Month: January 2010

Recovery & Restoration Methods for Endurance Athletes Part III: Caffeine

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“We’ve shown that caffeine reduces pain reliably, consistently during cycling, across different intensities, across different people, different characteristics.”

To this point I’ve discussed nutritional strategies and cold water immersion as recovery methods for endurance athletes.  Now, the quest to relieve sore muscles, malaise and fatigue continues with a look at caffeine.  While caffeine could’ve been discussed as part of nutrition, its role is quite different from the role that food plays.

Science Daily does it for us again.  Two articles profile caffeiene’s benefits.  The first, Caffeine Cuts Post-Workout Pain by 50 Percent, Study Finds, discusses caffeine’s post-workout role.

The article profiles a study from the University of Georgia where caffeine’s effects were studied in nine female college students.  The subjects engaged in a workout that induced mild post-workout soreness.  One and two days later they performed one of two different thigh exercises with some subject having taken caffeine and others taking a placebo.  One caffeine-consuming group reported a 48 % reduction in pain compared to the placebo group.  The other group experienced a 26% reduction in pain compared to placebo.

The authors concede several weaknesses in the study.  First, there was a small sample size.  Second, the subjects were all female.  Finally, they were not regular consumers of caffeine.  So we don’t know if the effect will be seen in the public at large, among men and/or among people who regularly ingest caffeine.  That said, the findings may be of interest to endurance athletes looking to recover from strenuous workouts.

Move over Gatorade...

Move over Gatorade...

The second article, Caffiene Reduces Pain During Exercise, Study Shows looks at caffeine as a pain reducer when taken pre-workout.  This study was performed by former competitive cyclist and University of Illinois kinesiology and community health professor Robert Motl.  He and his friends had long consumed caffeine prior to tough rides.  He eventually decided to study the substance.

Motl wanted to examine the effects of caffeine on muscle pain during high-intensity exercise as a function of habitual caffeine use.  He examined two groups: one made up of habitual caffeine users, the other made up of non-caffeine users.  He found both groups had similar reductions in muscle pain during exercise after caffeine consumption.

Motl says, “We’ve shown that caffeine reduces pain reliably, consistently during cycling, across different intensities, across different people, different characteristics.”

So what are the practical implications?  Motl explains that caffeine and its pain-reducing effects should help you push harder and thus go faster and/or longer during your workout or race.  Or perhaps you could do your same workout but more comfortably.

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Lots of Stuff to Read: Sports drinks with protein, Negative phys. ed teachers, Running shoes and knee damage, Why crunches don’t work, Science of weight loss

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Wow!  There’s a lot of good reading out there on the health & fitness front.  I can’t comment on all of it but I’ll refer you to several articles that may pique your interest.  I’ll get back to recovery strategies for endurance athletes later.

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Recovery & Restoration Methods for Endurance Athletes Part II: Cold Water Immersion

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Time to relax!

Time to relax!

Post-workout nutrition was the focus of the last post.  Adequate intake of water, protein and simple carbohydrates is vital for repairing the body and preparing for subsequent endurance workouts.  We can add to the recovery strategy the use of cold water immersion.

“Cold water immersion resulted in significantly lower muscle soreness ratings; reduced inflammatory response and consequent muscle damage; and better repeat sprint ability and leg strength,” Jeremy Ingram, physiotherapist, in the J Sci Med Sport. 2009 May;12(3):417-21.

Injury treatment has long featured the application of ice to strains, sprains, bruises and other injuries where swelling is present.  Strenuous or long bouts of exercise can damage muscle cells thus resulting in conditions similar to injury such as low-grade swelling, pain, and nervous system disruption.  Studies by the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, the European Journal of Applied Physiology, the Journal of Sports Sciences,  show cold water bathing was well as hot/cold contrast bathing reduces these symptoms and helps speed recovery.

