I have been asked by alot of people about what to eat before a race or before they go training? So I did a little bit of reserch to find out what the best breakfast is for athletes. I found this very intresting artical on Bikerader.com. Check it out.

The lowdown

As a wholegrain – and therefore unprocessed – food, oats are low in saturated fat, high in ?bre and rich in traditional nutrients like vitamins and minerals, as well as containing numerous phytochemicals, which act as antioxidants to prevent cell damage.

Oats also provide a source of insoluble and soluble ?bre. The insoluble ?bre helps you to maintain a healthy digestive system, while the soluble ?bre – or beta glucan – has been demonstrated to lower cholesterol by acting like a sponge during digestion, soaking up and removing cholesterol from the body.

Soluble ?bre also helps the body to release energy slowly, keeping you feeling fuller for longer, as Eleanor Jones, senior sport scientist at the University of Birmingham and a holder of an IOC Diploma in Sports Nutrition, explains. “Higher ?bre food, such as oats and porridge, have a lower glycaemic index (GI). This means they provide a sustained release of energy from the carbohydrates they contain

"This is potentially advantageous when consumed in the hour or so prior to a longer ride, as there’ll be energy released throughout. GI food results in a blood sugar spike followed by a subsequent insulin spike, which is generally better for more immediate refuelling, such as straight after exercise.”

But while all oats provide the same amount of nutrients, including ?bre, there are a number of different types to choose from. Rolled oats are one of the most popular ways of eating oats, unless you’re a porridge purist, in which case only medium-ground oatmeal will do. 

Then there are pinhead (or ‘steel-cut’) oats and oatmeal oats, which are made by grinding oats to produce ?our of various grades, from coarse – which is used in porridge – to super ?ne oatmeal – used in oatcakes.

As Therese Coleman, consultant nutritionist for the All About Oats campaign, says: “Oats are usually steamed and ?attened to produce rolled oats, sold as regular oats, quick oats, and instant oats. The more oats are ?attened and steamed, the quicker they cook – and the softer they become.

"If you prefer a chewier, nuttier texture, consider steel-cut oats. These consist of the entire oat kernel, sliced once or twice into smaller pieces to help water penetrate and cook the grain. They usually take longer to cook, maybe 20-30 minutes.”

In action

Jones, who’s in her second year of competing on the road and track for Halesowen Athletic and Cycling Club, and will be competing in the national women’s series, team series and omnium events this year, says she eats porridge before a ‘quality’ long midday ride, which may include intervals.

“I want to be well fuelled and it’s more like a meal than any other breakfast item I usually have in," she says. "I also eat it around 40 minutes after a long ride in the morning when I’ve trained low (ie, without breakfast) – typically around a two hour easy-steady ride without any fuel, apart from water.”

She’s a fan of Quaker’s Oatso Simple, made from rolled oats, because it’s in ‘ready to go’ portions, and she adds dried fruit such as sultanas or cranberries. “I also use raw porridge oats in baking (crumbles, ?apjacks, smoothies) for post-exercise recovery snacks, particularly in the summer.”

But cyclists aren’t just limited to porridge to take advantage of oats – they’re hugely versatile. Muesli or granola works well in warmer summer months, while mid-morning oat-based snacks can include oatcakes, for example, while lunch can feature oat bread sandwiches with lean chicken and salad, to tick all the boxes of a healthy meal. Pre-training snacks can also include ?apjacks or oat based biscuits (see the recipes below for a delicious oat-based savoury slice).

As training and competing increases daily energy expenditure, porridge and oats provide a quick and ?exible way to carb load and refuel on the go. As if that wasn’t enough, oats are low in fat and, as Jones says, “excellent for the power to weight ratio”. One porridge maker, Rude Health, has even launched a brand called Morning Glory in the belief that the inclusion of organic oats can also boost libido ... Are you getting yours?

Recipe 1: Heather honey porridge

• Preparation time: 5 minutes
• Cooking time: 10 minutes
• Serves: 4
• Ingredients: 120g pinhead oatmeal; 500ml water; 500ml semi-skimmed milk; 2 tbsp heather honey; 2 tbsp low fat crème fraîche; a drizzle of honey, to serve
• Recipe: If you have time, it’s best to soak the oatmeal in the water before you start. When you’re ready to make your porridge, add the milk and put the pan on a medium heat. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about 6-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, then stir in the honey. Add more or less milk or water to achieve the consistency you prefer. Pour into bowls and top with the crème fraîche and a drizzle of honey.  

