Metabolic Rate

So how many calories would you burn in a day just to keep your basic systems functioning? The average male burns about 1800 and the average female about 1200. Endurance athletes have bigger engines that burn even more at rest. It wouldn't be unusual for those numbers to be 50-75% higher. I had mine tested two years ago and it was just under 3500 calories. Throw in some of the typical activities of the day like work and working out and I have many days above 5000 and even in the 7-10,000 range. Building muscle is the key to building metabolic rate. Muscle burns about three times the calories at that fat burns. Build your big muscle groups to burn the most calories. Our digestive system accounts for about 10% of our metabolic rate so eating burns more calories. Be sure to spread your meals out for the best efficiency. After a hard workout of 45-60 minutes our metabolic rate will spike for up to an additional 14 hours. Another reason to keep high intensity workouts on your schedule and to see someone like Dawn Weatherwax at Sports Nutrition 2Go. She can test your metabolic rate, sodium loss, and body fat %.

Rides and Hikes in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park Area

I've had a number of people request information on rides and hikes in GSMNP. I've been going to that area for over 30 years and try to get down there once a month. Here are some options: rides: Gatlinburg to Cades Cove, ride the loop, and back: 75 miles---amazing ride along the Little River with 4000' of climbing or so, and usually bear sightings in the cove Gatlinburg to Clingmans Dome: 52-55 miles, 5000' of climbing; one of the top 100 climbs in the USA Gatlinburg to Newfound Gap to Cherokee, NC and back: 60-66 miles, probably 7000-8000' of climbing; two of the topp 100 climbs, all in one ride Gatlinburg to Newfound Gap to Cherokee to Newfound with the ride to Clingmans Dome and add in a ride to Elkmont Campground when you come back down: 100 miles, 10,000'+ of climbing; just did this today---6.5 hours in the saddle----brutal ride but also epic Blue Ridge Parkway: start at Cherokee and go as far as you can towards Asheville; throw in Waterrock Knob (another top 100 climb)---the Blue Ridge is stunning!! We did all 470 miles and 50,000' a few years ago--4.5 days of riding splendor Foothills Parkway West to the Dragons Tail and Deals Gap: about 80 miles and you get to ride the 308 turns in 11 miles on the Dragons Tail, and get your picture taken dozens of times by the many photographers taking pictures of the cars and motorcycles; also drop down past Deals Gap to see the dam that Harrison Ford jumped off in The Fugitive If you're willing to drive, ride the Cherohala Skyway--about 35 miles each way and considered the greatest ride in the Blue Ridge; we did it with the ride above for a 100 mile day Ready for some hikes ;-) Mt. LeConte: Alum Cave Trail, Trillium Gap/Rainbow Falls; all about 10-12 miles roundtrip (RT) Ramsey Cascade: 90' waterfall, 9 miles RT Gregory Bald: if the azaleas are flowering, and there are 1,000's, it is unreal; 12 miles RT Andrews Bald with the By-pass to the Appalachian Trail and back down the Clingmans Dome trail: maybe 6 miles of all high country hiking Porters Creek: wonderful hike along a stream, lots of wildflowers, old barns, etc Elkmont Campground: stop by to see the old homes and hike along the Little River

from Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise

KEY POINTS forwarded to me by Patrick Bendel from the online Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise The following key points summarize the current energy, nutrient, and fluid recommendations for active adults and competitive athletes. These general recommendations can be adjusted by sports nutrition experts to accommodate the unique concerns of individual athletes regarding health, sports, nutrient needs, food preferences, and body weight and body composition goals. * Athletes need to consume adequate energy during periods of high-intensity and/or long-duration training to maintain body weight and health and maximize training effects. Low energy intakes can result in loss of muscle mass; menstrual dysfunction; loss of or failure to gain bone density; an increased risk of fatigue, injury, and illness; and a prolonged recovery process. * Body weight and composition should not be used as the sole criterion for participation in sports; daily weigh-ins are discouraged. Optimal body fat levels depend on the sex, age, and heredity of the athlete and may be sport-specific. Body fat assessment techniques have inherent variability and limitations. Preferably, weight loss (fat loss) should take place during the off-season or begin before the competitive season and involve a qualified sports dietitian. * Carbohydrate recommendations for athletes range from 6 to 10 g·kg-1 body weight·d-1 (2.7-4.5 g·lb-1 body weight·d-1). Carbohydrates maintain blood glucose levels during exercise and replace muscle glycogen. The amount required depends on the athlete's total daily energy expenditure, type of sport, sex, and environmental conditions. * Protein recommendations for endurance and strength-trained athletes range from 1.2 to 1.7 g·kg-1 body weight·d-1 (0.5-0.8 g·lb-1 body weight·d-1). These recommended protein intakes can generally be met through diet alone, without the use of protein or amino acid supplements. Energy intake sufficient to maintain body weight is necessary for optimal protein use and performance. * Fat intake should range from 20% to 35% of total energy intake. Consuming ≤20% of energy from fat does not benefit performance. Fat, which is a source of energy, fat-soluble vitamins, and essential fatty acids, is important in the diets of athletes. High-fat diets are not recommended for athletes. * Athletes who restrict energy intake or use severe weight-loss practices, eliminate one or more food groups from their diet, or consume high- or low-carbohydrate diets of low micronutrient density are at greatest risk of micronutrient deficiencies. Athletes should consume diets that provide at least the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for all micronutrients. * Dehydration (water deficit in excess of 2-3% body mass) decreases exercise performance; thus, adequate fluid intake before, during, and after exercise is important for health and optimal performance. The goal of drinking is to prevent dehydration from occurring during exercise and individuals should not drink in excess of sweating rate. After exercise, approximately 16-24 oz (450-675 mL) of fluid for every pound (0.5 kg) of body weight lost during exercise. * Before exercise, a meal or snack should provide sufficient fluid to maintain hydration, be relatively low in fat and fiber to facilitate gastric emptying and minimize gastrointestinal distress, be relatively high in carbohydrate to maximize maintenance of blood glucose, be moderate in protein, be composed of familiar foods, and be well tolerated by the athlete. * During exercise, primary goals for nutrient consumption are to replace fluid losses and provide carbohydrates (approximately 30-60 g·h-1) for maintenance of blood glucose levels. These nutrition guidelines are especially important for endurance events lasting longer than an hour when the athlete has not consumed adequate food or fluid before exercise or when the athlete is exercising in an extreme environment (heat, cold, or high altitude). * After exercise, dietary goals are to provide adequate fluids, electrolytes, energy, and carbohydrates to replace muscle glycogen and ensure rapid recovery. A carbohydrate intake of approximately 1.0-1.5 g·kg-1 body weight (0.5-0.7 g·lb-1) during the first 30 min and again every 2 h for 4-6 h will be adequate to replace glycogen stores. Protein consumed after exercise will provide amino acids for building and repair of muscle tissue. * In general, no vitamin and mineral supplements are required if an athlete is consuming adequate energy from a variety of foods to maintain body weight. Supplementation recommendations unrelated to exercise, such as folic acid for women of childbearing potential, should be followed. A multivitamin/mineral supplement may be appropriate if an athlete is dieting, habitually eliminating foods or food groups, is ill or recovering from injury, or has a specific micronutrient deficiency. Single-nutrient supplements may be appropriate for a specific medical or nutritional reason (e.g., iron supplements to correct iron deficiency anemia). * Athletes should be counseled regarding the appropriate use of ergogenic aids. Such products should only be used after careful evaluation for safety, efficacy, potency, and legality. * Vegetarian athletes may be at risk for low intakes of energy, protein, fat, and key micronutrients such as iron, calcium, vitamin D, riboflavin, zinc, and vitamin B12. Consultation with a sports dietitian is recommended to avoid these nutrition problems. Back to Top | Article Outline

More Info on Nutrition from Road Bike Magazine

I saw the article, Breaking Down the Mystery of Nutrition, in the latest edition of Road Bike magazine. Here are some of the highlights from the article. trained muscles can store over twice as many grams of glycogen than untrained, roughly 32 g to 13 g a160 lb man has around 80,000 calories in fat stores; muscles can store 300-400 grams of glycogen and the liver 70-100 grams or about 1800 calories total from these two sources protein should never be the preferred source of fuel on a ride endurance athletes can and should consume more sodium than sedentary people; a good rule is to try to get 250--500 mg of electrolytes per hour; my sports dietician tested me and on a really hot day I need 1000mg per hour you most likely cannot keep up with calorie expenditure on a typical ride; your intestine can't absorb more than .8 to 1 gram per minute; if you only 30-60 g, you'll be ok but for that 90 g requirement you can look to fructose and glucose; combined these can provide 1.7 g per minute; its all about multi-transport pathways, which I won't try to explain but look for drinks with a 2:1 glucose to fructose ratio (PowerBar C2Max for example) rides over 3 hours: 4-8 oz fluid every 15-20 minutes; up to 90 grams of carbs per hour, glucose/fructose at 2:1 ratio; gel or blocks, a bar with protein given the length of the ride see a registered sports dietician for an analysis of your needs! I use Dawn Weatherwax at Sports Nutrition 2Go.

