It feels like Spring time in Colorado and about this time each year, I usually have the burning question posed to me: "how can I run faster?". I don't know if it is the time of the year when athletes are getting anxious to be outside or if it is because they are registering for races. No matter the reason, it is true that all of us want to be faster but is it really a mystery?
First off, you must remember that "faster" is very relative and specific to each person. Everyone has their own training program that they follow, some better than others but I am confident that I can sum up how to become a faster runner with three simple tips. Can I oversimplify this? Sure. Anyone can but I don't think it is necessarily the first place to begin in your quest for speed. Start with these tips first:
Tip #1: Form
Form matters. It's true. Fortunately, there is not one single running form that is the Holy Grail. Coaches manipulate running form to improve economy (using less oxygen doing the same task) and reduce the risk of injury. Each athlete is made differently and there is not one correct style that will guarantee increased speed. In fact, most athletes progress through different evolutions of running form as they progress from beginner to intermediate to advanced levels. Add to the mix any imbalances, strengths and weaknesses and there is no doubt that you will change your running form around a bit.
Don't get too bogged down with the latest running form debate. The fact of the matter is that there is not necessarily a "right" or "wrong". However, there are certain techniques that may or may not support your body's biomechanics, developmental level and imbalances. Find a qualified coach who can help you discover what your running form should be at this given point in time and also, how to progress it as you develop further.
Tip #2: Consistency
This is an easy one. As with any sport, if you want to be faster, you must be consistent in your training. Take a peek into your training routine. Do you often miss workouts? Do you make excuses for not doing a workout? I'm all for listening to the body but consistency is the name of the game. Get a good periodization plan that supports proper development and recovery and stick with it. The less consistent you are in your run training, the less opportunity you have to develop speed.
Tip #3: Work ethic
Don't confuse work ethic with motivation. Work ethic covers everything from how you mentally, physically and nutritionally prepare for a workout to what you actually do during the workout. I have a favorite saying that I share quite often with athletes: "What you put in is what you get out". Put in 80%, get out 80%. Want to get faster? Develop a strong work ethic and put in 100%. Your work ethic will help determine what you put in but that is not the end of it.
Having a great work ethic also means being able to follow your training program. If you run session calls for aerobic efforts, then make them aerobic. If it calls for race pace efforts, then make them race pace. Following a training plan in detail is also a component of having a positive work ethic. Another of my favorite sayings: "You can't just wake up and decide to be great. You have to work to be great." Your work ethic speaks volumes about you as a person and also as an athlete and how you will progress to obtain a better level of performance (speed).
There you have it. Short and sweet for this blog. Be a faster runner by developing better form, being consistent and having a solid work ethic.
Until next time...
Coach Bob
Email
Website
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Monday, January 27, 2014
Why am I swimming so fast?
I thought I would get off the beaten path of my nutrition blogging to discuss training in this blog. I am confident that for some triathletes who struggle with their swim, this may be of extreme benefit.
It's no secret that I did not grow up a swimmer. Heck, I didn't even "learn" how to swim "competitively" (and by that I mean putting my head in the water when swimming freestyle) until my sophomore year in college when I took lifeguard training. Growing up a land sport athlete (soccer), I didn't know you were supposed to swim with your head and face in the water. Well, not until my lifeguard training instructor asked me after the first class why I swam like I did. My answer was simple and was actually a question back to her, "that's not what I am supposed to do?". Ha! Joke was on me because ever since then, I have been trying to make myself a swimmer, well in the sense of a triathlete who wants to minimize the amount of energy wasted so I could get on the bike without being completely exhausted.
I have been working on this for 20 years. I've read all the books, talked to great swim coaches, had video analysis done. It worked, a little but nothing that was really noticeable. I remember last year when swimming under 1:30 pace for 100 yards was a success for me. That just didn't cut it for the level of competitiveness that I wanted to achieve.
So, what did I do? Nothing particular ground breaking and nothing that costs a ton of money. What I would like to share with you is my process of swimming faster. If you can take some of these tips and apply it to your training to become faster in the water, great! That is my intention.
Tip 1: Be a student of the sport
As I mentioned earlier, I have read all the books. Have done my homework and all that jazz. What I failed to do was spend time on my own in the pool trying to correlate my learning with the biomechanics of my body. I got a swim snorkel, went slow and paid attention to my body moving through the water. I had someone video me so I could analyze it and pick myself apart. After doing that, I went back in the pool, by myself, and slowed everything down so I could manipulate my biomechanics. Specifically, what I found was that I was reaching too far, too much extension and actually putting the brakes on because of this. I changed my hand entry to about a 15-20 degree angle which allowed me to engage my catch sooner and ease the pressure on my shoulder.
