Sports Nutrition and Dis-Chem expo stands at the Cape Town Cycle Tour advising athletes on fuelling strategies based on their needs. The common theme I got from the few days there was that most athletes create very interesting meals but they have absolutely no idea how to cook. If you are going to make a chicken soup then why add lamb, beef and fish to it?

When it comes down to proper fuelling it needs to be a well thought out simple recipe of success. Complicating fuelling will only lead to issues whether rebound hypoglycemia, gastrointestinal distress, fatigue, nausea dehydration and a complete lack of energy.

Sports Nutrition products are designed to be a convenient fuelling source which meets a specific need. The carbohydrate blends, mineral levels and recommended volumes of consumption are calculated and designed to have a desired function. The minute you take that product and start to add other nutrients and blends into the mix there is absolutely no ways the desired effect will take place as you are changing the recipe for the successful pot of soup.

As an example 32Gi’s new Race Pro drink is designed so it can be a single bottle energy source feed for an entire event. I had an athlete tell me he tried it and along with the drink he consumed gels and nougat bars. He said the drink did not sit well with him and he felt terrible. I asked why he did that and his response was because he needed them.
Of course he would feel terrible. Here he is drinking a product that has a much higher gastric emptying rate than a gel and its designed to be used in a certain way for a desired effect, yet he throws a gel and nougat bar into the mix. That is just plain stupid and to explain it to him in simple terms I asked him if he likes peanut butter sandwiches? He said yes. So I told him the next time he makes a peanut butter sandwich add some broccoli and cauliflower with it between the two slices of bread and if he really wants it to taste great and make him feel better he should add some egg and chocolate to it. He looked at me and said you kidding right?
I said no not at all it seems you the kind of person that enjoys this mix. The point I was making was that this is exactly what he did with his fuelling. He concocted an unscientific complicated recipe for disaster which led to his fuelling failure.

When it comes to proper fuelling you need to make sure you know exactly what you are taking in, how much you are taking in and when you should be taking it.

So how do I develop a proper fuelling strategy?
Firstly you need to separate your energy and hydration requirements.
Energy requirements are unique to an individual and each person will have to figure out what works best for them. Energy required in endurance events comes mainly in the form of carbohydrates and protein. Short hard events 3 hours or under would not need protein intake but mainly carbohydrate intake to fuel the level of effort. As the duration of exercise increases carbohydrates together with a small portion of protein would play a bigger benefit in sparing glycogen and slowing amino acid breakdown due to gluconeogenisis which can lead to muscle fatigue.

Step 1: Determine the Energy Requirements
In terms of sports nutrition it’s important to understand that a balance between energy and digestive comfort is required. What you consume needs to be processed and each person is unique in how adaptive the digestive system is based on genetics and diet.
It’s best to start with the type of discipline you are wanting to do. Cycling provides more stability to the digestive system so generally a higher dosage of fuel can be tolerated. Running however generates a lot more sensitivity around the digestive system and smaller feeds are generally tolerated a lot better. Lower intensity exercise as well as lighter athletes can look at a lower carbohydrate intake while higher intensity exercise and heavier athletes will look at a much higher carbohydrate intake to support the efforts. This can range from 0.8g/kg bodyweight up to 1.5g/kg body weight per an hour. General Guidelines look at a protocol of 30g-60g of carbohydrates per an hour which equates to 120Kcals – 240kcals per an hour. Only in very specific carbohydrate blends can higher dosages be tolerated to support long duration exercise but this is not recommended without proper testing in training first.
The below chart is an approximate guideline of how you can approach your fuelling strategy but make sure to test it in training. Always start low and then build higher to ensure comfort and digestive system adaption.

Sport	Weight	Hourly Carbohydrate / Protein Dosage
Running	50-60kg	30 – 50g (120 – 200Kcals) Low GI Distress Risk
	60-70kg	30 – 60g (120 – 240Kcals) Low GI Distress Risk
	70-80kg	30 – 65g (160kcals-260Kcals) Medium GI distress Risk
	80kg >	40 -70g (160Kcals -280Kcals) Medium GI distress Risk
Cycling	50-60kg	30 – 60g (120 – 240Kcals) Low GI Distress Risk
	60-70kg	40 – 70g (160 – 280Kcals) Medium GI distress Risk
	70-80kg	50 – 80g (200kcals -320Kcals) Higher GI Distress Risk
	80kg >	50 -90g (200Kcals -360Kcals) High GI Distress Risk

Start with the lower volume zones and gradually increase the dosage in training to see what the best balance is of energy to digestive comfort. If the digestive system takes strain with higher dosages, then lower them. That is your tipping point. It’s best to consume in a drip feeding manner meaning more frequent feeds to get the desired amount. This reduces the risk of the digestive system going into distress as it’s easier to process smaller amounts at once. It also stabilises you better over time mitigating the roller coaster effect of highs and lows.

