Argus Nutrition

Posted by Ian Craig


Are you doing the Argus - it seems like half of the town is! Well, Michael and I are giving 3 workshops next week on the final preparations of it: Cape Town on Tues 23rd, Somerset West on Wed 24th & Stellenbosch on Thur 25th. As usual, Michael will be covering training and I will be seeing to the nutrition.


Just to whet your appetite (pardon the pun), here's a few dietary things to consider in the weeks before:
In the weeks before, you need to get the basics right - eat for optimal health to support your immune system, your energy, muscle strength etc - yes, in a way you are what you eat, so if you prepare for a race with hotdogs, don't be surprised if you perform like a bun, I mean bum!


Eat to support the amount of training that you're doing - I often find cyclists that eat nowhere near what the training should determine - are they going to have bundles of energy if the body is downregulating?
Get enough protein - the average cyclist will need 100g+ of good quality protein per day to make hormones, turn over muscle tissue, balance the immune system, make neurotransmitters to keep you focused and relaxed ....... So my previous posts that focus more on protein.


Eat your veggies - 5 portions per day where 1 portion = size of your fist. Its easy to fit these in if you start at Breakfast with a tomato or some salad with your eggs on toast.


During the Argus ride, about 50% of our energy is likely to come from fat and most of the rest from carbs (small amount from protein). In preparation for your event, fat burning will be important and if you don't stint on the fat in your diet (as many cyclist do in the false hope that it will keep them trim), you can become more proficient at burning fat. Take some meat, dairy, fish, eggs, olive oil, nut, seeds, avocado etc in the diet - they are good for you!!


You will also need a carb load and this starts about 3 days before the race (so Thurs, Frid, Sat). If you take a look at my DC prep blog, it will give you a couple of good examples of a really high proportion carb diet that you can use for this period.


I would love to go on and talk about race day nutrition but oh dear, I'm run out of time. You will just have to come along and see us talk in person to hear the rest! On a serious note, even if you think you know all there is to know, I'll bet you lots of money that you can gain some fresh knowledge. Also, I find in SA that many cyclists tend to do their own thing (compared to Europe where the club scene is bigger). I'm always a fan of collective knowledge that you can get from great discussions, like the Bike Max workshops always create.


I've put some blurb on my website about the talks www.craigcoaching.com or talk to Michael or I if you have any questions.


See you next week! Ian

Peak For Argus

Training and Nutrition

Wed 24th Feb 2010

BikeMaxPower in conjunction with Craig Coaching is pleased to present an Argus preparation evening at Helderberg Cycle World. The workshop will focus on training and nutritional strategies for optimal conditioning in the 3-wk period before the race and race-day performance tips for pacing, racing and fueling.

• Training – key sessions in the weeks before; tapering; race-day preparation; route preview; pacing strategies; racing tips. 
• Nutrition – eating for health in the weeks before; carb loading; fluid loading; fueling strategies; picking your drink; anti-cramp measures; recovery.

Your Presenters

Michael van Staden is a qualified level 2 power coach accredited by Training Peaks. Michael also has a certificate in the AB and C of Sport Science and Psychology. He rides for a professional Cape Town based cycling Team and finished in 13th place in the 2008 Cape Argus cycle Tour at the age of 19. He is also the current U/23 Road and Time Trial champion as well as the recent Tour de Mauritius white jersey winner.

Ian Craig is an exercise scientist, nutritional therapist and NLP practitioner. He initially qualified as an Exercise Physiologist (MSc) and Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), a knowledge-base that he applied into his own middle-distance running career. His current focus, Nutritional Therapy (BSc), joined with Sports Nutrition allows Ian to address the health and performance needs of cyclists. Considerations include weight management, digestive health, blood sugar regulation, overtraining and ultimately sporting performance. He runs three nutrition & exercise clinics, regular workshops on sports nutrition plus is a columnist for the ‘Go Multi’ multisport magazine.

Venue: Helderberg Cycle World

Meltz Centre, Somerset West

Time: 18:30 – 20:30

Cost: R100 per person

NUTRITION FOR THE DC (2)

Nutrition for the DC – Ian Craig

These are notes from the recent Bike Max Power 'DC Strategies' workshop at Helderberg World

Race Nutrition

The race is over 200km and is broken into 5 possible segments - fuel-stops points are at:

• 34km – Tradouw Pass
  
• 63km – Op De Tradouw
  
• 105km – Montagu
  
• 163km – Bonnievale
  
  

The early stages are shorter, but this where much of the climbing is. If you are heading for a 6hr effort, this is an average of just over 1hr per stage and if you are heading for a 10hr effort, this would be just under 2hrs per stage. So, at most you will need to fuel yourself on the bike for 2 hours, which is not an excessive time.

