Cycling diet and additional training/cross train

[ASTANA]

Hey

 

If your reading this cycling is probably you primary sport or at least your doing either social or competitively.

 

Was wondering what you guys are doing for extra training/ fitness and to get in shape or stay in shape.

 

Diet --- do you eat cautiously, look at what you eat or do you just try and stay healthy.

 

If you don't have something to add that please don't make joke about it.

 

Add some diets / healthy habits and additional training stuff

 

[ASTANA]

I try and stay healthy - drinking water instead of soft drinks ect. Try to incorporate most of the nutrients in a day - protein, carbs ect.

 

Do a bit of running for extra strength and fitness and also do rockclimbing for a additional break / to keep it interesting.

 

[JoeK]

I am so skinny, I have to drink black coffee to throw a shadow

I eat what I want, and will start a running program tomorrow with a mate of mine. He's into the ironman thing, and he swears that running will help with cycling.

Will tell you after a month if it works

[Vuilgoed]

I only recently took up cycling as cross training to help improve my cardio fitness. I am a runner - or atleast I thought I was. I really enjoy cycling!

 

I train 6 days a week. Three days strength training in the gym, three days cardio. These days I alternate my weeks between 1 day running, two cycling and vice versa.

 

I am very carefull about what I eat. I don't eat fried foods (except for chicken stir fry prepared with olive oil spray and cook) or foods high in fat. I drink lots of water. I eat lots of nuts, fresh fruit and at least two servings of carbs a day (usually wholewheat bread or pasta). I eat lots of fish and skinless chicken. When I eat red meat, I try and stick to low fat cuts and will always cut the fat off of my meat.

 

I eat at least 5 small meals a day, but watch my calorie intake very carefully.

 

Following this diet and exercise program, I have lost 18 kg's in the last 5 months. I was fairly fit before, but had really bad eating habits. Got a bit of a shocker with my last medical - high cholesterol - and didn't want to use medication to fix the problem, so I fixed my lifestyle instead.

[Gman1834]

Im not skinny, so i have to watch what i eat. Starch is out and I mean no bread chips, pasta or anything like that. Basically Low GI food. Lots of veg and fresh fruit.

 

I do a lot of strength work in the gym.

 

A good read is "burn the fat feed the muscle" by Tom Venuto

and for training "Training bible for cyclists" Joe Friel

 

For the not so serious/beginners riders "training bible for Mountain bikers"

 

 

 

 

[wiMPers]

I match my daily energy intake to my daily energy expenditure. It works like a bomb. I eat a diet were the energy that I receive from the food that I eat is supplied as follow: 60% Carbs, 15% Protein and 25% Fat. On average, I consume roughly 19,500 kJ on the days that I train. I maintain a body fat % of 8-9% through the year, and it drops to 5-6% when it comes to the races that I specifically trained for.

[ASTANA]

Very inspiring. I also try and stick to a eating plan but man I struggle to stay away from sweet stuff every now and again. Feel very bad once I've spend a weekend doing nothing and just being "normal".

 

There is a very important balance between being to hard on yourself / healthy and just not caring.

 

I am normal to skinny but can loose a few kg or at least fat. Need to keep running but had a problem with my 1 knee, so that sucks.

 

Any of you ever considered putting on a HR monitor in the morning and so calculating burned calories, and then also determine the amount of calories you take in? Know this is maby a bit extreme - me walking around the office with a HR monitor -- mmm maby not a bad idea?

 

[Dun Man]

Very inspiring. I also try and stick to a eating plan but man I struggle to stay away from sweet stuff every now and again. Feel very bad once I've spend a weekend doing nothing and just being "normal".

 

There is a very important balance between being to hard on yourself / healthy and just not caring.

 

I am normal to skinny but can loose a few kg or at least fat. Need to keep running but had a problem with my 1 knee, so that sucks.

 

Any of you ever considered putting on a HR monitor in the morning and so calculating burned calories, and then also determine the amount of calories you take in? Know this is maby a bit extreme - me walking around the office with a HR monitor -- mmm maby not a bad idea?

What the previous hubbers said is the TRUTH, get yourself a good Sports Nutrition book and just read it! I can highly recommend THE COMPLETE SUTH AFTRICAN GUIDE TO SPORTS NUTRITION BY Louise Burke. This book will give you all the nutritional values of all foodgroups and how to have the right diet for your specific sport. There is no short cuts! I lost 28kg and did the Iron Man this year, without the nutrition side I WOULD NOT HAVE MADE IT!! People spend thousands on their bike but your body is the best piece of equipment you will ever own, rather invest in it! A varied diet is VERY important and always try to eat fresh. Avoid take aways like the plague, and if you have a sweet tooth, try BARRY"S Bars!I munch a bunch on long rides Good luck and don't use everyones advice on what they eat, all of us is different, and some of us need more protein than others etc.. Good Luck!!