Recipe 2: Cheese and oat slices

• Preparation time: 10 minutes
•  Cooking time: 20 minutes
•  Makes: 16 squares
• Ingredients: 100g wholemeal ?our; 150g porridge oats; 50g mixed seeds; 2 medium eggs, beaten; 2 tsp Dijon mustard; 50g butter, melted; 100g Cheddar cheese, grated
• Recipe: Preheat the oven to 200°C (gas mark 6). Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and press into a 23cm square tin. Smooth over the surface. Bake for 20 minutes until golden. Allow to cool slightly before cutting into 16 squares.

Recipe 3: Toasted honey muesli with summer fruit compote

• Preparation time: 10 minutes
• Cooking time: 10 minutes
• Serves: 6
• Ingredients: 300g jumbo oats; 50g each walnuts, hazelnuts and blanched almonds; 4 tbsp sun? ower seeds; 2 tbsp clear honey; 150g sultanas; 100g dried apricots, chopped
• Recipe: Preheat the oven to 200°C (gas mark 6). Place the oats, nuts and seeds on a large roasting tin and stir in the honey. Bake for 10 minutes until toasted. Allow to cool before stirring in the fruit. This is also delicious served with a fruit compote – place berry fruit of your choosing in a large saucepan and add 2 tbsp water and cook for 3-4 minutes until softened. Spoon over the muesli.

The past few years have seen a number of changes to the Ingeli challenge. This was the first year the event had super classic status and it really showed in the superb organisation setup at the Ingeli forest lodge. The route has also come though a few changes, in the early years the route took the riders into the indigenous forest with a 7km climb to wake the legs but it was decided to reroute the race and enjoy the flowing purpose build single track in the plantations for the majority of the new race.

What are the Benefits of Sports Massage?

Many benefits from sports massage have been reported based on experience and observation. Some of the benefits are to the mind (psychological) and some are to the body (physiological). Possible side effects of sports massage are tenderness or stiffness for 1 to 2 days after the sports massage. A skin reaction due to the massage oils is also possible. But for the most part, sports massage is safe. Some of the reported benefits include:

• Increased blood flow

• Increased joint range of motion (ROM)

• Increased flexibility

• Increased elimination of exercise waste products (lactic acid)

• Increased sense of well-being

• Decreased muscle tension

• Decreased neurological excitability (nerves more relaxed)

• Decreased chance of injury

• Decreased recovery time between workouts

• Decreased muscle spasms

What Does the Sports Massage Research Say?

Now that you know the reported benefits of sports massage, let's find out if the research studies support those benefits. Research studies regarding perceived fatigue and recovery showed that subjects felt they were less fatigued and felt like they recovered faster after sports massage. Decreased anxiety, improved mood and well-being were also noted. Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) decreased by about 30% in one research study. Other studies support the finding that DOMS does decrease after sports massage.

Now for some benefits that are not supported by research. The ability of sports massage to help the muscles get rid of lactic acid is not supported in research studies. Many researchers feel this is linked to the fact that increased blood flow to muscles after sports massage cannot be supported either. A quicker recovery after sports massage is not yet supported by the research. Studies do support that active recovery (low-intensity exercise after work-out) is the best method of decreasing the amount of lactic acid that builds up after exercise and speeds recovery.

So what does all of this mean? It seems that the positive mind (psychological) benefits of sports massage are indeed supported by research studies. Study findings also support that sports massage does not negatively effect performance, but the positive body (physiological) benefits on performance are not quite as clear. More research is needed on the positive body effects and also on the mind/body interaction after sports massage.

As you start to trainer hard, you need to recover proply so you can train hard again and reap the rewards from your hours of training! This intersting atrical is writen by Steve Born.

One of the areas that athletes tend to neglect is in regards to recovery, specifically the refueling of the body as soon as possible after each and every workout. Are you guilty of this as well? If so, that's really unfortunate because it's absolutely one of the most important things that you can do to improve your chances of success come race day. In fact, I honestly believe that properly refueling your body immediately after all your training sessions is as important as anything you did in the actual workout.

When you give your body what it needs as soon as possible after exercise it will respond wonderfully and you benefit tremendously. You recover and rebuild faster, and your body is able to store more and more of a premium, ready-to-use fuel known as muscle glycogen. The bottom line is that you can really give yourself a major advantage come race day if you'll take the time to put some quality fuel back in your body as soon as possible after all your workouts leading up to the race.

If you're at all serious about performing better in your racing AND staying healthier, here's a saying you need to live by – "Once you've finished training, you're still not finished with training!"