How much fluid?

Depending on the heat and humidity on the day, how fast you are riding and how much you personally sweat, you may lose anywhere from ½l to 2-3l per hour. So, you probably can't keep up with fluid loses – it may be realistic to take in 0.5-1l of fluid per hour. If you are riding slowly though and taking your time at fuel stops, please don't drink excessively (over 1-2l per hour) because diluting your body fluids too much can in rare cases need medical treatment (if intrigued, Google 'hyponatremia').

Have on your bike 2 x 750ml bottles per segment, which should be plenty. Most of the fluid should be a sports drink so that you can maximise your fuel intake. With such a long race, though, it is best to include a reasonable amount of solid food, so perhaps dilute one of your bottles if you are eating a lot. Plain water is not the best option because it doesn't provide salts or sugar for the body and won't be absorbed as efficiently as a sports drink.

Which Sports Drinks?

These are sports drinks that I would rate for such an event:

• Hammer: Sustained Energy & Prepetium
  
• Cytosport: Cytosport and Pre-formance
  
• PVM (Energy Dynamics): Octane
  
• Cadence: Revolution
  
• Reflex: The Edge
  

The cheap drinks like Energade, Powerade and Lucozade will make you glow in the dark with the amount of colours and flavours in them and are really just a blend of sugar and water (and good marketing).

It is very easy to do a DIY option – see www.bikemaxpower.com/blogs for my discussion of a grape-based drink. Next week, I'll talk about a DIY Rooibos drink. The most important thing to say about sports drinks is, practice in training and find one you like.

Solid Snacks

• ½ Bananas
  
• Baby Potatoes
  
• Fruit Loaf
  
• Nougat
  
• Rusks
  
• Protein bars
  
• Mule Bars
  
• Jungle Oat Bars
  
• AIM FOR 1 SOLID SNACK PER HOUR
  

Homemade Crunchies – for those who enjoy baking!

• 200g Porridge Oats
  
• 150g Dried Apricots, chopped
  
• 150g Peanut Butter or Tahini
  
• 100g Self Raising Flour
  
• 1 scoop Protein Powder
  
• 25g Mixed Seeds (blended)
  
• ½ tsp Bicarb of Soda
  
• 1 tsp cinnamon
  

Combine ingredients in a bowl, press into a baking tray and bake for 20-25mins at 190^oC

(Makes about 12 bars)

Ergogenic Aids

These are supplements that have been shown to improve performance. There are only really two that I would rave about:

1. Caffeine

• Can increase fat breakdown and decrease carb use
  
• May reduce perceived pain in leg muscles during cycling
  
• Usual dose is 5-10mg/kg BW 1-hour before race
  
• The average cup of coffee contains 60-150mg, average tea 20-50mg and soft drinks about 50mg
  

2. Creatine

• A possible strategy for water loading
  
• Has been shown to decrease muscle damage after marathon running, so good chance that it will help cyclists
  
• 5g per day for 2 weeks +
  

Warning: as I mentioned for the water loading, please talk to somebody who knows how to use these products and try them in training – they can potentially make a big difference to performance, but you need to get it right or it can mess up your race!

Post-race Recovery

These are some products that I rate for after training or racing:

• Hammer: Recoverite
  
• Cytosport: Muscle Milk
  
• PVM (Energy Dynamics): Re-ignite
  
• Cadence: Revive
  
• Your DIY option is simply to mix 20g whey protein powder with your sports drink or fruit juice. Or you can blend up a smoothie with 20g whey protein, natural yoghurt and fruit (with milk or fruit juice to liquefy). So, somebody please bring their blender to the finish line!
  

To relax your muscles after the event, soak in an Epsom Salt bath – 2 cups of Epsom Salts in a bath of warm water for 20mins plus. They are magnesium sulphate crystals – magnesium relaxes muscles and sulphur is a building block for repair.

Good luck on the day – plan ahead and be prepared to enjoy the ride. If you would like any more information, send me an email – ian@craigcoaching.com

Nutrition for the DC

Nutrition for the DC – Ian Craig

These are notes from the recent Bike Max Power 'DC Strategies' workshop at Helderberg World

In the weeks before the DC, it is important to get the basics right. That is, eating for optimum health – eat enough food for the amount of exercise you are doing, ensure that there is some quality protein in each meal and snack and aim for 5 portions of veggies per day (1 portion: size of your fist). This provides a strong base to your pyramid and you can now consider specific Performance Nutrition.