Protocols for cold water immersion and hot/cold contrast bathing are discussed here and here.  (The idea behind the contrast method is to create a pumping action in the capillaries to speed blood flow and thus increase the recovery process) Peak Performance Online offers this free download titled How to ensure a speedy recovery from exercise.  (Peak Performance Online features many free downloads on a wide variety of sporting topics.  Definitely pay them a visit if you want to read a lot more.)

The basic protocols for cold water and hot/cold contrast recovery vary but are fairly similar.  Here are two examples:

Cold Water Immersion
If you are going to try cool or cold water immersion after exercise, don’t overdo it. Ten minutes immersed in 50-60 degree Farenheit water should be enough time to get the benefit and avoid the risks. Because cold can make muscles tense and stiff, it’s a good idea to fully warm up about 30 to 60 minutes later with a warm shower or a hot drink.

Contrast Water Therapy (Hot-Cold Bath)
If you prefer alternating hot and cold baths, the most common method includes one minute in a cold tub (50-60 degrees Farenheit) and two minutes a hot tub (about 99-104 degrees Farenheit), repeated about three times.

My own cold-water recovery has employed two simple methods.  First, when I lived in Virginia I had access to a swimming pool in the summer.  Following a ride or run in the hot weather, I got in the pool, preferably in a shady area, and relaxed.  This past summer in Colorado, I filled my bathtub with cold water so that my legs were covered and I dumped in a small amount of ice.  It was cold but not painfully so.  I sat and drank Recoverite and an energy drink with caffeine.  I found the results very beneficial.

Speaking of caffeine, I’ll discuss that in Part III.

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Recovery & Restoration Methods for Endurance Athletes Part I: Nutrition

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An acquaintance who’s a competitive road cyclist asked about protein consumption, particularly post-ride.  He got me thinking on a variety of issues regarding the topic of recovery and restoration for endurance athletes.  I’ll start with post-workout nutrition

There are several goals here.  The first task is to rehydrate.   No matter how much you drink during a long ride or run you’re going to be dehydrated.  It’s normal and not dangerous despite widespread belief to the contrary.  Rehydration is very simple despite the many complicated formulas you may have read or heard about.  Drink if you’re thirsty and stop when your thirst is quinched.  Beyond that, check your urine color.  It should be clear or very pale yellow.  Dark yellow means you need to drink more.  So what should you drink?

Wait 'til you're off the bike to make this.

Wait 'til you're off the bike to make this.

Water is a good start, but we also need to replenish muscle glycogen and slow the breakdown of muscle protein due to the stress of a long workout.  Therefore a blend of simple carbohydrate (as opposed to complex carbs) and protein is ideal.  On this topic, the following is from an article by Bob Seebohar written for PT on the Net:

“Recent research has proven that consuming protein with a carbohydrate source versus a carbohydrate alone during recovery is beneficial. In fact, one study showed that the addition of protein to carbohydrate post-training led to a more rapid replenishment of glycogen and was slightly higher in glycogen restoration at four hours post training than just carbohydrate alone. Several other research studies found a reduction of total free radical buildup (by 69 percent), increased insulin levels (by 70 percent), decreased post-exercise muscle damage (by 36 percent) and increased muscle glycogen levels (2.2 fold). There is no doubt that the addition of protein to recovery nutrition is important and useful for endurance athletes. These studies used a ratio of 4:1 carbohydrate to protein intake, and while this ratio is not accepted by all scientists, the data from the studies act as a springboard for future studies that will explore and find the optimum ratio of carbohydrates to protein.

Current recommendations to enhance glycogen resynthesis post-training include eating 50 to 100 grams of rapidly absorbed carbohydrate and 10 to 20 grams of protein within the first 15 minutes after the completion of exercise. Continue this every two hours until the next complete meal.”

