The Truth About Caffeine and Exercise (Part I) - by Felicia Gomez, Ph.D.

Caffeine may be the most widely used stimulant drug in the world. It is found in a variety of plants, dietary sources (tea, coffee chocolate and colas) and non-prescription medicines. The average coffee consumption in the US is approximately 2 cups of coffee per day (200 mg) while 10% of the population ingests more than 1000 mg per day. Chemically, caffeine comes from a family of compounds called trimethylxanthines. Upon ingestion, it is quickly absorbed from the stomach, reaches peak blood levels in 1-2 hours and is broken down rapidly in the liver. Caffeine has the potential to affect all systems in the body as it is absorbed by most tissues.

Scientific laboratory studies from the 1970’s suggested that caffeine enhanced endurance performance. The proposed mechanism was that caffeine increased the release of adrenaline into the blood, which in turn stimulated the release of fat from fat tissue and/or muscle. The working muscles then used this extra fat early in exercise, reducing the need to use muscle carbohydrate (glycogen). The “sparing” of muscle glycogen made more available later in exercise to delay fatigue. (This is potentially important since muscle glycogen is our main source of energy during exercise and we only have limited amount in our muscle.)

More recent studies have found that while caffeine does appear to enhance the ability to exercise for a prolonged period of time, the “glycogen sparing” mechanism explained previously does not always occur. The most recent work in this area reported that the ingestion of 3-9 mg of caffeine per kilogram of body weight one hour prior to exercise increased endurance running and cycling performance. To put this in perspective, 3 mg per kg body wt. of caffeine equals approximately 1 mug or 2 regular size cups of drip-percolated coffee. Thus, while the mechanism of action of caffeine is unclear, its ability to enhance endurance exercise performance by up to 30% is well established.

Caffeine is no longer a “controlled or restricted substance” as defined by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Until recently, athletes were allowed up to 12 ug caffeine per milliliter of urine before it was considered illegal.

Throughout this article, I have been referring to caffeine as a pure substance, not caffeine as it is found in coffee. While research has demonstrated that “pure” caffeine (3-9 mg/kg body wt.) taken 1 hr prior to exercise will enhance endurance exercise, does the ingestion of similar amounts of caffeine taken in the form of coffee have the same effect? In the next newsletter, I will address this issue as well as the ethical considerations of using caffeine as an ergogenic aid.

 

The Truth About Caffeine and Exercise (Part II) - by Felicia Gomez, Ph.D.

In the last newsletter, I wrote about the ergogenic, or performance enhancing effects of caffeine and discussed one potential mechanism of action behind this effect. The optimal dose for maximizing the chance that exercise performance will be enhanced is about 3-6 mg/kg of body weight. This is equivalent to about 2-3 cups of strong coffee. Most studies have used pure caffeine rather than a caffeinated beverage or food. The article ended with the promise to discuss if caffeine taken in forms other then “pure” caffeine will provide the same performance enhancing effect. A study done by Dr. Terry Graham at the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada and published in the Journal of Applied Physiology investigated whether caffeine in the form of coffee would enhance performance to the same degree as pure caffeine. Nine, highly trained endurance athletes underwent five separate trials. The athletes were asked to run on a treadmill to exhaustion after ingesting a placebo pill, caffeinated coffee, decaffeinated coffee, decaffeinated coffee with the caffeine added back into it, and pure caffeine. The trials were separated by about 1 week and the treadmill was adjusted to the same speed and grade for each trial. The caffeinated trials contained the same amount of caffeine (i.e. the caffeinated coffee and the decaffeinated coffee with the caffeine added back in had the same amount of caffeine as the pure caffeine pill). Surprisingly, the only trial which resulted in any improvement in performance was when subjects ingested pure caffeine. In other words, ingesting caffeine in the form of coffee did not affect performance compared to the placebo trial. Thus, it was concluded that there is a compound in coffee that appears to inhibit the performance enhancing effects of caffeine and to obtain the performance enhancing effects of this drug, pure caffeine needs to be ingested.

An equally important issue is the use of caffeine by the average active teenager. Caffeine’s widespread use was demonstrated by a recent survey that reported approximately 27% of youths (11-18 yrs old) had used a caffeine-containing substance for the specific purpose of enhancing performance. Could this seemingly “safe” practice lead to the use of more dangerous substances? For the average, active teenager or adult who is exercising with the goals of enjoyment and self-improvement, using caffeine defeats these purposes. Proper training and adequate nutritional habits are more sensible and productive approaches.