During the actual DC ride, depending on your own metabolism, about 50% of your energy will come from fat burning and most of the rest from carbs (5-10% will be muscle breakdown). So, in preparation for the race, fat burning will be important, but without sufficient carb supplies, you won't hit your higher paces. Therefore, it would be sensible to spend a few days Carb Loading before the event – Wed, Thurs and Frid should be enough. Here are a couple of example diets (2500Cal is about right for a lightly exercising woman or sedentary man and 3000Cal for a heavily exercising woman or lightly exercising man):

	2500Cal	3000Cal
B-fast	1 cup oats; 125ml 2% milk; 10g whey powder; 4 dried figs; 1 medium banana	4 thin slices rye/wholegrain bread; thin smear butter; 2 boiled eggs; 1 cup strawberries; 1 cup blueberries
Snack	2 apples	300ml fruit juice plus 10g whey protein mixed in
Lunch	4 thin slices rye/wholegrain bread; thin smear butter; 50g cooked ham; 1 tomato, ½ cup red bell pepper; ½ cup red onion; 2 tbsp hummus; mustard	80g salmon; ½ cup (dry) brown rice; 1 portabella mushroom; ½ cup red bell pepper; 1 cup broccoli; 1 cup lettuce; 1 cup spinach; 100g sw. potato; ½ tbsp pine nuts; lemon juice/balsamic to taste
Snack	4 rice cakes plus thick spread of hummus	10 small dried apricots plus 20g mixed nuts
Exercise	500ml sports drink or fruit juice (diluted 50% with water)	500ml sports drink or fruit juice (diluted 50% with water) plus 20g whey protein
Dinner	50g Spaghetti (dry); 1 serve Dolmio sauce; 1 tbsp Parmesan; 1 cup lettuce; 1 tomato; ½ cup cucumber; 5 olives	100g risotto rice; 10ml olive oil; 1 clove garlic; I cup onion; 2 sticks celery; 0.25l veg stock

You can choose from any of the meal options and reduce it or decrease according to your needs. Aim to eat evenly through the day and not a small b-fast and lunch plus large dinner as many people do. This is a high carb/low fat/low protein diet, so if it reminds you of what you eat already, then eat more protein and 'good' fats on a daily basis!

Hydration is extremely important for such a long ride. There are 3 ways of 'water loading':

• Salt – ½ tsp sea salt per litre water drunk in the day to two before the race
  

• Glycerol – drags water into body cells. Take 1ml/kg body mass 150mins before event along with adequate water
  
• Creatine – 5g per day taken for 2 weeks + before the event
  

(Warning - if you want to try the last 2 options, please talk to somebody who knows about sports nutrition – you can have some nasty side effects if you get it wrong)!

The Morning of the Race – the Last Meal

• The race is long and you will start steadily, so your breakfast should be decent
  
• Do what you usually do and if you are going to change anything, do it weeks before!
  
• Respect individual needs – some people will be best with a heavy B-fast and light snacks during the ride, others are the opposite!
  
• Include protein in B-fast!
  

Here are a few example B-fasts – if you have a personal race favourite, please share it with us.

• Muesli with milk and sliced banana and 1-3 tbsp natural yoghurt
  
• Oats (cooked or raw) in milk with sprinkle of nuts and seeds and some fruit (honey to taste)
  

  (In both cases, put some whey protein in to increase protein content, if tolerated)
  

• Eggs (2-3) with 2-3 slices of bread (spread with butter) and a tomato or some berries
  
• Light option – 2 slices toast with a good spread of hummus, tahini or PN butter
  

Thanks Ian for sharing this information with the wannabees! Tomorrow I will post more advice and tips from Ian about nutrition for the DC race.

Protein

Let's look at the science behind protein powders. It was thought that eggs had the highest biologic value for protein. It was assigned a value of 100 and all other proteins were compared against it. It was then determined that whey protein had a higher biological value and whey isolate was assigned a value of 159. Soy protein has a BV of 74. Therefore, the most effective protein for immediate protein replacement is whey isolate.

Sustained protein absorption is another matter. Egg protein and casein have a slower absorption in the digestive tract.

Protein isolates are more quickly absorbed that whole proteins. The limit of 30 grams of protein per feeding was determined by how much protein could be absorbed from whole food sources during the usual gastro-intestinal transit time. With more easily absorbed isolates, this value increases significantly.

Soy protein does not have a full complement of essential amino acids and must be combined with other sources like rice milk to round out the profile.

Therefore
1-Chose a protein powder whose taste you like the best
2-Use whey protein before, during or immediately after your workouts.
3-Use slower absorbing proteins before bed-time.
4-Only vegans should use soy protein. Soy also contains phyto-estrogens (say gynecomastia)

Bruce J. Nadler M.D.
Los Angeles, CA