Body Composition, Energy Consumption and PerformanceI know this topic interests many people on the Forum. Four weeks ago, I weighed 178lbs, right now I am back to 164/5 (normal training weight). I've been considering the training input-output equation. Here are some observations that you might find interesting. I've had to make global assumptions about athlete economy but the overall observations are, I believe, valid. how much you are eating is a waste of time." The Long Ride... I head out and can average 185-200 watts on a five hour easy/steady ride -- that burns 3200-3600 calories. My fat burning capacity is excellent so I can do that on about 750 calories. So my workout deficit will be about 2650 calories. My average wattage for that ride is above most AGers LT's. Take a MOP athlete, average wattage including w/u & c/d will probably be in the region of 135 for that entire ride. That's 2400 cals. Eat five bars a ride and you have a deficit of about 1,000 cals. "Treat" yourself after that long ride to a pizza and you'll gain weight on the day. Grab a cinnamon roll mid-ride, and it's easy to see how one can train lots and not lose weight. Note that if you are a BOP athlete then your threshold wattage could be in the region of 150-170. In that case, you might be averaging 120 watts for your ride, 2150 cals over five hours. The thing is... the slower athletes will have less fat burning capacity so, for a given aerobic intensity, they may have to eat more -- even though their watts are lower. I coach an athlete that needs to eat 2-3x my intake at 20 watts below AeT (say 190 vs 120 watts). ++++ Running... Joe says about 100 cals per mile -- rough estimate. Cruising I am burning 7-800 per hour During run camp, I could easily create a 1500 cal deficit per day running. I did this while eating frequency nutritious meals. Molina pointed out to be the light female and elite male athletes can burn as few at 50 cals per mile. So his experience would be that the 100 figure would be for a relatively untrained athlete over 75kgs. These are merely thoughts that I have been mulling. The implication to me is that as our aerobic endurance increases we get a virtuous circle going where we burn more per hour and can handle more hours of training. gordo +++++++ QUESTION: ANSWER: A range of good fats are essential for endurance athletes. A lack of fat in the diet will lead to a wide range of complications. There's no need to fat-load, but a balanced approach to the main marconutrients is what I recommend. Highly processed fat free snacks are marketed extensively in the West -- these are exactly the sorts of foods that I recommend avoiding (they are less satiating, contain limited nutrients and are often high in sodium). gordo +++++++ QUESTION: ANSWER: gordo +++++++ QUESTION: ANSWER: Most people can't do it. Not a value statement but reality (have a look at the world at large). Athletes that successfully manage the balance between training, recovery and nutrition give themselves a material advantage. The ITU Tri-boys might beg to differ that swimming makes us big. This whole topic is a very sensitive issue for folks because it often forces us to focus on areas that we'd rather avoid. There is a good link from Rich's site about that. Very informative article. www.vo2max.com.fr/parole/marathon.htm also www.vo2max.com.fr/parole/poids1.htm. click the images for the other charts. It's in French. gordo +++++++ QUESTION: ANSWER: When an athlete focuses on weight, they tend to sacrifice recovery nutrition and the key macro/micro nutrients. I see it over and over again with people. Binge, starve, binge, starve -- this is the worst thing that you can do to yourself from a body composition and performance viewpoint. When an athlete focuses on nutrition, they will get a good initial gain in recovery and body composition. From this point (and this point only) one can adjust intake to get the desired body composition. You need to be eating right before you start to play with the input:output equation. "If it was all about weight then they'd have a scale instead of a finish line" "You can't ignore the impact of weight on elite running." For me, these two quotes show that this is a complex issue. If most people would simply 'eat right' then they'd get nearly all of the benefits. Weight and nutrition are two of a wide range of factors than an athlete must address to be competitive. There are a few examples of athletes with crap nutrition that are able to compete well. However, I believe, the poor nutritional decisions get us in the long run. Of course... as many will point out, we're all dead in the long run. But yes, I am being polite when writing. Things can come across a lot tougher on the net than intended. I like to err on the side of being friendly. gordo +++++++ QUESTION: ANSWER: "Nutrition and running -- if you in the bottom 50% of AG run splits then your key run limiter is likely the quality of your nutrition." The athletes that I coach that consistently apply my nutrition concepts tend to lose 10-30 lbs. See here I wasn't talking about 1-3lbs at the front end of the field but I can assure you that most elites do their absolute best to make sure that they aren't carrying extra (just look at the top guys and girls). I was talking about regular folks who come to me and ask how they can run faster // perform better. The answer for them is often nutrition based. Most of the experienced athletes in the back half of the field are doing the same training (or more) than the people 1-3 hours in front of them. They are simply carrying more weight around with a similar (or better) aerobic