Tip 2: Get stronger
I have spent the last 6 months aggressively building my swim specific strength. I do 5-10 minutes per day doing pre-hab shoulder exercises with tubing. I pay particular attention to posterior chain exercises when lifting weights. Yes, weights. I lift heavy weights and do sandbag and plyometric training for my upper body. The icing on the cake for me has been the introduction of rowing. I row most weeks 3-6 times from 20-60 minutes. Sometimes steady state. Sometimes intervals. It's a huge contributor to my swimming speed improvements.
Tip 3: Learn how to kick
Yeah, I was a competitive soccer player turned triathlete. I have strong legs so I thought kicking would be easy. Not so much. I wasn't kicking properly. Too much from my knees. No engagement from my hips. Too wide of a kick. What I have done to help this is get a piece of easy resistance tubing and put it around my ankles while swimming. When swimming alone (important: not in a group), I practice swimming with this tubing. It is not the same as having a bike tube around your ankles. This resistance tubing allows me to kick against it but I know I am kicking correctly when I feel my hips engaged. It also prevents me from kicking too wide.
These three things have been blessings for me in developing my swim. I have gone from celebrating hitting just under 1:30 pace 100's to consistently being able to hold 1:20's in this short amount of time. Will this work for you? Yeah, I'm pretty sure it will. Consistency is the key. Don't rush it and don't try to swim fast before you implement these tips. Patience will go a long way in developing your swim. It did for this non-swimmer and I am confidence it will for you also!
Happy swimming.
Coach Bob
Email
Website
It's no secret that I did not grow up a swimmer. Heck, I didn't even "learn" how to swim "competitively" (and by that I mean putting my head in the water when swimming freestyle) until my sophomore year in college when I took lifeguard training. Growing up a land sport athlete (soccer), I didn't know you were supposed to swim with your head and face in the water. Well, not until my lifeguard training instructor asked me after the first class why I swam like I did. My answer was simple and was actually a question back to her, "that's not what I am supposed to do?". Ha! Joke was on me because ever since then, I have been trying to make myself a swimmer, well in the sense of a triathlete who wants to minimize the amount of energy wasted so I could get on the bike without being completely exhausted.
I have been working on this for 20 years. I've read all the books, talked to great swim coaches, had video analysis done. It worked, a little but nothing that was really noticeable. I remember last year when swimming under 1:30 pace for 100 yards was a success for me. That just didn't cut it for the level of competitiveness that I wanted to achieve.
So, what did I do? Nothing particular ground breaking and nothing that costs a ton of money. What I would like to share with you is my process of swimming faster. If you can take some of these tips and apply it to your training to become faster in the water, great! That is my intention.
Tip 1: Be a student of the sport
As I mentioned earlier, I have read all the books. Have done my homework and all that jazz. What I failed to do was spend time on my own in the pool trying to correlate my learning with the biomechanics of my body. I got a swim snorkel, went slow and paid attention to my body moving through the water. I had someone video me so I could analyze it and pick myself apart. After doing that, I went back in the pool, by myself, and slowed everything down so I could manipulate my biomechanics. Specifically, what I found was that I was reaching too far, too much extension and actually putting the brakes on because of this. I changed my hand entry to about a 15-20 degree angle which allowed me to engage my catch sooner and ease the pressure on my shoulder.
Tip 2: Get stronger
I have spent the last 6 months aggressively building my swim specific strength. I do 5-10 minutes per day doing pre-hab shoulder exercises with tubing. I pay particular attention to posterior chain exercises when lifting weights. Yes, weights. I lift heavy weights and do sandbag and plyometric training for my upper body. The icing on the cake for me has been the introduction of rowing. I row most weeks 3-6 times from 20-60 minutes. Sometimes steady state. Sometimes intervals. It's a huge contributor to my swimming speed improvements.
Tip 3: Learn how to kick
Yeah, I was a competitive soccer player turned triathlete. I have strong legs so I thought kicking would be easy. Not so much. I wasn't kicking properly. Too much from my knees. No engagement from my hips. Too wide of a kick. What I have done to help this is get a piece of easy resistance tubing and put it around my ankles while swimming. When swimming alone (important: not in a group), I practice swimming with this tubing. It is not the same as having a bike tube around your ankles. This resistance tubing allows me to kick against it but I know I am kicking correctly when I feel my hips engaged. It also prevents me from kicking too wide.
