Bike Nutrition Guide
Fat Loss For Cyclists
While minimising body fat can aid speed for any cyclist, it has to be carried out sensibly and safely.
The
first step to realistic, performance-enhancing weight loss is gaining an
accurate understanding of your body composition. When looking at body
composition from a health perspective, it’s important to take into
account aspects such as height, waist and Body Mass Index (BMI), which
measures weight in relation to height to calculate whether a person is
a ‘safe’ weight.
But for an athlete it’s more complex,
because such measurements don’t distinguish between lean mass (muscle)
and fat mass, making them potentially misleading. An elite cyclist may
appear underweight compared to ‘normal values’ [or BMI], whereas a body
builder may appear obese. Neither of these conclusions would be true.
Mineral
weight, which includes bone, is relatively constant but fat mass,
muscle mass and water mass can change. performance. Athletes looking
to lose weight need to minimise fat but maintain muscle mass.
After
checking your body composition you should only aim to shift any excess
weight slowly and steadily. It’s important that weight loss is modest
and is no more than approximately 1lb to 2lb per week. This can be
achieved by reducing energy intake by about 500Kcal per day. Any more
than that will likely result in impaired performance and loss of muscle
mass.
It’s important not only to think about daily
calorie intake but also the amount of each macronutrient (protein,
carbohydrate and fat) consumed. The body will oxidise more
carbohydrate and protein when an excess is consumed. However, an
excess of dietary fat will not immediately increase the rate of
oxidation and is more likely to be stored as fat. The amount of
carbohydrate that should be consumed will vary depending on the volume
of exercise undertaken.
For those with a light training
programme (less than an hour a day of low intensity exercise) 5-7g of
carbohydrates per kg of body mass per day, but for a cyclist
undertaking an extreme exercise programme (more than four to five hours
of moderate to high intensity cycling such as a stage race),10-12g of
carbohydrate per kg of body mass per day is recommended. In real terms,
a piece of bread has approximately 20g of carbohydrate, and 50g of
dry-weight rice has about 30g of carbohydrate.
Cyclists
should also eat five to six small meals per day and make sure they
refuel immediately post-workout by consuming 1g of carbohydrates per kg
of body mass. They should also maintain hydration by drinking one
litre of water for every 1,000Kcals consumed daily, as well as by
consuming fluids during training. One litre of fluid is just under two
pints and most people who exercise intensely will probably need three
litres a day, but this will vary. It’s also important to avoid high fat
food and alcohol, which are energy dense and will increase storage of
body fat.
High quality protein – or proteins that contain
all the essential amino acids in the proportions required by the body –
include salmon, chicken, steak, milk and yogurt. High quality
carbohydrates include vegetables, wholegrain rice, wholemeal bread and
pasta (as opposed to poor quality carbohydrates such as white bread,
crisps and biscuits).
A typical diet for a professional cyclist
would be porridge for breakfast, which gives the athlete good quality
carbohydrates and protein, as well as fibre in the oats and minerals in
the milk.
Before even thinking about losing weight it’s
important to ensure that you’re only losing fat if you need to, and can
safely do so. A good starting point is to get an accurate measurement
of your body composition, accompanied by some professional advice about
how much you should safely aim to lose. Some private gyms offer this
service, while a number of universities have labs accredited by the
British Association of Sport and Exercise Science (BASES) and will
offer fairly inexpensive physiological profiling tailored to your needs.
One
of the cheapest ways to measure body fat is a method called
bioelectrical impedance, which sends an electrical current through the
body. Muscle is 70-75 percent water, but fat stores very little, if
any, water. Water conducts electricity so if you send that current
through the body you can measure how easily it’s passed through. The
software then predicts how much fat and lean tissue you’re carrying.
Athletes
will benefit from more in-depth measurements to distinguish between
muscle and fat. One of the most common methods is skin-fold
measurement. This is fairly accurate but it does depend on the skill of
the person taking the measurements. The International Society for the
Advancement of Kinanthropometry (ISAK) has developed international
standards for this sort of Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) is
arguably the gold standard. This method uses a scanner to measure
muscle, bone and fat based on density. The basic principle is that
bone is denser than muscle, which is in turn more dense than fat. More
X-rays will be able to pass through muscle than bone, and through fat
than muscle. This means an accurate breakdown of body composition can
be gathered from a scan and tracked over time.
Studies have
found that professional cyclists need between 4,000 and 8,000 calories
a day while stage racing. Compare that to the recommended 2,550 daily
calorie intake for men. When off the bike, it’s a case of eating a
big, big 1,500-2,000 calorie low fat, high carb breakfast; post-ride
carb/protein recovery drinks and snacks, and a huge, usually
pasta-lean, protein-vegetable, calorie-rich dinner.
Top 10 low-fat, high-energy foods
Wholewheat pasta
Wholegrain rice
Potatoes
Wholegrain bread
Fruit
Vegetables
Quinoa ('keen-wa')
Porridge
Muesli
Weetabix
10 top myths of fat loss
1
Rapid weight loss is good: Rapid weight loss is often due to
dehydration followed by loss of functional lean muscle mass that
contributes to the largest component of weight lost. This will result
in a reduction in performance.