Here's what I mean:

You must attend as much to recovery as you do to active exercise if you expect to reap the benefits of hard training. In other words, how well you recover today will be a huge factor in how well you perform tomorrow.

And you know what? It's really simple to maximize your recovery and reap all the rewards that come from that. Here are the two primary things you need to do:

1. Consume 30-60 grams of quality carbohydrates within the first 30 minutes after each workout
2. Consume 10-30 grams protein, preferably whey protein, during that time as well

Let's take a brief look at each of those components, beginning with carbohydrate replenishment. When you begin a workout or race the first fuel your body will use is stored carbohydrate, which is known as muscle glycogen. There is a finite amount of this premium fuel available in your body but its importance can't be overstated. In fact, several studies have shown that the pre-exercise muscle glycogen level is the most important energy determinant for exercise performance. In other words, the athlete who has more of this readily available fuel in their body has a definite advantage. To have a good race or workout, you need to start with full load of muscle-stored glycogen.

The question is how can you get your body to store as much of it as it possibly can? The first way is through training, which increases both muscle glycogen storage capacity and how efficiently your body uses it. The second way is to replenish the body with carbohydrates as soon as possible after exercise, which is when the body is most receptive to taking those carbs, converting them into glycogen, and storing them in the muscles. Along with insulin, an enzyme known as glycogen synthase drives carbohydrates into glycogen stores and protein into muscle cells. Unfortunately, the “life span” of glycogen synthase is relatively short, peaking in the 0-30 minutes after exercise then declining substantially for the next 90 minutes. Needless to say, to store as much glycogen as possible it's important to take advantage of the glycogen synthase enzyme when it's most active.

Here's why all this is so important to you as an athlete:

1. The less-fit athlete and the one who HAS NOT been putting some carbs back in their body shortly after exercise sessions have been completed has very limited amounts of muscle glycogen available, perhaps as little as 10-15 minutes worth.
2. The fit athlete and the one who HAS been consistently refueling their body with carbohydrates immediately after exercise can build up a nice 60-90 reservoir of this premium, ready-to-use fuel.

Which would you rather have when the gun goes off – 15 minutes of on-board fuel or 90 minutes worth? The answer should be pretty obvious.

RULE #1

As soon as possible after you finish your workout, before you get into the shower or before you get horizontal, consume approximately 30-60 grams of high quality complex carbohydrates.

Now let's look at protein. Youa see, while carbohydrate intake promotes many aspects of post-exercise recovery, it can't do the job alone; you need protein as well. The primary reason for consuming protein is that it provides the raw materials needed to rebuild stressed muscles. Protein also plays a key role in how well the body stores glycogen. Finally, protein is crucial for maintaining a strong immune system.

Of all the protein sources available whey protein is considered the ideal protein for recovery. It's the fastest acting protein source and contains the highest percentage of essential amino acids, the protein “building blocks” that your body does not manufacture and must obtain from dietary sources. Whey protein is also rich in other amino acids that have a direct impact on strengthening your immune system.

So for rebuilding the muscle tissue, for maximizing how much glycogen your body can store, and to build a strong immune system don't forget to consume protein, preferably whey protein, after your workouts.

RULE #2

After your workouts, consume 10-30 grams of protein, preferably whey, along with your complex carbohydrates.

You can use high quality solid food to refuel your body after your workouts. Breads, pasta, fruits, and cereal are all good carbohydrate choices. For protein, you can eat most any kind of meat – chicken, beef, fish – as well as cheese and eggs. Just as an example, a sandwich – using organic bread, organic fruit spread, and healthy peanut butter (the kind where the oil floats on top of the jar) – is a pretty darn good post-workout recovery meal. A bread roll, a piece of fruit, and a serving of cottage cheese is another good post-workout meal choice.

If you're unable or uninterested in making a full-fledged meal after your workout, consider using Recoverite, a delicious and easy to make carb/protein powdered drink mix. Recoverite contains an ideal 3:1 ratio of quality complex carbohydrates and whey protein so it takes the guesswork out of post-workout recovery. Mix a couple of scoops with water, drink, you're done… simple. You've just put the best “finishing touches” on your workout that you possibly could, and you've given your body a great head start on tomorrow's workout.

SUMMARY

Athletic performance improvement depends on successive, incremental exercise sessions that stimulate muscular and cardiovascular adaptation followed by a recovery period in which the body rebuilds itself slightly more fit than before. Thus, the real gain of exercise occurs during recovery, but only in the presence of adequate rest and optimal nutritional support. Remember, how well you recover today will greatly determine your performance tomorrow. Athletes who attend to the recovery process as much as they do to active training are way ahead of the game and will no doubt enjoy increased performance.

