Nutrition Article
In my last article I looked into how psychology plays a big part in learning skills and performing well on the bike. Another area that is often overlooked and little attention paid is to nutrition. When I am talking to riders, many know that a 'good diet' is important and is an area for them to address, but does it make any difference to how you perform when you're out on the track?
The food we eat contains energy that is broken down and released by the body with the aim of satisfying energy requirements caused by day-to-day physical tasks. So, as a rider who puts themselves through considerable physical effort in training and racing, it is logical to expect your nutritional needs to be increased from those who are fairly sedentary.
We have two main sources of energy in our body- carbohydrates (examples include pasta, rice, beans, potatoes, bananas and bread) and fats (saturated fats, which increase cholesterol- cream, butter, cream cheese, lard and un-saturated fats such as nuts, oils, salad dressing). Both of these sources can be broken down by the body to produce useable sources of energy for us. Fat fit's the bill as a very efficient fuel store remarkably well. It has a high energy content, is stable when stored, yet is still readily mobilised to be broken down when required. Carbohydrate is also an efficient fuel store, but it is stored with water, whereas fat is stored in droplets, so fat has a higher density of energy compared to carbohydrate. However, carbohydrate has a 10% higher energy yield per litre of oxygen used, when compared to fat and is broken down at a higher rate allowing exercise to be sustained at a higher intensity.
The choice of fuel used by the body is determined by numerous factors including type of exercise, intensity level, state of training and also diet. For motocross riders who are subject to high intensity, medium duration exercise carbohydrate is the primary fuel required. However, those who regularly train will be able to utilise a higher proportion of fat as fuel when riding, preserving carbohydrate stores allowing you to ride at a higher intensity for longer. This is similar for Enduro riders, but in this event diet is a critical factor as carbohydrate stores are under threat of depletion during the event so in order to maintain a constant performance level, carbohydrate must be taken in during the event (from eating bananas, fig rolls, energy bars, energy drinks etc), otherwise you will be forced to rely on fat to provide the energy requirements and this happens at a much slower rate. This situation is commonly known as 'hitting the wall' and is the feeling of all of a sudden having nothing left to give. If you are running your pace slows to a shuffle, if you are on a pushbike you shift into the granny ring and say goodbye to the guys alongside and on a motorbike things can get dangerous and it is impossible to keep it pinned and attempt sections in a similar manner to when you weren't fatigued. Studies have shown that by taking on just 225ml of a 5% glucose solution every 15 minutes during exercise, it is sufficient to prevent blood sugar levels from falling during prolonged exercise (3 hours in the case of this study). This just goes to demonstrate how important nutrition is in this type of event and it may honestly make a huge difference to those riders who have the potential to succeed in these races but have not addressed this issue. It also answers the question for those who wonder whether energy drinks such as Lucozade do actually offer benefit.
While I am on the subject of sports drinks, many will want to know the possible benefits of drinks such as Redbull, and also that old burger van favourite, the humble Coke. Both of these drinks contain sugar (glucose) and caffeine. Caffeine has been shown to be effective in allowing muscle force to be restored when in a state of fatigue. This is very relevant for endurance performance. However, the levels of caffeine required are fairly high and the concentration of caffeine found in the blood after taking caffeine is generally too low to be of great effect but interestingly there is no limit set by UK Sport (who govern anti-doping regulations for motocross in the UK) for caffeine intake. Caffeine does also have other beneficial functions for an athlete; it increases fat metabolism, thus helping to spare carbohydrate stores and as you are probably aware, is a stimulant, so will keep you perky (If the noise of all those 4 strokes and the nerves don't do it for you!). It has also been shown to be effective in aiding performance in the heat. Caffeine is a diuretic, so it is important to realise that having a can of one of these drinks is not a substitute for water. You need to have a lot of water too (to be addressed later on). Some of my road cycling friends swear by Coke and as a regular follower of the Tour de France, I have often seen some of the most highly tuned athletes in the world supping on a coke as they ride through the Alps. Can't be a bad advert
There are some important points to remember when addressing diet issues, but the main message is simple; a varied, mixed diet is the best way to ensure that you take in sufficient amounts of carbohydrates, fats, proteins vitamins and minerals. There is no need for supplementation if you follow this and I would rarely recommend supplements to riders. I have not mentioned Protein (meat, fish, eggs, milk and cheese) up until now and that is because it is not a primary fuel source. It is only a source of fuel under certain fairly extreme circumstances. Protein forms the building blocks of the cells and is used in muscle repair. You may be surprised to hear that the requirements of the body for protein equates to about 1 gram of protein per Kilogram of body weight. So for a 70Kg male, the body 'only' requires 70grams of protein per day. This is usually easily covered by a normal dietary intake of the above examples of protein rich foods, so there is no need to take in expensive supplements as your body will not use this excess protein. If you are doing a lot of weights work in the gym, your body may require additional levels of protein, but this can easily be covered by a sensible increase in daily intake in your diet. There may be some of you who want to 'bulk up' and put on some muscle so you can go toe to toe with some of the beef cake riders you line up next to on the start line. This is when Creatine is often mentioned and is seen by some as a bit of a wonder substance to suddenly help you look like Arnie. Creatine (naturally found in meat) basically gives your body a higher potential to perform work at a very high intensity. So if you are lifting heavy weights, in theory you should be able to lift a heavier weight for a few more reps with an increase of Phosphocreatine stored in the muscle. It won't do the work for you. (Also, from a riding specific point of you, if this forms a big portion of your training you are looking in the wrong place for increased performance. More on this in a future article.) People sometimes do see an increased bulk or increased weight on the scales after a fairly short period of time. Alas, this is predominantly down to increased water retention caused by the Creatine intake and not an increase in muscle bulk.
