Is Your Hydration & Fueling Strategy Failing You? Pro tips & strategies for Long Distance Cycling

Summary

Dans cet épisode du podcast Balon dédié au cyclisme, l'animateur Sherry reçoit Emily Arel de l'équipe de science des sports chez Precision Fuel and Hydration. Ils discutent des stratégies d'hydratation et de nutrition pour les courses d'ultra-cycling, abordant des sujets tels que la préparation pour des événements de plusieurs jours, l'importance des glucides, l'électrolytique sodium, et l'utilisation de la caféine. Emily partage des conseils basés sur la science des sports pour améliorer les performances et prévenir les problèmes de déshydratation et d'épuisement.

Takeaways

• 🎙️ Le podcast 'Balon' traite de la préparation hydrique et nutritionnelle pour les courses de longues distances de cyclisme.
• 🏁 Emily Arel, membre de l'équipe de science des sports chez Precision Fuel and Hydration, partage des conseils pour les courses ultra-endurantes.
• 🚴 Les trois principaux leviers de la stratégie d'alimentation et d'hydratation sont les glucides (pour l'énergie), l'hydratation (pour compenser les pertes de sueur) et le sodium (électrolyte principal perdu).
• 📝 Il est recommandé de précharger avec des électrolytes avant un événement sportif, notamment la nuit avant et le matin même, pour une meilleure rétention d'eau.
• 🌡️ La préparation doit tenir compte des conditions météorologiques et de la durée de l'événement, en particulier pour les courses en milieu désertique et à haute température.
• 🔍 Il est essentiel de connaître son taux de transpiration et ses pertes en sodium pour adapter sa stratégie d'hydratation et d'alimentation.
• 🏞️ La gestion de l'hydratation et de l'alimentation pendant les phases de fraîcheur nocturne lors des courses longues est cruciale pour éviter la déshydratation.
• 🚴‍♀️ Des différences individuelles, telles que le sexe et la tolérance aux glucides, peuvent influencer la stratégie d'alimentation et d'hydratation.
• ⏱️ La formation de l'estomac, ou 'entraînement de l'estomac', permet d'accroître sa capacité à digérer les glucides pendant les courses.
• ☕️ Le caféine peut être utilisé comme stimulant pour améliorer les performances, mais doit être utilisé avec précaution pour éviter les pics et creux d'énergie pendant les courses ultra-longues.
• 📉 La consommation de caféine avec des glucides peut prolonger son effet et aider à éviter les baisses d'énergie pendant les courses de nuit.

Q & A

Quelle est la principale source d'énergie pour un cycliste en course?

La principale source d'énergie pour un cycliste en course est le glucide, qui est brûlé pour se maintenir en mouvement. Cela peut inclure les gels, les mélanges à boire et les aliments réels.

Pourquoi est-il important de précharger avec des électrolytes avant une course?

Le préchargement avec des électrolytes, en particulier le sodium, aide à retenir l'eau de manière plus efficace et à démarrer hydraté. Cela évite le démarrage déshydraté et optimise les réserves pour la sueur.

Quels sont les principaux facteurs à considérer lors de la planification d'une stratégie d'hydratation pour une course d'ultra-cycling?

Les principaux facteurs à considérer incluent le taux de transpiration, les pertes d'électrolytes, la température et l'humidité, ainsi que la taille du corps et l'intensité de l'effort.

Comment mesurer son taux de transpiration pour une préparation plus précise?

Pour mesurer son taux de transpiration, il suffit de peser avant et après une session d'entraînement pour obtenir une idée de la quantité de liquide perdu et ainsi planifier sa stratégie d'hydratation.

Quels sont les effets de l'omission des électrolytes lors d'une course d'ultra-cycling?

L'omission des électrolytes, en particulier du sodium, peut entraîner une déshydratation, une augmentation du volume corporel et des problèmes de performance, comme l'œdème dans les mains et les pieds.

Quelle est la différence entre les besoins hydratationnels masculins et féminins en course?

Il n'y a pas de différence significative entre les besoins hydratationnels masculins et féminins. Les pertes d'électrolytes et de transpiration sont principalement déterminées par des facteurs individuels plutôt que par des différences de genre.

Comment la consommation de caféine peut-elle influencer la performance lors d'une course d'ultra-cycling?

La caféine peut être utilisée comme stimulant pour améliorer la performance, en particulier pour lutter contre le rythme circadian et la fatigue nocturne. Cependant, il est important de ne pas la consommer trop tôt pour éviter les pics et les creux dans les niveaux d'énergie.

Quelle est la stratégie recommandée pour la consommation de caféine lors d'une course d'ultra-cycling?

Il est recommandé d'éviter la caféine au début de la course et de commencer à la consommer plus tard, généralement à la nuit, en doses répandues pour maintenir un niveau élevé d'énergie tout au long de la course.

