Fitness questions and answers for June 21, 2004
Got a question about fitness, training, recovery from injury or a related subject? Drop us a line at...
Form & Fitness Q & A
Got a question about fitness, training, recovery from injury or a related subject? Drop us a line at fitness@cyclingnews.com. Please include as much information about yourself as possible, including your age, sex, and type of racing or riding.
Carrie Cheadle, MA (www.carriecheadle.com) is a Sports Psychology consultant who has dedicated her career to helping athletes of all ages and abilities perform to their potential. Carrie specialises in working with cyclists, in disciplines ranging from track racing to mountain biking. She holds a bachelors degree in Psychology from Sonoma State University as well as a masters degree in Sport Psychology from John F. Kennedy University.
Dave Palese (www.davepalese.com) is a USA Cycling licensed coach and masters' class road racer with 16 years' race experience. He coaches racers and riders of all abilities from his home in southern Maine, USA, where he lives with his wife Sheryl, daughter Molly, and two cats, Miranda and Mu-Mu.
Kelby Bethards, MD received a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Iowa State University (1994) before obtaining an M.D. from the University of Iowa College of Medicine in 2000. Has been a racing cyclist 'on and off' for 20 years, and when time allows, he races Cat 3 and 35+. He is a team physician for two local Ft Collins, CO, teams, and currently works Family Practice in multiple settings: rural, urgent care, inpatient and the like.
Fiona Lockhart (www.trainright.com) is a USA Cycling Expert Coach, and holds certifications from USA Weightlifting (Sports Performance Coach), the National Strength and Conditioning Association (Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach), and the National Academy for Sports Nutrition (Primary Sports Nutritionist). She is the Sports Science Editor for Carmichael Training Systems, and has been working in the strength and conditioning and endurance sports fields for over 10 years; she's also a competitive mountain biker.
Eddie Monnier (www.velo-fit.com) is a USA Cycling certified Elite Coach and a Category II racer. He holds undergraduate degrees in anthropology (with departmental honors) and philosophy from Emory University and an MBA from The Wharton School of Business.
Eddie is a proponent of training with power. He coaches cyclists (track, road and mountain bike) of all abilities and with wide ranging goals (with and without power meters). He uses internet tools to coach riders from any geography.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
David Fleckenstein, MPT (www.physiopt.com) is a physical therapist practicing in Boise, ID. His clients have included World and U.S. champions, Olympic athletes and numerous professional athletes. He received his B.S. in Biology/Genetics from Penn State and his Master's degree in Physical Therapy from Emory University. He specializes in manual medicine treatment and specific retraining of spine and joint stabilization musculature. He is a former Cat I road racer and Expert mountain biker.
Since 1986 Steve Hogg (www.cyclefitcentre.com) has owned and operated Pedal Pushers, a cycle shop specialising in rider positioning and custom bicycles. In that time he has positioned riders from all cycling disciplines and of all levels of ability with every concievable cycling problem.They include World and National champions at one end of the performance spectrum to amputees and people with disabilities at the other end.
Current riders that Steve has positioned include Davitamon-Lotto's Nick Gates, Discovery's Hayden Roulston, National Road Series champion, Jessica Ridder and National and State Time Trial champion, Peter Milostic.
Pamela Hinton has a bachelor's degree in Molecular Biology and a doctoral degree in Nutritional Sciences, both from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She did postdoctoral training at Cornell University and is now an assistant professor of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Missouri-Columbia where she studies the effects of iron deficiency on adaptations to endurance training and the consequences of exercise-associated changes in menstrual function on bone health.
Pam was an All-American in track while at the UW. She started cycling competitively in 2003 and is the defending Missouri State Road Champion. Pam writes a nutrition column for Giana Roberge's Team Speed Queen Newsletter.
Dario Fredrick (www.wholeathlete.com) is an exercise physiologist and head coach for Whole Athlete™. He is a former category 1 & semi-pro MTB racer. Dario holds a masters degree in exercise science and a bachelors in sport psychology.
Scott Saifer (www.wenzelcoaching.com) has a Masters Degree in exercise physiology and sports psychology and has personally coached over 300 athletes of all levels in his 10 years of coaching with Wenzel Coaching.
Kendra Wenzel (www.wenzelcoaching.com) is a head coach with Wenzel Coaching with 17 years of racing and coaching experience and is coauthor of the book Bike Racing 101.
Steve Owens (www.coloradopremiertraining.com) is a USA Cycling certified coach, exercise physiologist and owner of Colorado Premier Training. Steve has worked with both the United States Olympic Committee and Guatemalan Olympic Committee as an Exercise Physiologist. He holds a B.S. in Exercise & Sports Science and currently works with multiple national champions, professionals and World Cup level cyclists.
