Eating habbits
Discussion
I'd like to point out this is NOT about super fit triathletes or road racers, but for the slightly lardy commuter!
Are there any recommendations for eating?
I've got into a habbit of having a mars bar before I set off on my ride home. It seems to give me a bit of a boost, but half the reason for cycling to work is for fitness, is it doing more harm than good? I'm still pretty marginal on doing my hilly 7 mile commute without stopping or wheezing too loudly, so it's not as if I'm trying to push myself harder. I just want to get to and from work relatively comfortably while getting a bit fitter.
Are there any recommendations for eating?
I've got into a habbit of having a mars bar before I set off on my ride home. It seems to give me a bit of a boost, but half the reason for cycling to work is for fitness, is it doing more harm than good? I'm still pretty marginal on doing my hilly 7 mile commute without stopping or wheezing too loudly, so it's not as if I'm trying to push myself harder. I just want to get to and from work relatively comfortably while getting a bit fitter.
option click said:
Maybe replace the Mars bar with a banana or some malt loaf?
Both will give you some energy for the ride whilst being a bit healthier.
Good advice.Both will give you some energy for the ride whilst being a bit healthier.
Chocolate bars are never a good thing.
If you struggle with aerobic fitness (ie get too out of breath to continue) extra food will not help.
Try riding without and see how you feel.
A Mars bar is 300+ calories that if you don't burn (ie not fit enough to burn) will just turn to fat and make your ride harder in the long run.
Jon
the sugar in the mars bar will give you a very brief high, you wont notice nay "extra energy" though but what will feel like a low blood/sugar level will actuall be a return to normal levels following the high. you may notice the strain after say 5 miles.
slow releasing carbs are the ideal solution, museli for breakfast or a granola bar or something similar, bananas are good but hard to eat on the hoof.
slow releasing carbs are the ideal solution, museli for breakfast or a granola bar or something similar, bananas are good but hard to eat on the hoof.
It's probably pyschological by the sound of it! Doubtful whether or not I actually need, especially now I'm starting to feel a slight improvement.
On a related note, after cycling in two or three times a week for about a month, today was the first morning where I really had the impression of going up the hills quicker than before (I hasten to add I hadn't eaten anything - Mars bar or otherwise - beforehand).
On a related note, after cycling in two or three times a week for about a month, today was the first morning where I really had the impression of going up the hills quicker than before (I hasten to add I hadn't eaten anything - Mars bar or otherwise - beforehand).
A mars bar is ~260 calories with similar carb and fat levels to many energy bars on the market.
I'd recommend a double espresso coffee 20 mins before your ride you'll see a deffinate boost energy without all the extra calories. In a 7 mile commute you'll be lucky to burn 260 cals.
Just like a car, improve your power to weight ratio and go faster easier!
I'd recommend a double espresso coffee 20 mins before your ride you'll see a deffinate boost energy without all the extra calories. In a 7 mile commute you'll be lucky to burn 260 cals.
Just like a car, improve your power to weight ratio and go faster easier!
Gooby said:
Change that diet and cut out the crap, makes a hell of a difference.
Have to say I don't normally guzzle chocolate. I've just taken to doing it for the (apparent false economy of an) energy boost.But yeah, it's kind of confirmed my suspicions that overall I'm better off without the Mars bar! Now off to get a healthy, but large lunch...
Chris71 said:
Gooby said:
Change that diet and cut out the crap, makes a hell of a difference.
Have to say I don't normally guzzle chocolate. I've just taken to doing it for the (apparent false economy of an) energy boost.But yeah, it's kind of confirmed my suspicions that overall I'm better off without the Mars bar! Now off to get a healthy, but large lunch...
Gooby said:
swerni said:
Gooby said:
lowered my overall calorie intake to 180k per day.
You lowered it to 180,000 calories a day.how the fvck do you get in that Elise
Sod the elise, how would I have go that in the door!!!
When im cycling, i usually shoot for about 200 calories per hour (1-2 gels and a bit of whatever happens to be in my bottle makes that up) on the bike, while eating sensibly before hand (porridge in the morning, chicken or pasta if the ride is later on) - if im going to be out for much longer than 90 mins.
The max a normal person can deal with in an hour of exercise is about 300kcal, so eating a 260kcal mars bar in one go is not the way to do it - its why the pros eat the small ones and use things like gels - 100kcals in one go, which you body can deal with. if the ride is under an hour - i.e commuting, i eat nothing on the bike, or specially before it - it takes about half an hour for the energy to hit your system anyway. On the ride to uni im full of porridge, on the way home my belly is rumbling for food.
You dont need a mars bar for 30 mins on the bike - if you need it as an afternoon snack, why not enjoy it - stopping yourself from eating foods you like isn't the way to do it - if you have a mars bar, do a few extra miles going home. If you are eating it just to cycle home, skip it and wait for your dinner instead - it isn't doing much for you.
The average human stores about 1800kcal as glycogen (energy stored in your muscles) once this is gone, if you haven't been eating while exercising, then you will "bonk" or "hit the wall" - hence why marathons get hard at mile 18 onwards and you see pro cyclists eating an absolute s
tload when they are in the saddle - bonking is not fun, you body does not do what you tell it to do untill you put some fuel in.Basically, a very long and uninteresting post to say - the mars bar before your commute isn't doing much for you.
Perhaps if you are struggling you havn't quite got your riding position set up correctly?
If your saddle is too low you will really struggle and use a lot more energy up than you need to.
As a rule of thumb when your leg is at the bottom of the the pedal stroke it should be slightly crooked at the knee which should alao mean you are on your tippy toes to touch the ground.
HTH
If your saddle is too low you will really struggle and use a lot more energy up than you need to.
As a rule of thumb when your leg is at the bottom of the the pedal stroke it should be slightly crooked at the knee which should alao mean you are on your tippy toes to touch the ground.
HTH
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