Quels sont les avantages de la préparation des courses avec un planificateur d'hydratation et d'alimentation?

Un planificateur d'hydratation et d'alimentation personnalisé fournit des recommandations scientifiques basées sur la durée et l'intensité de l'événement, ainsi que les pertes individuelles en eau et en électrolytes, pour aider à optimiser la performance.

Comment la formation de l'estomac (gut training) peut-elle aider à tolérer une plus grande quantité de glucides pendant une course?

La formation de l'estomac implique de s'entraîner progressivement à consommer plus de glucides pendant les entraînements pour permettre à l'estomac de s'adapter et de tolérer de grandes quantités de carburants pendant les courses.

Outlines

00:00

🎙️ Bienvenue dans le podcast de cyclisme

Le présent paragraphe introduit l'épisode du podcast de cyclisme, animé par Sherry, qui invite les auditeurs à noter le show sur les plateformes Spotify et Apple Podcasts, ainsi que à aimer et s'abonner sur YouTube. Sherry encourage également les auditeurs à commenter les sujets qu'ils aimeraient entendre dans les futurs épisodes. L'épisode se concentre sur la stratégie d'hydratation, d'alimentation et d'intake de caféine lors d'un marathon cycliste de 791 kilomètres dans le désert. L'invitée, Emily, fait partie de l'équipe de science des sports chez Precision Fuel and Hydration. Ils discutent des différents aspects de l'alimentation et de l'hydratation pour les courses d'ultra-longue distance, soulignant l'importance de la simplification de ces stratégies pour les sportifs.

05:02

🚴‍♀️ Stratégies d'alimentation et d'hydratation pour les courses d'ultra-longue distance

Dans ce paragraphe, Emily explique les trois principaux leviers à considérer pour une stratégie d'alimentation et d'hydratation efficace lors de courses cyclistes longues et intenses : les glucides pour l'alimentation, l'hydratation pour compenser les pertes d'eau par la transpiration et le sodium, l'électrolyte principal perdu dans la sueur. Elle insiste sur l'importance de précharger avec des électrolytes la veille et le matin de l'événement pour une meilleure hydratation et de commencer l'épreuve avec un niveau optimal d'énergie et de volume plasmatique. Emily partage également des conseils basés sur des données et des expériences avec des athlètes, mettant en évidence la nécessité d'une planification préalable et la personnalisation de la stratégie en fonction des pertes individuelles de sueur.

10:03

🏁 Conseils pour les courses en conditions extrêmes

Emily donne des conseils pour les courses dans des conditions extrêmes, comme le marathon de Badlands en Espagne, en tenant compte de l'hydratation, de l'alimentation et de la température élevée. Elle recommande de mesurer le taux de transpiration et les pertes de sodium pour adapter la stratégie d'hydratation et d'alimentation en fonction des besoins individuels. Emily souligne également l'importance de la préparation logistique, de la connaissance de son propre taux de sueur et de la planification de la quantité de liquide à boire et à transporter pendant la course.

15:03

👩‍🔬 Différences entre les sexes et l'importance de l'électrolytique

Emily discute des différences potentielles entre les sexes en termes d'hydratation et de pertes de sodium, et comment ces facteurs peuvent influencer la performance des athlètes lors de courses d'ultra-longue distance. Elle mentionne que les pertes de sodium sont principalement déterminées par des facteurs génétiques et que les taux de sueur varient d'un individu à l'autre. Emily insiste sur la nécessité de remplacer les pertes de sodium pour maintenir une bonne rétention d'eau et une performance optimale, en particulier pour les femmes qui pourraient faire face à des problèmes d'œdème lors des courses.

20:04

🚴‍♂️ Alimentation et entraînement de l'estomac pour les courses longues

Emily et Sherry discutent de l'importance de l'alimentation en glucides et de l'entraînement de l'estomac pour tolérer de grandes quantités de carburants pendant les courses longues. Elles abordent la notion de 'formation de l'estomac', qui consiste à augmenter progressivement la tolérance aux glucides au cours de plusieurs semaines pour s'adapter aux besoins de courses d'intensité élevée. Emily partage des conseils sur l'utilisation de différents types de produits de nutrition sportive pour atteindre les objectifs en glucides, tout en reconnaissant que chaque athlète a ses propres préférences et tolérances.

25:06

☕️ Consommation de caféine et stratégies pour les courses d'ultra-longue distance

Le paragraphe explore l'utilisation de la caféine pendant les courses d'ultra-longue distance, en tant que stimulant supplémentaire pour améliorer la performance. Emily donne des conseils sur l'intégration de la caféine dans la stratégie de course, en évitant de la consommer trop tôt pour éviter les pics et les creux énergétiques. Elle suggère de commencer à utiliser la caféine au milieu de la nuit pour lutter contre le rythme circadian et de la 'drip-feed' tout au long de la course pour maintenir un effet ergonomique. Emily et Sherry discutent également de la 'diète en caféine', consistant à cesser la consommation de caféine avant la course pour augmenter son efficacité pendant la course.