Through his highly customized online training format, Steve and his handpicked team of coaches at Colorado Premier Training work with cyclists and multisport athletes around the world.
Brett Aitken (www.cycle2max.com) is a Sydney Olympic gold medalist. Born in Adelaide, Australia in 1971, Brett got into cycling through the cult sport of cycle speedway before crossing over into road and track racing. Since winning Olympic gold in the Madison with Scott McGrory, Brett has been working on his coaching business and his www.cycle2max.com website.
Richard Stern (www.cyclecoach.com) is Head Coach of Richard Stern Training, a Level 3 Coach with the Association of British Cycling Coaches, a Sports Scientist, and a writer. He has been professionally coaching cyclists and triathletes since 1998 at all levels from professional to recreational. He is a leading expert in coaching with power output and all power meters. Richard has been a competitive cyclist for 20 years
Andy Bloomer (www.cyclecoach.com) is an Associate Coach and sport scientist with Richard Stern Training. He is a member of the Association of British Cycling Coaches (ABCC) and a member of the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES). In his role as Exercise Physiologist at Staffordshire University Sports Performance Centre, he has conducted physiological testing and offered training and coaching advice to athletes from all sports for the past 4 years. Andy has been a competitive cyclist for many years.
Michael Smartt (www.cyclecoach.com) is an Associate Coach with Richard Stern Training. He holds a Masters degree in exercise physiology and is USA Cycling Expert Coach. Michael has been a competitive cyclist for over 10 years and has experience coaching road and off-road cyclists, triathletes and Paralympians.
Kim Morrow (www.elitefitcoach.com) has competed as a Professional Cyclist and Triathlete, is a certified USA Cycling Elite Coach, a 4-time U.S. Masters National Road Race Champion, and a Fitness Professional.
Her coaching group, eliteFITcoach, is based out of the Southeastern United States, although they coach athletes across North America. Kim also owns MyEnduranceCoach.com, a resource for cyclists, multisport athletes & endurance coaches around the globe, specializing in helping cycling and multisport athletes find a coach.
Fitness, energy & efficiency
Red blood cell count
Loss of speed & fitness
Illness and my racing season
Hydration/Sodium
Hand numbness
Food intake vs liquid supplements
Endurance heart rate
Caffeine
Battling on cycling with a cold
Fitness, energy & efficiency
I am a male recreational cyclist, 51 years old. I ride about 70 - 100 miles a week, mostly to/from work.
I am curious whether fitness levels have any bearing on amount of calories consumed during riding. For example, if Lance and a recreational rider like myself (assuming I was the same weight and had the same wind resistance profile as Lance) were to ride side by side over 100 miles, and you normalized for his better technique, would we not burn the same calories? After all, we're both doing the same amount of work in a pure physics sense. However, my perceived exertion would be so much higher, intuitively it would seem I'm burning more.
Lee Thoburn
Pasadena, California
Scott Saifer replies:
You would most likely use more calories than Lance in covering the same distance at the same speed even if you had his enviable aerodynamic profile, height and weight. One of the benefits of extensive training is increased efficiency, meaning that the highly trained athlete uses less energy to complete the same amount of work. I don't know if this effect is fully understood (perhaps one of the other panelists will jump in). One way that efficiency could increase is that the experienced athlete might apply pedaling forces closer to tangential to the pedal circle. Less experienced athletes might also have more activation of the muscles that pull against the desired movement. A small amount of counter-tension helps control the movement and make it smooth. Excessive counter tension requires energy from the driving muscles to overcome.
Lee responds:
So it sounds like the difference will be in mechanics and technique. Meaning, if our hypothetical amateur rider could achieve the same purely mechanical efficiencies, he would burn the same calories as Lance, while sweating and grunting like a pig. I realize its hypothetical, as one goes all inefficient when one is working way beyond one's comfort level.
Cyclingnews editor Jeff Jones weighs in:
Isn't it something to do with fitness (not just efficiency) as well? i.e. isn't there *some* heart rate dependence on calories burned. To me it seems intuitive that this would be the case. If you take someone who is unfit and they're riding at 35 km/h at 90 percent of their max HR, then a few weeks/months later, under the same conditions they are riding at 40 km/h but still at 90 percent of max HR, wouldn't they be burning a very similar number of calories per hour?
Lee responds:
That's the core of my question, yes. That's exactly what I was wondering. I guess it comes down to an issue of whether there's a cellular level efficiency, not just a mechanical level of efficiency.