Hydration
Another area to consider that will greatly effect your performance on the track is hydration. During a 90 minute ride, a cyclist can lose 5-6 litres of water from their body. They wear lycra shorts and vest tops, so just think about how much water you would lose after a days riding in the hot sun under your full face lid, goggles, thick pants, gloves and roost guard! Studies have shown that an athlete's performance will suffer detrimentally if they have a water loss, even if this is only 1% of body weight. You must drink lots of water throughout the day! If you're putting in long motos in training or are an Enduro rider I highly recommend using a Camelbak (a back pack system to carry up to 3 litres of fluid). They are a fantastically simple way to make sure you have all the water you need, hands free. Something else to be aware of is that thirst tells you that you are dehydrated. It is not a sign of impending dehydration, so don't wait until you are thirsty before drinking. Having cold bottles of water (or energy drink as mentioned previously) waiting for you when you finish is important. Prepare for riding by supping on a bottle throughout the morning. If your at a race you'll be peeing for England with nerves anyway so keep yourself topped up. Some people believe that you need to replace salt after exercise as your sweat contains salt. This is also sighted as a possible reason for suffering from cramps after prolonged exercise. This is not the case, as sweat is actually hypotonic, so the proportional concentration of salt in your body is actually increased. However, salt may be added in small amounts to drinks to aid the uptake of water into the blood stream. With regard to cramps, it is not fully clear what causes cramps, but dehydration will contribute. What is known is that when muscles are used repeatedly over a long time, they are subject to near constant electrical stimulation from nerves. After a prolonged period of time this can cause the muscle to spasm and cause cramp. So my advice would be to try and stretch your legs off when possible, dropping your heels towards the ground when riding will stretch the calf muscles and also help stretch the hamstrings and stop them from being in a constant contraction.
The correct diet building up to, and during a race weekend will put you in the best possible position to perform to your best. Eating carbohydrate rich meals building up to the weekend will increase your muscle carbohydrate stores and by keeping them topped up over the weekend will help you go faster for longer. One word of warning, don't eat a large meal in any proximity to a race. When at rest, blood flow is concentrated to the guts and vital organs, and this is great for digesting food. However, when you begin to exercise, there is a big shift of blood flow to the working muscles and away from this central area. Having a conflict between the stomach and the muscles will affect your performance and is one reason sighted for the dreaded 'stitch'. (Note that glucose uptake is not affected by this mechanism, so munching on a banana will not cause this.
Some riders want to lose weight and so want to limit their food intake to help them lose this weight. My advice is to look at what you eat over a week long period. By cutting out sweet, fatty snack foods and increasing exercise, even moderately, will lead to a good, steady weight loss. Do not be tempted to suddenly cut down on carbohydrate intake (don't even get me started on the Atkins diet). You may notice a sharp fall in weight initially, but this is because you are using up your liver and muscle carbohydrate stores. Not good for any athlete or rider. The decrease in this and the associated water decrease (as carbohydrate is stored with water) causes the noticed weight drop. As your stores replenish, this weight will gradually return.
If energy intake through food is less than energy expenditure through exercise, you will lose weight so the easiest way is to cut down slightly on food intake and increase exercise to keep weight under control. You will be surprised at how much difference cutting out those 11am chocolate biscuits will make and that is not a massive sacrifice is it?!
Nutrition plays an important part in allowing you the rider to train and perform to your full potential. It is especially relevant for Enduro riders and it is something that, with a bit of knowledge, is not hard to improve and the results will be noticeable on the bike.
There are certain areas I have not gone into detail with as I want to give a general overview of this subject and don't want to bog down with science. If you have any queries about any of the topics covered or any other aspect of your training, please visit www.mxfitness.co.uk or contact me at alan.milway@talk21.com for further information.