🍞 Préparation avant la course : chargement en glucides et entraînement jeûne

Dans ce paragraphe, Emily partage des conseils sur la préparation avant une course, notamment le chargement en glucides la veille et le matin de l'événement, pour optimiser les réserves de glycogène. Elle discute également de l'entraînement jeûne, en expliquant qu'il a sa place dans un programme d'entraînement bien équilibré, mais qu'il est essentiel de simuler les conditions de course en termes d'alimentation et d'hydratation pour optimiser la performance. Emily insiste sur l'importance de pratiquer et d'adapter la stratégie d'alimentation et d'hydratation lors des séances d'entraînement pour être prêt pour la course.

Keywords

💡hydratation

L'hydratation est un concept clé dans le script, car il traite de l'importance de boire suffisamment d'eau et d'électrolytes lors des courses d'endurance, notamment lors des courses ultra-courir en désert. Dans le script, Emily discute de la pré-hydratation avec des électrolytes pour commencer les courses bien hydratée et de la quantité d'eau nécessaire en fonction du rythme de transpiration de chacun.

💡nutrition

La nutrition est essentielle pour les athlètes, comme le suggère le script. Il est question de la stratégie d'alimentation pour les courses d'ultra-courir, où Emily explique l'importance des glucides comme source d'énergie principale et des quantités recommandées d'ingestion d'aliments pour maintenir les performances élevées tout au long de la course.

💡Ultra-courir

L'Ultra-courir est le thème principal du podcast, où Emily et Sherry discutent des défis spécifiques aux courses d'ultra-courir, comme la gestion de l'hydratation et de la nutrition lors des courses qui durent des jours. Par exemple, le script mentionne la course Badlands en Espagne, une course en désert qui peut prendre jusqu'à 48 heures à compléter.

💡électrolytes

Les électrolytes sont mentionnés comme un élément crucial de l'hydratation, surtout dans le contexte des transpirations élevées lors des courses en conditions chaudes et humides. Le script explique que la pré-hydratation avec des électrolytes aide à conserver l'eau et à éviter la déshydratation, en particulier en utilisant le calculateur d'hydratation de Precision Fuel.

💡stratégie d'alimentation

La stratégie d'alimentation est abordée en détail, mettant l'accent sur la nécessité de planifier l'ingestion de glucides, d'eau et d'électrolytes en fonction de la durée et de l'intensité de la course. Le script donne des conseils sur la préparation des courses, y compris la pré-alimentation avec des glucides la veille de la course et l'alimentation pendant la course.

💡rythme de transpiration

Le rythme de transpiration est un facteur clé pour déterminer la quantité d'eau et d'électrolytes nécessaires lors d'une course. Le script mentionne que le rythme de transpiration varie d'un individu à l'autre et peut être mesuré pour personnaliser la stratégie d'hydratation.

💡glycogenèse

La glycogenèse est brièvement abordée dans le contexte de la préparation avant une course, où l'accumulation de glycogène dans les muscles est importante pour avoir suffisamment d'énergie pendant la course. Le script suggère de consommer des aliments riches en glucides la veille et le matin de la course pour optimiser les réserves de glycogène.

💡caféine

La caféine est discutée comme un stimulant qui peut aider à améliorer les performances lors des courses d'endurance, notamment pour lutter contre la fatigue et le sommeil pendant les courses de nuit. Le script suggère de l'utiliser de manière contrôlée et de ne pas en consommer trop tôt dans la course pour éviter les creux énergétiques.

💡entraînement

L'entraînement est mentionné en relation avec l'adaptation de l'estomac aux quantités élevées de glucides et la préparation physique pour les courses d'ultra-courir. Le script met en avant l'importance de l'entraînement pour augmenter la tolérance aux glucides et la capacité d'absorption de l'estomac pendant les courses.

💡gestion de la douleur

La gestion de la douleur est implicite dans la discussion sur l'utilisation de la caféine et des analgésiques, qui peuvent avoir un impact sur l'hydratation et la performance. Le script souligne l'importance de la prise de décision éclairée concernant l'utilisation de ces substances lors des courses.

Highlights

Introduction to the podcast with host Sherry and guest Emily arel, discussing hydration, fueling, caffeine, and more for ultra races.

Emily's background as part of the sports science team at Precision Fuel and Hydration.

Importance of simplifying education on fuel and hydration strategies for athletes.

The three main levers for fuel and hydration strategy: carbohydrates, fluid, and sodium.

