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Optimizing tomorrows workout today - a guide to recovery
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Carbohydrates - the sweet taste of recovery
The first article in this series introduced the importance of recovery and hydration to a training program. This article will look at performance gains realized from the second major nutritional component of recovery which is carbohydrate intake. Every workout that you undergo is unique as far as intensity, mode, duration, recovery time between efforts etc. So logically a one size fits all recovery regimen will prove less than ideal when it comes to maximizing your performance. Adhering to prescribed recommendations (i.e.1 gram of carbohydrates per kilogram of bodyweight) after every workout can lead to unnecessary weight gain or possibly fail to replenish all the nutrients that were lost.
To truly master the art of recovery
it's far better to develop a conceptual grasp of basic sports nutrition principles and tune them in to your training and bodies unique physiology. The following tips will get you headed down the right path. After an intense workout it is absolutely essential to replenish glycogen stores. Think of carbohydrates as super high octane fuel that your body calls upon in a linear relationship to exercise intensity. The harder you go the more you burn through this premium fuel. As mentioned in previous articles I’m not a big fan of low carb diets for several reasons. Near the top of the list is the fact that without proper carbohydrate ingestion muscle and liver glycogen stores are quickly depleted and exercise performance and recovery drops through the floor. This was clearly demonstrated in the 2000 Tour de France when Lance Armstrong famously bonked after passing up a feed zone to catch Marco Pantani; he almost lost the Tour that day.
It is vital to begin consuming carbohydrates as soon as you have completed a training session to ensure your body is topped off with glycogen. Studies have shown that the body opens up a “window” immediately following exercise where carbohydrates consumed are converted and stored as glycogen at 3-4 times the normal rate. This window begins closing soon afterwards and is decreased by about half within 2 hours and by the time 4 hours have passed the opportunity is lost. The best way to take advantage of this storage window is to consume easily digestible simple carbohydrates (glucose, sometimes fructose, sucrose) without fat. Consuming fat decreases gastric emptying which basically means that it slows the rate at which your body absorbs calories. Conversely the addition of some quickly absorbing protein (whey protein powder) during this time will boost the storage effect. The take home message is that the best way to refuel is to consume somewhere around 1 gram of protein to every 4 grams of carbohydrates in the form of a drink as soon as you get off the bike.
There are several different theories and equations regarding the proper
ammount of carbohydratesto be consumed during this time period but as mentioned before it’s not quite that simple. Studies have found that the maximum amount of carbs that the body can store tops off somewhere around 1.5 to 2 grams of carbohydrates per kg of bodyweight per hour. This amount also depends on the intensity and duration of the training. During a slow hour long recovery ride at say 55% of exercise capacity, the body burns a greater percentage of fat than carbohydrates. Taking in massive amounts of simple carbs will have a minimal impact on glycogen storage and can lead to weight gain. On the other had a two or three hour ride in the upper limits of your training threshold (even with carb supplementation) will really tap into your glycogen stores and necessitate the need to maximize carbohydrate intake post workout. Now that we have dispensed with some of the basics the next article will delve into the specifics and explore other nutrients that can set your training level to maximum stoke!