These three things have been blessings for me in developing my swim. I have gone from celebrating hitting just under 1:30 pace 100's to consistently being able to hold 1:20's in this short amount of time. Will this work for you? Yeah, I'm pretty sure it will. Consistency is the key. Don't rush it and don't try to swim fast before you implement these tips. Patience will go a long way in developing your swim. It did for this non-swimmer and I am confidence it will for you also!
Happy swimming.
Coach Bob
Website
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Supplement Savvy
Happy New Year!
I have written a few articles about supplement savvy in the past and this blog will not be a reproduction of those. As athletes, supplements are part of our lifestyle. It doesn't matter if you agree or disagree. The fact of the matter is that athletes use supplements. As a Registered Dietitian, I was taught the food first model back in the days. Around the same time where I was also taught about the benefits of following a high carbohydrate, low fat diet. Also around the same time when, as an endurance coach, I was learning that the best strategy to improve most performances was to build a huge aerobic base of long slow distance training.
My, my, how things have changed over the years. Specific to this blog is the supplement topic. Now, don't get me wrong. I fully believe that we should eat wholesome foods but I also agree that we cannot obtain all of our nutrients through foods all of the time. We are athletes and we stress our bodies differently from the average person. Throughout my career as a Sport Dietitian, I have developed a much more liberal approach to supplements, have taken many myself to see if they work or not, and have developed a more systematic, periodized approach to using them and educating others on what and when to use.
Supplements can be classified into three categories: 1) dietary, 2) sport and 3) ergogenic. Dietary supplements include your basic multivitamin and single nutrients like iron, vitamin D, omega-3's and calcium. Sport supplements include any bar, drink, gel, electrolyte or anything else you would likely consume before, during or after training. The last category, ergogenic, includes supplements like creatine, caffeine, and herbal products such as rhodiola rosea.
There are just as many studies to say we need certain supplements as there are opposing the usage. What is important is that each athlete have blood work analysis done to determine what is really going on inside their bodies. From there, it is easy to "clean up" your daily nutrition plan and add the appropriate supplements to combat deficiencies or to improve athletic performance.
Recently, I have had the honor to sit on the Advisory Board for Thorne FX. I attended a 3 day educational retreat at their headquarters in Idaho to learn about what makes them different and why. I was pleasantly surprised to see, upon touring their facility, the degree of quality assurance in which they hold their manufacturing processes to along with the science that goes into choosing the right ingredients. No fillers. No product contamination. No BS. The reason I have aligned myself with this company is not only because of their supplement philosophy and manufacturing/sourcing of ingredients but also because they believe in lab testing. In fact, they offer the most comprehensive lab testing that you can get.
And no, they are not like other companies that develop a test to show you how low you are in something and so conveniently have a product to sell you in the next breath. The lab testing is to help you achieve a better understanding of your health and determine what dietary strategies you need to implement to make improvements. My collaboration with ThorneFX is an extension of the services that I provide athletes. My job is to improve your health and performance by looking at your daily and training nutrition, find the problems and come up with solutions. Solutions, in this case, often lead to changing the way you eat and your food choices along with educating you about supplements that can help in this process.
As much as you can argue with the research that is published, one thing is for certain: you are unique in your nutritional needs and were dealt a different deck of genetic cards than someone else. Get your lab work done first to see what you are starting with. From there, you can develop a plan to improve your health and performance.
I would encourage you to visit ThorneFX for lab testing options and their full supplement line. I wouldn't be on their Advisory Board if I didn't believe in them!
PS-you cannot order lab tests or products from ThorneFX without a special code so you can use this one: THRNFX1062544
ThorneFX website
Coach Bob
Email
Website
I have written a few articles about supplement savvy in the past and this blog will not be a reproduction of those. As athletes, supplements are part of our lifestyle. It doesn't matter if you agree or disagree. The fact of the matter is that athletes use supplements. As a Registered Dietitian, I was taught the food first model back in the days. Around the same time where I was also taught about the benefits of following a high carbohydrate, low fat diet. Also around the same time when, as an endurance coach, I was learning that the best strategy to improve most performances was to build a huge aerobic base of long slow distance training.
