My rule of thumb: Add carbs if training at high intensity for 60+ minutes or at any intensity for 90+ minutes. Many athletes can push through without negative affects until 90 minutes. Simply put, you will perform better when you add efficient carbohydrates to any training greater than 60 minutes. 0.75 liters), you’re likely losing around 750 mg sodium. Once you know how much fluid you’re losing, you can estimate how much sodium you’re losing. You can also take this a step beyond and estimate your sodium needs: It’s estimated that you lose 800-1250 mg of sodium per liter of sweat (about 1000 mg/liter on average for easy math). Plan to hydrate proactively for the next one. This is the amount of fluid you lost during that specific exercise session. Then, add in any fluid you consumed during training. Calculate every pound lost as 16 fluid ounces. If not, have on the same clothes both times.
Weigh yourself immediately before and after training, in the buff or in only underwear if possible. Quick Tip: Want to know exactly how much fluid you need during training? Within each goal group, there’s subtle difference in my fluid recommendations. It’s not the fluid that’s the problem, but the lack of electrolytes. Over-hydration is really too little electrolytes compared to the amount of fluid intake. But, what about over-hydration? I’ll cover this below in the electrolyte section.
In high heat or humidity, you must hydrate while training-no matter the duration.
If you’re training for 60 minutes or less, you can likely get by with no hydration as long as you’re well-hydrated going into training. What’s an athlete to do?Īnytime you’re training for more than 60 minutes, I recommend hydrating during training, from at least the 30-minute mark onward. The vast majority of athletes are at least slightly dehydrated day to day and within training. Even a tiny amount of weight loss from sweat (1 to 2% of body weight) can increase your sense of effort, cause nausea, decrease appetite and reduce performance. Key #1: Fluidsįluids are paramount, as both chronic and acute dehydration directly affect performance. It drives your nutrition plan, and it’s important to fuel yourself to meet your goal. Here’s how each group can use the three keys of training fuel. Remember: This is not some overall life goal. Of course there’s a lot of gray area, and you can form your own title that combines them. This group will be called competitive athletes.ĭo you fit within any of these three? Maybe or maybe not. You want whatever fuel it takes to be your best. You don’t care one ioda about taking in too many calories when riding. You push yourself to the limit in your races, and many of your training sessions mimic this intensity. Lastly, are you a competitive athlete? Not only do you want to get better and prioritize your performance, but you want to win. Is weight loss your main goal? Are you biking simply because you want to lose weight and/or improve health? Are you less concerned about getting better and better at biking and more concerned about your body size and weight loss? I’ll call this goal group weight-loss athletes. I’ll call this goal group performance athletes. Your nutrition plan will follow.Īre you a mountain biker who wants to optimize performance above all else? Is your main goal to get better, faster and stronger and set new personal bests? Maybe you’d also love to lose a few pounds, but when you’re on your bike, you mostly want to improve. These are the foundation.īefore diving into the big three, first establish your goals and priorities. Whether or not they realize it, it’s likely affecting their performance. Despite being in the midst of sports nutrition product and information overload, many athletes fail to meet these three keys consistently. There are three keys to ensuring you get the fuel you need during training. But, when faced with so many options, it’s good to have a foundational understanding of what you need before you open up the wallet. It seems like a distant past when only two or three commercial sports drinks were available, and there was one type of energy bar with three flavors. There are so many options, many athletes become overwhelmed, confused, and frustrated trying to make a choice. These days, you have a lot of options for training fuel.