2 Going without breakfast
will aid weight loss: Skipping meals will reduce your metabolic rate
and lower your glycogen stores (carbohydrate energy in the muscles and
liver). It’s important that you feed your muscles regularly to aid
performance so that you don’t overeat later in the day and risk excess
storage of fat.
3 Reducing carbohydrate considerably will
aid weight loss: If carbohydrate stores are low you will fatigue faster
and recovery time will increase. You may also risk the loss of muscle
as it starts to be broken down as a source of fuel.
4
Avoiding dietary fat completely will assist weight loss: Dietary fat
plays an integral role in maintaining optimal function at rest and
during physical activity. Reducing the intake of dietary fat too much
can hinder performance and, therefore, weight loss.
5
Using sweat bags or saunas will aid weight loss: This will only lead to
dehydration, which results in a reduction in performance, further
hindering weight loss.
6 Lifting weights will bulk you up
and not aid weight loss: Resistance training should form an important
part of your fat loss plan to increase energy expenditure and build
more muscle. Muscle tissue is very metabolically active and will
increase your resting metabolic rate.
7 Fad diets are
good: Fad diets often lead to a yo-yo effect of weight loss and weight
regain. Restricting certain food groups so severely also means you will
lose muscle and lower your metabolic rate, which makes it harder to
achieve further fat loss.
8 Eating after 8pm is bad:
Fuelling your muscles after exercise is really important. Low glycogen
stores lead to poor recovery and reduced performance on subsequent
training sessions. This in turn reduces energy expenditure and fat loss.
9
Muscle can be converted to fat: Muscle and fat are two different tissue
types. An increase in physical activity will cause an increase in
muscle tissue and a decrease in fat tissue.
10 A high consumption of dietary protein will lead to large gains in skeletal muscle: As long as there is adequate protein in the diet, muscle will adapt and hypertrophy (get bigger). A consumption of more than 2g of protein per kg of body weight will not lead to greater gains in muscle mass but may increase fat storage.
Cycling Foods For Power and Speed
1 Breakfast
Always
eat before starting your morning training. Sleeping depletes the
liver’s store of glycogen, which is the major store of carbohydrate for
blood sugar regulation. When this is reduced, your blood sugar level
drops and fatigue sets in, making concentration difficult –
particularly disadvantageous if you’re using your training session to
learn a new technique. Look for foods high in carbohydrate, low in
protein and low in fat and, so you don’t compromise on your sleep,
choose foods you can eat on the go such as a jam sandwich or sports bar.
2 Bioflavonoids
Bioflavonoids
are naturally occurring chemicals found in foods, which have been shown
to protect against heart disease and high blood pressure, and regulate
blood sugar levels. However, for already healthy athletes the big
benefit may be that they also stimulate the production of mitochondria
in the muscle. Mitochondria are the engine rooms of muscle cells, and
the more you have, the bigger the engine. Bioflavonoids are found in
fruit, veg and salad, so rather than having five portions a day, you’ll
need to eat double that.
3 Prawns
Prawns are a
fantastic source of protein and omega 3 fatty acids. They’re also an
excellent food source of the amino acid beta alanine, which has a
number of roles in the body. It’s a fuel for the creation of a
dipeptide called carnosine, which is a potent antioxidant and works in
the muscle to increase the ability of the body to cope with the acid
produced by exercise. Beta alanine can also increase your ventilatory
threshold and improve sprint performance.
4 Protein
Protein
improves your post-ride recovery – try a yoghurt after a short ride or
a milkshake or carbohydrate-and-protein recovery drink after a longer
effort. However, don't overdo it – anyone eating a balanced diet and
taking in enough calories is already likely to be consuming enough
protein. (Cyclists need just 1.2-1.4g of protein per kilo of bodyweight
per day.) There's also evidence that too much protein can have an
appetite-suppressing effect, which may prevent you eating enough
carbohydrate to keep your glycogen levels topped up.
5 Milk
If
there is such thing as a superfood it’s got to be milk. It’s an amazing
source of protein, contains good carbohydrate and provides a range of
vitamins and minerals. When you’re training hard, drink one to two
pints a day. This sounds a lot, but you’ll feel the difference when you
recover quicker and get through tough training blocks.
6 Green tea
Green
tea is an excellent source of antioxidants. Drinking green tea has many
health benefits and, most importantly for cycling performance, seems to
increase the amount of fat you use as a fuel. Research in mice has
revealed that green tea can delay fatigue at a given intensity.
7 Glucose and fructose
Recent
research has shown that a mixture of glucose and fructose drinks during
exercise can improve performance by eight percent when compared to a
glucose drink alone. This is a pretty big improvement in performance.
To ensure you’re using the best sports drink available, don’t make your
choice based on flavour alone – check the label to make sure it
contains a mixture of glucose or maltodextrins and fructose.
8 Caffeine
Caffeine
has consistently been shown to improve performance. The most likely
mechanism by which it works is by stimulating the central nervous
system into working a little harder. Caffeinated gels are readily
available – use one during a ride to boost performance. Having around
2-3mg per kilo of body weight one hour before a race will also be
beneficial.