The significance of pre-loading with electrolytes before an event to avoid dehydration.

Personal experiences with hydration issues during races and the use of the Precision Fuel Hydration Calculator.

Strategies for planning fuel and hydration for ultra races that last multiple days.

The role of individual sweat rates and sodium loss in customizing hydration plans.

Emily's advice on electrolyte intake and the importance of not underestimating hydration.

Discussion on gender differences in hydration and electrolyte needs during ultra cycling.

The impact of carbohydrates on water retention and the balance needed in fueling strategies.

Use of race strategy fueling stickers and Garmin alerts to remember fuel intake during long races.

Gut training protocols to increase carbohydrate tolerance for athletes.

Caffeine consumption strategies for long-duration events and avoiding energy dips.

Individualized caffeine strategies based on body weight and personal tolerance.

The concept of a 'caffeine diet' to increase sensitivity and effectiveness of caffeine during races.

Precision Fuel and Hydration's online planner tool for creating personalized fuel and hydration plans.

Importance of carbohydrate preloading before an event and the shift away from traditional pasta parties.

Emily's thoughts on fasted training and its place in an athlete's training schedule.

Transcripts

welcome to another episode of the Balon

cycling podcast I'm your host Sherry

before we jump into the episode make

sure to rate the show if you're

listening in Spotify and apple podcast

and to like And subscribe if you're

watching on YouTube it really helps to

support the channel let me know in the

comments which topics would you like to

hear in the podcast leave a comment

below today is all about hydration

fueling caffeine and more how do you

tackle a

791 kilomet Ultra race in the desert

well to help me answer all these

questions is Emily arel from the sports

science team of precision Fuel and

hydration welcome to the show Emily love

beond thanks for having me so you are

part of the sports science team at

Precision Fuel and hydration right yeah

one of the sport Science team uh there's

a few of us now actually quite a lot of

our team our Sports scientists come from

that background oh that's great actually

I've been using some of the products uh

during my races and they've been Game

Changer so that's the topic of today's

uh podcast we're going to discuss

discuss fuel strategies nutrition Cafe

intake and more so let's start um for

example I think there's a lot of talk

about how to uh Fuel and a hydration for

maybe uh events up to 48 hours but uh

for example I do long distance Ultra

racist so it's sometimes days how would

you uh plan a strategy for it and what

things would you

consider it's a big question I think

there's there's lots to consider and I

think if you look online there's a lot

of different messaging there's

contradicting views you could find

people saying uh do hardly anything like

drink nothing drink lows like there's a

there's a real range in terms of fuel

and hydration advice out there I think

in terms of what we do at Precision Fuel

and hydration is just try and simpli it

for people and try to help with the the

education side of things and make it as

simple as possible when we're talking

about any kind of events uh cycling

specific and longer duration some

moderate some shorter like the main

three we call them levers that are

important in your fuel and hydration

strategy are the carbohydrates for

fueling that's the main fuel source that

you'll burn to keep yourself moving so

that's like the gels the drink mix the

real foods as well when we're talking

about these longer ones we can talk

about the different formats and then the

hydration the other two levers being

fluid to replace your sweat kind of

volume losses and then sodium which is

the main electrolyte you lose in your

sweat so as long as you're getting those

in we can talk about in terms of like

what quantities and are right for you

and the event that you're doing then you

should be fine it should help with kind

of Optimal Performance that's the goal

right yeah yeah exactly I feel like um

hydration and electrolytes is something

people really underestimate I did it

myself I wasn't uh I didn't have any

like hydration strategy for races and I

had issues with EMA

dehydration uh headaches so I I've been

using actually the Precision fuel H

hydration calculator online and there

seems I didn't even thought about like a

a kind of like carbo loading but on

electrolytes like you recommend that to

take electrolytes the night before why

is that yeah it's like a blanket

recommendation across the board that one

for us what we term kind of preloading

but lots of people think before an event

especially a long one especially a hot

one um that you just need to kind of

drink a bit more to start hydrated and

they just kind of drink a bit more plain

water and you kind of do the opposite so

you flush yourself out and you can start

dehydrated so on the back foot so

instead of that preloading so drinking a

strong electrolyte concentration for us

our recommendation is pH 1500 ahead of

an event roughly one the night before

and also in the morning off so about two

hours before you go and do your event it

just does the opposite so that sodium

helps you retain the fluid a bit better

and you start well

hydrated like you would with like carb

loing where you're having good carb

meals beforehand it just means that you

get to that start line with your

carbridge breakfast well fueled and all

your fuel stores topped up it's the same

but for hydration so it means you're on

that start line well topped up in terms

of like your fluid and your plasma

volume levels and that means you're

ready to start sweating because your

kind of reservoir is topped up ready to

go exactly and uh for example for I know

you work with a lot of athletes and uh

you have have access to a lot of data

what do you think it will be like an

optimal strategy or I mean I know

everybody is different and there's

something like called like the sweat R

