More Carbs for Betting Training Today...and Tomorrow!

Good morning everyone,

After a bit of a down week after racing, I’ll be jumping back into some training to get ready for an unanticipated, but exciting January race 🇨🇱 My focus for the next while with be building an aerobic base and strength on the bike.

If you’ve got a key focus this winter let us know by replying to this email, we’d love to hear about it!

In today’s edition:

• 🍭 Why ingesting more carbs helps you train harder today, and tomorrow!

• 🔺 Recover better with the pyramid approach.

• 🏊 And key swim tips for beginner (and advanced) athletes!

Thanks for being here,

-Matt Sharpe, newsletter editor

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TRAINING THOUGHT

How to Improve Your Day-to-Day Performance? Ingest More Carbs!

Dr. Jeffrey Sankoff is an emergency room physician, triathlete, coach, and host of the TriDoc podcast. He breaks down the latest in multisport science to help keep you educated, healthy, and fast!

One of the things that I continually come across on social media and in the lay press is the ongoing debate about the role of carbohydrates as fuel for endurance exercise.

• With the explosion in popularity of low carbohydrate diets (or ketogenic diets) promoted for weight loss and as alternative nutrition strategies for training and racing, this question remains front of mind for many in multisport.

A paper published this month in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise from researchers in Norway looked at this question from an interesting angle. They wanted to know, if the impact of carbohydrates before, during, and after a hard effort have an impact on next-day performance after a hard effort?

The short answer - Yes

• Carbohydrate ingestion during exhaustive exercise improved next-day performance through reduced metabolic stress and development of fatigue

The long answer - Mostly yes

• Although dieticians and most coaches continue to extoll the virtues of carbohydrates as fuel for training and racing at moderate to high levels of exertion, there are those who still promote ketogenic diets (those that are very low in carbohydrates) as a viable alternative. 

• Dan Plews is one high-profile example of someone who has been advocating such a diet for himself and for some of the athletes who he coaches and clearly for him anyways, it has been successful.

Most efficient fuel: For most athletes though, carbohydrates remain the fuel that will be associated with the most bang for the buck. The reason for this boils down to basic biology; our cells are designed to be most efficient making use of carbohydrates as fuel in order to generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP) that is used for all of the metabolic processes that power locomotion.

Is fat effective fuel: While the energy from fats can be used effectively by our cells in situations when we are exercising at lower intensity, the requirements for rapid turnover of ATP associated with higher levels of exertion are best met with the consumption of carbohydrates.

• Clearly, some athletes like Plews are able to shift efficiencies so that non-carbohydrate fuels can be used more efficiently but this does not seem to be applicable to everyone, witness Sam Long at Oceanside in 2023 as just one example.

The science doesn’t lie: Still, the notion that non-carbohydrate fuels can result in performance similar or even better to carbohydrates is intriguing and has led to an abundance of research on the question.

• To date, the vast majority of studies have continued to demonstrate that irrespective of the sport, when performing at high intensity carbohydrate fuels are associated with improved performance and other metrics.

Recently, researchers in Norway decided to look at a different aspect of this question. Specifically, they wanted to know whether or not the use of carbohydrates as a fuel improved next-day performance and if this prevented the breakdown of muscle protein.

Their rationale was as follows:

• First, they reasoned that since cyclists need carbohydrates during exercise, using a low-carbohydrate fueling strategy would force their bodies to metabolize protein from muscle.

• This shunts amino acids to the liver where they would be used to create glucose molecules in a process called gluconeogenesis. 

• Second, they hypothesized that by having abundant carbohydrates in their nutrition, cyclists would be able to replenish their glycogen stores resulting in a fresher, better-prepared state for a hard effort the following day.

The experiment

A small number of well-trained cyclists were put through an experimental protocol where they first underwent a hard effort on day one with several supra-threshold sprints and an effort at 68% of VO2 max to exhaustion. 

• On day two, the cyclists performed a TT not over a fixed distance but rather for a fixed amount of work to be performed. The cyclists had to pedal at whatever power effort they could for as long as it took for them to meet the total power target.

The cyclists performed this two-day protocol twice with a two-week period in between. In one of the efforts, they were given a high carbohydrate solution and pre- and post-meal. In the other they were given low carbohydrate solution and pre and post meals. Athletes were blinded as to which they were getting and were randomized in which order they got them.

