Training Programs

Attached are your training and nutritional protocols for next week – please review each day’s notes and associated video links. As always, if you can’t gain access to the track during the week, simply discard the moto specific workouts and nail your cross training protocols. 

When it comes to Optimum Health and Performance one of the most important variables to dial in is your nutrition.

Proper nutrition is such an instrumental component of performance, yet is overlooked by 90% of the racers on the starting line. A few years back, a research project associated with human performance (equipment, altitude training, endurance training, strength training, etc.), revealed that the most powerful influence on performance was associated attributed to hydration and nutrition habits.  Nail your nutrition and the results were stellar; miss your nutrition (even by a little) and the results were devastating.

Fighting Fatigue

With proper nutrition, you can offset the negative effects of fatigue in 3 ways:

1. Muscle Glycogen Depletion – Muscle glycogen is the major energy source during training & especially racing.  When your sugar storages (in your liver and muscles) are depleted, your ability to go fast for any period of time will be diminished.
2. Decreased Blood Sugar Levels – Blood sugar is the major fuel for the brain (from your liver) and muscles during training and racing; the higher the intensity, the quicker your body depletes itself of sugar.
3. Dehydration –  When a muscle becomes dehydrated by as little as 3%, that muscle can lose between 10-20% of its contractile strength and also incurs an eight percent loss of speed.

Nutritional Timing

Proper nutrition is all about topping of your body’s natural fuel tanks (muscles and liver) to ensure that you have enough stored energy to finish your race strong.  By choosing the correct foods at the correct times can delay the onset of fatigue on race day, here is an outline.

Day before a Race (8 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight) – Consume six to eight small meals distributed throughout the day approximately 2 hours apart.  Choose items made from high quality carbohydrate sources: real food smoothies, brown rice, pasta, quinoa & dark breads.  Convenient snacks include fresh fruit & high quality energy bar.

Morning of the Race (75-150 grams of carbohydrates depending on your body size) – Consume your last meal 2 hours before your race start time to allow for complete digestion and purging in a relaxed environment.  Food items should be easily digestible and of the highest quality: real food smoothie, almond butter on a bagel or toast, slow cooked oatmeal with raisins, 2-3 egg omelets with a bowl of brightly colored fresh fruit.

After the Race- Liquid calories are the easiest to consume and are converted quickly to “feed” the body’s needs: protein for muscle regeneration and sugar for the muscles and the liver.

For more detailed information on Race Day Nutrition, visit Race Day Nutrition Testing & Fueling Strategies.

By implementing these nutritional tips and hitting proper hydration levels you will see your body produce new levels of speed, consistent strength, and endurance levels, along with a new level of performance! Another small step towards Work Smart, Not Hard and Avoid Overtraining!

Yours in sport & health,

-Coach Robb, Coaches and Staff

Thought for the week:

“The beginning is the most important part of the work.”
– Plato, Philosopher