Category Archives for "Nutrition"

Evidence-based supplements for triathletes and endurance athletes | EP#193

What dietary supplements should triathletes and endurance athletes consider using based on current evidence? We go through a recent review paper that has analysed all the current evidence to come up with clear guidelines for which supplements are potentially beneficial and which will just result in expensive pee.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

• Supplements used to prevent or treat nutrient deficiencies
• Supplements (sports foods) used to provide a practical form of energy and nutrients
• Supplements that directly improve sports performance
• Supplements that improve performance indirectly
• Adverse effects and antidoping rule violations from lack of quality assurance in supplement manufacturing

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Hydration in endurance sports: a Q&A with Andy Blow | EP#191

Andy Blow, founder of Precision Hydration and former elite triathlete answers listener questions about hydration and electrolytes in racing and training.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

• Hydration preloading for races
• Rehydrating after training and racing
• Having three independent levers on race day: water, electrolytes and calories
• Hypotonic vs. hypertonic solutions
• Cramping on the Ironman run

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Nitrate loading, marathons, and endurance sports science with prof. Andy Jones | EP#187

Professor Andy Jones is internationally recognized for his work in academia and applied sports science. He has authored more than 280 original research and review articles, worked with the two best marathoners in history (Eliud Kipchoge and Paula Radcliffe) and is perhaps best known for his pioneering work in the use of dietary nitrate (found in e.g. beetroot) and its impact on endurance performance.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

• Nitrate loading: what are the benefits and what is the proper protocol for it?
• Can nitrate loading be done with normal beetroot juice or beetroots, or are specific supplements preferable?
• Will we see the 2-hour marathon milestone broken soon, and what advances in running should take place for it to happen?
• Running and endurance performance in large part comes down to three parameters: aerobic capacity (VO2max), economy, and lactate threshold. How should we train to improve these parameters?
• The Critical Power concept and how it stacks up to Maximum Lactate Steady State.

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Endurance sports nutrition: state of the art in 2019 with prof. John Hawley | EP#181

Professor John Hawley is one of the leading researchers in the world on sports nutrition, the interaction between exercise and diet on fat and carbohydrate regulation, and the cellular and molecular basis of endurance sports adaptations. He gives us a complete update on what we actually know as of today about endurance sports nutrition, and where evidence is still lacking.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

• Nailing the basics of endurance sports nutrition – what’s most important to consider and get right?
• Getting clear on commonly misunderstood terminology in the field of nutrition
• Beyond the basics: the impact on endurance performance of manipulating carbohydrate availability, nutrition periodisation, and day to day diet
• Fat, carbs, and their impact on inflammation and recovery, insulin response, and body composition
• How do elite endurance athletes actually eat?
• Common myths about and mistakes amateur athletes make with nutrition

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The top-5 challenges for masters athletes and how to overcome them – Bo Falck Hansen, PhD | EP#176

Bo Falck Hansen, PhD, is a researcher and cycling coach with a special interest in training and performance for the aging athlete. He describes the top-5 challenges that masters athletes in triathlon and other endurance sports face, and how to tackle them.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

• Reducing the rate of decline in aerobic capacity (VO2max) with the right kind of endurance training
• Reducing the rate of loss of lean muscle mass with the right kind of strength training.
• Reducing the impact of the insulin response while still making sure you perform in training and racing with periodised carbohydrate intake.
• Maintaining flexibility, coordination, and balance.
• Having the right attitude to aging

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The Endurance Diet with Matt Fitzgerald | EP#153

Author, coach, and nutritionist Matt Fitzgerald wrote the book “The Endurance Diet” after doing extensive investigations into what elite endurance athletes all over the world really eat. He discovered that even though their plates look very different, there are 5 core habit that they all adhere to to perform at the top of their game in performance, recovery, and overall health.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

• The 5 Core Habits: eat everything, eat quality, eat carb-centered, eat enough, eat individually
• Does elite athletes’ eating habits really apply to normal age-group triathletes?
• More advanced concepts beyond the 5 core habits: nutrition periodisation, fuelling workouts, fasted workouts/training low, supplements
• Matt’s thoughts on “trendy diets”

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LCHF and fat adaptation in triathlon with Jesse Kropelnicki and Steph Lowe | EP#147

Jesse Kropelnicki and Steph Lowe discuss LCHF for triathletes and endurance athletes. This interview highlights that there’s not just one way to skin a cat with LCHF. Different triathletes will fall on different points on the spectrum of LCHF. The approaches of Jesse and Steph differ mostly in that Jesse prescribes a train-high, race-high approach, whereas Steph prescribes training low and racing moderately high.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

• Steph’s approach to LCHF (low-carb, high-fat diets): real food, avoid extremes, and train low, race high
• Jesse’s nutrition approach: “unprescribed LCHF” (less focus on macronutrients) in day-to-day nutrition, with train high (and train the gut), race high.
• Potential benefits of LCHF for endurance athletes.
• LCHF versus “clean eating” and non-LCHF with unprocessed foods
• Myths and misunderstandings around LCHF
• How the race-course is the world’s best lab for testing nutrition strategies and verifying that they work

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Training The Gut | EP#122

How well you tolerate consuming sports drinks and energy gels and how well you can absorb the energy in them and use to fuel your performance are both trainable factors that are critical for endurance performance.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

• Training the Gut methods to improve your tolerance of sports nutrition products and reduce GI-distress.
• Training the Gut methods to improve how much carbohydrate you can absorb and use as fuel.
• A two-week Gut Training protocol/
• Why “Train low, race high” is not a smart, and definitely not evidence-based strategy.

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Body composition and how to get to your triathlon race weight | EP#113

A research-based review of body composition and racing weight for triathletes.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

• Different methods to assess body composition and body fat percentage, and their limitations.
• How to get to your goal race weight and body composition using three simple principles: appropriate rate of weight loss, appropriate protein intake, and staying away from fads.
• Myths and risks to avoid when it comes to getting lean and losing weight
• What is the typical body composition (body fat percentage, weight, Fat Free Mass Index) of elite level triathletes?
• Periodisation of body composition and racing weight, and the importance of not staying at race weight year round.

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Triathlon training and nutrition considerations for female athletes with Stacy Sims, PhD | EP#105

Stacy Sims, PhD, discusses female-specific considerations for training, nutrition, hydration and recovery. Women are not small men, so whether it’s training or nutrition, you should be aware of these important differences compared to the male college students that are typically research subjects in endurance sports.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

• Training, nutrition, hydration and recovery differences between men and women
• How to change your training and nutrition with your menstrual cycle
• How too much fructose may be giving you gastrointestinal problems
• Training during and after pregnancy
• Training and nutrition changes for menopausal women

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