capacity. NOTE -- this point is most relevant for experienced MOPs/BOPs, you need to build your engine for a bit before this becomes relevant. Frankly, the person that finishes last at nearly any triathlon is far more fit than the average person in our society -- hats off to them for getting out and giving it a go. There's no need to come out and tell people that they are overweight. The nature of that word leaves people feeling like there is a problem with them. There's nothing wrong with somebody that tries to eat right and trains 6-12 hours a week! What I do is give people the tools to rapidly improve their performance. If you've never lost 15-25lbs then you won't really know how this kind of change impacts your life. Nutrition is speedwork. Also, it is worth keeping in mind that folks don't have to change (most don't). With my own athletes, I don't bring up body composition until it becomes relavant for their goals. Athletes with a stated goal to finish an IM with a smile and get a little healthier... those folks have different requirements than somebody who comes to me and says she wants to take three hours out of her IM personal best. If my view is that 15 lbs is standing between her and her goals... then I am being paid to give her the tools to address that limiter. I am talking about improving performance for athletes -- this is independent of a personal value in society, self image and the other emotive issues that cloud discussions on body composition and nutrition. gordo ++++ Speed & Body Comp Q&A Question: I know you have mentioned this in your articles--but is it better to be lighter or to have a lower body fat percentage? I accumulate muscle mass pretty quickly through weight training 2X per week and strength work in all three sports so I weigh more than I look like I weigh plus it is difficult for me to drop weight. I can usually get leaner easier than I can lose weight. I have a compact muscular physique (5 ft 2" & 115 lbs). Since I have been doing IM for several years I am very fit and fairly lean. What do you think??!! Thanks! Answer: If you are fit and lean, then gains are likely to come from aerobic efficiency rather than simply driving your nominal weight down. If you do the training with an open heart and are emotionally happy, then your body will find it's optimal state over time. It takes a while, I've been at it for more than five years. ++++ CHO vs Starch -- Energy Consumption Some folks might not realize just how much CHO that KP and I source when we are following the fruit/veggie/pro type plan. "KP Fruit Bowl": That's about 675 CHO cals - if we are training big then we might eat this meal twice (loco, si?). Mine would have less CHO (this summer no dairy but I have added a bit back). Also, I source more juice cals than KP. I wanted to make this point because low starch, low processed doesn't mean low CHO. If you are training big volume then low CHO doesn't work. You'll deplete yourself and hit a wall. Benefits of sourcing CHO this way:
Also -- I thought that Rich's Estimate of 4,000 cals per day was a good example for a strong male AGer or pro. Five-hour steady ride for me might burn about 3,300 cals, 750 cals for a 90-minute masters session, 400 for an easy evening run, 2,000 for BMR -- so a monster G-day would be about 6,450. I used to eat up to 9,000 cals on these days (the g-dawg can eat). ++++ Posted on the Forum
As usual, good post by Gary. Got me thinking... I don't count but I do have a rough idea... PRO -- 1g per lb -- 165g, likely more -- that's about 700 cals say that's 15% of intake... Total intake of 4666 per day. Across a week, that might be about right for me.
BMR, say, 2000 Leaves -- 65% CHO, 20% FAT -- about 3000 cals, 900 cals respectively. Seems about right -- I might be higher on the CHO and PRO percentages. 100g of FAT seems a touch high to me. I've clocked my sat fat at <=5% of total daily intake. Many read my recommendations and see "low carb". That's not the case. What I seek to achieve is low processed and higher nutrient on the carb side. Sit on 300w for a while and you're going to need some CHO, big time! When training at the levels that you read in my log -- a wide range of CHO sources are essential for performance and recovery. I've documented these in a variety of places. When I review endurance athlete diets I see low protein, evening high GI CHO sources, long gaps without eating during/after training -- this impairs performance, recovery and body composition. Appropriate CHO, not low (or high) CHO. That will vary for everyone -- but often the reported variation is due to under-reporting. I doubt that any true low carb protocol would be sustainable for a serious endurance athlete. You'd simply hit the wall. Quality lean PRO with every meal. Zero hydrogenated oils, zero fast food. Now let's step back and apply the same philosophy...
145 LBM AGer, say 175 overall
About 3000 cals per day Chop the LBM to 100 lbs, the training to <2 hrs per day, the aerobic output to 400 per hour. You'd probably see the effective diet having an even lower percentage of CHO. Depends on the athlete. It's certainly easy to see how it would be possible to overfuel. My experience is that most athletes cut the wrong stuff at the wrong times. From personal experience, I am quite good at gaining and losing -- where I am challenged is getting the balance right to maintain. That's why I think the goal should be to arrive at a safe training weight. This gives us a little room for error, up/down, yet still provides an effective body composition for training and racing. For more refer, back to my tips page. gordo |