Straightforward results

• TT performance was improved by 2.4% in the group who received carbohydrate fuels.

• Fatigue was reduced in the carbohydrate group

• There was a suggestion of increased protein breakdown in the low-carbohydrate group but this was not certain

The authors performed many blood analyses on the cyclists and were able to show that in the presence of carbohydrates, cellular markers of metabolic stress were lower, glycogen levels remained higher, and were restored to near normal after day one.

• While there was no clear evidence that muscle protein was being broken down in the low carbohydrate group, there were some suggestions that this was happening

• Though the degree to which this was occurring or even if it was significant was unclear.

In carbclusion…

The authors conclusion was straightforward, carbohydrates enhance performance for following day efforts after hard training sessions. This has obvious implications for amateur and pro triathletes alike, and is yet more evidence that carbohydrate restriction is unlikely to be beneficial for the majority.

Do you have a question that you would like to see answered in the Tempo by the TriDoc? Send an email to [email protected]

FAVOURITES

😮 180km…on a BMX: An Ironman on a BMX? It sounds crazy, but it made perfect sense for Australian triathlete Dave Lowry as a way to honour his late brother. [Triathlon 220]

 💤 Recovery pyramid: If fad methods are at the top of the recovery pyramid, what’s the strong base that will help you improve the most? Sleep! [YLM Sports Science]

😠 Bad advice: The old-school mentality of losing weight to get faster is unfortunately still espoused by coaches. But it doesn’t work and can be incredibly harmful. Just ask pro triathlete Skye Moech (USA), who recently left her longtime coach. [The Triathlon Hour]

🏊‍♂️ Swimming keys: Are you new to swimming? Here are six beginner tips every beginner (and advanced) triathlete should know. Relaxing is key! (GTN)

REEL TIME

Yes…we like to run after riding! 😃

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QUICK NEWS

Tri baby: Congrats to pro triathletes Mirinda Carfrae and Tim O’Donnell on the birth of their third child, Jameson. [Mirinda Carfrae]

Developing the future: Triathlon development programs are gaining traction in South Africa, especially for underserved athletes. [SABC News]

Kirksville tri: Registration is now open for the Kirksville indoor triathlon challenge. Athletes will have two months to complete half, full, and ULTRA triathlon distances. [Kirksville Daily Express]

Event return: Get ready for the return of the Hawke’s Bay Weet-Bix Kids Tryathlon. After a three-year hiatus the popular event will return in February 2024. [NZ Herald]

WHAT YOU SAID

Here’s what you said about your experiences, and the news around Multisport World Championship events.

RACE WEEKEND

Ironman 70.3 Taupo

Women’s race: Dr. Hannah Berry made no mistakes powering ahead of the field on the run to take the comfortable win on next year’s Ironman 70.3 World Championship course.

• Lotte Wilms (NED) rolled through in second as Rebecca Clarke (NZ) snagged the final spot on the podium.

Men’s race: Kyle Smith (NZ) proved to be the hometown hero as he broke away on the bike and cruised to victory in front of family and friends.

• Jack Moody (NZ) times his run to perfection as he overtook Kurt McDonald (AUS) in the final meters

Full results

Ironman 70.3 Bahrain

Women’s race: Kat Matthews (GBR) bounced back from a difficult performance in Kona to take the win ahead of a hard-charging Amelia Watkinson (NZ).

• Caroline Pohle (GER) rounded out the podium. Sadly it was a day of “what if” for Lucy Buckingham (GBR) who was leading the race until she was hit by a car.

Men’s race: Martin Van Riel (BEL) remains undefeated in 70.3 races after a strong performance in Bahrain.

• Henri Schoeman showed his versatility as he finished second after a racing period that also included the short and sharp Super League Triathlon.

• Max Stapley (GBR) rolled through for 3rd, his first 70.3 podium.

Full results

Challenge Salinas

Women’s race: Elizabeth Bravo (ECU) played the hometown hero taking the dominant win in Salinas.

• Margie Santamaria (ITA) finished second, while Margareta Biancova finished in third.

Men’s race: Marc Dubrick (USA) took his first pro win overcoming strong performances from Jackson Laundry (CAN) who was second and Justin Riele (USA) who rounded out the podium in third.

Full results

LATEST EDITIONS

• Multisport World Championship host cities announced.

• Super League snaked by duplicitous director? Plus fast food for recovery.

• After tragic deaths Ironman Ireland cancelled.