What got me started was the basic physics that moving two bodies of the same weight up the same hill with the same coefficient of friction requires exactly the same work. If the work required is exactly the same, shouldn't the calories burned be exactly the same, regardless of the perceived level of effort?
Maybe there's an analogy to a well tuned or poorly tuned car. Two cars, same weight and coefficient of friction (same aerodynamic profile and same tire patch etc.), one poorly tuned, the other perfectly tuned. The poorly tuned car will not get the same gas mileage - there will be wasted fuel in its emissions. Is there an analogy at the cellular level in a human being? Does the amateur burn fuel less efficiently, completely independent of any of the mechanics involved?
Scott Saifer replies:
Jeff, no, when a rider is able to ride faster at the same heart rate, they don't use similar calories to do it. They use more. When you make more power at the same heart rate it is because something else has changed that allows that extra power production. There are several possibilities: Increased oxygen extraction from the same amount of blood, increased stroke volume so more blood and oxygen pumped at the same heart rate, or increased efficiency.
Eddie Monnier replies:
Percentage of HR doesn't dictate calories burned. Rather, it's the amount of work that's done that matters. Assuming your riders efficiency hadn't improved, your hypothetical rider would burn the same amount of calories so long as s/he covered the same distance (ie, did the same amount of work). That is, the total energy required for this individual to cover say 10KM is the same regardless of the speed. Notice that at the higher pace, the rate of energy expenditure is higher (but offset by the shorter duration due to higher average speed).
Jeff Jones:
That makes sense too. So an untrained person is actually incapable of burning a high number of calories per hour compared to a trained person, no matter how hard they try? All the more reason to get fitter! What about riding in a bunch compared to riding solo at the same speed under similar conditions? Wouldn't you burn more riding solo?
Scott Saifer replies:
Jeff, yes to both questions. The highly trained athlete can make more power, and can use more calories per hour. The range of possible efficiencies is not that large. Don't quote me but I've heard 17-25%. Riding in a bunch uses far fewer calories than riding the same speed alone, but most riders ride faster in the bunch than they would alone, offsetting that effect.
Lee:
Eddie, when you refer to "efficiency" in your second paragraph, are you talking bio-mechanical efficiency (e.g. pedaling technique, wind profile, balance on the bike, etc.) or are you talking of a cellular level of efficiency that permits the more fit rider to convert calories to useful energy with greater efficiency (probably resulting in less heat generated by the process)?
My original question assumed normalization of all of the biomechanical factors, so if we could reduce the issue to (theoretically) ONLY cellular efficiency, would a fit rider and an unfit rider require the same calories over the same course?
Scott, according to this, the fit rider has a cellular level of efficiency that permits him to perform the same work with fewer calories expended, as compared to the unfit rider.
This seemed intuitively true, but I was running up against my understanding of physics - that it takes a certain amount of energy to move a weight of X from one point to another, and that "X" would be the same regardless of the condition of the athlete (again, assuming normalization of friction, balance, air resistance, and all biomechanical factors).
Jeff:
I think I'm finally getting it now - apart from the efficiency factor, calories burned relates mostly to power output, not necessarily how hard your heart is working. Thus, in a bunch you need less power to go the same speed as you do solo. Anecdotally, while I was using a power tap I found I could save about 30-40 percent of power by sitting in a bunch compared to being in front. Just sitting on one wheel takes a bit more effort though. That knowledge comes in handy!
Eddie Monnier:
Cycling doesn't offer the same opportunity for biomechanical improvements as other endurance sports such as running and swimming, largely because the biomechanics are constrained by the body/bike interface.
Red blood cell count
I am a 25 year old male, 180cm and 71kgs, 2nd year road cyclist, and senior 3 racer. I ride approximately 200-300kms per week, mainly flats but with some short hills of 500-800m of 15-20% grade, mixed in.
I have recently had a blood test (as a health screen for a new job), and found that my RBC, hemoglobin, and hematocrit were on the low side of normal. I am a frequent blood donor, and my last donation was 4 weeks prior to the blood test. Could the low readings be a result of the blood donation, and is there any natural way (diet, exercise, supplements ie. vitamins) that could boost these levels?
My diet is very northern European (meat, potatoes, & vegetables), with some pasta mixed in.
Mike
Hamilton, Canada
Pam Hinton replies:
Have you passed by any mirrors lately? Are you sleeping days and staying up nights? You mentioned a Northern European diet, and I'm not sure of the location of Transylvania, but I'm gonna go out on a limb and rule out your unwitting complicity in the feeding habits of nocturnal flying rodents. I'm fairly certain your problem is similar, however, but it should be infinitely easier to test and treat.
