2.10.2009Most repeated mistakes cyclists do when supplementing energy - II.part
What to give to your body so that muscles can regain energy? Regeneration after a cycling load is ensured not only with a suitable regeneration drink, but also with suitable food. It must secure replenishment of glycogen supplies in muscles as a precondition for healthy and full-value sporting. Complete replenishment of energy supplies cannot happen in more than 20-24 hours after a hard trip or another load.
The more glycogen supplies are drained and the faster carbohydrates are replenished, the faster glycogen will renew. If not replenished in time, regeneration time will be extended substantially, the level of achieved trained quality will drop, muscles will hurt after the trip and we will not want to have even a look at our bicycle for a couple of days.
Also proteins are important from the point of regeneration. When they are not replenished in a suitable form (with as highest biological value as possible, e.g. branched chain amino acids in the form of Xpower Recovery XT or Xpower BCAA MaxProtect directly), muscle fibres, tried and tired in cycling, get split. The fibres are built of proteins and crucial amino acids, glutamine and glycine especially, are split from them due to fatigue (therefore they are added to modern regeneration drinks, such as IontStar Sport Sirup).
Where to draw new energy
Power of muscle fibres in legs may be mobilized naturally during sprints and steep tracks with a natural substance that looks after the exchange of cell energy directly into power performance in our body. It is creatine which we mostly gain from good-quality red meat. However, we usually prefer white meats in summer (fish, poultry), and therefore it is suitable to replenish creatine with capsules, e.g. in the unique patented form Aminostar® Krea-Genic®.
Which fats are (un)suitable for cyclists
Fats in cyclist’s body represent the richest supplies of energy that, however, may not be as effectively and completely released without oxygen (in an anaerobic way) as from carbohydrates. Therefore, more trained cyclists switch from an “anaerobic” (energy from carbohydrates) to an aerobic performance (energy from fats), and this is how fats are advantageously (they have two times higher energetic contents than carbohydrates) used to cover energetic demands in cycling. If we add a well-know food supplement carnitine in a sport drink (e.g. in IontStar Sport Sirup), effectiveness of the use of energy from body fats increases. In that case the bicycle becomes a great tool for body shaping from which fatty round shapes vanish and are replaced with sharp and more aesthetic muscles. In cycling we prefer these sources of fats from food:• richer fish meat (salmon, codfish, herring, halibut)
• virgin olive oil
• nuts (beware of increasing allergies to nut proteins).
Beware of margarine fats (they
contain poisonous trans fats), animal fats (grease, lard) and lactic fats (cream, butter) that contain so-called saturated fatty acids supporting the creation of killer cholesterol.
Attention – a novelty: now you may dose individual Xpower preparations according to the length, profile and demandingness of a particular cycling track (terrain, race).
As in other sports, cycling is also based on a various and well-balanced food basket. However, it may specifically be completed according to individual demands of cyclists and the form and length of the load (marathon, road and mountain biking), and according to demands on power, efficiency and endurance. The assortment of versatile food complements Xpower serves to all this; it will support your performance, reduce your fatigue and prevent negative consequences of a possible muscle overload.