so it's different for every individual

but uh what would be the strategy for

example I'm doing Badlands is a race in

the desert in Spain like around normally

is around 40° and uh is very long like

uh unless you are in the fast fast group

it takes you more than uh 40 48 hours so

what would be your recommendation also

water can be scars at times yeah that is

a that's a crazy event I have to say

best of luck I um we we do have an

athlete one of our athletes called Danny

shroy racing this year at Badlands as

well so look out for her um it's a

tricky one because like you said it is

really individual in terms of like the

volume that you should be drinking and

then what you should be drinking so what

sodium concentration that should be the

main kind of two questions that come to

mind like oh I get lots of people when

I'm talking about all kinds of events be

like oh how much fluid should I drink

per hour well it really depends on the

event and on your individual losses one

thing I would say is when you're putting

your strategy together then and thinking

about how much fluid you should be

drinking obviously the logistics play a

big part in a race like Badland so it is

about kind of filling up when you can

and making sure you've got the capacity

to carry enough fluid with you and when

you're actually putting the strategy

together of then much should I drink it

is important like you said to be aware

of your sweat rate and your sweat losses

I know that the temperatures can get

obviously very high at bad land so it's

important that you know how high can

your sweat rate get then for example

because it is different from person to

person so what you can do is you can

measure your sweat rate in a range of

conditions I always advise this to my

athletes but if you weigh yourself

before and after some of your training

sessions you can get a really good idea

of how much you lose and you'd want to

build up a bit of a database on that so

how much do you lose at intensity that

you're going to go race at in Badlands

in those hot conditions what is the

highest your sweat rates going to be out

there so you've got an idea in the back

of your head of the amount you'll be

losing and then also obviously bad is

such a long one that there'll be some

really cooler points in the night where

you'll be sweating much less but what

does that look like for you is that 500

mil an hour is that half is that still

quite high like just get an idea of some

of these numbers and then you can plan

the kind of fluid quantities that you

need to take and carry and that you need

to then consume right and obviously you

don't need to Place 100% of your losses

but when we're talking about these I

have to call them like super long races

right over 48 hours is crazy long it's

about making sure that you're reducing

this kind of you're accumulating this

deficit if you're not drinking enough to

match your losses and when you're going

for this period of time you really don't

want to build up this deficit early on

or at any point that's going to impact

your performance and your ability to

keep riding right so it's important that

you are proactive with your fluid

strategy especially at times when it's

hotter you're

you're aware that it's hotter you're

aware okay my sweat rate could be it's

pushing up I feel like I'm losing a lot

more I need to be more proactive with

the volume that I'm drinking and if

you've got that data in the back of your

head that really helps to know in terms

of the bottles how many are you having

how many you need to make sure that when

you get to the next point where you can

fill up you are filling up you've drank

enough you can be a bit more kind of

aware of the quantities instead of just

like building up this deficit and once

you get too far into that deficit it's

really hard to catch up by the time

you're feeling like extremely thirsty

and just a bit down yeah yeah exactly

and for example uh as you work with many

athletes have you noticed any gender

differences for example there has been

some discussion in Ultra cycling there's

been some studies when they made a

survey between female athletes that tend

to struggle with edema and is normally

is related with their drinking strategy

use of painkillers caffeine and

electrolytes have you noticed that

because actually

I did the transcontinental race and I

did the same year the same race the year

before and the year before I didn't take

electrolyt I forgot after the first day

to be honest and I got like a really bad

edema and uh in my hands in my face not

only at the end also during the race

especially when it got really warm in

the Vons and this year I took it

religiously like uh every time I went to

sleep I had some of the 1,500 ones uh

the tablets and and then I had the sest

during the day and this time I didn't

have a demi in my hands or in my feet

and it was also quite

warm have you seen this with any other

of your athletes yeah it's a good

question I think there there's two sides

to it first being kind of the the male

and female split I think in terms of

hydration side of things it's more on an

individual basis than the difference

between male and female kind of genetic

side of things especially the sweat

sodium it is really individual it's

predominantly genetically determined so

you see people losing as low as 200 migs

per liter up to 2,000 milligrams per

liter of sodium right so you could be

anywhere on that range and that is

different from person to person so it's

not different if I I wouldn't be able to

kind of there's not a trend between male

and female in terms of those losses

sweat rate there's a few different

factors that influence it it's intensity

it's your clothing it's the conditions

being a massive Factor right so what the

the temperature is the humidity um and

also body size a bit so you did have

with sweat rate you could have a really

large male compared to a really small

female there would be a difference in

their kind of sweat rate would be the

only difference but in terms of their

everyone's strategy it's not too

different when we have a huge database

of kind of this what the I run at

