Travelling can be a big part of the sport of triathlon – whether it is a few hours to a race or even overseas. The tricky logistics of nutrition, hydration and bike transport can really derail your ideal race. Our star Bindi athlete Brandon, travels regularly for races, so we pumped him for his best advice on avoiding the pitfalls such as dehydration, food poisoning and mechanicals.
Studies are showing us that dehydration can affect your mood, brain function and performance. Basically, even mild dehydration can lead to lowered mood, increased fatigue and a decline in your ability to think clearly. Given that the human body is made up of 60% water, the daily consumption of water is essential for our survival.
Every athlete knows that proper hydration and electrolyte balance are crucial to their training, but finding the right balance can be difficult, especially for new athletes who don’t yet have a natural feel for how much water or sports drink they need to stay hydrated and avoid muscle cramps. Luckily, there are several simple rules of thumb that athletes can use to get them off on the right foot. This guide will help you understand what electrolytes are, why you need them, how to determine if you’re dehydrated and the best ways to rehydrate yourself when necessary.
How much protein do we really need? As an athlete, it is vital that you ensure your protein intake is adequate and this particularly applies in the post training period. When exercising, the presence of adrenaline and absence of insulin results in muscle proteins breaking down to release amino acids. As muscle protein is breaking down, post-activity protein consumption is needed in order to repair muscle protein, increase muscle mass and form new enzymes. Here are 5 simple ways to ensure you optimise muscle repair and hit those protein targets…
During a long endurance event such as an Ironman race there is no question that you will need to fuel yourself well throughout the day. You body has limited stores of energy, and we know that consuming carbohydrates during exercise can improve your performance. We also know that not all carbs are created equal, and so when planning a race day strategy you may use a combination of drinks, gels, and solid food to get the nutrition you need. No one wants to run out of energy or have gut discomfort, so here are some solutions to keep these problems from affecting you on race day.
Every day there seems to be a new product on the market, many with incredible claims that are big on marketing and fresh appeal of new promises. It can be hard to know if they work, or for you to even find the time and resources to research their amazing product claims.
The first month of any Ironman training program can be very intense and a bit of a shock to the system! Along with managing new training routines, you will be asking how do I fuel for Ironman? Coaches will often set long slow rides with the aim of building an aerobic base, so this is the perfect time to start learning how to fuel yourself so you can achieve peak performance.
Have you made the big step of entering your first Ironman, and started thinking, what next?! Or, you may already have an Ironman event or a few under your belt, but you haven’t had the perfect race yet that you know you’re capable of. It’s natural to enter a race and start training enthusiastically, before you realise quickly that you will need a lot of nutrition to fuel it all! Enter our Ironman Nutrition Plan with the essential steps you need to fuel for training; from electrolytes to carbohydrates we have it all covered here.
It is quite simply the most common question we hear from you – what nutrition do I need to use in training? And more specifically, how much fluid, when to have carbs, what about electrolytes, should I add protein?? No matter what new exciting product or promise is out there, your basic nutrition needs are…
Caffeine has been show to consistently improve exercise performance, and up until 2004 it was on WADA’s banned list. Although we think mostly of coffee, caffeine is found in many foods and beverages, and so monitoring and testing can be a problem. Caffeine is also metabolised at different rates in people, and so a simple…
