Cyclists Diet

[Cyclehard]

Hi,

I eat a lot of carbs: Steal Cut oats every morning, lots of couscous, quinoa and whole wheat pasta. I also eat lots of lean protein, mainly chicken. Eggs are a staple. I eat tons of spinach and kale as they are very alkaline foods which is good for maintenance of muscle mass. I do eat fruit, oranges, apples and bananas. Air-popped popcorn is a must. I have to keep my weight down and so the fiber in the low cal snack is filling and something to keep busy munching on. Lately though I find my hunger pretty out of control. Last year I was probably 6% body fat for most of the year -- around 140lbs at 5'7". I have a lot of upper body though from my younger years of heavy lifting. Now I'm about 145-150. For a cyclist that's a huge difference. It's the difference of getting popped on a hill and determining the outcome of a race. Thoughts? Suggestions?

[jimmyinkedup]

I personally cant help you. I am an avid recreational cyclist , but thats it. One of my best friends however , rode for US Postal Service on their contineltal US team years ago. He had a great career and placed very hiugh in several respected races across the US. I saw him take 2nd place at the USPRO championship race held annually in manyunk , pa. I have forwarded him your message via email and when he responds ill post it here. I hope it can help you out.

[Cyclehard]

Awesome! He'd have to be good to have been on Postal. That was quite a team.

[Cyclehard]

I should also throw in that I take in a lot of fat. Mainly almonds, dark chocolate, almond/peanut butter, avacado, olive oil, eggs and the occasional chocolate milk after a hard effort.

[Turkish Juicer]

My initial thoughts are; your diet looks right on for a cycler and it seems like you know what you are doing. You said that your hunger is seemingly pretty out of control at the moment. You might want to introduce a lean steak meal to your diet as it will keep you full for longer and is superior to chicken as a protein source on many levels. You might also want to introduce some fish oil capsules to your diet for higher energy levels overall, as well as joint health. Other than these 2 advices, I don't really know what else to say since I am convinced your diet is in fact better than most of the diets posted in the diet section of this forum so far.

Are you currently using any supplements? If you would like to learn a few things about endurance supplementation especially in terms of fighting lactic acid during training and/or races let us know.

[Cyclehard]

I do take Omega-3 oils from time-to-time. The only supplement that I am taking at the moment is 5,000iu of D3. I should be taking a complex-B, however. As far as fighting lactic acid, I would love to know as much as possible. I do put some sodium bicarbonate in my water bottles during races every once in a while as it buffers lactic acid. But other than that I am ready to learn.

[Turkish Juicer]

For bodybuilders and endurance athletes, most credible lactic acid buffering performance enhancers are of course Creatine and Beta-Alanine. Creatine (monohydrate in particular) has been researched a million times over the last 2-3 decades with similar study case conclusions that it is safe and can be permanently used at an optimal dosage of 5 gr a day as a postwokout supplement without cycling. I am not going to get into further explanation of what Creatine is all about since this site has a very informative Creatine FAQ section so suit yourself!

As for Beta-Alanine, it basically aids muscles a lot like Creatine, except it performs in a different manner. I have been using Creatine Monohydrate for the last 4 years myself and I have seen significantly better results when I combine it with Beta-Alanine. To me, using one without another at this point is not making the best out of your options. Again, I am not going to get into how Beta-Alanine works in itself as well as how it works differently than Creatine, since you will be reading about all of this on the product description sections of the links below. Below are my choices of these two supplements and I am quite confident as a cardio-freak that you will benefit a whole a lot from these supplements in a short amount of time. Follow instructions as dictated by the whichever Beta-Alanine brand you will be shopping for and as for Creatine Mono, 5 gr post workout only with simple sugars (high GI fruit juice for instance) and same protocol on non-training days.

http://www.gnc.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3764576

http://www.gnc.com/product/index.jsp...87539&kwCatId=

[Cyclehard]

Thanks. I'll research these more fully when I have time.