As mentioned above the fuel needs to support the effort. This is based on time and intensity. If we take a look at the basic training zones from zone 1 to zone 5 we know that lower intensity efforts will require a lower carbohydrate intake to support it as the body will have the ability to maximize fat usage as a source of fuel. However as we move through the zones which can also happen over time due to cardiac drift the carbohydrate volume will need to increase to support the efforts. As an simple example a slow Zone 1/2 ride of 2-3hrs will not need much carbohydrate support so in the case of a product recommendation 32Gi Endure and or 32Gi Hydrate electrolyte fizzies would be able to support this session. But take a hard quality session of say 90min to 2hrs with hitting Zone’s 3 – 5 where glycogen becomes the main fuel source then a higher dosage of carbohydrate intake is required to support that effort. To truly meet training adaptations meaning supporting your full potential properly when doing quality workouts it is important to fuel that effort properly. In this case a drink like 32Gi Race Pro, Race and 32Gi Gels would provide better fuelling support. I created a video a while back explaining the fuel tanks relative to zone training. It is worth a watch just Click Here to view.

Step 2: Choose your Energy Source to Meet your Fuelling Requirements
What format of fuel are you wanting to use to achieve your energy requirements. Do you prefer a liquid feed or a solid feed or do you prefer a combination of both?
The most important thing to remember is that you need to adhere to simplicity and a proper measured value to ensure you get exactly what you need as well as the correct absorption rates. Check the ingredients carefully you want it to be as clean and simple as possible. After all your stomach needs to process what you putting into it. Keep it carbohydrate dominant and very clean avoid fats they slow down the rate of absorption and especially avoid trans fats you only asking for trouble by mixing that into you fuelling strategy.

As a simple example if you are going with a concentrated energy feed like 32Gi Race Pro that will provide you with all your energy requirements in a single bottle then there is no need to take anything else with it. Its specifically designed to be absorbed at a certain rate in its current format and mixing it with another product will impact that. So the only thing required along side it would be a hydration drink such as 32Gi Hydrate or water. If you are wanting to use say an isotonic drink such as 32Gi Endure you need to have in mind that a bottle contains 44 grams of carbohydrates per a serving and if you drank 3/4 of that bottle in an hour you would only get around 33grams of carbohydrates per an hour which could be a serious energy deficit if you are aiming for a 60gram per an hour feed. So now you need to consider an external energy source which can be used with Endure which wont impact its efficacy but give you the required energy outcome. In this case adding in Chews or Gels would plug the gap in required hourly carbohydrate intake.

Step 3: How to Hydrate Properly
Once you have chosen your energy source you need to think about hydration very carefully. If you are using an isotonic drink which is providing you both energy and minerals to hydrate then you need to make sure that you will be able to take in the desired amount hourly to meet your hydration and energy needs. One of the reasons I advocate separating energy and hydration is because of weather conditions. On a hot day it will probably be easier to consume a bottle of an isotonic solution, however over consuming would mean knowing how many carbs you are taking externally to that and adjusting the feed accordingly. But what if its a cooler day? You don’t lose as much fluid in the form of sweat and you drink less fluid. However now your energy system is impacted by the calorie deficit and you need to adjust the feed accordingly. This might leave you consuming more energy in the form of gels which if not combined with the correct amounts of fluid can leave you with GI distress. The simplest feed is the easiest feed that does not require mathematical calculations during a session. In this case a single source feed and a single source hydration system are in my mind the simplest solution. From a hydration perspective you need to understand the conditions you will be exercising in and hydrate accordingly. Meaning the type of hydration drink will need to be determined according to the your sweat rate under various conditions. The idea is to try to replenish 80% of lost fluid. Water on its own is not as easily absorbed as a hypotonic drink and this is why I advocate a hypotonic solution to maximise fluid absorption and not take a chance. I wrote a blog Simply Hydrate explaining hydration in detail you can click here to take a read.

In summary I want you to understand that nutrition and proper fuelling are so critical not just in sports performance but also recovery and overall health. Many athletes focus on the training and wake up way too late to give the nutrition the proper focus it needs to perform, recover faster and remain in good health. Don’t be the athlete that spoils the soup and fuels your race to failure. Plan it properly, test it over and over in training, tweak it, bank it and take it to race day.

All the best

Nutrition

INTERMITTENT FASTING & THE ENDURANCE ATHLETE

Post author By Mark Wolff
Post date February 25, 2020
2 Comments on INTERMITTENT FASTING & THE ENDURANCE ATHLETE

Intermittent fasting has certainly come to the forefront over the past few years and more and more I am getting asked by endurance athletes whether I think intermittent fasting is a good idea?

The question I throw back in return is why do you want to do intermittent fasting? Mostly I hear endurance athletes telling me that they want to lose weight, lean out or become more fat efficient athletes. I guess the big question is what is your actual goal? Are you trying to lose weight? Are you trying to improve your previous best marathon or Ironman time or are you just doing it for health reasons.