My, my, how things have changed over the years. Specific to this blog is the supplement topic. Now, don't get me wrong. I fully believe that we should eat wholesome foods but I also agree that we cannot obtain all of our nutrients through foods all of the time. We are athletes and we stress our bodies differently from the average person. Throughout my career as a Sport Dietitian, I have developed a much more liberal approach to supplements, have taken many myself to see if they work or not, and have developed a more systematic, periodized approach to using them and educating others on what and when to use.
Supplements can be classified into three categories: 1) dietary, 2) sport and 3) ergogenic. Dietary supplements include your basic multivitamin and single nutrients like iron, vitamin D, omega-3's and calcium. Sport supplements include any bar, drink, gel, electrolyte or anything else you would likely consume before, during or after training. The last category, ergogenic, includes supplements like creatine, caffeine, and herbal products such as rhodiola rosea.
There are just as many studies to say we need certain supplements as there are opposing the usage. What is important is that each athlete have blood work analysis done to determine what is really going on inside their bodies. From there, it is easy to "clean up" your daily nutrition plan and add the appropriate supplements to combat deficiencies or to improve athletic performance.
Recently, I have had the honor to sit on the Advisory Board for Thorne FX. I attended a 3 day educational retreat at their headquarters in Idaho to learn about what makes them different and why. I was pleasantly surprised to see, upon touring their facility, the degree of quality assurance in which they hold their manufacturing processes to along with the science that goes into choosing the right ingredients. No fillers. No product contamination. No BS. The reason I have aligned myself with this company is not only because of their supplement philosophy and manufacturing/sourcing of ingredients but also because they believe in lab testing. In fact, they offer the most comprehensive lab testing that you can get.
And no, they are not like other companies that develop a test to show you how low you are in something and so conveniently have a product to sell you in the next breath. The lab testing is to help you achieve a better understanding of your health and determine what dietary strategies you need to implement to make improvements. My collaboration with ThorneFX is an extension of the services that I provide athletes. My job is to improve your health and performance by looking at your daily and training nutrition, find the problems and come up with solutions. Solutions, in this case, often lead to changing the way you eat and your food choices along with educating you about supplements that can help in this process.
As much as you can argue with the research that is published, one thing is for certain: you are unique in your nutritional needs and were dealt a different deck of genetic cards than someone else. Get your lab work done first to see what you are starting with. From there, you can develop a plan to improve your health and performance.
I would encourage you to visit ThorneFX for lab testing options and their full supplement line. I wouldn't be on their Advisory Board if I didn't believe in them!
PS-you cannot order lab tests or products from ThorneFX without a special code so you can use this one: THRNFX1062544
ThorneFX website
Coach Bob
Website
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Holiday Hang-Ups
I am often asked, "how does Coach Bob make it through the holidays from a nutrition perspective?". So, I thought I would let you know how this Sport Dietitian thinks around this time of the year…
1. Don't calorie count. This isn't really specific to this time of the year because you shouldn't really do it. However, if you meticulously calculate the calories that you eat around the holidays, it will make you depressed and who wants that?
2. Enjoy food! Again, not really a holiday tip as you always should be especially during this time of the year. That doesn't mean eating junk. It means enjoying the taste of different foods. Remember, your taste buds are on your tongue, not your stomach!
3. Explore outside your comfort zone. Try new foods. What a great time of the year to have this opportunity. Who knows? You may add a favorite to your list.
4. Approach holiday parties as a way to improve your nutrition skills. It shouldn't be a sabotage situation but rather an opportunity to seek out the protein and veggies first and foremost. That will get you full and help reduce any cravings.
5. Don't stress out about treats. So maybe you do enjoy the holiday treats every so often. Don't think of yourself as a lesser person. Enjoy the taste, savor it and then move on to your normal way of eating again. It will help you develop a healthy relationship with food.
6. Make smoothies. A great way to get a liquid source of protein, fat and fiber. Experiment and have fun with different ingredients like sweet potatoes, kale, coconut and more! Check out the new Fuel4mance Smoothie e-recipe book for 85 great ideas!
Of course, the most important is to control your blood sugar by combining protein, fiber and fat together about 90% of the time you eat. Do your best but allow misses to happen (about 10% of the time). It's all about "ME" (metabolic efficiency)!
Enjoy the holidays!
Coach Bob
Email
Website
1. Don't calorie count. This isn't really specific to this time of the year because you shouldn't really do it. However, if you meticulously calculate the calories that you eat around the holidays, it will make you depressed and who wants that?
2. Enjoy food! Again, not really a holiday tip as you always should be especially during this time of the year. That doesn't mean eating junk. It means enjoying the taste of different foods. Remember, your taste buds are on your tongue, not your stomach!
