As noted earlier, I've also used a small number (two!) of the bazillions of different hydration/fuel drinks for cyclists (and triathletes, and runners, and ... and ... and ...), both during and before activity. As with the gels from earlier, I have some more different drink mixes coming from various online stores, and shall have a more comprehensive review of these products in a month or two. For now, the ones I've used recently.
First up is the PowerBar Endurance Fruit Punch, which I have used sporadically since ... I think 2000? I used to buy this back when I first got into cycling for health, and have found it to be SUPER easy to drink. It's tasty, sweet without being too sweet, and in fact makes hydrating so awesome that I've had to stop myself from using it for all my hydration, even when just sitting around the house surfing the internet or reading. Yes, it's so easy to drink, I found myself contemplating just putting a scoop in a glass with water for no reason other than because it was around. That's probably as high a praise as I can give any hydration product: I'd drink it just because.
As for how well it does during extended activity ... I haven't really done any activity so long that I'd be able to tell, at least not in long enough that I feel I have any baseline for comparison, but I can tell you that I will indeed include this in my future plans for actual on-road riding and racing. Probably as part of a two-bottle back-and-forth system. I have used it as pre-ride fuel, and never had any problems with bonking or getting dizzy, or cramping. From that perspective, it works very well.
Second, I have been using the Hammer HEED product as well (specifically, the Mandarin Orange flavor). I have one complaint about the HEED: it doesn't seem to completely dissolve, even when I mix it at the lower end (1 scoop in 16 oz of water), and so I'm not sure if it's really all getting into my stomach, or how much/what is left in the sediment. Maybe this is normal for most dry mix fuel drinks, but I'm concerned about it.
Again, not really much in the way of extended activity to report yet, though I have a planned 1.5 hour ride tomorrow and intend to have a bottle of this for during-fuel, so I can give a better assessment then. I have used it pre-ride, and have never had a bonk or cramp problem after, so it works as expected in that regard. The flavor is very light, which means it is also easy to drink.
Tomorrow, I will be starting day 1 of a week-long ramp-up to the Time-Crunched Training System I talked a little bit about yesterday, beginning with a 90 minute EM ride with a 40 minute Tempo stretch.
Short version of the next three weeks:
Tuesday—90' EM with 40' T
Wednesday—Rest (shift)
Thursday—90' EM with 40' T
Friday—Rest (shift)
Saturday—Rest
Sunday—90' EM with 40' T
Monday—50' EM
which segues nicely into the TCTP (New Century, if you're curious):
Tu—90' EM with 4x6' SS (5' RBI)
We—Rest (shift)
Th—90' EM with 4x6' SS (5' RBI)
Fr—Rest (shift)
Sa—90'–120' EM
Su—90'–120' EM
Mo—Rest
Tu—90' EM with 3x8' SS (4' RBI)
We—Rest (shift)
Th—90' EM with 3x8' SS (4' RBI)
Fr—Rest (shift)
Sa—90'–120' EM or group ride
Su—90'–120' EM
Mo—Rest
Showing posts with label nutrition. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nutrition. Show all posts
30 August 2010
Nutrition review
Today's blog is a review of several different nutrition products that I've been training with/using during this process so far.
As for the theory ... there are three basic parts to the theory of nutrition while doing endurance exercise or activity: before, during, and after activity. In short, before the activity, an athlete should be full up on muscle and liver glycogen (if possible, but absolutely full up on muscle glycogen), and have some carbohydrates in their bloodstream; after the activity, it is important to take advantage of a glycogen replenishment window (more important if the athlete has depleted glycogen stores and will be doing another workout within about 24-28 hours).
During-activity nutrition is dependent on how long the activity will take. For any activity, hydration is critically important. Outside of that, plain water is fine rehydration as long as the activity is less than about an hour, though adding electrolytes (without carbohydrates) is not a bad idea if the activity is 30-60 minutes long, especially if you know you are a "white-streak" sweat-er, or if the environment tends toward very hot or very humid (both of which tend to result in higher losses of fluid or electrolytes). For any activity lasting one to three hours, carb replenishment is a necessity; anything longer than that really requires "real food" ... watch the Tour de France riders, or go volunteer at the el Tour de Tucson or similar races in the feed zone, and you'll see what I mean (cantaloupe, banana, pb&j sammys, etc.).