Loss of speed & fitness
I'm a 30yr male Cat 3 racer with improving fitness and just starting to really improve my strength and speed as the season continues steadily until I took a 10 day vacation with no riding, poor dieting, and lost 4-5 lbs.
Normally, I'm able to stay with the pack in races fairly ok, but after the 10 day break, I've just struggled to hang on and usually get dropped very quickly in races. I've noticed that I just can't keep up with the group when the speed increases. I thought I might have lost some muscle mass in my legs after the vacation as my legs were aching for hours & hours after 1 recent, completed crit. I noticed that my recovery rate after hard efforts seems to be nil unlike before.
What's the best way to get my fitness back? Continue racing as much as possible and continue the suffering, work on specialized sprint/interval training, or just a combination of both?
Mark
Scott Saifer replies:
My clients report that after a 10 day lay-off it usually takes 6-10 weeks to get your race legs back, so my first tip is patience. It only takes three to six weeks to develop the ability to handle high intensity without blowing (to the extent that one can develop that ability), so there's no reason to do super-high intensity training in the first few weeks after your return to training. Not knowing much about you, I'll give you my generic post-vacation suggestion, which is three weeks of base only, three weeks of threshold work and then start racing and/or race-pace training. You should have legs 3-6 weeks into the racing period.
Illness and my racing season
I am a 21 year old road cyclist (occasional MTBer), 187cm and 73.5kg, though last season I think I raced at between 71.8kg and 73kg so I would be looking to lose a small amount of weight if only I could train (I don't focus on this, it just happens). I race A grade and opens, and this year have been aiming at a number of state and national level road races, however, my performance has been significantly hampered by illness. I was wondering if you guys have any idea if I am doing something wrong with my training, diet or anything else. Here is a timeline of what I've done this year and what's gone wrong:
Jan: Start training, 300-400km a week. (Preceding 3 months MTB rides and 150-200km road a week)
Feb: 400km a week, become ill for 1 1/2 weeks. Sore throat, aching muscles. Antibiotics prescribed, clear up throat. 1 week low intensity 280km.
Mar: Build tempo work into program, 450km a week.
Mid-March - sore throat recurs, no other symptoms, antibiotics again don't help. Goes away in 2 weeks, no reduction in training.
April: Start to feel very good, continuing at 450km-550km a week. 10 days prior to first major race (on April 28) have 80km training ride at 60-75%HRM prescribed. Can't get HR over 110BPM (max~205), plummets to between 60-80 at traffic lights. Next day very sick, can hardly move. Over next week fever 1.5deg(c) over normal, raised RHR. Start training 40-60mins light rollers.
May: Get back to 400km a week with intensity. After 3 weeks fall ill again. Go to see doctor. Blood tests normal - haemoglobin 162, leucocytes normal range, CRP, iron, folate, etc all normal. Sore throat, muscle aches. EXTREME fatigue (study, reading newspaper, driving, all v difficult).
June: Start to feel OK, couple of training sessions, then fatigue, muscle aches, sore throat kicks in again.
Essentially I haven't felt good and been able to train consistently since April, which was just before my first race. My important races are starting to loom (mid-July through to early September). I am at a loss, and so are my doctors. Help!
Last year I had problems with illness too, but my program contained too much volume completed at a high intensity, and I wasn't as aware of the importance of CHO consumption. I now consume 40g+ of CHO and hour on all my rides of over 90 minutes, and am very careful to eat directly following as well. My diet is excellent and varied, includes red meat, and over the last 2 months I have even tried a multi-vitamin, despite general skepticism about their utility as I am not deficient in anything (that I can work out).
Now I'm thinking I might need to totally change my season, and concentrate on some MTB races or summer criteriums, rather than hitting my real goals. Is there any chance for me? How can I speed my recovery?
Cameron McKenzie,
Melbourne, Australia
Pam Hinton replies:
Cameron, if there is one thing I am sure of with respect to athletic achievement, it is that the temporary setback you're experiencing is much more common than is success. And in fact, some would argue that success is born out of adversity. So before we get technical, here is a list of clichés for you to choose from: "Hang in there," "Keep your chin up;" "This, too, shall pass;" "No pain, no gain;" "You're only human."
Hydration/Sodium
I am a biker that rides 150-200 miles per week. I am in training for a century ride in the end of July. I have been riding for about 6 years and I have recently come across some hydration issues.