3. Explore outside your comfort zone. Try new foods. What a great time of the year to have this opportunity. Who knows? You may add a favorite to your list.
4. Approach holiday parties as a way to improve your nutrition skills. It shouldn't be a sabotage situation but rather an opportunity to seek out the protein and veggies first and foremost. That will get you full and help reduce any cravings.
5. Don't stress out about treats. So maybe you do enjoy the holiday treats every so often. Don't think of yourself as a lesser person. Enjoy the taste, savor it and then move on to your normal way of eating again. It will help you develop a healthy relationship with food.
6. Make smoothies. A great way to get a liquid source of protein, fat and fiber. Experiment and have fun with different ingredients like sweet potatoes, kale, coconut and more! Check out the new Fuel4mance Smoothie e-recipe book for 85 great ideas!
Of course, the most important is to control your blood sugar by combining protein, fiber and fat together about 90% of the time you eat. Do your best but allow misses to happen (about 10% of the time). It's all about "ME" (metabolic efficiency)!
Enjoy the holidays!
Coach Bob
Website
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Metabolic Efficiency Check-In
It's been about a year since I moved from vegetarianism to including animal protein in my daily nutrition plan and happily living the controlled carbohydrate, higher fat lifestyle. I wanted to do a short blog to describe where my metabolic efficiency is at today and explain a few things in the process. Here is my metabolic efficiency (ME) assessment as of yesterday.
The assessment was done on the treadmill, beginning at 8:27 minute/mile and progressing to the last stage of 6:19 min/mile. As you can see, I did have an MEP but my fat burning abilities were much less pronounced versus one year ago (look at the %'s to the left of my MEP). I will explain why that is soon. What I did differently this time around was measure my blood lactate to attempt to correlate LT (lactate threshold) with MEP (metabolic efficiency point). My MEP happened about :30 before my LT which indicates that my nutrition could better support my current fitness level. Keep in mind that I normally do not do ME and LT testing in the same test because they are looking at different variables. ME testing is not meant to test for threshold or even go that high in intensity while LT testing is only looking for the point in time where lactate clearance cannot keep up with lactate production (we do this to set heart rate and pace/power zones for athletes). Additionally, the pre-test protocol for ME testing is a 12 hour fast while pre-LT test protocol calls for entering the test just like you would a race, following the same nutrition plan with only about a 2 hour fast before.
I have been controlling my daily carbohydrate intake throughout this past year but it cycles daily and weekly based on my training needs (I call this microcycle nutrition periodization). I have been experimenting with adjusting my carbohydrate intake between 60-120 grams per day, mostly dependent upon my energy needs to support higher intensity triathlon and cyclocross training. That said, in the weeks leading up to my most recent ME assessment, I averaged roughly 100 grams of carbohydrate per day.
I was happy to see where my MEP was but take a look at where it was the month after I started eating meat again (October, 2012) and limiting my carbohydrate intake to 60-80 grams per day.
The intensity change per stage was the same with the exception that my last stage was a 6:31 min/mile. Yesterday, I was able to go one more stage (to a 6:19 min/mile), mostly because I have been training with higher intensity for cyclocross racing and am building into a reverse periodization triathlon training plan for 2014. What is very interesting is the overall amount of fat vs. carbohydrate that I was burning in my ME assessment last year versus this year. Today, while I am burning a decent amount of fat before my MEP, it is much less than one year ago.
Why you may ask? Pretty simple actually. Combine my eating 20-40 more grams of carbohydrate per day along with pretty high intensity exercise and you get less fat burning. Nothing that would raise a red flag but nonetheless, still a lower amount. The take-home message for me is that lowering my daily carbohydrate intake to around 60-80 grams yields a higher state of metabolic efficiency. This is for my body as everyone will be different based on their training, genetics, carbohydrate intolerance and daily nutrition plan.
As I continue to cycle my daily carbohydrate and fat intakes in search of the right equation that yields the "biggest bang for my buck", I will continue my ME testing more often during this off-season. While there really isn't a technical definition of "low carb", I do believe that an ideal range exists for each athlete. One that yields both optimal metabolic efficiency and performance while having the ideal body weight and body composition. It's a fun exploration and I will continue to report my progress. Hopefully, there are some take-aways for you also in relation to changing your daily nutrition plan to improve your body's ability to burn more fat.
