Basic
eating for basic training
By
Monique Ryan, MS, RD from Velonews
Many
cyclists are currently building their aerobic
endurance, muscular strength, and flexibility
in anticipation of more specific training in
the coming weeks and months. Just as this
training cycle requires you follow a specific
mix of volume and intensity, your nutritional
intake must match up so that you have the
required energy and fluids at the most optimal
times for your training and recovery.
As
you continue to build your volume, your energy
and carbohydrate requirements increase. During
this base cycle, you may also be interested in
losing weight. This is a good time of year to
adopt nutritional habits that result in
gradual weight loss so that you do not have to
restrict calories when training really picks
up in intensity. For each training cycle, you
need to consider your nutritional requirements
for energy, carbohydrate, protein, fat, and
fluid strategies.
Energy
While estimating energy needs is both a
science and an art, a few generalizations can
be made to assist you in determining your
energy needs. If you want to lose weight, a
mild restriction is 300 calories daily for a
weight loss of approximately half-a-pound
weekly, and 500 calories for one pound weight
loss weekly. Greater calorie restrictions can
produce more weight loss, but could also
compromise your energy levels and recovery.
Obviously
within this current training cycle you can
experience various types of workouts during
the week and weekends. Energy requirements for
maintenance can be based on training time:
12-14
calories per pound: Mild activity with no
purposeful training or exercise (day off)
15-17 calories per pound: One hour training at
moderate intensity
18-24 calories per pound: One to two hours at
moderate intensity
25-30 calories per pound: Several hours of
training daily
Carbohydrate
Carbohydrate of course along with fat is a
steady fuel supply during any type of low to
moderate intensity training. Carbohydrate
needs need to match training in order to
replace the muscle glycogen that you burn for
fuel.
2.25-3.0
grams/lb.: Moderate intensity training for one
hour or very low intensity for several hours
3.0-4.5
grams/lb.: Greater than 90 minutes daily at
moderate intensity. Consume from the high end
of the range for several hours of moderate
intensity.
These carbohydrate requirements include both
the types of carbohydrates found in sports
drinks and gels and consumed during training,
as well as the whole grains, fruits, and
vegetables that make-up a balanced training
diet. Timing your carbohydrate intake properly
also supports your training efforts. In the
two hours before longer training sessions
consume up to 50-75 grams of carbohydrate. Pay
attention to recovery nutrition and consume
0.5 g/lb. carbohydrate after longer training
sessions. You can also add in 10-15 g of
protein to your recovery snack. You can
consume the same nutritional amounts again in
2 hours after longer training sessions.
Protein
Your protein requirements are a reflection of
the increased volume of training and your
efforts to build muscular endurance. Aim for
0.5 to 0.7 grams/lb. weight- an amount easily
obtained in a well-balanced diet.
Fat
Healthy fats should round out your calories at
no more than 0.5 grams/lb. body weight.
Fluid
Meeting your fluid requirements during
training is important. While sweat losses may
not be as striking as in the warmer months,
even a small amount of dehydration can have a
negative impact upon your performance.
Maintain daily hydration. Your urine should be
pale yellow in color if you are adequately
hydrated. Urine is more concentrated and
darker in the morning, and can be darker if
you take a multivitamin/mineral supplement.
Estimating
your sweat losses during this early-season
cycle is still important. You can determine
how your sweat rate may vary for different
workouts, whether indoors or outdoors.
Practice drinking during training to
match your sweat losses. If you are losing
more than 2 lb. during a specific training
session, you are experiencing significant
dehydration during training. Your fluid losses
can still be significant during cold weather
rides.
You
can also pre-hydrate with up to 20 ounces of
fluid in the two hours before training and top
it off with 8-10 ounces of fluid in the 20
minutes before training. A sports drink can be
consumed immediately before and during
exercise. During steady training lasting
longer than 90 minutes consume 4 to 8 ounces
of sports drink every 15 to 20 minutes (or try
to match sweat losses as closely as possibly)
to maintain hydration. You can consider using
a sports drink during shorter duration
workouts if it improves the amount of fluid
that you consume (due to the flavor) and you
have not consumed any fuel in the two hours
prior to training. After training rehydrate-
consuming 20-24 ounces of fluid per pound of
weight loss should restore fluid levels.
Sample menu for cyclist
90 minute indoor cycle at 6:00 p.m.
165 lb. male
3300 calories, 500 g carbohydrate
(61%), 115 g protein (14%), 92 g fat
(25%)
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Breakfast
(7:00 am)
Oatmeal, cooked, 1 cup
Raisins, 2 Tbsp.
Dairy or soy milk, 8 ounces
Banana, 1 small Juice, 12 ounces
Snack
(10:00 am)
Yogurt, 6 ounces
Apple, 1 medium
Almonds, 12
Lunch
(1:00 pm)
Turkey, 4 ounces
Bread, whole grain, 2 slices
Avocado, 2 slices
Orange, 1 medium
Bean and rice mix, 1 cup
Raw vegetables, 1 cup
Snack
(3:00 pm)
Crackers, whole grain, 10
Hummus, 4 tbsp.
Pear, 1 large
Bike
training- 90 minutes at moderate
intensity (6:00 pm)
Sports drink, 24 ounces per hour Total
of 36 ounces
Dinner
(8:00 pm)
Fish, 4 ounces
Sweet potato, 1 large
Broccoli, steamed, 1 cup
Salad, 2 cups
Salad dressing, light, 4 tbsp.
Snack
(9:30 pm)
Yogurt, frozen, low fat, 2/3 cup
Frozen berries, 1 cup
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