Another interesting and relatively new finding about caffeine is its potential to increase insulin resistance (a condition that can lead to type II diabetes). Scientific studies have found that caffeine decreases glucose uptake in skeletal muscle and that the body requires more insulin to handle glucose when caffeine and/or coffee have been ingested. Obviously this may have some serious consequences for individuals who are insulin resistant or who have either type I or type II diabetes.

How does all of this relate to cycling? Well, there are definite performance enhancing effects to be had by ingesting pure caffeine. Some researchers have suggested that it should be a substance that is completely banned, however, this is highly unlikely since it is so common in our regular diet. In fact, caffeine ingestion has been compared to carbohydrate loading in terms of its ethical consideration. Whether one takes caffeine for the specific purpose of trying to enhance performance is up to the individual. It is definitely one of the safer “doping” techniques out there.

 

Riding in the Heat – by Felicia Gomez, Ph.D.

Well, since we have just gone through one of the hottest summers in recent history, I thought an appropriate topic would be how heat stress affects training variables (heart rate, power) and also performance. I am sure all of you have felt the effects of the 100+ degree temperatures whether you are commuting to work, training for an event or simply riding for fitness. While I was not in Fresno too often over the summer, the days I had to train in the heat significantly affected my ability to complete my assigned workout at the intensity I was attempting.
My initial goal in writing this article was to find information on how much power output and heart rate was affected by heat stress. More specifically, I was hoping to find information that would tell me how to adjust my workout when the temperatures were high. For example, if I was trying to maintain a power output of 250 Watts for 10 minutes, how should I adjust my workout in the heat?
There has been a lot of research which has focused on hydration status and performance. Research has demonstrated that as little as a 1% decrease in body water will significantly reduce physical work capacity, and that for a given decrease in body water, work capacity is reduced to a greater extent in a hot environment compared to a temperature neutral environment. This means, that when the temperature in Fresno is 100+ degrees, even mild dehydration will have a greater impact on performance compared to the same level of dehydration in 70 degree weather.
While it is well established that exercising in the heat increases HR for a given amount of work, I was unable to find research that specifically investigated how much HR increased while training in the heat. The following quote comes from an interview by DeDe Barry in her diary of her husband Michael Barry and his performance in the Vuelta. Allan Lim who is an MD and the coach of Floyd Landers says: “So from the power files, I would say that the heat has had a really oppressive effect on at least Floyd if not all the riders, especially with respect to their ability or desire to surge, accelerate and in general perform above threshold. That said, heat, not only impairs a cyclist's ability to produce power but also makes them feel terrible at any given power output”.
The best advice I can give is to use a subjective scale on how you feel or what scientists call ‘perceived exertion’. If you want to be as specific as possible, keep a log on how you feel during particular rides or workouts on a nice day. You can use a 1-10 scale. Then, when you want to simulate a similar workout in the heat, use a perceived effort rating as opposed to a particular HR zone or power output. In other words, if you do a ride at a particular intensity and duration and it feels fairly hard (say 7 out of 10) and it is a pretty nice day (75 degrees), the same subjective rating on a hot day would probably require a shorter and/or less intense ride.
So, while I have not been able to answer my own question, I have found a research project for a graduate student which will be of interest to coaches and athletes alike.

The Secret to Climbing Success –by Felicia Gomez, Ph.D

With Climb to Kaiser fast approaching I thought an article on climbing would be appropriate for this issue of the Rough Draft.

Contrary to what a lot of people think, climbing ability has a lot more to do with time spent climbing versus natural ability. Now, having said that, as a scientist, I can certainly tell you that there are inherent physiological characteristics that definitely play a factor such as muscle physiological. There are some people who have more slow-twitch fibers which make them better at producing power over long periods of time. Body weight is another issue, and probably one of the most important factors in how well you climb (more on that later). However, most people who are good climbers spend a lot of time climbing. For example, both Gus and I are fairly good climbers and so when we pick a route to do for our long rides, it definitely has a lot of climbing. One of our training partners favors speed type of training and is a better criterium rider and it is very difficult for us to get him to do a route with a lot of hills.

Climbing is hard, even if you are good at it. When I climb Wildcat, even on an easy ride, my heart rate reaches about 90% of its maximum. You need to expect to hurt if you are going to climb. However, there are definitely ways to get better.

1. Climb – the more you do it, the better you will become. Since Climb to Kaiser has over 13,000 feet of climbing, you need to be doing a lot of climbing now, as part of your weekly training. The best training plan would be to practice on all the climbs that are part of the ride prior to the event. However, if you do not have that luxury, then try to simulate the type of hills you will be doing. For example, Big Creek is very steep, but a long way away to practice on. The upper portion of Summit Ranch is an excellent place to get a steep climb where the grade is similar to Big Creek. Since most of the climbs on Kaiser are long, practice climbing in a heart rate zone of 3-4 (refer to last month’s article). Unless the hill is steep (like Big Creek, or the steep portion of Wildcat), you should be fairly aerobic during your climbing.

