race day fueling Flashcards
First, there are three elements to competition fueling—
nutrition, hydration and electrolyte management.
Glycogen
Muscles store carbohydrate as glycogen (long-term stored energy). This glycogen energy source is tapped out at about 2,000 calories for a trained triathlete
l end in about 1.5 hours, race-day nutrition isn’t as critical as for those competing in events lasting more than 2 hours.
Pre-Competition Nutrition—CrossFitter
CrossFit athlete will be engaging in multiple WODs over the course of one, two or three days, we will want to see a larger portion of carbohydrate consumed to top off our glycogen stores. Sweet potatoes are a good choice for athletes following either a Zone or Paleo protocol. From a quantity standpoint, the athlete should look to eat approximately two additional blocks of carbohydrate during the breakfast and lunch before the first day of competition
Dinner is less relevant as
as complex carbohydrates will not process for about 18 hours. If a competition is multiple days, the lunch and breakfast protocols can be followed for dinner as well.
Pre-Competition Nutrition—CrossFit Endurance
The goal is the same: consuming a measured ratio of macronutrients with a carbohydrate bias to top off one’s glycogen stores.
In-Competition Nutrition—CrossFitter
As virtually all WODs are less than 1 hour, no additional nutrition consumption is needed.
how much energy your body can store
(approximately 2,000 calories), w
Caloric burn rates can vary anywhere between
400-750 calories per hour depending on the specific individual and effort being given.
The second part of our equation is identifying how many calories our bodies can process and turn into energy in that same time period
This again can vary between 300-550 calories per hour. Confirming this number is very personal and should be established during training rides or runs. Success begins by starting with about 300 calories per hour (for a 140-170 lb. male)
how the body demands more protein and fat as the time of an event increases, 90 Minutes-4 Hours
Glycogen is depleted.
Fueling transitions to glucose/carbohydrate.
Isotonics or gel/water should be the source of calories.
Target should be 300 calories per hour/20 oz. of water.
Electrolytes begin to have larger role.
how the body demands more protein and fat as the time of an event increases 4-12 Hours
Intensity trends lower.
Fueling moves from glucose to fat.
Carbohydrate loading must continue to fuel fat burning.
Electrolytes must be replaced at 500-2,000 milligrams per hour.
Post-Competition Nutrition—CrossFitter
a blend of carbohydrate and protein to the tune of 3:1 or 4:1 is idea
Post-Competition Nutrition—CrossFit Endurance
The post-competition protocol for a CrossFit Endurance athlete is identical to that of the CrossFitter.
Caution
. If you flood your digestive tract with too many calories, you will force your heart to pump a disproportionate amount of blood to your stomach. This takes vital blood away from the muscles you need to compete. At the other end of the spectrum, training at 90-95 percent max of your maximum heart rate (or rate of perceived exertion) will disallow proper digestion as your body will flow a disproportionate amount of blood to your muscles and away from your stomach. This is the cause of so many “reversals” (or vomiting), which cause so many longer-distance athletes to lose vital nutrition and consequently DNF,
Hydration Protocol
Pre-Competition Hydration—CrossFitter
take your weight in pounds, divide by two and drink that number of ounces of water each day. So, a 150-lb. athlete should target consuming 75 oz. of water per day. Should that athlete then train for an hour, that target number would rise by about 16 oz. per hour of training.
Pre-Competition Hydration—CrossFit Endurance
The pre-competition hydration protocol for an endurance athlete is identical to the CrossFitter’s.
In-Competition Hydration—CrossFit Endurance
minimum target consumption of water should be about 16 oz. per hour
- if a 170-lb. male is competing/training in a relatively low-humidity environment at 73-76 degrees, the 16-20 oz. per hour target is quite sufficient to ensure optimal hydration levels. Conversely, as the temperature goes up, say 85 degrees with increased levels of
Post-Competition Hydration—CrossFitter
Identical to the CrossFitter.
Post-Competition Hydration—CrossFit Endurance
Identical to the CrossFitter.
Electrolyte Management
Pre-Competition Electrolytes—CrossFitter
he ingestion of incremental salt in the day before competition is mandatory. This can be done via soup at lunch and dinner the day before competition or through consumption of electrolyte supplements like Saltstick (see below). Such a protocol can be very personal (note the target ranges in the chart above) and should be practiced in training before race day. An experiment with several bowls of soup prior to a 45-minute aerobic WOD should help define personal success.
Pre-Competition Electrolytes—CrossFit Endurance
he ingestion of incremental salt in the day before competition is mandatory. This can be done via soup at lunch and dinner the day before competition or through consumption of electrolyte supplements like Saltstick (see below). Such a protocol can be very personal (note the target ranges in the chart above) and should be practiced in training before race day. An experiment with several bowls of soup prior to a 45-minute aerobic WOD should help define personal success.
In-Competition Electrolytes—CrossFitter
Much like the scenario with nutrition and hydration, most CrossFit activities are less than 60 minutes. Therefore no in-competition electrolyte consumption is needed.
In-Competition Electrolytes—CrossFit Endurance
niTo best identify your needs around electrolytes, we simply need to understand the amount of fluid being lost in any given hour of exercise. To do this, weigh yourself (without workout clothes on) before your session, then do the same afterwards. If you consumed fluids during the session, simply subtract that weight (roughly 16 oz. of fluid per pound) from your post-workout result. Once you know the amount of fluid you are shedding per hour, you can then estimate losses of various electrolytes as below. I’ve also included an electrolyte breakdown of the leading electrolyte supplement, Saltstick.
Post-Competition Electrolytes—CrossFitter
Post-Competition Hydration—CrossFit Endurance
If optimal levels of electrolytes are not maintained, athletes can fall into a state called “hyponatremia,” a
a condition that is defined by low sodium levels in the blood. Symptoms of this state are weakness, cramping, nausea, fatigue and vomiting.
onversely, and just as deadly, is hypernatremia,
a condition caused by an elevated level of sodium in the blood. While over-consumption of electrolytes can be a driver of this condition it is more commonly associated with dehydration, as the increased level of sodium is more often caused by a lack of water ingestion.
sweat
Now that you know your sweat rate, you can plan your training and racing activities appropriately. As an example, if you are sweating about 22 oz. per hour, you now know that you need to replace about 440 milligrams of sodium every hour to retain optimal performance.
