Pre-Training Fueling

Adam Kelinson, April 5, 2006 –Any long-course triathlete that has spent time trying to understand nutrition may easily feel as if they are trapped within a complex web. But this web does not have to be a fatal trap if viewed holistically. The correct answer lies in understanding the interrelationship of how each part relates to the whole. In doing so, you will increase the chances of not becoming another race fatality. The wrong answer lies in focusing too much or disregarding any particular area which creates an imbalance that the other parts and overall whole are sure to suffer from. Understand that each area is linked to all the others and your holistic approach will provide the confidence needed to get the most out of your training. In order to implement this holistic approach one has to take the time to understand the individual components and pre-training fueling is one of them.
Adequate fueling prior to training is a crucial requirement to meet the energy demands for the rigors of training. In doing so, what to eat, how much to consume, and when are all equally important, to consider. Overseeing all of this is and exercise nutrition in general is, ’what goes in the body reflects what comes out of the body’! Being able to make the right food and fuel choices gives an athletes body the best opportunity to respond to the training and racing demands that are asked of it. Ironman distance triathletes are akin to high-performance sports cars; both require top level fuel and care for them to run at their peak. Once your diet is based in a diversity of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, healthy fats and lean meats and your fueling choice is void of simple sugars with a good source of carbohydrates; you can fine tune the rest.

Viewing nutrition holistically will provide one with the perspective to understand that pre-training fueling actually begins with post-training replenishment. For those who are in the cycle of two a day or back-to-back workouts this should be a mantra. For the body to adequately use the fuel provided before a workout it needs to be in an optimally recovered state first. There is no dispute to the fact that eating prior to workouts improves training but, what to eat may be something that is individual specific. Most studies suggest the intake be based primarily in complex carbohydrates because they are easy to digest and provide the body with sustained energy. Studies have also long since determined that complex carbs are the body’s first choice for endurance energy. Simple carbohydrates or sugars are not recommended as they may cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and can impede performance. Each individual body differs in its response and sensitivity to foods so use this information as a guideline and then make the personal adjustments as necessary.

The best sources for complex carbs in a sports drink or meal are maltodextrin or glucose polymers. Try to avoid sports ‘foods’ that use simple sugars as their source of carbs such as fructose and sucrose, these traditionally create negative glycemic response in the body and impede performance. Sports foods are not the only option for pre-training fueling albeit they are easy to prepare and consume. The first choice should be in having as much real food as possible in your diet. Cooked whole grains like brown rice, quinoa and those used for breads such as spelt, barley, and whole wheat are great choices. Pasta, bananas, cereal, and plain bagels are also good sources of complex carbs but avoid those that are high in fiber as they typically create gastro-intestinal distress and are more difficult to digest. High fiber carbs may also create a need for an unplanned bathroom stop. The important thing to keep in mind here, as with your entire nutrition and fueling plan, is to mimic in training what you will do on race day. This, of course, needs to be adjusted to your time schedule but having this in mind will enhance the opportunity for racing success. Nothing is perfect but an effort at consistency between training and racing is very important to consider.

Protein and unhealthy fats should be kept at a minimum for pre-training fuel. Protein is important as it helps carry the carbs into the muscles, helps with muscle repair and recovery and is also a minor source of energy for the body. But, the amount should be kept at minimum. Make sure the protein is very lean, does not contain a lot of saturated fats and comes from a good source. Healthy fats, such as those that are considered ‘essential,’ because our bodies do not produce them, are extremely important to an athlete’s diet and need to be included. These come from oils such as flaxseed, fish and hempseed along with cold water fish like mackerel, bluefish, and tuna. Avoid those fats that are ‘trans’ or ‘saturated.’ These are the fats that are solid at room temperature like those that are contained in red meat, fast-food, and sweet snacks. These will slow down the digestive system, inhibit the body’s ability to increase its heart-rate, and along with protein is a poor source of primary fuel for endurance athletes. The body does use fat as an energy source to ‘fuel the carbohydrate flame’ but high fat ingestion will hamper the bodies’ ability to do this. As with any meal the pre-training fuel should be based in complex carbs (55-60%), healthy fats (20-25%), protein (10-15%) and accompanied by a whole source of veggies.

Knowing what to eat is one part of the equation, but how much is determined by the individual. This is going to be based on two important areas: what your overall caloric requirements are for a day and the intensity of the training. Use the guidelines from last month’s newsletter to get your daily caloric intake or source out this information from a trained professional. Once an individual has this information the next step is to determine the intensity of the training session and then figure out how much they should eat. A lot of this information needs to come from personal trial and error and having nutrition as part of one’s training log makes it that much easier. From that a good rule of thumb is to use your hourly caloric intake while training and then double it for your pre-training fuel. Ideally, one should consume between 200-400 calories provided they are done so at the right time.

The element that ties all of this together is timing. What you eat, what form you consume it in, and how much are all predicated on personal timing. What factors and individual has in their life: family, work, relationships, play and how they manage those elements makes pre-training fueling even that much more individual specific. To add even one more factor, digestive or stomach tolerance will also play a big role in determining one’s nutritional plan.

Ideally, pre-training fueling should take place three or more hours prior to its start. This will allow the body enough digestive time to assimilate the nutrients and glycogen as well as empty the stomach of its contents. This also gives the body enough time to regain its hormonal balance after any blood sugar and insulin response the body may have had. In addition, by consuming enough complex carbs and allowing enough time for digestion after eating the body can favor the use of carbs as fuel as opposed to fats or protein. If your body is particularly sensitive to having a glycemic response keeping your meals between 3 and 4 hours before training is very important. Eating less than three hours prior to training is a must for a lot of busy athletes and there are options for those who find themselves in this category.

Ultimately, it will come down to an individuals digestive tolerance as to what they can eat but it is suggested to consume the most easily digestible form of carbs and foods possible. In general, the best options will come from sports drinks or meals that can be mixed with water. If you are going to be eating 2hours prior to training then a good guideline is to consume .5grams of carbs per pound of bodyweight. Eating within 30-60 minutes before training is truly a last resort but one that many have to live with. If you are one of these people there are a few things you should consider. Eating this close to training can create a rise in blood glucose and insulin levels which would subsequently follow with a drop. To avoid this one can aim to consume over 70 grams of carbs to offset this or wait until 5-10 minutes before you are going to start and eat 100-200 calories at this time. Waiting till the last minutes will give your body time to begin your training session and will not have a negative affect on glycogen depletion.

As with all nutrition components there are some basic guidelines and strategies that are important to understand, but at the end of the day they all need to be adjusted specifically to your body and lifestyle. What works for one does not necessarily work for all and nutrition highlights this concept.

 

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