2. Learn to hurt – as I said, climbing hurts, but the more you do it, the easier it will become and “pain” becomes more tolerable.

3. Weight to power ratio is probably one of the most important aspects of climbing. There are people who will spend hundreds and even thousands of dollars to lighten their bike by a few grams, when they would be best served eating a little less desert and losing a few pounds.

4. Sitting or Standing – this is a question I get asked a lot. Really, there is no hard or fast rule as to which is better. In general, people who are smaller like to stand and use a higher cadence, while people who are bigger tend to like to sit and use a higher gear with a slower cadence. However, it is easier on your knees if you learn to use a lower gear and a higher cadence. I just finished 22 laps of the Laguna Seca Racetrack at Sea Otter and everyone in the peleton would shift to their small ring before the climb except for 1 rider who did the who race in her big chain ring. It made my legs ache just to watch her grind up the climb. It will save your legs and lessen fatigue if you can spin up the climbs.

So – I certainly wish everyone luck at Climb to Kaiser. Be safe and have fun.

Planning Your Training – by Felicia Gomez, Ph.D.

I would like to thank everyone who was in attendance at the February 8 Club meeting for your attention and questions during my talk. I only met a few of you so if you see me on the road or at events, please introduce yourself so I can get to know more names and faces. My main goal in talking to the club was to introduce some simple training concepts and principles that would be effective in improving your riding. Since most people in the club participate in training rides or long events such as centuries and Kaiser (as opposed to racing), the focus of my talk (and hence this article) is how to improve during these endeavors.

Before I begin to outline a training program, I need to discuss some definitions that I will be referring to throughout this and future articles.

Aerobic Capacity = ability of the cardiovascular system to consume oxygen and your muscular system to use oxygen more efficiently to use fat and carbohydrate as fuel sources. These are long rides at a steady pace or heart rate (HR) in zone 2 (see below for zone explanations).

Aerobic Power = ability of the aerobic system to exercise at a medium intensity while still using oxygen and not accumulating lactic acid. These are long intervals (10-30 min) in zone 3. These types of intervals will help your climbing and time trialing and allow you to use your aerobic system while riding at a faster pace.

Threshold Training = attempting to increase the point at which your body can exercise at a relatively high intensity and not accumulate lactic acid. These intervals are medium length (4-10 min) and are conducted in zone 4. The purpose is to improve your anaerobic threshold (the intensity at which lactic acid begins to accumulate)

Anaerobic Capacity = ability of the anaerobic system (the energy system in the body which can produce energy without the use of oxygen) to exercise at high intensities for up to 2 minutes. Intervals to train this system are short (1-2 min) and in zone 4-5.

Anaerobic Power = ability to produce a lot of power (speed) in a very short amount of time. These intervals are 20-40 seconds in length and are generally as hard as you can go.

The following table outlines heart rate zones and are expressed as a percent of your maximum heart rate. Maximum HR does not change with fitness but it does decrease with age. To predict your maximum HR use the formula 220-age. The problem with this is that there is a 10 beat variable on either end depending on the person. A 50 year old could have a maximum HR of 170±10 which translates to a range of 160-180 beats per minute. You could get a better estimate by climbing a hill that is 8-10 minutes in length and get progressively faster (or put out more effort) as you climb so that for the last minute or so of the hill, you are riding as hard as possible.
 

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Zone	% Maximum HR	Description
1	Less than 60%	Easy recovery rides
2	60-70%	Base endurance rides; aerobic capacity
3	70-85%	Tempo; moderate climbing; aerobic power
4	85-90%	Anaerobic Threshold; anaerobic capacity
5	90-100%	Anaerobic power

SFR = slow frequency repetitions (also known as overgear) = weight training on the bike

As I mentioned at the club meeting, my focus for my talk and for this article is on improving your aerobic performance since most of your do not race at high intensities. However, there are a couple of very simple additions to your training that could help improve your aerobic performance. One is to add some “on-the-bike” weight training to your program. Bubble gum hill or the uphill portion of Old Friant Road are both excellent gradual hills to do SFRs. The purpose of doing SFR training is to build strength in your legs. Your cadence should be between 50-60 rpm and your gearing should be about 2 gears higher than what you would normally use. Your HR should not be that high as this is not meant to be a cardiovascular workout, but is meant to increase muscular strength. Thus, your HR zone should stay in zone 2. I would suggest starting out with 2 sets of 3 min with a 3-4 minute easy spin recovery on the way down the hill. If you ride 2-3 times per week, this could be done 1x per week. If you ride 4+ times per week, you could do this 2x per week. You should have at least 48 hr in between SFR workouts. A gradual hill is best because if the hill is too steep your cadence will be too low and you could hurt your knees. Increase the interval time by 1 minute per week to a maximum of 10 minutes.