Steve Born is a technical advisor for E-CAPS with over a decade of involvement in the health food industry. He has worked with hundreds of athletes – ranging from the recreational athlete to world-class professional athlete - regarding their supplement/fueling program. Steve is a three-time RAAM finisher, the 1994 Furnace Creek 508 Champion, 1999 runner-up, the only cyclist in history to complete a Double Furnace Creek 508, and is the holder of two Ultra Marathon Cycling records. In February 2004 Steve was inducted into the Ultra Marathon Cycling Hall of Fame.

So I've finally scooped together enough time to put my final thoughts regards this topic of hydration. Let's have look at what your pre, during and post hydration should look like for endurance events.

Before activity

By consuming about 500ml of fluid about 2hrs before beginning to exercise, you’ll provide enough fluid to achieve optimal hydration. Take your time and sip the fluid in small sips over a 30minute period in stead off trying to gulp down a bottle of water or sports drink. This will ensure better absorption.
 
With regards to caffeinated beverages, if you are accustomed to drinking these, then they can be used effectively. If you are not accustomed, then perhaps stay away from them.

During activity

The aim of fluid replacement during activity is to get the through the gut and into circulation as quickly as possible to meet energy demands, and to provide a volume that matches sweat losses. You’ll achieve this by drinking drinks that are absorbed rapidly.

Drinking should begin before you feel thirsty, and should continue at regular intervals.
Cool water is obviously the best choice however, as the duration of exercise increases, a sport drink may be necessary.
Endurance athletes who exercise for prolonged periods of time will definitely benefit from a sports drink, as it will not only replace the water that is lost through sweating, it will also replace any electrolytes that are lost.

Usually the sports drinks to water ratio is 1:1 or 1 to 2 on a hot day during your workout.

After activity

The aim here is to replace the fluids that have been lost in order to prepare the body for the next exercise session.
As I mentioned last week, monitoring body weight is the best way to see how much fluid has been lost during the exercise session. For each 500g lost, you should consume about 500ml of fluid.
A wide variety of beverages should be consumed so as to adequately meet the fluid and electrolytes lost during exercise.

The best advice I can give athletes is to drink often, and drink a wide variety of fluids so as to ensure and good intake of water and electrolytes.
If you are exercising for a prolonged period of time (longer than 1 hour), then a sports drink is a good idea. Experiment with what’s on the market, and find what works for you.


Cheers till next time.
Andrew

Swim Smooth’s “feel for the water” blog brought up an interesting question on 13 August 2010...Is swimming a necessary evil?

As a passionate swimmer, I would rapidly answer “no!” However, a number of Clients (specifically triathletes) I’ve trained, and athletes I’ve met over the past years would answer “maybe” or with an outright “yes!” Ask yourself this, do you spend time on the weekend engaging in a hobby you don’t like? Do you read romance novels, when you really prefer action? Do shop at Fourways Mall, when Cresta or Sandton is really more convenient? The answer is likely “no.”

I encourage you to embrace swimming for the “good” side of the sport...think about the break it gives you from the ringing telephone, the office politics and the daily traffic! “Enjoy the freedom swimming gives you from your daily stress and routine. Take the time to play in the water - even when you're not with your kids. Give the other strokes a go (often). Watch and understand the sport on TV. Race your friends (hard). Experiment with your stroke for fun. Swim without thinking about your stroke for a whole session (we dare you). Walk out poolside/lakeside tall and proud. Swim twice in one day just to see what happens (it's interesting). Start thinking of yourself as a swimmer! Actually no, start thinking of yourself as a good swimmer!!”

It is difficult to excel at something you don’t like, changing one’s mindset around swimming is almost half the battle won towards becoming a better swimmer. Remember, when training with a goal in mind and determination, nothing is impossible!

To read the full Swim Smooth blog and see the comments posted, click the following link. http://www.feelforthewater.com/2010/08/necessary-evil.html

Hills: Sit or Stand?
By Joe Friel

I was asked in a tweet last week if a rider should sit or stand when climbing a hill on a bike. I wish I could give a one-word answer, but that isn’t possible. As I’ve said so many times here in responding to reader questions, my answer must often start with “it depends.” This one is no difference. Here’s what this answer depends on…

Steepness. Low gradient hills are usually done seated. Steep hills often demand at least some standing. And the steeper the hill is, the more likely you are to stand up. When standing on a steep hill your body weight takes some of load off of the leg muscles. On the other hand, it tends to stress the aerobic system more. As a result you’ll probably breathe harder and have a higher heart rate when standing. But the steeper the hill is the less difference there will be when it comes to muscular- (seated) vs aerobic- (standing) system stress.