Firstly intermittent fasting is a form of calorie restriction, correct? So if you can restrict calories by fasting then why can’t you restrict calories by eating correctly?
When you place your body into a fasted state you begin playing with hormones specifically leptin and ghrelin. The inability to balance these hormones properly due to either over eating or fasting can cause roller coaster effects which in the end do not land up serving the correct purpose.

The main question though is as an endurance athlete why would you even consider fasting?

Weight loss comes from eating correctly meaning a calorie restricted diet and proper macronutrient intake to support you unique requirements. This could be fat loss, muscle gain or maintenance. However as an endurance athlete what about energy, immunity, recovery and performance. Intermittent fasting will not support that at all. Actually quite the opposite it will hamper the recovery process, limit your energy levels and place your immune system under stress.

Let me further explain so that you fully understand the consequences of intermittent fasting while trying to be the best possible healthy endurance athlete.

RECOVERY
When it comes to recovery there are three main aspects that I look at and these are:

Rehydration
Muscle Protein Synthesis
Glycogen Restoration and blood sugar stabilization

If an athlete does intermittent fasting then rehydration and adequate fluid intake will not be an issue. The main issues will arise when it comes to muscle protein synthesis and glycogen replenishment. Adequate protein intake for an endurance athlete is important for recovery. Generally I work on around 1.4g – 1.7g of protein per a kilogram of body weight. This will depend on the athletes goals and training. Strength work and developing more lean muscle will require a higher protein intake while maintenance and repair will be on the lower side. Take a 70kg athlete who is training on average 90min a day. His required protein intake would be around 100-120g of protein per a day. This is in animal nutrition terms 4-5 chicken breasts or plant terms 2-3 cups of raw chickpeas. That is quite a lot of food. If the fasting window is quite long it means squeezing this protein intake into a small amount of time. However as we well know when it comes down to protein the human body is only capable of processing and absorbing a certain amount of protein every +-3hrs. This is generally in the region of +- 8-10 grams per hour. So its not possible to squash large protein portions into less meals and expect the correct portion amount for proper muscle protein synthesis to take place. Actually the opposite over eating protein ultimately causes a rise in blood sugar and that can easily lead to weight gain. We also know that consuming a protein with a carbohydrate post exercise up-regulates amino acid uptake specifically leucine which is a trigger for muscle protein synthesis.

What also allows for proper muscle protein synthesis is a positive nitrogen balance. Nitrogen is the most crucial component of amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein. What this means is that if you are fasting the amount of nitrogen excreted from the body is greater than the amount of nitrogen ingested and there is no repair work taking place actually the opposite. So you are actually not recovering and triggering decent training adaptations.

EATING FOR ENERGY
The next aspect I want to look at is the energy system our primary fuel tanks being glycogen and fat. Glycogen is our rocket fuel and used at higher intensities while in lower aerobic zones fat becomes the fuel of choice.
A hard workout where glycogen depletion takes place will require carbohydrate intake post exercise to rapidly start the glycogen replenishment process and stabilise blood sugar. Extending the fasted period a few hours post exercise will delay this from happening and can lead to fatigue. This will also hamper back to back sessions. Then when it does become time to break the fast how do you know how much to consume in the form of carbohydrates and protein. If you do not ensure proper glycogen replenishment and stabilisation without triggering a roller coaster ride you will generate the the opposite effect from fat burn to fat gain by overeating.

When it comes down to the main energy system, carbohydrates are without a doubt our rocket fuel. If you are going to be doing an FTP (Functional Threshold Power) test or an interval or track session. Then how can you expect to achieve the best possible numbers without fuelling the session properly. Being able to push those sessions to the best possible effort is what ultimately will lead to better gains, as well as more fat burning post exercise by elevating the metabolic rate that much more. It has been scientifically proven many times over that a fuelled session will give better performance numbers.

When it boils down to performance gains and being a fitter faster and stronger athlete then you need to fuel your effort.
Fuelling during an exercise session or eating post exercise recovery meals is not the reason endurance athletes are overweight. Weight gain comes with overeating and inadequate macronutrient meal blends.

The Fat Efficient Athlete
In order to become a fat efficient athlete intermittent fasting is not required. Fasted training is a good way of developing this, but that is completely different from intermittent fasting. A fasted session does require a recovery meal post exercise and the volume and type of meal will be determined by the duration and intensity of the exercise session. Failing to recover from an exercise session is without a doubt failing the session itself.

To summarise my views on intermittent fasting and endurance sport. They do not go hand in hand. Endurance sport replaces a large amount of physical stress on the body. This impacts the musculoskeletal system, the immune system and energy system. The athletes body requires nutrients to fuel, repair and fortify it constantly. Failing to give the body what it needs will ultimately lead to a lack of performance and potentially illness and injury.
If you want to perform, lean out and get your own resilient Lamborghini engine and body then learn how to eat properly and avoid short cuts which don’t benefit that goal. If you are only trying to lose weight or have a medical condition which requires a calorie restricted diet then intermittent fasting can play a roll. However if you are an athlete intent on being the best version of yourself then get your nutrition right and stop playing games.