Precision all of kind of people's

intakes examples of what people actually

drink during races and and the sodium in

that and there isn't a huge Trend and

difference between male and females it's

more on an individual basis the volume

that they drinking the concentration

that they're taking on to match their

individual sweat sodium losses right

instead of kind of a huge difference

what I would say is I think you've come

to the conclusion well with with

figuring out what went wrong for you

where you had issues kind of day two and

three where you where you dropped the

sodium right it was likely that you

would just by just drinking plain water

especially at these kind of long events

and it'll be important to consider it

Badlands if you are just drinking kind

of plain water or very diluted

concentration of electrolytes then you

are going to flush yourself out a bit

and you're going to kind of build up and

and flush yourself out you're not going

to be replacing the sodium that you are

losing in your sweat which helps with

fluid retention it's really important in

your performance so therefore it's

important that one you're consistent

with it but two you're you're replacing

your sodium losses to match the

individual losses right so it'd be good

there's different ways to do this but

you can get a sweat test to determine

how much sodium you lose in your sweat

and that's a good way to know and then

you can match it so for example for

myself I lose just over 1,000 milligrams

per liter in terms of the sodium per

liter of sweat so I know when I'm I'm

checking when I'm exercising I replace

it at that concentration to make sure

it's right for me yeah exactly and uh

for example also uh the water retention

uh not only in relation to electrolytes

but also like uh with carbs like uh when

you consume so many carbs is it binds

water so actually uh it's kind of like

you have to keep a balance there uh with

the all the carbohydrates you have what

you drink Etc and in terms of like um

now you have this really cool like uh

race strategy um fueling stickers and

things like that it's quite cool uh to

kind of remind yourself for races kind

of eat because it's something you forget

in these long races I have a Garmin

alert that tells me every 30 minutes I

have to eat because otherwise I it could

be hours and then all of the sudden he's

like oh I haven't eaten anything for

like two hours because you go so times

uh so slow what do you see uh I mean now

you you mentioned one of your athletes

is doing bad Lance uh what is more or

less the outline of what someone will uh

have as a carb intake every hour for a

race like this to I mean it's individual

of course but some people kind tolerate

more or less but there tends to be like

some discussion about like 60 90 G per

hour yeah so with carbohydrate targets

it's depends on the duration and

intensity of a race to know whether they

should be aiming for kind of 60 75 90

but you're absolutely right there's

different people have different

tolerance to carbohydrates and you can

train your gut to absorb more

carbohydrates especially over certain

durations right so for Dany who's racing

she's going to aim for about 60 I'd say

but the most important thing with

fueling like you said and like you said

about not going kind of two three hours

and forgetting to fuel is about for

Badlands where it's such a long duration

that you're consistent with it so

setting kind of reminders is perfect but

making sure that you're being consistent

with the fuel and how she's doing it is

is quite interesting because again like

I said you can train your gut to absorb

more carbohydrates more fuel you can get

used to this duration taking on that

quantity and also the types of products

that you're using so she's predominantly

using Sports Nutrition products gels and

she's using a lots of chews and bars as

well I think bars are are kind of a

popular one for this duration it's a

great way to make sure you're getting a

good amount of carbohydrates obviously

as I said the main fuel source that

you're burning aiming to hit kind of

towards that 60 gram per hour but that

goal might not be foreverone if people

can't tolerate that amount it is about

training and building up what you can

tolerate and there's something called

kind of gut training a protocol where

it's the science recommends about an 8

to 10 week period of building up how

much you can tolerate so at the moment

if I was working with an athlete

building towards an event if they can

know they can tolerate 20 30 grams per

hour it's about building that up week on

week and kind of your race intensity

sessions and and practicing this

strategy and with all of the

recommendations and numbers that we're

kind of chatting through is about

practicing implementing them building it

up and on the carbohydrate side of

things it's about training your gut and

getting used to it but obviously bad LS

is such a long one so it's about you're

going to incorporate lots of different

methods to hit that carb goals if that

makes sense yeah exactly it's very

interesting that you talk about gut

training people always ask me I mean I

can't tolerate very well carbohydrates

like I can eat like three bus of Haribo

in an hour or like with no stomach

issues or like two uh two gels like the

90 grams and then have another 30 gram

one and um but uh I didn't know I mean I

ate a lot of candies all my life and I

think that's why I can't tolerate it and

now it's kind of I'm used to these

levels of like consuming that amount of

sugar but I think many people struggle

uh have a stomach GI issues so a lot of

them ask me what can I do to avoid that

I think yeah as you said you have to

take it progressively and train your gut

like you do your muscles uh to be able

to handle this amount of of carbs and

also the intensity I feel sometimes uh

people your pacing strategy is very

important not to like uh overdo it

especially when such a long race you you

can you cannot recover from it and you

still have maybe a thousand kilometers

to go yeah I think you spot on with with

gut training side of things lots of