The other addition to your training that would enhance your performance is by improving your aerobic power. Max Testa, a well-known sports physician and coach of many excellent athletes calls these MEs (medium endurance). These intervals should be long (10-30 min) and in zone 3. If you have never done structured intervals before, starting out at the low end of zone 3 (HR=75% of your maximum) and doing 2 x 10 minutes would suffice. As you get used to the intervals you can increase the number of repetitions or the length of the interval or the intensity (a higher percentage of your maximum HR). It is best to only change one of these factors at a time. For example, progress to 3 x 10 at 75% of maximum HR or do 2x10 min at 85% but do not increase both variables at the same time. This could lead to overtraining. For most of you training for centuries, increasing the length of the interval time and the number of intervals is probably better than increasing the intensity. The recovery time between the intervals should be 3-4 min for a 10 min interval, 5-6 min for 15 min, 6-7 for 20 min and 8-9 for 30 minutes. If you are not recovered during these time frames, then the intensity is too high.

 

Off-Season Training – By Felicia Gomez, Ph.D.

Once again we are heading into a typical foggy and chilly Fresno winter with reduced daylight hours. Since most people work a typical 9-5 workday, it is difficult to get in the same amount of training in throughout the winter months. Since the amount of riding for some people is reduced, the possibility of putting on some unwanted pounds during this time increases. So, I thought an appropriate topic for this month’s article would be to outline some ways to maintain fitness and prevent typical winter weight gain throughout the off-season.

Taking some time completely off the bike or reducing your riding during the winter can actually be a good thing. It can be a time to work on overall fitness as opposed to specific cycling training. For overall physiological and psychological health this can be beneficial. However, it is important to find ways to maintain fitness so that weight gain over the winter is minimal and so that the process back to our desired cycling fitness is not so painful and prolonged.

The cardiovascular system (heart and blood vessels) has absolutely no idea what sort of exercise you are doing. So, whether it is running, cycling, swimming etc. when you exercise, your cardiovascular system responds to the demands of the activity. This means that cross training in the winter (i.e. doing some sort of aerobic activity) can give your cycling specific muscles a break, and your mind a break while still maintaining your cardiovascular fitness. It can also be beneficial since you can develop muscles which may have become weaker when riding. My personal cross training activity of choice is running, this may have something to do with the fact that I was a competitive runner for 20 years before becoming a cyclist. While I still ride during the off season, I spend significantly less time on the bike and more time running. It maintains my cardiovascular fitness while giving me the mental break I need from spending hours on the bike during the season.

Winter is also an excellent time to spend developing muscular strength and endurance. This can be accomplished a variety of ways, lifting weights in a gym or at home, or doing plyometrics (using your body weight and/or exercise ball) to develop muscular fitness. For example, doing push-ups, curl-ups, squats, squat jumps and heel raises are a few of the “at home” plyometric exercises that I incorporate into my off-season training. This helps develop muscular fitness which will be beneficial once I start more serious training and it will also help prevent injuries by strengthening core muscles and accessory muscles used in cycling.

Other off-season activities that can help reduce weight gain and maintain overall fitness are yoga and pilates. Both will allow you to work on flexibility and on muscle strength. If you do belong to a gym, spin classes can provide an alternative for getting time on the bike without riding in the dark or cold weather. Sometimes I will schedule two spin classes in a row to get a little more time on the bike when I just cannot face the fog or rain.

I personally believe that taking some time to regenerate the mind and the body is a good thing. The change in weather with shortened day-light hours can force this upon us. However, maintaining some sort of cardiovascular and muscular fitness is also important time. Hopefully I have provided some ideas to help make the off-season more enjoyable and yet will allow you to stay fit enough so when it is time to get back on the bike, it will not take long to get back to where you left off at the end of this season.

 

Vitamin and Mineral Supplementation for the Athlete Part I – by Felicia Gomez, Ph.D.

Over the course of my years as an athlete and as a professor in exercise science, I have been asked many times about the efficacy of vitamin and mineral supplementation for the active individual and the athlete. I thought this would be a great topic for this month’s newsletter. Next month, I will discuss other popular nutritional supplements and their impact on training, recovery and performance.