Stay tuned…
Coach Bob
Email
Website
The assessment was done on the treadmill, beginning at 8:27 minute/mile and progressing to the last stage of 6:19 min/mile. As you can see, I did have an MEP but my fat burning abilities were much less pronounced versus one year ago (look at the %'s to the left of my MEP). I will explain why that is soon. What I did differently this time around was measure my blood lactate to attempt to correlate LT (lactate threshold) with MEP (metabolic efficiency point). My MEP happened about :30 before my LT which indicates that my nutrition could better support my current fitness level. Keep in mind that I normally do not do ME and LT testing in the same test because they are looking at different variables. ME testing is not meant to test for threshold or even go that high in intensity while LT testing is only looking for the point in time where lactate clearance cannot keep up with lactate production (we do this to set heart rate and pace/power zones for athletes). Additionally, the pre-test protocol for ME testing is a 12 hour fast while pre-LT test protocol calls for entering the test just like you would a race, following the same nutrition plan with only about a 2 hour fast before.
I have been controlling my daily carbohydrate intake throughout this past year but it cycles daily and weekly based on my training needs (I call this microcycle nutrition periodization). I have been experimenting with adjusting my carbohydrate intake between 60-120 grams per day, mostly dependent upon my energy needs to support higher intensity triathlon and cyclocross training. That said, in the weeks leading up to my most recent ME assessment, I averaged roughly 100 grams of carbohydrate per day.
I was happy to see where my MEP was but take a look at where it was the month after I started eating meat again (October, 2012) and limiting my carbohydrate intake to 60-80 grams per day.
The intensity change per stage was the same with the exception that my last stage was a 6:31 min/mile. Yesterday, I was able to go one more stage (to a 6:19 min/mile), mostly because I have been training with higher intensity for cyclocross racing and am building into a reverse periodization triathlon training plan for 2014. What is very interesting is the overall amount of fat vs. carbohydrate that I was burning in my ME assessment last year versus this year. Today, while I am burning a decent amount of fat before my MEP, it is much less than one year ago.
Why you may ask? Pretty simple actually. Combine my eating 20-40 more grams of carbohydrate per day along with pretty high intensity exercise and you get less fat burning. Nothing that would raise a red flag but nonetheless, still a lower amount. The take-home message for me is that lowering my daily carbohydrate intake to around 60-80 grams yields a higher state of metabolic efficiency. This is for my body as everyone will be different based on their training, genetics, carbohydrate intolerance and daily nutrition plan.
As I continue to cycle my daily carbohydrate and fat intakes in search of the right equation that yields the "biggest bang for my buck", I will continue my ME testing more often during this off-season. While there really isn't a technical definition of "low carb", I do believe that an ideal range exists for each athlete. One that yields both optimal metabolic efficiency and performance while having the ideal body weight and body composition. It's a fun exploration and I will continue to report my progress. Hopefully, there are some take-aways for you also in relation to changing your daily nutrition plan to improve your body's ability to burn more fat.
Stay tuned…
Coach Bob
Website
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Metabolic Efficiency and Nutrition Periodization
I am asked quite often what the difference is between my two concepts: Metabolic Efficiency and Nutrition Periodization. Here's the down low on the differences.
Nutrition Periodization is the overall concept that is utilized as the foundation of any athlete's sport nutritional needs. Each athlete will follow different training cycles with altering volume, intensity and energy expenditure and because of this, their nutrition program should support these alterations. That is the basic idea behind Nutrition Periodization: support the body's energy needs with varying training load shifts in order to optimize physical training performance. Irrespective of the sport, gender, position or class of athlete, Nutrition Periodization is the cornerstone of athlete nutritional planning.
Metabolic Efficiency is based on the premise of controlling and optimizing blood sugar. There is not one time that an athlete should not have the goal of doing this. The reason behind this concept was to eliminate GI distress in athletes who were prone to having this during training and competition. However, not all athletes experience GI distress so these athletes have argued that they do not need to be metabolically efficient. Unfortunately, they may not know that there are very positive ancillary benefits to improving their metabolic efficiency such as blood lipid improvement, decrease in risk factors for certain diseases, improvement in recovery and sleep patterns and weight loss/fat loss.
Metabolic Efficiency is a component of an athlete's overall Nutrition Periodization program. At certain times throughout the competition year, an athlete may wish to manipulate their body weight and composition or improve health markers. This is where the ancillary benefits of Metabolic Efficiency come into play. Every athlete should have the number one goal of controlling and optimizing blood sugar. It is just a matter of timing in regards to when they implement the different approaches to Metabolic Efficiency.