people kind of come to us and and they

do the planner and they might be doing

kind of shorter intense stuff and and it

might recommend 90 grams per hour in

certain situations but it's not about

just getting to the race and and aiming

for 90 and just trying to be able to

stress your gut to tolerate that right

it's about building this up over time

and some of the athletes that we've

worked with and and done these case

studies and Analysis for it's taken kind

of a a year or two to be able to build

up to where they want to be now and

tolerate kind of that the the upper end

of those those recommendations towards

that 90 gr per hour for these in intense

races that they're doing and uh for

example uh I I received one of your

newsletter and you were talking about

caffeine consumption consumption so this

is a really important topic especially

uh for Ultra cycling races you have to

go most of the time through the night I

think in something like Badlands

definitely and uh so what do you see do

in Impact uh any other of the

considerations in terms of fueling or

hydration because caffeine is

dtic yeah yeah it's a great question and

one that comes up a lot when we're

talking about these really long extreme

duration events right it's not so much

one of those three levers that I

discussed at the start being the carbs

the sodium and the fluid but it's just a

little extra stimulant that's got proven

benefits to Performance so why not

especially if you're a user of of

caffeine you're you're a coffee drinker

dayto day try and use it to benefit

during your kind of races so there's

different ways to do it and and it is a

lot of it down to individual preference

if you are someone who tolerates

caffeine well there are some people who

just completely hate caffeine don't

drink coffee tea anything like that and

then you definitely recommend staying

away from it right but for for others

who are looking to use it it's about

building up a strategy of how you

incorporate in the strategy what doses

do you use and how do you time it when

we're talking about these really long

durations I have to say that the

scientific literature isn't quite there

lots of the advice is based on shorter

duration events and they don't look at

over kind of 24-hour periods and

therefore the recommendations are more

down to kind of yourself and what you've

practiced what you can tolerate I would

say looking at kind of our data database

of what athletes have been doing when

we're talking about events over 12 hours

I think the key is one of the key things

is if you go too early with using

caffeine and high doses then you can get

this Spike which is great but then you

get the dip and you don't want that so

one of the key recommendations I

these long durations is to stay away

from caffeine for not always as long as

you can but for a long duration at the

start of the race so don't have it early

on don't have it in those first few

hours keep away from it at Badlands for

example until it gets to like the middle

of the night when you want to fight your

circadian rhythm when it's about 2: am

3:00 a.m. and you might want to you you

want to keep going you want to boost

your perceived energy levels you want to

kind of avoid any dips and then you

might start using caffeine right you

might incorporate

uh caffeine gel here and there some

people might use some actual kind of

drinks some caffeinated drinks and

there's different ways that's more down

to preference not a huge difference

between them but then it's about kind of

drip feeding caffeine from there again

not going for a massive dose and then

not having any in any for hours and

hours and then you get the dip it's

about kind of implementing it later in

the race and then drip feeding it to

keep that benefit keep the caffeine

levels in your system high enough that

you still get this ergogenic effect mhm

well what doses uh would you think uh

would be something in in range like for

using it for example as you mention to

avoid the dips during the night yeah

It's Tricky like I said as as a science

in terms of the literature isn't there

on the recommendations but they are when

we look at caffeine recommendations it's

all in milligrams per kilogram of body

weight so it does depend a little bit on

body weight the general guidelines are

between 3 to 6 milligrams per kilogram

as like an overall dose so that like the

total amount you consume let's say over

a 24hour period might be 6 milligrams

per kilogram it's definitely going to be

at the top end of that range if you're a

caffeine user and you're going for such

long durations but how you do that is up

to you I think it's going to be once you

start hitting it in kind of 50 to 100

milligram Doses and then continuing that

every couple of hours right so you might

hit it depends on how you're doing it

whether you're using a drink gels

tablets people do it different ways but

that's going to be somewhere in that

range of 50 to 100 as like small doses

to keep s going keep the levels high and

then when you add that up that might be

looking at kind of towards the 500 600

plus milligrams total to hit that six

milligram per kilogram recommendation of

kind of caffeine over body weight yeah

it's interesting also that you touch on

uh people like it would be better not to

drink caffeine before but in Ultra

there's even uh I know a lot of people

now I do it myself what we call caffeine

Diet so I I drink a lot of coffee but uh

before a race I I sto drinking coffee h

two weeks in advance at least uh so I

get like a then during the races I

really notice it because I actually

tested with super sapiens I had the

glucose monitor and I noticed when I I

was having the dips at night when I was

feeling really low like uh I was falling

asleep I actually had a huge insulin

Spike and then it completely collapses

so I could see exactly when I will have

the dips and then take the caffeine gel

I found it it works best when you take

caffeine with sugar caffeine by I try

caffeine tablets but the effect was not

as good as uh the gels the gels kind of

like the the effect is quite last longer

I will say that just taking caffeine by