Time Trials So Far in 2012

Its early in the season but I've already ridden in several time trials. At our local Cleves event the first night was canceled due to severe weather but we did ride this past Tuesday. The weather was great with temps in the 70's and a light wind from the south. I rode a 22:27 for the 10.25 mile course or about 27.4 mph. Looking back at my past 15 years on this course this was my fastest first night. We've had two rides at the Blue Streak in Dayton. the first night was very cool (upper 40's) and windy. This past Wednesday was around 60 with a big wind out of the west. I rode a 22:20 and a 21:57 or 26.8 and 27.8 mph. Like my times at Cleves these are near the top of my fastest rides for this time of year. Ideally I'll take off about 50 seconds by the time I peak in mid-summer. I also rode a couple of the Colavita's, one in Casstown and one in Bellbrook. both times were about 28 and 27 mph's respectively and good enough for 1st and 2nd in the age bracket and top 5 overall. Some of the upcoming events include the state tt on July 7, midwest district at the end of July and the Ohio Senior Games also at the end of July. The Senior Games events are 5k and 10k. I'm hoping to hold well above 28 mph on those. Training has been tough. Coach Julia has me riding two days per week doing 6 minute uphill time trial efforts. The first 4 minutes are around 350 watts and the last 2 around 400. Have to admit that I'm not always hitting those, especially on day 2. but, I am feeling pretty strong in the time trials. Riding the intervals in the 92-97% of max heart rate really works. i've also been doing some long rides on Saturday, usually 100 miles plus. I really like those long rides, heart rate zone 1/2, power around 200-220. Great for the body and even more so the mind.

Wind Tunnel Considerations

There is a wind tunnel opening in the Cincinnati area. I passed their information to my friend Kathy Krumme, bike fit expert at Oakley Cycles. I thought that her comments on the wind tunnel were very informative. Here they are: The main things to consider outside of pure aerodynamics if you are really trying to produce performance improvements are: Is the position viable from a bio-mechanical standpoint ? Can power be generated effectively? Is the position sustainable for the athlete's flexibility/range of motion and race distance? (10 mile quite different than IM 112 miles) Is the rider a TT specialist or triathlete? This would matter as the ride position affects the run performance quite a bit. (you don't want to improve the bike split while increasing run time....) Is testing being done at the individual cyclist's race pace? Deep dish wheels/frames etc. at 20mph are quite different in a crosswind than at 30mph. Apparent wind angles are critical to consider, especially for slower athletes, as aero frames/wheels/etc may slow down a slower rider in cross winds. (see above) If the rider is a TT specialist, does the physical set up of the bike meet UCI regulations? I would buy the jig and have it there. Test rider with their race day gear including helmet, skinsuit, shoe covers, etc. I would suggest doing this in tandem with an experienced, certified bike fitter who has perhaps already done the fitting on the cyclist and could offer input on the affect of changes made for aero advantage to kinematic patterns. If you are making changes, to bar position, do you have a bike mechanic on hand? I would suggest having a selection of as many aero helmets as possible, as they can make a big impact on aerodynamics for a relatively low cost ONLY if they line up with the athlete's back properly. If you really want to be fancy/use power measurement and heart rate in conjunction with the wind tunnel, keeping in mind that the athlete is not adapted to the new position Going to a more aero position often results in a decreas in power/increase in heart rate, so again, while more aero, it may not make the athlete faster! Finding the balance/tipping point results in the best outcome for the athlete. For faster riders, the power decrease, elevated HR may not outweigh the aerodynamic benefit and be worth suffering for speed. Consider the race distance of the athlete. An athlete may adapt to and tolerate a very aero position for a 10mile to 40 k tt, but an Iron Man distance triathlete would NOT benefit from that position no matter how elite/fast from a physiological standpoint. The athlete is the biggest variable in any testing like this because they are ever-changing organic creatures with a brain..- if they sit up twice during a race, it may counter the aero advantage. If they think the position isn't right, they might not try as hard. They wake up with a little bit different range of motion each day. From nearly 20 years in bike fitting, I have learned that there is no magic millimeter, but a range within an athlete moves and performs well.