Stretching

http://greatist.com/fitness/the-12-biggest-myths-about-stretching/

Is Coconut Water A Good Sports Drink?

Written by t2coach Cindy Dallow, Ph.D. RD

One of the best parts of my job as a sports dietitian is sifting through new products for endurance athletes and evaluating their claims as facts or fiction. Since most products fall into the “bogus” category, imagine my delight to see coconut water touted as “an all-natural, super-hydrating, nutrient-packed, potassium-stacked, mega-electrolyte” sports drink.

Why?  Because most of that statement is true. Coconut water, which is the clear liquid that sloshes around inside a coconut, really is high in potassium. One cup provides about 500 mg of potassium along with reasonable amounts of sodium and magnesium, and smaller amounts of phosphorous an vitamin C. Natural sugars give it a mildly sweet taste and there’s no fat or cholesterol.

It's no wonder that numerous beverage companies now sell coconut water in bottles and cans, touting it as a “natural” sports drink.

But like many other nutrition products, what starts off as a great idea, ends up as another fad that quickly fades into oblivion before you know it.

One of the problems with bottled or canned coconut water is that they don’t always contain what they say they contain. According to a recent product review by ConsumerLab.com, an independent testing company, two out of the three products they tested had significantly less sodium than what their labels claimed they had.

This is important because the primary electrolyte we lose in our sweat is sodium; we lose far more sodium than potassium when we sweat and it needs to be replaced in long endurance events.  

One package of O.N.E. Coconut Water  had only 11 mg of sodium, much less than the 60 mg stated on the label and a whole lot less than the recommended 240 mg per serving it would need to be called a good sport drink.

Another problem with coconut water is that it produces a mild laxative effect in some users, most likely due to it’s high magnesium content. Obviously this is not what you want in the middle of a long training bout or race!

Lastly, coconut water is expensive. A 414 mL bottle of Zico Natural Cocounut Water is $2.50, a pricey way to get the same nutrients you’d get in a glass of orange juice.

 Bottom line?  Coconut water is a much healthier alternative to soda pop or sweetened fruit drinks but it is not an effective sports drink because of the low sodium and higher magnesium content. In this case, it’s better to make your own sports drink or stick to the preformulated, "tried and true" products, like Gatorade or Powerade (for events longer than 90 mins) and of course, plain old water for shorter events. Drink up!

Making the most of your fall and winter workouts

When I develop an annual training plan – measuring out the duration of periods, base, build, taper, peak, off, transition, and preparation periods – I start with the off season. The fall and winter is a time most athletes wrap up their race season, take some time off, and let their body recuperate from the rigors of high-intensity training and racing. Some take as much as four weeks off, and their off season includes their transition season.

For me, off means off. No swim, bike, run, weights – nothing that will stress my heart, lungs, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. The duration of my “off” season is typically a week or two. It may be shorter or longer, depending on my current and future fitness goals. I typically take time off after the last event of the season. During this time, I reflect on what I accomplished. I try to get more sleep, rest and relaxation. While some struggle taking time off, I have learned to take seasonal rest seriously, as it allows me to race much better the next season. Trying to maintain peak fitness will not be beneficial to your results next year. I tried to maintain my fitness 12 months a year back in the 90s when I started training for triathlon. It did not enhance my performance, it only led to injury, illness and overtraining.

After I take time off, then I’m ready to start moving again, and my transition season consists of two to eight weeks transitioning into activity. I don’t do sprints, speed work, climbing, hill repeats or other intense training, so my body continues to get a good rest and can repair itself fully. When I am ready to start moving again, I follow these guidelines:

1.    I don’t plan workouts. I do what I feel like when I feel like doing it, and I don’t train, I exercise.

2.    I don’t have restrictions on what I do, just guidelines.

3.    My weekend to-do list includes taking naps instead training.

4.    I do reduce training and intensity while maintaining a level of fitness.

5.    I don’t indulge (eat whatever, whenever “forbidden foods”) or try diet when it comes to nutrition. I like to keep my nutrition under control 365 days a year.

6.    I do think about goals and events for next year.

7.    I don’t get post-training race blues because I prepare for this time of year to happen: (I will link this to my plan article).

8.    I do plan my preparation and base period: 

9.    I don’t gain more then eight pounds.

10. I do enjoy my transition period.

When it is time to start training again, and focus on building my base fitness not just exercising, I go through a preparation period of 8 to 12 weeks.  During this time, I do some general strength training, preparing tendons, bones, ligaments and my mind to start base training and getting into a training routine.