Since most of my spins have been < 1 hour, I haven't done a whole lot of in-ride nutrition, so I'll leave that for another time. What I have been doing is a pretty high percentage of spins (and runs) early in the morning, before breakfast. Since having been asleep (and, not eating) for seven to eight hours, my muscle glycogen stores should be totally full, while my liver glycogen is pretty well depleted (from glycolysis all night). So, I've tried a few different ways to pre-fuel: PowerBar Gel (two different flavors) and PowerBar Endurance (a drink mix) from PowerBar, Clif Shots by Clif Bar, and Hammer Gel and HEED by Hammer Nutrition. I'll review each flavor/item separately; the gels in this entry, then the drinks in the next.
Quick note: all the gels are designed to be eaten but followed by 8 oz. of water, which (of course) I always did. In theory, you could eat the gel by itself but it's pretty concentrated and would take a lot longer to empty from the stomach that way.
My initial choice for pre-fuel for early morning workouts was Green Apple PowerBar Gel. This flavor is caffeinated (has "1x" caffeine ... which is 25 g according to their website), which is great for people like me who are caffeine addicts and can't really function that early in the morning without some.
The taste is really good, it's super-easy to down, and I never had any problems with it sitting in my stomach during the subsequent workout.
I can't forsee using this flavor during activity (since I already drink a lot of caffeine daily), but it makes a really good pre-activitiy fuel early in the morning.
The PowerBar Gel gets their fuel from a proprietary blend called C2 Max, which is basically a 2:1 glucose:fructose mix.
Later, I went and picked up a case of Tangerine PowerBar Gel, which is also caffeinated ("2x", or 50 g according to PowerBar's website). The flavor is again very agreeable, and it seemed to clear the stomach quite readily. I did, however, feel like the extra caffeine in this product brought my heart rate up more than I'd have preferred. I intend to perform a more controlled test of that theory in the next couple of weeks, and will post the results of that.
Tangerine, like all PowerBar Gels, uses the C2 Max blend for fuel.
I also picked up a case of Clif Shot Razz Energy Gel from Clif Bar. This flavor is not caffeinated, and because of that I've used it primarly as a pre-fuel for workouts later in the day, after I've had my daily coffee or Monster.
The Razz is raspberry flavored, and is quite tasty. The base fuel for the Clif Shot products is Brown Rice Syrup, which is thicker than the C2 Max from PowerBar. However, I actually prefer the slightly more viscous Clif Shot; it's easier to hold in my mouth while grabbing the water bottle.
Additionally, the packaging is superior to the PowerGel (or Gu, or just about any other I've come across). It comes with a LitterLeash® (Registered by Clif Bar). This is really an ingenious solution to the problem of "what the heck do I do with the top of the package?" after opening a serving of the gel. The package is cut so that when you rip open the top of the package, the top is still attached to the base. It's hard to describe, but I'd suggest going to your local outdoor, biking, or sports store and looking at the tops of the Clif Shot as opposed to just about any other gel out there. It means less litter on the trail/road/whatever.
In addition, I found myself in a local bike store recently (BikeMasters, up in Oro Valley), and picked up a bottle of Hammer Nutrition's Hammer Gel (Montana Huckleberry flavor). These multi-serving bottles are intended to be used along with a flask, most of which are graduated with markings to show how many servings are in the flask (the one I picked up is a Hammer-specific flask, and holds up to six servings when completely full).
The flavor of this product is awesome, kind of like a tart blueberry (to which the Huckleberry is related). The thing I don't like about this product is how thin it is; it is really hard to keep in the mouth while getting the water bottle out to swig from. If you like to eat your gel immediately, and then swig from the water bottle separately, then this gel is probably perfect for you. Another thing I dislike about this style (the multi-serving bottle with a flask) is, actually, the convenience! It's weird (I'm weird, so this should not surprise anyone), but having multiple servings available in the flask is a down-side to me. It would take a lot of trial and error to determine exactly how long to squeeze the flask for exactly one serving to come out, either that or I'd have to sit there and take a squeeze, pull back, see how much of the serving was left in the bottle, re-sqeeze, re-check, etc. all while trying to either not crash into the peleton or the curb (or, in my case, trying not to fall off the stationary trainer). However; I can see the utility of the flask-style for longer events. Since each serving is about 21 g of carbs, and at my current weight it is recommended to get 40-60 g per hour of activity, putting 6 servings in the flask, and eating about half of a flask every hour after the first, would be easier than having to decant two gel packets back to back. Some judicious planning, and a well-instructed team in the feed zone, could easily make the flask a preferred in-race solution.