Vitamins are organic compounds that are needed in very small quantities from the diet. These are essential for specific metabolic reactions in the body and for normal growth and development. With a couple of exceptions (D, K and some small quantities of selected B vitamins), vitamins are not produced by the human body and thus must be consumed from the diet. Most studies that have assessed vitamin and mineral status have not revealed any distinct differences between athletic populations and sedentary people. Although regular, strenuous exercise may increase the requirement for some vitamins, this increased requirement can typically be met by consuming a balanced diet high in carbohydrate, moderate in protein, and low in fat. It could be argued that since total energy intake of most athletes exceeds that of sedentary non-athletes, a greater amount and variety of vitamins should be available to them through their dietary intake. Thus, provided that energy intake matches energy requirement, and athletes consume a reasonable balanced diet, they should get all the vitamins they need from food, without any need for supplementation. In fact, there is very little evidence suggesting that the vitamin intakes of athletes in general are inadequate based on the recommended dietary allowances (RDA’s).

A mineral is an inorganic compound, and in nutrition, usually refers to those dietary constituents essential to life processes. Once again, in general, regular, strenuous exercise does not increase the mineral requirement of an individual. Having said that, there is one exception. Studies have demonstrated that athletes who train and compete in hot environments should consider increasing their intake of iron, zinc and magnesium since these mineral losses in sweat can be considerable.

Thus, most athletes and active individuals do not require micronutrient (vitamin and mineral) supplements since their diets are already more than adequate to meet any increased requirements resulting from the effects of regular intense exercise. Lack of time to eat due to training is one possible reason for nutritional deficiencies for elite athletes however, poor diets are the main reason for any micronutrient deficiency among athletes, and regular strenuous exercise can contribute to deficiencies.

So, the question could be asked, “should I take a multivitamin just in case”? There are many top athletes who consume large quantities of vitamins and mineral supplements in the mistaken belief that they will help prevent infection or injury, speed recovery or improve athletic performance. In fact, the only type of individual whose performance will be positively affected by a vitamin or mineral supplement will be one whose performance has been negatively impacted by a vitamin or mineral deficiency. Ingesting mega-doses of one vitamin or mineral may actually do more harm than good since large amounts of certain vitamins and mineral may affect the absorption of other vitamins and minerals. There is no scientific evidence indicating that doses in excess of the RDA improve performance or are needed by athletes. For individuals who do want to “safeguard” against deficiencies, a multi-vitamin/mineral supplement where no single ingredient is above 100% of the RDA may be consumed and should be safe to use. However, foods provide us with more than just vitamins and minerals and thus my advice is to eat a well-balanced, varied diet.

 

Mental Toughness - How important is it? by Felicia Gomez, Ph.D.

It has been said that only 40% of performance outcome is physical. Most of us train our bodies day after day with intervals, hill workouts, long runs and weights, but if this accounts for such a small of performance, another very important component must play a part to out success or failure. This aspect of training and racing is the mental factor and can contribute up to 60% to how well, or how poorly we perform on race day.

We all know people who are extremely talented on a physiological level, but who cannot seem to push themselves in training or races. On the other hand, we know people who on race day, seem to go to a whole other level and be able to produce race outcomes above their physical capabilities. Can this mental toughness be learned or is our potential to handle pain and suffering genetic? Mental toughness, from a scientific viewpoint is very hard to quantitatively measure due to its subjective nature. However, I will attempt to outline some research that has been done, in addition to providing some ideas that I have found to work for me.

Let’s face it, racing is painful. I remember the race where it happened - I broke though a mental barrier I had never been able to cross before. It was a 10 km race in Toronto Canada in June 1993. Within the first 2 km I felt terrible and the thought that crossed my mind was “I don’t know if I am going to be able to keep this pace”. My next thought was “oh well, guess we will find out”. The outcome was a 1 min 15 second PR. Now, for the most part, I can call upon this line of thinking and go into “the zone” on command. How does this work?
Much of the research refers to mental toughness as “pain perception” and it is how we perceive pain that determines how mentally tough we ultimately are. There is a point at which pain becomes suffering. The goal is to push that “pain” threshold to a higher level before it is perceived as suffering. So how can we train our pain perception and thus improving mental toughness?
One way to develop mental toughness is to create strategies to help deal with the pain. For some, this may be as simple as focusing on the back of the person in front of you. Another strategy could be focusing on relaxing various parts of your body, your neck, you arms, your hands for example. Every person will have to find a strategy that works for them. I play various mind games with myself. For example, in a 5 km race, I think of each remaining km as an 800 m (1/2 mile). Mentally I think, “a 1/2 mile, 2 times around a track, that’s nothing, I do 800’s all the time”.