9 Fish oils
When we lived in caves
and hunted for food, we ate healthy fats omega 3 and omega 6 in a ratio
of 2:1. These days it’s around 1:20, the consequences of which are slow
recovery and increased fatigue. Taking a fish-oil supplement or eating
oily fish three to four times a week can restore our bodies back to how
they should be.
10 Nitrates
Nitrates are
naturally occurring substances that stimulate the production of nitric
oxide, leading to a widening of the muscle capillaries. This allows
more blood to flow through the muscles, increasing the supply of
oxygen, nutrients and the removal of waste products. This improvement
in muscle blood flow may enhance recovery, particularly when training
hard. There may also be a direct benefit on performance. High-nitrate
foods include beetroot, spinach, celery and rocket.
11 Nuts and seeds
Nuts
and seeds are good sources of essential fatty acids. As already
mentioned, omega 3 and 6 are essential, but omega 9 fatty acids are
also important. They help decrease inflammation and enhance recovery.
Look to eat a handful of nuts – such as almonds, peanuts, pecans,
pistachios, cashews and hazelnuts – and seeds – such as sesame and
pumpkin – each day and you’ll recover quicker.
12 Quinoa
Quinoa
is a grain-like crop crown primarily for its edible seeds. It
originates from South America and is the traditional food of the
indigenous South American population. High in iron, magnesium and
fibre, quinoa has excellent nutritional value and contains a balanced
set of essential amino acids, making it one of the few vegetables to
offer a complete protein source. It’s also a low glycaemic index
carbohydrate, so is an excellent choice for those looking to control
their body weight.
13 Carbohydrates
There are carbohydrate sensors in the mouth that stimulate the brain into working harder. Using a carbohydrate mouth rinse can decrease a 40km time trial time by over a minute. But possibly the biggest benefit is during training. Consuming sports drinks and gels during hard training can be uncomfortable. Just swilling the gel around your mouth will help you maintain the training intensity.
Fast Recovery From Hard Bike Rides
The first priority after hard exercise is replacing lost fluid. It’s not just what you eat and drink after a tough ride but when you consume it that affects your subsequent performance.
Minimise aches and pains and enhance your results by refuelling your muscles correctly and stimulating repair, recovery and fitness adaptations.
15 minutes: Hydration
With endurance cycling, it’s critical to kickstart recovery as soon as your ride is over. Your first priority is to replace lost fluid. The rule of thumb is to drink a couple of glasses of water for every pound of weight lost. In addition, a sports recovery drink is an effective way to start replenishing muscle glycogen. Look for one with carbs and protein to promote muscle growth and reduce breakdown.
30 minutes: Carbs and proteins
After rehydration, you need to start replenishing energy stores. Studies show that muscles are most receptive to rebuilding glycogen reserves within the first 30 minutes after exercise. If you’ve driven to an event, leave a snack in the car for after your ride. Don’t just focus on carbs either, choose snacks containing roughly 1g of protein for every 4g of carbs. Many sports drinks are designed specifically for recovery and include additional nutrients such as glutamine and branched chain amino acids as well. Power or health bars containing nuts, seeds and dried fruit are another option. Alternatively, have a smoothie with a scoop of whey protein, peanut butter covered bagel and a banana, a bowl of cereal with a scoop of protein powder and raisins, or a pot of cottage cheese and some fruit. If you can’t stomach solid food after a ride, opt for chocolate milk: it’s a good source of protein, carbs and B vitamins.
120 minutes: A good meal
Once you’ve showered and dressed, eat something more substantial. This should include some lean protein such as chicken, tuna or tofu in order to repair damaged muscle tissues, along with some complex carbs such as wholegrain pasta, rice, or sweet potato to restore glycogen levels. Ensure your plate is full of fruit and vegetables too, for restocking on antioxidants such as vitamins A, C, E, zinc, selenium and omega 3s. These will help protect your cells against free radical damage.
Also note that while training hard may improve your sense of wellbeing, it can deplete you of important nutrients (glutamine, electrolytes, antioxidants, essential fats and so on), which lowers your immune function. Drink berry-rich juices too: CherryActive is a popular sports recovery drink and contains high levels of flavonoids, specifically anthocyanins, which work to reduce the body’s inflammatory response to intense exercise. Another option is green tea – cold or hot, it’s rich in antioxidants and contains catechins thought to aid fat loss.
Recovery supplements
If you're still feeling sore or sluggish after fuelling well, try a high quality multivitamin and mineral formula with antioxidants and these key nutrients:
> Glutamine – the most abundant amino acid in the blood and skeletal muscles. Depletion leaves the body susceptible to infections and fatigue. Take as a powder mixed with water or juice.
> Magnesium – an electrolyte and an essential component of more than 300 enzyme reactions in the body. Low levels can contribute to muscle fatigue and soreness. Available as a powder or capsule.
> Omega 3 fats – these generate anti-inflammatories, so try taking a daily teaspoon of a high quality fish oil.