The most basic way to begin the metabolic efficiency path is to watch your carbohydrate to protein ratio. In brief, if a 1:1 or 2:1 ratio of carb to protein is maintained at meals and snacks, it will optimize blood sugar thus reaping the benefits of hormonal control. From there, it is up to the athlete on how to progress their metabolic efficiency. There are a handful of additional dietary strategies that the Sport Dietitians at Fuel4mance implement based on the athlete and their individual needs. This is also taught in the Fuel4mance Metabolic Efficiency Training Specialist Certification.
For now, the take-home message is that Nutrition Periodization is the guiding nutrition principle for athletes and Metabolic Efficiency is a sub-concept within the overall nutrition plan. Metabolic Efficiency can have significant positive ancillary results aside from just blood sugar optimization and I recommend athletes get a good Sport Dietitian on their performance team to help guide them through the process.
Coach Bob
Email
Website
Nutrition Periodization is the overall concept that is utilized as the foundation of any athlete's sport nutritional needs. Each athlete will follow different training cycles with altering volume, intensity and energy expenditure and because of this, their nutrition program should support these alterations. That is the basic idea behind Nutrition Periodization: support the body's energy needs with varying training load shifts in order to optimize physical training performance. Irrespective of the sport, gender, position or class of athlete, Nutrition Periodization is the cornerstone of athlete nutritional planning.
Metabolic Efficiency is based on the premise of controlling and optimizing blood sugar. There is not one time that an athlete should not have the goal of doing this. The reason behind this concept was to eliminate GI distress in athletes who were prone to having this during training and competition. However, not all athletes experience GI distress so these athletes have argued that they do not need to be metabolically efficient. Unfortunately, they may not know that there are very positive ancillary benefits to improving their metabolic efficiency such as blood lipid improvement, decrease in risk factors for certain diseases, improvement in recovery and sleep patterns and weight loss/fat loss.
Metabolic Efficiency is a component of an athlete's overall Nutrition Periodization program. At certain times throughout the competition year, an athlete may wish to manipulate their body weight and composition or improve health markers. This is where the ancillary benefits of Metabolic Efficiency come into play. Every athlete should have the number one goal of controlling and optimizing blood sugar. It is just a matter of timing in regards to when they implement the different approaches to Metabolic Efficiency.
The most basic way to begin the metabolic efficiency path is to watch your carbohydrate to protein ratio. In brief, if a 1:1 or 2:1 ratio of carb to protein is maintained at meals and snacks, it will optimize blood sugar thus reaping the benefits of hormonal control. From there, it is up to the athlete on how to progress their metabolic efficiency. There are a handful of additional dietary strategies that the Sport Dietitians at Fuel4mance implement based on the athlete and their individual needs. This is also taught in the Fuel4mance Metabolic Efficiency Training Specialist Certification.
For now, the take-home message is that Nutrition Periodization is the guiding nutrition principle for athletes and Metabolic Efficiency is a sub-concept within the overall nutrition plan. Metabolic Efficiency can have significant positive ancillary results aside from just blood sugar optimization and I recommend athletes get a good Sport Dietitian on their performance team to help guide them through the process.
Coach Bob
Website
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Metabolic Efficiency FAQ's
I have been talking quite a bit about Metabolic Efficiency (ME) lately to different groups and podcasts and have realized that there are still quite a few misconceptions about the concept floating around. Let me take the opportunity to address some of these to clear up any confusion.
1. What is Metabolic Efficiency?
ME is a lifestyle change that focuses on combining the proper nutrients (food) during feedings to properly control and optimize blood sugar. This teaches the body (from a cellular level) how to use fat better as an energy source and preserve carbohydrates.
2. Why is it important?
ME has a profound effect on health by improving certain blood lipid markers and decrease the risk of metabolic syndrome and some chronic disease states. It also reduces body weight and body fat.
ME has a performance effect also. It eliminates GI distress (nausea, vomiting, bloating, diarrhea, etc.) in endurance athletes and also reduces the amount of calories needed per hour of exercise. It does this by increasing the amount of fat used at higher intensities. Because glycogen (stored carbohydrate) depletion is the deterrent to athletic success during competition, it makes sense that you would want to use more fat as fuel at higher intensities and preserve carbohydrates until they are really needed.
3. Is it for me?
ME is for anyone with a health or performance related goal. I use the ME plan for myself, my kids, my mom...really anyone. Remember, it's all about controlling and optimizing blood sugar through the different combinations of food. It's safe as long as it is not followed to an extreme for too long.