Based on this information, what might you post-ride/run/swim meal look like?  Plain old chocolate milk can be a very good start.  Chocolate milk has a nice blend of simple sugar, protein, and other nutrients that are good for us.  Plus it tastes good so it’s easy to drink.  It’s also quite a bit cheaper than many of the commercial athletic drinks.  You could also blend a smoothie with milk, ice, fruit, and perhaps some protein powder.  (There are all sorts of protein powders out there: whey, casein, egg, soy to name a few.  I’ll skip the science and tell you that directly after a hard workout, whey protein is the best choice.)

Regarding daily intake for a hard-exercising endurance athlete, the common recommendation is about 1.5 grams per kilogram (2.2 lbs.) of body weight.  Here’s how to determine your intake: (Your weight/2.2) x 1.5 = your daily recommended protein intake.

From my own personal experience, I can say that I have a very favorable opinion of Hammer nutrition products, especially something called Recoverite.  I first used Recoverite last year when I was training for the Bicycle Tour of Colorado.  I did a 90-something mile ride that started into an ugly headwind and took me through a decent portion of Colorado’s Front Range including climbs up High Grade and Shadow Mountain.  I got home and I was incredibly fatigued–tired to the bone on an epic scale.  I imagined I’d be sore, tight and tired for at least one if not two days.  To recover, I sat in cold water, drank Recoverite (which contains whey protein and amino acids which are building blocks of protein) and then drank an energy drink containing caffeine.  The next, much to my surprise, I felt amazing!  I wasn’t the least bit sore or lethargic.  In fact, I went on a short run.

But what was the magic ingredient?  The protein drink, the cold water, or the caffeine?  Hard to say but so what?  Something in that mix worked very well for me.  I’ll discuss cold water immersion and caffeine plus other aspects of recovery in subsequent posts.

Finally, for a very thorough analysis of not only post-workout nutrition but all aspects of nutrient timing, the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition offers this position statement.  This covers all athletes, not just endurance athletes.

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Vitamin Supplementation: Good? Bad? Or Ugly?

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As a personal trainer, I’m often asked about dietary supplements and vitamins.  My position has long been that most dietary supplements are not needed by most people.  Rather, I advise clients to eat a common sense healthy diet full of real food: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, seeds, and some lean animal products if they like.  Still, I’ve figured that a multi-vitamin probably doesn’t do any harm and may do some good.  On this topic, I may be wrong.

Tasty...

Tasty...

Vita Myth: Do supplements really do any good?, an article from Slate, offers several references to research suggesting that A) there is almost no link between multi-vitamin consumption and decreased mortality, and B) consumption of individual antioxidants like vitamins A, C, and E; beta carotene, selenium, and folate may actually increase mortality risk by speeding the growth of cancers.

“But not only do antioxidant supplements fail to protect against heart disease, stroke, and cancer; they actually increase the risk of death, according to a 2007 analysis of research on more than 232,000 people, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, as well as other studies.”

These antioxidants are often taken in order to cleanse our bodies of free-radicals, substances which are implicated in a range of ailments including cancer.   Researchers have found that “certain kinds of antioxidant pills can feed latent cancers growing in the body, for instance, and reduce the effectiveness of chemotherapy.”  Apparently these good-for-us substances in some cases are also good for replication of cancer cells.  Researchers also suggest that perhaps free-radicals are actually necessary to our good health, and that among other functions they may help kill cancer cells.

Who knew!?

The article explains among other things, the placebo effect of taking vitamins to cure colds, and why we ever took vitamins in the first place (nutritional deficiencies which resulted in diseases such as scurvy).  There also seems to be some evidence that some consumption of vitamin supplements by some populations–folate for pregnant women for example–seems prudent.  The overall message though is that these various vitamins which are found in food simply aren’t all that beneficial once they’re extracted and put into a pill.