So, what do I recommend? So far, what I'd suggest is that if you are a person who likes and can handle the caffeine, try the Tangerine PowerBar Gel as a pre-ride fuel, especially for competition (though, check with your coach, trainer, or local organization about the current limits for caffeine if you're competing in USA Cycling events. I seem to recall that it's not a banned substance, but does have limits). During the ride, check out either the Clif Shot (if you prefer the individual packets) or the Hammer Gel (for the flask oriented). On a cursory look at the Clif Bar website, they do not offer a multi-serving bottle of their gels, so if you like the flask method you will have to get something else.
Later today, I will post a review of the drinks I've used so far. Also, I have Gu and Accel gel products coming soon, which I will try out and review at a later date.
During-activity nutrition is dependent on how long the activity will take. For any activity, hydration is critically important. Outside of that, plain water is fine rehydration as long as the activity is less than about an hour, though adding electrolytes (without carbohydrates) is not a bad idea if the activity is 30-60 minutes long, especially if you know you are a "white-streak" sweat-er, or if the environment tends toward very hot or very humid (both of which tend to result in higher losses of fluid or electrolytes). For any activity lasting one to three hours, carb replenishment is a necessity; anything longer than that really requires "real food" ... watch the Tour de France riders, or go volunteer at the el Tour de Tucson or similar races in the feed zone, and you'll see what I mean (cantaloupe, banana, pb&j sammys, etc.).
Since most of my spins have been < 1 hour, I haven't done a whole lot of in-ride nutrition, so I'll leave that for another time. What I have been doing is a pretty high percentage of spins (and runs) early in the morning, before breakfast. Since having been asleep (and, not eating) for seven to eight hours, my muscle glycogen stores should be totally full, while my liver glycogen is pretty well depleted (from glycolysis all night). So, I've tried a few different ways to pre-fuel: PowerBar Gel (two different flavors) and PowerBar Endurance (a drink mix) from PowerBar, Clif Shots by Clif Bar, and Hammer Gel and HEED by Hammer Nutrition. I'll review each flavor/item separately; the gels in this entry, then the drinks in the next.
Quick note: all the gels are designed to be eaten but followed by 8 oz. of water, which (of course) I always did. In theory, you could eat the gel by itself but it's pretty concentrated and would take a lot longer to empty from the stomach that way.
My initial choice for pre-fuel for early morning workouts was Green Apple PowerBar Gel. This flavor is caffeinated (has "1x" caffeine ... which is 25 g according to their website), which is great for people like me who are caffeine addicts and can't really function that early in the morning without some.
The taste is really good, it's super-easy to down, and I never had any problems with it sitting in my stomach during the subsequent workout.
I can't forsee using this flavor during activity (since I already drink a lot of caffeine daily), but it makes a really good pre-activitiy fuel early in the morning.
The PowerBar Gel gets their fuel from a proprietary blend called C2 Max, which is basically a 2:1 glucose:fructose mix.
Later, I went and picked up a case of Tangerine PowerBar Gel, which is also caffeinated ("2x", or 50 g according to PowerBar's website). The flavor is again very agreeable, and it seemed to clear the stomach quite readily. I did, however, feel like the extra caffeine in this product brought my heart rate up more than I'd have preferred. I intend to perform a more controlled test of that theory in the next couple of weeks, and will post the results of that.
Tangerine, like all PowerBar Gels, uses the C2 Max blend for fuel.
I also picked up a case of Clif Shot Razz Energy Gel from Clif Bar. This flavor is not caffeinated, and because of that I've used it primarly as a pre-fuel for workouts later in the day, after I've had my daily coffee or Monster.
The Razz is raspberry flavored, and is quite tasty. The base fuel for the Clif Shot products is Brown Rice Syrup, which is thicker than the C2 Max from PowerBar. However, I actually prefer the slightly more viscous Clif Shot; it's easier to hold in my mouth while grabbing the water bottle.
Additionally, the packaging is superior to the PowerGel (or Gu, or just about any other I've come across). It comes with a LitterLeash® (Registered by Clif Bar). This is really an ingenious solution to the problem of "what the heck do I do with the top of the package?" after opening a serving of the gel. The package is cut so that when you rip open the top of the package, the top is still attached to the base. It's hard to describe, but I'd suggest going to your local outdoor, biking, or sports store and looking at the tops of the Clif Shot as opposed to just about any other gel out there. It means less litter on the trail/road/whatever.
