Q&A
Disclaimer: I am not an authority on nutrition, fitness, sports medicine, or any medicine for that matter. I don't even play one on TV. This section is meant to provide suggestions and information to people who are looking for simple answers to simple-ish questions. These are questions i've been asked in passing conversation by people who know i'm a fitness freak who reads things that catch my eye about performance, fitness, strength training, health and nutrition. My sources include people like Chris Carmichael, who worked with Lance Armstrong, the owner and trainers at my local gym, various health and fitness magazines, my mom, who's studied an absolute mountain of material on health and nutrition, and others. While i'm only including answers to questions that seemed to resolve the problems of the people asking, if you choose to act on the advice provided below, you do so at your own risk and peril for disaster, bad luck, the deformation of your first-born and god forbid, death. But hey, it's your choice and that's what freedom is. If you have a relatively simple question, email me and if i believe i can offer a constructive suggestion, i'll list it below.
Cross Training
Q: Not so much a question this time. My more-active buddies and i commonly discuss the benefits of cross training, so here's a quote i pulled from an interview with NHL Edmonton Oilers defenseman, Matt Greene, in USA Hockey Magazine, June/July 08.
A: Matt sayz: "In the NHL, people aren't just hockey players anymore, they are athletes. You have to be well-rounded. Playing baseball is great for your hand-eye coordination, and playing basketball is great for your hands and legs. It's just about having fun, too."
On that note, i recently participated in a sprint triathlon and believe me, i got plenty of cross training with swimming, running (just a little), cycling, mountain biking, playing and officiating hockey, and weight training. A little too much cross training, perhaps. But back to the original point, most of my peeps agree mountain biking is a great way to build up the anaerobic lungs for hockey, and cycling is a great way to keep the aerobic power in good shape. Try it! Here's proof.
Speed Training
Q: I have one week before i ride in my first Century [100-mile] bike race. Last month i rode 60 miles and felt fine. What should i do at this point? - Douglas
A: Full disclosure: Douglas is that type of person who is always a degree of fit. He rides his bike around NYC for transportation and takes pretty good care of himself overall. Honestly Douglas, it's your "saddle muscles" that are gonna kill you. Two words: chamois cream. Use it. Otherwise, don't pay any less than about $80 for your cycling shorts (unless you buy them on sale). Trust me, all chamois is not created equal. On to the rest of the answer.
Normally, at this point you'd be "tapering off" your training, so don't do any big efforts between now and the race. However, don't be a sloth. Speaking from experience, just keep your muscles prepped - which is easy for you since you ride your bike everywhere. The night before the race, be sure to carbo-load with a quality dinner including pasta and/or brown rice, fresh veggies and protein. Stay well-hydrated. Better not to drink alcohol but if you do, limit it to one glass of wine or one beer. Get 8-9 hours sleep.
On race day, eat a good breakfast (toast and eggs, yogurt, oatmeal, etc.). The most important thing during the race is to stay hydrated and fueled. Don't overdo the sports drinks but certainly include them. Try to automatically take a few sips of fluid about 15 minutes. Most races provide bananas, oranges and cookies - and these things are great. What most races don't provide are hi-tech snacks like GU energy gel, Clif Shot Bloks, Jelly Belly sport beans, Clif Mojo bars, etc. Take a few of these with you. Most GU flavors have a little bit of caffeine in them, and that's a good thing.
Otherwise, listen to your body. Take breaks when you need to. On the bike, wiggle your toes now and then. Roll your wrists and bend your arms to keep your elbows from aching. A good neck stretch is to tuck your chin into your chest and hold it for 8 seconds. (Don't do it while another sexy cyclist is rolling by 'cause you'll look like you have a double chin.) After the race, keep hydrating. Do some gentle stretching. You'll be tempted to celebrate but wait as long as you can (at least 2 hours is ideal) before drinking alcohol. Eat a really good meal (and fries - everyone craves fries after a big effort). Elevate your legs for 20-30 minutes before you go to bed. The following week, take it easy. It'll take a few days to feel "normal" again. Have fun!