Beyond this article, there are a few other factors regarding vitamin consumption worth discussing.  Let’s consider Total cereal which famously tells us that one bowl has 100% of various vitamins and minerals.  Sounds great right?  Sounds convenient.  One bowl of this stuff and we’re set for the day!  Not so fast.  Our bodies can only use or absorb so much of a particular vitamin or mineral at a time.  That one bowl may indeed have all the vitamins you need for that day but your body will only use what it needs at that time.  The rest is digested and excreted.

fruits-and-vegetables

Hey now!!!

Further, we’ve learned that in many cases, in order for vitamins to work the way we want them to, they must be consumed in the presence of any number of other substances.  Food is remarkably complex.  There are literally thousands of molecules in any individual food.  The vitamins in the food need the rest of the food to do their work.  The big picture is very clear: Vitamins in isolation won’t do the trick.  Food is required.

Should we be surprised by any of this?  Once again the American quest for convenience has led us away from good health.  Again, science has tried to out think Mother Nature, and again the results are of questionable use.  Common sense often turns out to be an amazingly accurate guide.  To anyone seeking weight loss, better health and a longer life, I offer this advice: Eat right most of the time.  Work hard often.

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NEAT and the Benefits of Hunger: Part III

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In Part I discussed Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT).  The biochemistry of hunger and the possible benefits of hunger were the issues in Part II.  I ended by posing the question of whether or not consuming several small meals per day was more or less conducive to losing weight than the popular admonition to eat up to six small meals per day.  It seems the verdict is very much out.  The answer is: It depends…

To start with, here’s an article by registered dietitian Kristine Clark writing for the IDEA Health & Fitness Association.  Clark first offers wise observations on the exact nature of hunger and satiety.  Hunger being the main reason we should eat at all and satiety being the signal to stop.  She writes,

“‘Unfortunately, many people are out of touch with the feeling of satiety.”  Marion Nestle—researcher, author and professor of nutrition at New York University—says, ‘You can’t teach satiety.  People have to learn it themselves.’  The bottom line is that recognition of both hunger and satiety is key to appropriate eating.

Anyone seeking weight loss must take that statement to heart.

Clark then refers to the research from the 1960s and ’70s that associated several small meals with a leaner physique.  I won’t go into the details of the studies (references are found at the end of Clark’s article) but both studies show weaknesses worth considering.  The small sample sizes and the use of a 24-hr diet recall interview in one study make me question to what degree we should hold to the implications of these studies.  I’m not the only one thinking this.  For further reading on the strength or lack thereof of nutritional studies, look here and here.  (And remember these sorts of weaknesses the next time a news anchor tells you that some study shows This causes That. Odds are the cause and effect aren’t that strongly linked.)

Most importantly, Clark interviews Dr. Barbara Rolls of the Penn St. Nutritional Science Department.  Essentially she says that meal frequency isn’t the key issue–It’s how much you eat!

“As long as people hold their calorie intake constant—as long as they eat less than what they normally eat, whether in six or three increments —they will lose weight, regardless of the frequency.”
– Barbara Rolls, PhD

So it should be obvious.  The key issue is energy intake vs. energy expenditure.  This is no revelation.  Whether it’s three, four, five or six meals per day, if we eat too much then we get fat.  (I’ll add my own opinion to this equation and say that the quality and the nature of our food–real food vs. food-like substances–is of tremendous importance to physique goals as well.)

I’m surprised by the fairly weak correlation between the several-small-meals strategy and successful weight loss.  I’ve been saying this to clients as if it were a settled subject.  I will say though I believe the first time I ever heard the suggestion to eat many times throughout the day was as advice to bodybuilders who were trying to gain weight, not lose it.  Bodybuilders need the raw materials to add body mass so loading up on food several times a day is about the only way to do it.  In contrast, the general public doesn’t have that need, and it stands to reason that by many among us may easily eat too much if we’re eating up to six times a day.

No second helping for me, thanks.

No second helping for me, thanks.

Finally, I didn’t know exactly where to put this, but General Stanley McChrystal, the current commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, eats one meal per day!  This man is a dedicated runner with a Special Forces background.  One meal per day…

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