4. What types of athletes is it good for?
ME works for all athletes but let me make it known that ME is a part of the big picture, that being Nutrition Periodization. As an athlete, you must determine what training cycle you are in first then alter your nutrition to support your energy needs, body weight/fat goals, immune system and health accordingly. For example, an endurance athlete could follow ME year-round but change their carbohydrate and fat consumption based on the time of the year. A bit higher carbohydrate (not a high carb diet) intake during competition cycle may make sense for some athletes while a lower carbohydrate intake would make sense during off-season and early base training.
5. How do I follow the ME diet?
You don't. It's not a diet. It is a manipulation of nutrients based on training and lifestyle. Diets don't work. Diet's are not successful long-term. The ME plan works for anyone because it takes into consideration activity level and other health and performance related goals. The great thing is that all you need to do is change the quantities of carbohydrate, protein and fat throughout the year. ME works beautifully with all sorts of individuals but it must be periodized just like training.
6. What if I screw up?
A change in nutrition is a change in behavior. It takes a few months to really make a new habit stick and there are planned and expected "speedbumps" along the way. Expect these as they will teach good lessons. Don't expect to be perfect. There is no such thing. Allow these "speedbumps" and do not let them affect your self confidence and progress moving forward with your ME plan. As long as you control about 90% of your food, timing and choices, you will do great. The other 10% will be your "speedbumps".
Of course, there is also the topic of nutrient timing and ME. How do you follow the ME plan during training to optimize fat burning and performance at the same time? That will be my discussion for my next blog.
Refer to the great ME resources at the Fuel4mance website for more information.
Stay tuned.
Coach Bob
Email
Website
1. What is Metabolic Efficiency?
ME is a lifestyle change that focuses on combining the proper nutrients (food) during feedings to properly control and optimize blood sugar. This teaches the body (from a cellular level) how to use fat better as an energy source and preserve carbohydrates.
2. Why is it important?
ME has a profound effect on health by improving certain blood lipid markers and decrease the risk of metabolic syndrome and some chronic disease states. It also reduces body weight and body fat.
ME has a performance effect also. It eliminates GI distress (nausea, vomiting, bloating, diarrhea, etc.) in endurance athletes and also reduces the amount of calories needed per hour of exercise. It does this by increasing the amount of fat used at higher intensities. Because glycogen (stored carbohydrate) depletion is the deterrent to athletic success during competition, it makes sense that you would want to use more fat as fuel at higher intensities and preserve carbohydrates until they are really needed.
3. Is it for me?
ME is for anyone with a health or performance related goal. I use the ME plan for myself, my kids, my mom...really anyone. Remember, it's all about controlling and optimizing blood sugar through the different combinations of food. It's safe as long as it is not followed to an extreme for too long.
4. What types of athletes is it good for?
ME works for all athletes but let me make it known that ME is a part of the big picture, that being Nutrition Periodization. As an athlete, you must determine what training cycle you are in first then alter your nutrition to support your energy needs, body weight/fat goals, immune system and health accordingly. For example, an endurance athlete could follow ME year-round but change their carbohydrate and fat consumption based on the time of the year. A bit higher carbohydrate (not a high carb diet) intake during competition cycle may make sense for some athletes while a lower carbohydrate intake would make sense during off-season and early base training.
5. How do I follow the ME diet?
You don't. It's not a diet. It is a manipulation of nutrients based on training and lifestyle. Diets don't work. Diet's are not successful long-term. The ME plan works for anyone because it takes into consideration activity level and other health and performance related goals. The great thing is that all you need to do is change the quantities of carbohydrate, protein and fat throughout the year. ME works beautifully with all sorts of individuals but it must be periodized just like training.
6. What if I screw up?
A change in nutrition is a change in behavior. It takes a few months to really make a new habit stick and there are planned and expected "speedbumps" along the way. Expect these as they will teach good lessons. Don't expect to be perfect. There is no such thing. Allow these "speedbumps" and do not let them affect your self confidence and progress moving forward with your ME plan. As long as you control about 90% of your food, timing and choices, you will do great. The other 10% will be your "speedbumps".
Of course, there is also the topic of nutrient timing and ME. How do you follow the ME plan during training to optimize fat burning and performance at the same time? That will be my discussion for my next blog.
Refer to the great ME resources at the Fuel4mance website for more information.
Stay tuned.
Coach Bob
Website
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