physiology Archives - Page 6 of 8

Podcast #39 Addendum: High Fat Diets and Performance

I've got to say, there are some really smart listeners out there. Boy did you guys respond to my last podcast (Q&A number 2), especially regarding the last segment on fueling for a century. Specifically, I referenced a study that found a 2% improvement in cycling performance/power output following glycogen depleted training. A couple of you rightly questioned my analysis of that study. Rather than write a lengthy post on the topic, I've decided to create an addendum podcast (originally designed to be the first segment of my next podcast, but after realizing the length, I decided to make it a stand along podcast) in order to address the issue.

Below I've included the study I reference in the podcast:

Fat adaptation followed by carbohydrate restoration increases AMPK activity in skeletal muscle from trained humans

Our results demonstrate that AMPK-α1 and AMPK-α2 activity and fuel selection in skeletal muscle in response to exercise can be manipulated by diet and/or the interactive effects of diet and exercise training.

This essentially relates that we can sort of “eat ourself into fitness.” Cool, huh?

SHORT-TERM (<1 WK) MANIPULATION of dietary macronutrient intake is associated with marked changes in skeletal muscle gene expression (1, 5, 24), substrate stores (36), metabolic flux, and fuel oxidation (10, 22, 23). Exercise training also results in striking modifications in muscle gene expression (14), energy reserves, and the relative contribution of fuels to the energetic demands of muscle (9). Accordingly, the extent to which acutely altering substrate availability might modify the training impulse has been a key research area among exercise physiologists and sport nutritionists for several decades (for review, see Ref. 19). Indeed, evidence is accumulating that nutrient manipulation can serve as a potent modulator of many of the acute responses to both endurance (15) and resistance exercise (7, 11).

So basically, if you eat well and train intelligently, you can turn yourself into a monster. However, it also shows that if you eat poorly (I.E. a carbohydrate laden diet that promotes free radical production and inflammation) you can probably do more to hinder your performance than help it.

As always, if you enjoy what you hear, head over to the Tailwind Coaching Podcast on iTunes and rate it 5 stars. Don't forget to post any questions to the Tailwind Coaching Facebook page, and don't forget to support our sponsors and help to keep this podcast free.

With the summer here, it's time to get serious about your summer fitness! Check out my modular training plans in my online store and get started on the path towards killer criterium fitness today. And don't forget to save 10% with the coupon code in this week's podcast.

Tags: Biohacking, Coaching, nutrition, physiology, podcast, racing, training|

Biohacking: Summer Sun Protection
Biohacking: Summer Sun Protection

Biohacking and performance hacks, Nutrition discussion

Biohacking: Summer Sun Protection

Summer.

It's synonymous with group rides, races, fondos, picnics, beers and burgers with your riding buddies and….sun. Lots and lots of sun.

Of course, with sun comes the ever present worries of sunburn, skin damage, melanoma, and general misery that goes along with the “lobster burn.” The typical course of action involves slathering yourself with a shot glass or more of sunscreen, wearing “sun sleeves” or finding some other way to keep those UV rays from touching your skin.

Sadly, we as human beings need some of those UV rays. Truly, around three quarters of the US population is deficient in Vitamin D3, which can cause anything from increased risk of cancer to insufficient secretion of insulin in Type 2 diabetes. This can partially be blamed on the fact that we generally work inside, and that the UVB radiation we need to produce D3 naturally doesn't pass through glass. We also don't get much exposure if we slather ourselves or our families with sunscreen all summer long, either.

So what can you do? We don't want to be burned up, we don't want to peel, we don't want to get skin cancer. Well, a couple of easy biohacks can reduce your risk of sunburn, skin cancer and reduce the use of those greasy sunscreens, while leaving you nicely golden brown after your ride.

Read on to find out this easy recipe after the jump:

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Tags: Biohacking, nutrition, physiology|

Coaching Q&A #2: Components, Power and Nutrition (Podcast #39)

It's that time again:

It goes without saying that as the summer wears on, the itch to get out and ride more really starts to bite. As we go out to ride more and more we also get more and more urge to dig into our performances and try to figure out how we can perform even better. To this end, the internet becomes flooded with questions, whether they be an innocuous “which upgrade will make me better” or a flame war instigating “which diet will make me perform better.”

This week, I'm picking a few of your most asked questions and I'm going in depth into them, including some of the following topics:

Is a rear derailleur a cost effective upgrade? (@9:28)
What is the best hand position on the bars? Tops, drops or hoods? (@17:23)
What is the best power meter for a new racer? Beginner to training with power? Someone on a budget? (@25:18)
How many carbs do I need while I ride (And a discussion on nutrition and high carb vs high fat diets.) (@50:17)

Some of the information I referenced in the nutrition discussion of this podcast can be found right here: Biohacking Energy Systems: The Citric Acid Cycle

As always, if you enjoy what you hear, head over to the Tailwind Coaching Podcast on iTunes and rate it 5 stars. Don't forget to post any questions to the Tailwind Coaching Facebook page, and don't forget to support our sponsors and help to keep this podcast free.

With the summer here, it's time to get serious about your summer fitness! Check out my modular training plans in my online store and get started on the path towards killer criterium fitness today. And don't forget to save 10% with the coupon code in this week's podcast.

Tags: Coaching, components, nutrition, physiology, wrenching|

The Nature of Pain

[dc]P[/dc]ain is an interesting, often elusive and sometimes debilitating creature. Almost always negative in connotation, it denotes a kind of suffering, either physical or mental, as a result of some assault upon our body or mind. As human beings, we associate pain with misery, with suffering, with disability and typically strive to avoid it wherever possible. However odd it may seem, athletes in general (and cyclists in particular) seem to live for the rush of agony that often accompanies competition.

But why? What is it about this universally negative condition that drives some of us to seek it out while the majority of the population tries to escape it?

What, really, is the nature of pain?

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Tags: Motivation, physiology, training|

New Year, BETTER You (Podcast #6)

Perhaps you've seen the oft-repeated “New Year, New You” headline on the cover of Bicycling Magazine. It's so predictable that even Peloton Magazine said “you'll never see this on our cover.”

While you may not be able to completely transform yourself into a new person, you can always improve on what you've got, and that's what today's podcast focuses on; taking your successes from last year and building on them. What do you want to be? Stronger? Faster? Leaner? A better hill climber? All of the above?

While nobody is going to become a “new you” unless you're suddenly reincarnated as a ProTour rider, we can certainly make you a “better you.” Learn which facets of your body and fitness are trainable, which you're just going to have to live with, how to turn your weaknesses into strengths and how to maximize your strengths.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (21.4MB)

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Tags: Coaching, physiology, podcast, training|