Perhaps one of the most important strategies is positive self-talk. This involves positive thinking BEFORE and DURING the race. Research demonstrates that one’s pain perception threshold is much lower when the athlete is engaging in negative self-talk. One strategy that I use is to truly believe that the person I am competing with is hurting more then I am. Another strategy that works for me is focusing on the positive aspects of my previous training and performances.

As with everything else when it comes to racing, mental toughness and the development of pain coping strategies should be practiced during training sessions. You cannot expect to have perfected strategies on race day that have not been practiced in training. So good luck with developing strategies that work for you. How hard we push ourselves is our choice....and it may determine our placing in our next race.

 

The Importance of Recovery - by Felicia Gomez, Ph.D.

If there is one aspect of a training plan that most people do not have enough of, it is recovery time - and yes, I am included. It takes a certain personality to be dedicated to a task, to push the limits, to run or walk in sleet and snow (by the way, it is 65 here in November). While this inherent characteristic within our psyche allows us to excel at our chosen passion and while it can be our greatest strength in a race, it can be our greatest weakness when we look at the big picture. There are a lot of you right now who are either completely side-lined from an injury or who are just gimping along. My guess is that for the majority of those on the injured list, it is from over-use that usually is a result of not enough recovery.

Just like each training plan needs to be based on the goals, needs and abilities of the athlete, so does each recovery plan. Some people are going to need more recovery then others, some are going to need different types of recovery, but one thing is common, we ALL need it at some time, probably more often then we allow ourselves.

There is a concept in exercise physiology called periodization of training. The simple explanation for this is that training should follow cycles. There is a training plan for the whole year, that is, different times of the year should be spent doing different kinds of training. This is called a macrocycle. Then, there is a microcycle, where the training plan should include hard days and easy days on a regular, cyclical basis. October, November and December are ideal months, that in a macrocycle, could/should be down times. Obviously, this depends upon your racing schedule. If you competed in a late October race then your down time can start in November. This late fall/early winter recovery time allows not only your body to regenerate, heal and REST, but it also gives your mind a break. No more long sunday runs or walks, no more obsessing about trying to fit that track workout in before dinner with the in-laws; not only do you need this time, I bet your partner will welcome this change in training also.

The micorcycle needs to be implemented on a more regular basis. This is the part of recovery that most of us ignore and do not have enough of within our training plan. I have found that unless I plan a rest day within my week or microcycle, I will not take it, chalk it up to the obsessive, compulsive side of my personality. So, to ensure that I have this break in training, I cycle my training weeks. The most common cycling of training weeks is 3 weeks on, one week off, or 4 weeks on, one week off. The week off, does not mean total and complete rest. It does mean at least one day completely off. Usually, I force myself to take 2 days totally off. The other days include less volume of training and less intensity.

Some people may need a regular day off on a weekly basis. If so, then take it. There is no hard, fast rule of thumb with this. Other people may find that an easy swim or walk or ride along the trail will suffice as a weekly “off” day. However, it is imperative that this easy day is just that, EASY. Individuals who do not take a regular day off during the week, need to be especially careful with cycling their easy and hard days and their easy and hard weeks.

Probably, one rule of thumb that all of us could benefit from is that too much recovery is better then not enough. It is better to remain consistent then to have big spikes and valleys in training as the former will ultimately lead to better race results.....and a happier athlete.
In the next couple of newsletters, I will address the benefits of cross-training and it’s use as a method of recovery and healing from injury, in addition to the importance of nutrition in recovery.

Remember...don’t let obsession be your training partner.

 

Hydration - by Felicia Gomez, Ph.D.

Since summer is fast approaching and the Climb to Kaiser is looming, I thought an appropriate topic to cover would be proper hydration. Water is the major component of blood and even a small amount of dehydration (1% body weight) can result in significant cardiovascular stress and an increase in body core temperature. Dehydration limits the ability of the body to transfer heat from your contracting muscles to the surface of the skin where heat can be dissipated to the environment. This increases the probability of a poor exercise performance and the development of heat exhaustion or heat stroke. The specific purpose of this article is to provide guidelines for fluid replacement that will help you avoid the debilitating effects of water and electrolyte deficits on physiological function and exercise performance.