Coping with Fear
Q: It's hard for me to have fun mountain biking, especially on downhill sections. I get so scared. How do you cope with the fear? - Angela
A: This is a tough one but there are a few things that seem to help significantly. The first thing is not to let someone much more advanced talk you into doing something over your head. The second thing is that, just like with skiing, the more times you do the same trail, the more comfortable you become. Once you're familiar with a trail, you're more able to relax and focus on improving your technique because you know what's around the corner. If you're focusing on technique, you're less likely to notice your fears. One thing to keep in mind if you're riding over obstacles and loose rocks is that going too slow makes you more likely to crash. Momentum is your friend. It takes a little trial and error to descend in control, yet with enough speed to carry you over things that will slam you if you're going too slow. Third, I always have a rockin' good tune rolling through my head to distract me from fear and inject some fun. Lastly, there is no shame in walking a section that scares the crap out of you. Better to live to ride another day.
Ice or Heat?
Q: My knees ache after a long hike. Should i take a warm bath or ice them? - Adam
A: Most often, ice is the way to go for "overuse" discomfort after activity, to help reduce inflammation and pain. I have a personal example for this one. A few years ago, I was involved in an event where I played several hours of hockey within a 24-hour period, several days in a row. After a couple days, my groin muscles were shot. I couldn't walk a straight line. Out of ignorance and inexperience, I assumed it was a good idea to use heat on my overused muscles, but that was absolutely not the case. A teammate suggested I try icing the muscles instead. It's a miracle! The next day, the muscles felt about 75 percent better. The thing is, ice constricts and heat loosens. It makes perfect sense if you think about it, that if you've overused and therefore overstretched muscles, ice is your friend (think of all the movie scenes of athletes in tubs of ice). Or, if you've had an injury within the last 48 hours, use ice ASAP to reduce swelling. That's not to say heat isn't good for some things, like before your activities and recovery workouts, to relax and loosen tight muscles.
Carbo-loading
Q: I do a lot of triathlons and the first event is swimming. I'm so nervous about the event, plus i feel sick if i eat before i swim, so i don't eat much - if anything - before the start on race-day. Does this affect my performance? - Sarah
A: I've never done a triathlon so i have no idea what the standard is for triathletes, but i have done several 50+ mile bike races and i'm guessing the two are similar in certain ways. The research i've read for cycling emphasizes that the meal you eat the night before your event is just as important (if not more so) as race-day breakfast. I'm betting your performance will significantly improve from eating a quality dinner the night before you race.
Post-Event Refueling
Q: What's the best snack to eat right after a hard work-out or game? - Frank
A: The information i've read emphasizes a few key things for recovery: protein to fuel your muscles for building and repair, glycogen replacement and rehydration. A small handful of raw nuts like pecans and almonds make a super fast and easy, protein recovery snack. The general rule of thumb here is to eat a small snack as soon as you can grab one and then eat a healthy meal, including protein and complex carbs, no later than 2 hours after your work-out or event. If you play sports in a midnight league and hit the sack asap after you get home, an ideal smaller meal is cereal (high on the glycemic index) or yogurt with sliced almonds and fresh berries.
Pre-Event Hydration
Q: I'm a hockey player and during my games, i get a cramp in my foot. I know cramping is often caused by dehydration but i drink lots of water during my game. What's wrong? - Candy
A: While it's important to stay hydrated during exertion, you also need to pre-hydrate. The general rule of thumb i've found in my research is to drink plenty of water the day of your event, right up to 1.5 hours before start-time (if you drink closer to start-time, you risk having to pee about five minutes into your event). I drink an 8 oz glass of water 1.5 hours before i play hockey and then just a couple ounces of a sports drink 15 minutes before i hit the ice.