NUTRITION TRAINING (Endurance Only) PART I

NUTRITION TRAINING (Endurance Only) PART I

Not sure how many parts I’m going to make, but this is a BIG deal! A lot of why people feel like crap during their workouts is because they haven’t fueled appropriately, got enough rest, and/or didn’t hydrate well. I’m going to start out with 3 basic questions you should ask yourself daily if you are an ENDURANCE runner.

1. How can I increase my energy storage in my muscles & liver?

By eating enough carbs routinely!
If you are a morning runner, eat about 15-25g of carbs before your workout, if it’s intense eat on the higher side. It will help fuel your workout/run without breaking down muscle mass.
Your liver stores will be low due to sleeping & fueling your breathing & other organs.
Also, if you worked out the day before and haven’t stocked up on your glycogen stores by eating appropriately your muscle stores could be low in glycogen too.
Remember glycogen is your GAS TANK…Keep that baby FULL!!!

2. How can I utilize fat as a fuel source efficiently?

Eat fat further away from training due to its long and complicated digestive process. Nobody likes an upset belly!!
Fats are difficult to tap into, but long slow training is where fat is most used as a fuel source more than carbohydrates; however, you will still need some carbs in this process.
So RUN SLOW – When the workout calls for it!!! It’s a MARATHON not a SPRINT!!

3. How can I facilitate muscle recovery?

Through protein and adequate rest.
Eat protein throughout the day instead of bulking at one meal. It will keep you fuller, and it can be properly used for effective muscle building & repair.
Ex. Female Athlete weighing 115lbs needs about 80g/day
Breakdown Meals: B’fast: 20g Snack: 5g Lunch: 25g Snack: 5g Dinner: 25g
To keep it simple, and this isn’t an exact science, because all our bodies are different. Here is a calculation on how to determine roughly how much protein you would need per day.

1. Take your weight in pounds.

2. Divide that number by 2.2 to determine your weight in kg.

3. Multiply that number by 1.2-1.8 grams to determine your daily protein needs.

Also, Tart cherry juice has been shown to help with inflammation and recovery. I recommend Cheribundi. (http://www.cheribundi.com/)
Other ways are by taking your rest days for the week, making sure you are getting adequate amounts of sleep, and hydrating appropriately.

Watch out for my next blog on implementing your nutrition training based on your workouts!!!!