Hydration Before and After Exercise

Fluid replacement following exercise really represents hydration prior to the next exercise bout. Any fluid deficit prior to exercise can potentially compromise performance of the subsequent exercise bout if fluid loss is not adequately replaced. Humans have a notoriously poor ability to rehydrate after becoming dehydrated. It appears we lack the capacity to take in and retain fluids at the same rate that fluids are lost as sweat. One reason for this is that maximal sweat rate is greater than maximal gastric emptying rate (that is, the rate at which fluids leave the stomach). Hence, on a very hot day, even with appropriate fluid intake, we will always suffer some degree of dehydration. Secondly, the sensation of thirst is a poor indicator of our hydration status. In fact, if you feel thirsty, you are already in a state of dehydration. Thus, there are specific guidelines that should be followed to ensure fluids are adequately replaced after an exercise bout in hot weather.

The primary electrolytes that are lost in sweat are sodium and potassium. When meals are consumed, adequate amounts of these minerals are present so that the composition of the drink becomes unimportant. However, it is important that fluids be available during meals since most of us rehydrate during and after meals. In the absence of food, more complete rehydration can be accomplished when fluids contain electrolytes (especially sodium) compared to plain water. One way to ensure complete rehydration after an exercise bout is to weigh yourself without clothes before and after exercise. For each pound of body weight lost during exercise, drink 2 cups of fluid. Drink a rehydration beverage containing sodium and 6-8% glucose (these compounds are present in appropriate amounts in most sport drinks such as Gatorade, All Sport etc.). Drink 2-3 cups of fluid 2 hrs before practice or competition. Drink 1-2 cups of fluid 15-30 minutes prior to the event.

Fluid Replacement During Exercise

Without adequate fluid replacement during prolonged exercise, core body temperature and heart rate will be higher compared to a well-hydrated condition. During exercise, voluntary drinking only replaces about 2/3 of the body water lost as sweat. It is quite common for people to dehydrate by 2-6% of their body weight during exercise in the heat despite the availability of adequate amounts of fluid. One factor that determines the rate at which fluids leave the stomach is the volume of fluid in the gut. The larger the volume, the faster the fluid leaves. Therefore, to promote gastric emptying, it is advantageous to maintain a high volume of fluid in the stomach that can be tolerated in the stomach during exercise. The best way to maintain a high volume of fluid in the stomach is to drink small amounts of fluid regularly throughout the athletic event. Since everyone has a different ability to tolerate high gastric volumes, it is important to learn your tolerance level at various exercise intensities and durations during a training run/walk and then use this information for a race. Approximately 1 cup of fluid every 15-20 min during training and competition should be adequate at maintaining a high stomach volume and limit dehydration.

Recently, there was an article in the Fresno Bee about hydrating. The take home message was that too much hydrating can be a bad thing. This information is misleading. What is important is the composition of the hydrating fluid. Taking in only water during a long event such as Kaiser (or for that matter, any event lasting more then an hour) in hot conditions can potentially dilute the body’s sodium levels (since sodium is a major electrolyte lost in sweat). But drinking fluid that contains electrolytes prevents this problem and it is almost impossible to hyperhydrate (overhydrate) while exercising.

There is no doubt that proper hydration prior to, during and after training is as important as the training itself. Drinking an electrolyte drink with carbohydrate replaces fluids more completely and more quickly compared to water alone. Always practice drinking a particular beverage during training to ensure that you will not suffer stomach cramps or other adverse effects during competition. Good Luck and Happy Hydrating!!!!

 

Goal Setting – By Felicia Gomez, Ph.D.

As with most athletes, each racing/training season has its ups and downs. As an exercise physiologist, most of my articles tend to be more “scientific” and related to proper training and/or nutrition. However, as I reflect on my past few seasons and think about 2006 with the majority of races or events still to come, one thing I have realized is that in order to go to the next level, my training needs to be more structured and setting goals is an important part of what my training will look like. In the last newsletter, I gave some pretty specific training advice that would help you structure your workouts. However, it occurred to me that in order to structure training effectively, one must have goals. For some of you, the 2005 season may have been your best one yet, for others, perhaps there were some disappointments. Either way, with most of us focusing on the upcoming season (if spring ever gets here!!!), it is time to look at our performances from the past and set new goals for the upcoming season. This year, I switched coaches, and one of the first things he asked me to do, was to sit down and map out my goals for the 2006 racing season So, this is something I have already done for myself and it has dictated which races I do and how my training is structured. I truly believe that in order to be successful at whatever it is you do (riding, or in other aspects of life), you must have goals. The following guidelines are pieces of “wisdom” that I have taken from various sources and use for myself.

One of the biggest training mistakes people make when setting a goal is that it is not specific enough. The best goals are specific goals. Whether this means you want to log in a certain number of miles per week, or year, or you have a particular time in mind for a certain distance, the more precise the goal, the better.