Hill length. The shorter the hill, the more advantage you will have by getting out of the saddle. You’ll create more power (again, because of adding body weight to the pedals) and get over it quicker.

Type of event. On low-gradient hills a triathlete or time trialist is less likely to get out of the saddle than a road racer. This is primarily due to the variably paced nature of road racing (as opposed to the steady-state riding of triathletes and TTers). If another member of the group is accelerating up the hill, you are often forced to accelerate to keep pace, or risk being dropped. A quick acceleration on a hill usually requires standing.

Body mass. The lower your body mass the more advantageous it is to stand on a climb. The greater your mass the better off you’ll be staying seated. One quick and simple way to come up with your body mass is to divide your weight in pounds (1kg = 2.2lbs) by your height in inches (1cm = 0.4in). So if you weigh 154 pounds (70kg) and you are 72 inches (180cm) tall your “mass” is 2.13 (154 / 72 = 2.13). I’ve found that for males the best climbers are at less than 2.0. These folks should stand a lot (think of Marco Pantani). Men in the range of 2.0 to 2.3 tend to alternate between standing and sitting a lot (for example, Lance Armstrong). Those men at 2.3 to 2.5 are best advised to sit a lot (like Miguel Indurain). Folks over 2.5 usually avoid hills. Women should use a scale which is about 0.2 lbs/in less (for example, under 1.8 are climbers).

So losing (or gaining) weight may change how you climb – and how well you climb. For example, a 1kg (2.2 lbs) loss of weight (bike and/or body) allows you to climb a 1000m hill with a 10% grade about 3.5 sec faster than when heavier at the same power output. Another way of looking at this is that 1kg is about 3w on a climb (so 1lb is roughly 1.5w).

Speed. At about 12mph (20kph) or faster staying seated and in an aero position if in a time trial or triathlon is usually a good idea. If your speed is less than 12mph then sitting up or standing is often better. This is affected, however, by the wind. A headwind essentially reduces your actual speed. So even if your speedometer says you are at 15mph (25kph) but there is a strong headwind then you are better off seated and even aero. While you may be more powerful above 12mph bike-wind speed when sitting up, your speed return on energy investment is not favorable due to headwind drag.

Fatigue. On long climbs, especially those late in the race, there may be some advantage to alternating standing and sitting to relieve muscle fatigue. Even if all of the other considerations listed here indicate you should stay seated, but the muscles you use to drive the pedals when seated are wasted, you may need to stand simply to give them a break.

Gearing. This is related to steepness. If you are on a hill but your gearing is so high that cadence bogs down you will need to stand in order to keep the gears ticking over.

Mountain bike. Standing causes the back wheel to lose traction when riding off-road on a steep hill on loose gravel or wet roots. So staying in the saddle is recommended for such climbs on a mountain bike. Pedaling while seated produces more even tension on the chain throughout the stroke and helps to prevent wheel slippage.

The good news here is that you can basically trust your instincts on hills in races. In most of the above situations your body will tell you when you need to stand or sit. It’s really not a great mystery – unless you overthink it. In this case, experience is the best teacher.

Training should involve both sitting and standing. Sitting will help to build greater muscular force for riding on flat terrain. It’s a bit like doing squats. Standing may boost your aerobic capacity, especially when the hill takes only two to three minutes to climb.

By Joe Friel.

With about three weeks to go until race day you start the Peak block of training which lasts two weeks. There are three things you must do in the Peak block if you are to come into good form for the race. The first is to reduce the duration of your workouts. For the next two weeks, each hard workout should be shorter than the previous one. The second is to do a race-like workout every third day. These are hard workouts that simulate some portion of your A-priority race. And the third is to allow two days to recover between the race-like sessions. This is the key to success now.

These recovery workouts should not be taken lightly. If you make these too hard the quality of your next race-like workout is compromised. This is the most common mistake I see athletes make when peaking. These recovery sessions should be primarily zone 1 effort, heart rate, power or pace. There may be a few cumulative minutes of zone 2, but these should be brief incursions lasting no longer than a couple of minutes at a time. Strictly avoid zones 3 and higher. You should feel guilty about going so slow. People will pass you. That’s ok. Your purpose is only recovery; you are not trying to boost race fitness on these days.

If you make the hard workouts progressively shorter while taking two days to recover between them the quality of the hard workouts will be high. This will bring you to a peak of race-readiness.