itself and yeah really the caffeine Diet

is kind of okay you lower the threshold

for the simul and then every time you

take it then during the races the effect

is higher yeah that's definitely a good

way to kind of test it out and find what

works for you because people kind of

time it differently dose it differently

what I'd say about kind of removing it

from your diet for like a week or two

weeks before a race there is some proven

benefits some small benefits and lots of

our athletes do do it I would say just

be cautious because obviously it can be

detrimental it can make you feel a bit

worse so I think with that kind of

recommendation it is down to preference

because there's not kind of a huge added

benefit that it would would I'd

recommend it to everyone so it's about

kind of down to the athlete and

depending how you want to feel right if

it's going to make a huge difference to

your mood and how you feel in that final

week then might be worth just sticking

to it yeah well I can tell you my mood

wasn't good I had like headache and I

was grumpy so but at least during the

races it pays

off yeah that that's uh really good and

uh yeah so um for example um anything uh

that uh you working lately in with the

team that is uh interesting I know you

having some developments for example you

do that a sweat test but you also have

um a survey kind of on your website

where you give a guideline if people

want to do it yeah and it's it's a great

place um to send people really it

depends once you've got an event in mind

be that a specific one you're going out

for kind of a long ride long long

session we have an online Fuel and

hydration planner and what you can do is

input some individual details about you

like I said so about your sweat rate

about your sweat sodium and also about

the event so the duration the distance

what you're aiming for and then it gives

you the scientific recommendations in

terms of how many grams of carbohydrate

should be you be aiming for per hour how

much fluid roughly and then also the

sodium concentration and then it gives

some ideas as well of how you can do

that some recommendations depending on

what the race is of how you might do

that bottles what you could have in them

how much you could be having per hour

gels chews and different ways that you

can do it

it's just a great idea to to see based

on the duration and intensity of the

event that you're Racing for and your

individual kind of hydration side of

thing so your sweat losses what the

science says that you should be aiming

for and then you can really kind of test

that out build up to it like I said

might do some gut training to aim for

kind of what the planner recommends and

you can use that as a really good basis

in a guide in terms of your fueling and

hydration plan mhm and in terms of uh

pre-ra like uh preloading on

carbohydrates I mean we spoke about like

preloading on uh on electrolytes and

carbohydrates uh what kind of uh meals

you see your athletes tend to go for I

don't know I think a lot of people are

deviating from the pasta party lately

yeah so in the kind of one to two days

before an event car loing is obviously

what everyone has discussed what we know

is beneficial and people do that in

different ways the key is increasing the

proportion of carbohydrates in your

meals you can really dig into the

numbers and the scientific side of

things I say if you're looking to do

that and really nail this then we have a

really good blog that details how you

might do that the numbers each day that

would be advised depending on your body

weight but really then then when we're

looking at kind of evening and morning

it's all about the carbs carbohydrates

are what's going to fuel you so it's

important that you're topping up your

glycogen stores the night before and

morning of so in the morning people are

doing that lots of different ways but

porridge toast Bagels bananas everything

carbar that you can imagine people have

had and what are your thoughts about

fasty training is something that a lot

of people are uh kind of uh doing right

now I do it myself like fasted training

in the morning nothing in like

intensity uh but normally is fasted but

not really because I tend to eat more in

the in the the night before as you said

to replenish these stores what are your

thoughts about fasted training yes it's

a common question around here I'd say in

terms of there's definitely a small

place for it in your training schedule

there's definitely some early morning

short sessions where you might go in

fasted you might not have time and you

might not fuel too much beforehand I say

predominantly where you want to gain the

most you want it to be race like when

you're looking to optimize your

performance you're going to want to feel

like race day you're going want to

incorporate carbohydrates to make sure

that you're going as hard and for as

long as you can that doesn't mean that

every session needs to be implementing

your fuel and hydration strategy as you

would on race day right you can

definitely save that for kind of the one

or two key brick sessions where you're

going to like fully gut trained you're

going to implement the strategy you're

going to practice the hydration and

you're going to practice the fueling

together you might practice your preload

as well you might practice your pre Fuel

and make sure that you've got everything

nailed and really train that gut that

doesn't mean that every session needs to

be as intense and using all your Sports

Nutrition products it's definitely a

small place for some fasted sessions

when we're talking about short morning

sessions where you're not looking to

completely optimize performance yeah I

think that's a that's a long topic this

one well I'm going to leave uh the links

to Precision Fuel and hydration and all

the resources we talk about in the link

below and uh thank you so much for

joining us today Emily thanks for having

me no it's been great thanks for

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Badlands until the next episode

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