Building your Base

I describe the base phase as the time you start to train. Most athletes start building their base sometime during the months of January to March. The base phase should last between 12-16 weeks, depending on how much time you have to train. I increase the volume of my training, but keep the intensity low and aerobic. My base period starts about 16-20 weeks before my A race for next season. The first four weeks of base training I simply perform low-level aerobic work.

The second four-week block I begin to work on technique, skill, and efficiency, with primary workouts to perfect my spin, stride, and stroke so that I do not reinforce bad habits. Efficiency is a huge component of becoming a faster athlete. I have a library with a variety of drills to increase cadence, efficiency, leg speed, and coordination.

During the third and forth block I start to increase overall volume while adding some higher aerobic end intensity. I perform the majority of my weight work in the base period.

Your base training builds the foundation for higher intensity and sport specificity, a phase that often comes in the spring or summer. It may last 8-12 weeks, depending on the race date.

Competitive Season -Building your Sport Specific Intensity

Once you build your foundation give yourself about 8 weeks to add sport specific intensity. This is the phase you add more tempo and threshold workouts and slightly decrease your training volume while adding Intensity. Examples of workouts would be to train on a course that simulates your race, train at an intensity higher or at least that same as your race pace. Practice bricks, swim to bike, and bike to run workouts. I will go into more details on competitive, taper and peak seasons in my next article

Conclusion

The details when it comes to frequency, intensity and duration during your off, transition, preparation and base training phases depend on your goals, experience, and, to a certain extent, trial and error. Learn from what works and what does not for yourself, not what works for someone else. Seek advice from coaches and other experienced athletes and then find what works for you.

Wendy Mader, MS, USAT, TRX, ACE

www.getfit-getstrong-getfast-getwendy.com

www.t2coaching.com

Brick - Swim to Bike

What makes triathlon different then a single sport focus is t1, the transition from swim to bike and t2, the transition from bike to run. Many triathlon training plans put an emphasis on t2, bike to run workouts and often t1, the swim to bike transition is overlooked.

With the swim-bike brick, I will refer to it as SB brick, you are training your body to adapt to the physiological changes that occur when you change from a horizontal position to a vertical position.  Your muscle recruitment is vastly different in swimming and biking.  You will be transitioning to the bike in a somewhat depleted muscle glycogen state, vs biking without swimming. It is good to train in a manner that makes your body more efficient in the transition between swimming and biking. The swim-bike brick should be a key session each week, just at the bike to run brick workout.  

The duration and intensity of your SB  brick will depend on your race distance. If you are a Sprint or Olympic distance triathlete a short high intensity swim and bike will be optimal. You should consider some swim intervals such as a 3-400 meters followed by a 5-10 minute bike trainer or spin bike workout at race pace intensity. Repeat multiple times. Do not run before or after this session. 

If you are a long course triathlete then getting in a longer 45-60 minute continuous swim or one with some longer intervals of 3-400 meter repeats at race pace effort followed by a 2 hour ride will benefit you most while you practice fueling after your swim and during your ride You can add some intervals into your ride at race specific intensity or just go for an aerobic endurance ride. You aren’t looking to get the Ironman race-simulation as far as total time, you are just trying to teach the body to go from swim to bike.  A two hour ride that follows a solid swim session will be a quality workout for the long course distance.  

When you schedule your SB brick bring everything you will need for a bike ride after the swim so you do not take time to drive home and prep for your ride. You can get in a quality swim, either solo or with your masters swim group, or in open water then quickly transition onto your bike like you would in a race situation to maximize the training effect.  

Remember just as the bike- run brick is typically a workout that you don’t do everyday, the same would apply to the swim bike brick.  Keep in mind that you still want to have quality swim sessions and quality bike rides independent of one another, and while the SB bricks are quality, they are workouts structured to teach your body how to respond while tired and taxed. (Race simulation).  Talk to your coach or mentor about implementing SB bricks into your schedule.  

Ironman Taper - Do's and Dont's - Keep it Simple

An Ironman taper for most athletes starts at least 3 weeks out from their event. Decreasing volume in each sport while keeping some slight intensity (with a much longer rest interval) to keep you from getting sluggish.  Your plan does not include any really high intensity training (above zone 3) as this can really hurt you performance race day.

I encourage athletes to do some very low-key training each day the week leading up to the race (30 minutes ocean/lake swims, 30-60 bike and runs).  Remember that you are just trying to keep the body ready and loose - no excessive training which will drain you prior to the start on race day.