In addition, I found myself in a local bike store recently (BikeMasters, up in Oro Valley), and picked up a bottle of Hammer Nutrition's Hammer Gel (Montana Huckleberry flavor). These multi-serving bottles are intended to be used along with a flask, most of which are graduated with markings to show how many servings are in the flask (the one I picked up is a Hammer-specific flask, and holds up to six servings when completely full).
The flavor of this product is awesome, kind of like a tart blueberry (to which the Huckleberry is related). The thing I don't like about this product is how thin it is; it is really hard to keep in the mouth while getting the water bottle out to swig from. If you like to eat your gel immediately, and then swig from the water bottle separately, then this gel is probably perfect for you. Another thing I dislike about this style (the multi-serving bottle with a flask) is, actually, the convenience! It's weird (I'm weird, so this should not surprise anyone), but having multiple servings available in the flask is a down-side to me. It would take a lot of trial and error to determine exactly how long to squeeze the flask for exactly one serving to come out, either that or I'd have to sit there and take a squeeze, pull back, see how much of the serving was left in the bottle, re-sqeeze, re-check, etc. all while trying to either not crash into the peleton or the curb (or, in my case, trying not to fall off the stationary trainer). However; I can see the utility of the flask-style for longer events. Since each serving is about 21 g of carbs, and at my current weight it is recommended to get 40-60 g per hour of activity, putting 6 servings in the flask, and eating about half of a flask every hour after the first, would be easier than having to decant two gel packets back to back. Some judicious planning, and a well-instructed team in the feed zone, could easily make the flask a preferred in-race solution.
So, what do I recommend? So far, what I'd suggest is that if you are a person who likes and can handle the caffeine, try the Tangerine PowerBar Gel as a pre-ride fuel, especially for competition (though, check with your coach, trainer, or local organization about the current limits for caffeine if you're competing in USA Cycling events. I seem to recall that it's not a banned substance, but does have limits). During the ride, check out either the Clif Shot (if you prefer the individual packets) or the Hammer Gel (for the flask oriented). On a cursory look at the Clif Bar website, they do not offer a multi-serving bottle of their gels, so if you like the flask method you will have to get something else.
Later today, I will post a review of the drinks I've used so far. Also, I have Gu and Accel gel products coming soon, which I will try out and review at a later date.
15 July 2010
15 JUL 2010 workout entry
Wii Fit again, did 40 total minutes burning 301 kcal. Good stuff. Did Yoga to psych up, hula hoops and step aerobics to warm up, then boxing and 20 minutes of interval running (in place), with a cool down after.
Sleep: 3/10 (we were up much of the night transporting or covering for other units)
Fatigue: 2/10 (a little tired from lack of sleep but not remarkably so)
Stress: 1/10 (hardly any stress)
Soreness: 1/10 (very little soreness)
So, for the Donovan Standard Week Sat-Fri (working tomorrow, so no workout):
- 138 total minutes of cardio
- 856 kcal burned during that cardio
6.203 kcal/minute during cardio. Estimated BMR is 1.730 kcal/min, making my current cardio workload about a MET of 3.6, which is not as high as I'd like as an average but is okay to start out. As I add more and harder exercises, that will improve.
Felt good throughout exercises. A couple more weeks of this and I'll be ready to shift into Phase 1B of The Plan™:
- Continue Wii Fit, ~ 30 minutes to warm up and get a good sweat started.
- Add running, minimum 10 minutes two days a week to start, gradually working up to an additional 30 minutes twice weekly.
- Add Gold's Gym Wii game, one non-run day/week.
- Fourth day will be a light workout day on the Wii fit only.
13 July 2010
Nutrition and food goals
As with the workout and weight loss goals (of which, this is a part!), these are a starting point and definitely subject to change.
Short-term goals (3 months):
- Track daily calorie intake (via Sparkpeople) every day
- Track fat, protein, carb, sodium, and fiber intake every day
- Meet daily calorie goals on > 80% of days
- Meet other daily nutritional goals > 70% of days
- Shift foods away from high-sodium and high-fat items
- Increase daily ingestion of vegetables
Medium-term goals (3-9 months from now, end of March 2011)
- 95% of work food brought from home (occasional meals out okay)
- Meet daily calorie goals > 95% of days
- Meet other daily nutritional goals on > 95% of days
- Planned meals, snacks, recovery/in-training meals tracked daily
Long-term goals (longer)
- Continue to bring > 95% of work meals from home
- Calorie goals met 99% of time with allowances for occasional overages
- Daily goals for fat and sodium on lower end of RDA (allowing for replenishment during exercise/training), with protein, carb, vitamin goals met 99% of days
- Continue to refine & update plan
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