In my century last year. It was extremely hot - in excess of 90 degrees. The first 60 miles is not very hilly. The last 40 we climb about 3000 feet. During this time I was drinking quite a bit of Gatorade and Cytomax mix. I drank over 100 oz in less than 25 miles. I was not getting the fluids, it just sat in my stomach and I felt bloated. So much so I had to pull out of the century at a service station in which I lost all of my fluids through my large intestine if you know what I mean. After the pit stop I felt so much better and actually rejuvenated to pick up the tempo.
My analysis is that I was not digesting the fluids but just storing them. After the pit stop I was able to start digesting them again.
This year I have added water to my Gatorade. I go through about 100oz of Gatorade/water/Cytomax mix in about 50 miles on a hot day (above 80 degrees) I never have to urinate and tend to feel weak after my rides.
Do you think I need to add sodium to my diet? Can you offer any advice?
Matt D'Agostino
Pam Hinton replies:
You have discovered the importance of getting fluid and electrolytes into your blood and not just into your body. There is a difference, which you experienced as an emergency pit stop at the gas station. There has been quite a lot of research done to determine how to optimize fluid absorption during exercise and to reduce the risk of dehydration. What you drink, how much you drink and how often you drink it, all affect your body's ability to absorb fluid.
Hand numbness
I have developed some severe hand numbness in right hand, I am 38, 6', 195lbs, road racing, masters events. I am now waking up in the middle of the night because of this,to get the blood moving again, while riding if I'm not careful my right hand gets so numb I can't feel anything and have to constantly shake it out.
I do work on computers, and I am very careful to stretch my fingers, wrists etc. Might there a better position on bike, that would put less pressure on palms? or treatment?
Steve Acuna
Kim Morrow replies:
I'm sorry to hear about the numbness in your hand. This can be quite frustrating. Hand numbness can come from a variety of sources. The key is to find the cause of YOUR particular situation. I've had to deal with this issue myself, and met with 2 different health care professionals to determine the root cause of my hand numbness. Thankfully, we determined what was causing this problem, and much of the numbness is gone. Now, however, I must take preventative measures (which in my case involves stretching and strengthening exercises) in order to hopefully prevent this from becoming a chronic problem.
Food intake vs liquid supplements
On a two to three-hour ride at tempo, is it enough to only consume liquid supplements containing replenishments, including some protein, or how often and what should I also be eating? I am 6'1", 205 lbs, recreational rider.
Secondly, how do you feel about protein intake in supplements while riding? Does it slow down insulin activity?
Luis Arrondo
Pam Hinton replies:
Luis, are you now, or have you ever been, a body builder? I ask because you seem to be jonesin' for protein. Protein is a fine thing for a hard-working athlete, but if I may, focusing on ingestion of protein during exercise is akin to airing up your tires before you try to mount them on the rims. The utility for protein comes mostly after exercise, not during.
Endurance heart rate
I am a 53 year old male training to complete an endurance challenge of 24hours on a velodrome with the intention of beating the standing record of 630 kms.
My resting heart rate is 48bpm and max is 182bpm my question is what heart rate should I sit on to maintain enough speed to beat the record. I have completed a number of 15 to 24 hr rides in the past.
Mike Burt
New Zealand
Scott Saifer replies:
Sorry to be a smart-alec, but I'd suggest whatever heart rate makes you average 26.5 km/hr, since that's how fast you have to go beat the record. Allow a little extra speed in case you need to stop for a bathroom break or other needs. Once you are sure you have the record, go faster at the end if you can to take it by a bigger margin and to get a buffer for last minute mechanicals.
Caffeine
I have a follow up on the caffeine question. I don't drink caffeine regularly and have thought to myself that if I only drink caffeine 45 minutes before a race that my body will respond better to the effects of caffeine. Any truth to this? Can the body lose its response if you drink caffeine all the time? I also only drink caffeine via soda pop - is there any negative impact of carbonation and endurance events?
Jeff Monson
Salt Lake City
Pam Hinton replies:
Yes you can develop a tolerance to caffeine, but it's ephemeral so you probably won't have to worry about a pop monkey driving you to a life of crime. And, yes carbonation (CO2) has some drawbacks, but it's mostly noise and hot air.
Battling on cycling with a cold
I have been battling a cold for the past three weeks having a congested head, runny nose and achy muscles and was wondering if should still be training?
I have been doing a couple of 45min sessions on the rollers each week but would like some advice for the best way to keep my fitness up without prolonging the cold?
Corey Roberts
Australia
Eddie Monnier replies:
See a similar question answered last year year here. But given the length that your illness has lingered, I would suggest you focus your attention on getting better.