As your training decreases you will have added time in your day during these three weeks to prep your gear and mind before departure. A few key points to remember:

1.  Get your bike into the shop no closer than 2 weeks out for the final tune up. 

2.  Do not make any position or major equipment changes  as that may cause some problems on race day. 

3.  Make a list of items that you may need on race day to avoid purchasing these items you have spent months training with.  Make sure you have some essentials: mesh hat for the run, sun screen, sun glasses, skin lube, very light colored clothing for the run (this is so very important with the very strong heat and sun factor), race belt, socks for running shoes, and most of all reflective tape for your run clothing.

4.  Make sure during your decrease in training your diet is clean and that you don’t eat anything that is new or your body isn’t used to. Drink plenty of electrolyte drink/water that you have become accustomed to so that you are hydrated, a few days before the race

5.  The day before the race- your largest meal of the day should be around mid day.  Then some light snacks for the rest of the day.  This way you don’t wake up really hungry race morning. 

6.  Race morning allow plenty of time to wake up and get things in order.  For your pre race meal- make sure it is something that you have tried out before in long training sessions.

7.  Warm in at least 10 minutes before the swim start so you are relaxed, own your space. 

8.  t1 as you exit the swim don’t rush the transition - stay in control. Fasten helmet, socks? shoes, race belt

9.  Start easy on the bike.  The early pace should be similar to a training ride pace. Things will change the last 30 miles when you see all those athletes who went out too hard. If you have training zones all set up follow them all the way.

10. The race always comes down to the run. So many really suffer on the run due to: working too hard on the bike, not enough calories on the bike, starting the run leg too fast and not enough electrolytes. The last 10 miles of the run is when you really want to push the pace. It is around this time when athletes who went out too hard will really show the fatigue and lose large chunks of time. Also at this point is when the mental focus has to be really intense. You will have to really dig down deep mentally to focus and stay positive so that you can reach that finish line. 

Be patient during the entire race day and if you follow your pre race plan you will enjoy every bit of your Ironman.

Once you have completed the day take some time to reflect on what you have done to get to that point and to thank those who have supported you on your long journey.  Stick around to cheer on those who will cross the line well into the late night.  I find that aspect of the race so rewarding.

Wendy has been racing for 20 years. She has competed and finished 13 Ironmans including 6 in Kona and finished first overall amateur in the 2008 Hawaii Ironman World Championships. If you have questions please reach out, wendy@t2coaching.com

Hormones, Muscles, and T Cells: Why Recovery Nutrition is Important

Most of you know that you need some kind of recovery drink or snack after a hard workout. However, you may not know why it’s necessary and/or what to eat or drink.
To better understand the need for recovery nutrition, let’s take a look at three things that occur inside your body during vigorous exercise:

Hormones gone wild– During high intensity exercise, levels of cortisol, epinephrine, norepinephrine, and glucagon surge in a grand effort to supply energy to the working muscle. As blood glucose levels drop, these hormones work together to stimulate glucose production by the liver. Cortisol levels, in particular, stay elevated for 30 to 60 minutes after we stop exercising and continue to catabolize protein and carbs even though we no longer need them for energy. Consuming a recovery drink or snack during this period of time will lessen the degree of protein degradation and depletion of glycogen stores.

Fire in the muscle – During a hard run or ride, our muscles utilize three “branched-chain amino acids” (BCAA’s) to off-set the protein degradation and damage that naturally occurs with hard exercise. These BCAA’s are broken down in the muscle cell and used to generate ATP, which unbeknownst to most people, continues after exercise stops. To keep your body from having to breakdown more protein to get BCAA’s, you need to take in some “exogenous” protein in the form of food or beverage (aka recovery snack).

T-Cell Turmoil – Ever run a marathon and then gotten sick afterwards?  That’s because all that running (or any kind of hard exercise) temporarily lowers immune function which increases your susceptibility to infections. This occurs because cortisol and epinephrine suppress type 1 T-cell cytokine production which is vital for a strong immune system. Lowered immune function has been reported in exercise that lasts longer than 1.5 hours that is performed without nutritional intake during and after the exercise bout.
So, what is a good recovery snack or beverage?  Anything with a 4:1 ratio of carbs to protein. The carbs will replace the glycogen you just used up and the protein will lessen the need for BCAA’s and help promote muscle synthesis.
Examples include:

• Cereal, milk, and fruit
• Bagel sandwich with lean meat or peanut butter
• Eggs and toast
• Chocolate milk
• Yogurt and fruit
•  

Keep in mind that recovery nutrition is important only after hard workouts; not an easy run or casual bike ride. The excess calories coupled with lower intensity exercise can potentially lead to weight gain.
Eat up and recover well!

Cindy Dallow, Ph.D, RD, t2coaching nutritionist. You can contact here cindydallow@comcast.com