Secondly, goals need to be action-oriented. That is, you need to plan how you are going to achieve your goal. Again, just like the goal itself, the strategies you choose need to be specific. For example, if you would like your average speed for a century to be over 16 miles per hour, you need to figure out the number of days per week you will train, the number of miles you need to run and the type of “speed” sessions you need to do.

Goals also need to be realistic. It is fine to have “lofty” goals, however, if you are currently riding an average speed of 15 mph, and you find 17 mph on flat roads for any distance difficult, trying to ride a sub-6 hour century over hilly terrain this year may be setting yourself up for a huge disappointment (either that, or injury). You need to know what you are capable of achieving and know your potential.
Fourthly, goals need to be measurable. For example, an average speed over a certain distance with similar terrain is measurable. You do an event, the clock and your speedometer tell you whether or not you have reached your goal.

And lastly, you need to have a realistic time line for your goal. How long do you have before you want to ride that sub 6-hour century? Again, that will depend upon you being realistic about where are you now. How much time do you have to put into your training? If you are currently only riding 50-60 miles per week and can only fit in 3 days per week of training, you will need to give yourself a lot more time to get ready to meet that goal vs. if you are currently riding 100-150 miles/week and are putting in some longer rides on the weekends. Your past performances can give you an indication of your future performances. There is nothing wrong with setting high goals, however, if your goals are too high, you will end up being disappointed and discouraged.

Happy Goal Setting for 2006!!!!

 

Carbohodrate: The "Energy Food" for Athletes - By Felicia Gomez, Ph.D.

Most of you have heard of the Food Guide Pyramid (FGP). However, how many of you have thought about its application to you as an athlete, in particular, endurance running and walking? The bottom (or base) of the FGP advocates at least 6 servings per day of whole grains, cereals and breads. In nutrition terms, this means complex carbohydrate. The next layer of the FGP is fruits and vegetables. Once again, the primary nutrient in these food groups is carbohydrate. Not only are carbohydrates important for the health of the average person, but this nutrient is the most important energy source for an endurance athlete. It is the primary fuel source for muscles during intense workouts and races. In order for muscles to contract and perform at their optimal level, they must have ample carbohydrate available to them. Thus, carbohydrate is an athlete’s most valuable fuel source and should make up the greatest percentage of calories in their diet.

The United States Dietetics Association suggest that 55% of a typical diet should be composed of carbohydrate. As an athlete, this percent should be closer to 65-70%. The remainder of an athlete’s diet should be 15% protein and 10-15% fat. Unfortunately, the typical American eats 50% of their calories from carbohydrate (most of these calories are in the form of pastries and soft drinks), 34% from fat and the remaining 16% from protein. There are enough calories from fat in the human body to run 4 consecutive marathons. However, as anyone who has ever done any type of an endurance event knows, there is not enough carbohydrate stored in the muscle or liver to last the duration of even one marathon. This fact, once again, emphasizes the importance of carbohydrate for optimal performance.

There are several ways to ensure adequate carbohydrate storage in the body. Athletes should eat a high carbohydrate diet on a daily basis. Consecutive days of high intensity workouts or workouts of long duration lead to the depletion of the body’s carbohydrate stores. By ensuring your diet is consistently made up of healthy carbohydrate sources, you can maintain adequate carbohydrate stores. Another method for maintaining carbohydrate levels is to drink a carbohydrate/electrolyte solution while participating in any workout or race longer than 1 hour. This will help maintain hydration and also blood sugar levels. A third way to avoid carbohydrate depletion is to eat a meal high in carbohydrates within 30 min of completing a particularly hard or long workout. The enzymes in muscles which are responsible for storing carbohydrate are most active within this time frame. This meal should then be followed by the ingestion of more carbohydrates approximately 1.5-2 hrs later.

The following table outlines the importance and rationale for carbohydrate intake at various times.

 

	RATIONALE	CARBOHYDRATE
DAILY	To maximize daily muscle carbohydrate stores	55%-70% total caloric intake (~350-500g/day)
BEFORE EXERCISE	To enhance carbohydrate availability	Light carbohydrate snack 1-2 hours prior to practice
DURING EXERCISE	To provide an additional source of carbohydrate and fuel during practice	Ingest carbohydrate through a carbohydrate/electrolyte drink
RECOVERY	To speed up early recovery after practice or competition	Within 30 min. of activity, eat/drink carbohydrates followed by another mail containing carbohydrates within 2 hrs

By ensuring adequate carbohydrate ingestion on a daily basis and playing close attention to your diet at particular times of your workout or race, your performance can be optimized.