[EigerSA]

I've only been mtb'ing for about 3 months now, but the bug has definitely bitten in a bad way.  One thing I've noticed is that I'm now constantly hungry, all the time I just want to eat! I'm trying to keep an eye on what I eat, to the point of keeping a diary, but eating right I think is the hardest part. I'm riding about 25 k's every two days, but I am putting on weight. The positive thing is that I feel better now than I've ever felt before

[Slowbee]

sheesh guys drink beer, best nutrition there is.

 

and while you at it ride lots, cause then you burn off the energy.

 

 

 

[wiMPers]

Very inspiring. I also try and stick to a eating plan but man I struggle to stay away from sweet stuff every now and again. Feel very bad once I've spend a weekend doing nothing and just being "normal".

There is a very important balance between being to hard on yourself / healthy and just not caring.

I am normal to skinny but can loose a few kg or at least fat. Need to keep running but had a problem with my 1 knee' date=' so that sucks.

Any of you ever considered putting on a HR monitor in the morning and so calculating burned calories, and then also determine the amount of calories you take in? Know this is maby a bit extreme - me walking around the office with a HR monitor -- mmm maby not a bad idea?
[/quote']

 

No need wear a HR Monitor the whole day. You can calculate you daily energy need by using the Harris Benedict Basal Metabolic Rate Calculator. Once you have calculated you Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), you just add your daily "cost" of your training, thus calculating your total daily energy need. (this is what I use and it works excellent!)

 

Also, to loose 500g per week, you need to consume 2,000 kJ less per day than you consume for a week, and 4,000 kJ per day for a week to loose 1kg. (it is better to go for the 2,000 kJ option as you will not loose as much lean muscle mass if you loose weight over a period of time)

 

The same applies for gaining weight. Over consume 2,000 kJ per day for a week to gain 500g, and 4,000 kJ per day for a week to gain 1kg.

 

Remember, it takes time and patience. Consistency is the secret to dieting.

 

Also, your body needs fuel to burn energy and fuel comes from food. To starve yourself does more harm than good.

 

"Fat burns in the flames of carbohydrates..."

[porky]

This whole diet thing is just a load of codswallop. Really, it was devised to save fat americans who seldom walk further than the fridge to the sofa, eat only potatoe crisps and do no excercise at all from daily heart attacks.

 

Anyway, what is good health? Its very difficult to define, and is usually associated with longevity, BUT the two are not synonymous and never have been.

 

The average health of the worlds population has never been better, yet if you believe the tabloids, we eat worse now than ever before.!!

 

The fact is, catch phrases and jingles with an emotional ring like "toxic" or organic health foods, or trans fats are forced down our throats at every turn, when in reality, we can eat anything, prepared in any manner in moderation and still be healthy and fit.

 

The problem arises when we deviate from the term moderation.

 

Just like obesity arises when energy intake exceeds expenditure, so weight loss will occur in the opposite scenario - the fact is you could eat a diet of only chocolate and cream buns and still loose weight, or a diet of cabbage and lentils and still increase weight. 

 

I eat anything and everything, I enjoy a beer or two fairly often and drink a glass of red wine daily - I am fit and healthy, I regularly run marathons and ultras, I race well in the season and I have no cholesterol or sugar issues, my weight is well within stats for my age and height and  my cardiologist says my heart is "pikfyn".

 

Go figure.!!

 

[Karl Beaton]

I have started a healthy diet and hope to loose 12kg .... I am doing it the right way this time ... 

[Christopher Brunsdon]

Going to see a dietician next as they only cost R400. My wife went to go see one and last week and it makes a massive difference. We're doing it on advice from a friend who lost a lot of weight after seeing a dietician.

 

One of the real benefits is that our bodies are all unique and there is no such thing as a canned diet.

 

[Slowbee]

 

Going to see a dietician next as they only cost R400. My wife went to go see one and last week and it makes a massive difference. We're doing it on advice from a friend who lost a lot of weight after seeing a dietician.

 

One of the real benefits is that our bodies are all unique and there is no such thing as a canned diet.

 

 

we need to hook up as I have to give you your pedals.

 

 

 

[Christopher Brunsdon]

 

Going to see a dietician next as they only cost R400. My wife went to go see one and last week and it makes a massive difference. We're doing it on advice from a friend who lost a lot of weight after seeing a dietician.

 

One of the real benefits is that our bodies are all unique and there is no such thing as a canned diet.

 

 

we need to hook up as I have to give you your pedals.

 

 

 

OT/

 

Thanks, bought some toe clips (R30) on Friday - what a difference they make. Can only imagine how much better cleats will be. Hope to get shoes in the next 2 weeks ... no way I'm going to try an MTB in the mud with my sneakers

 

Since Monday is a public holiday, don't know if we are going to cycle again?