|
One of the 14 talent characteristics I rate so high is “intelligence”. And one of the major reasons is intelligent choice making. So with this in mind, this rider tip will be on the choices one has of fueling the body for top performance and refueling the body for optimum recovery.
We all know, or should know that motocross is a rider sport, or the rider being the single most important aspect of what makes up the level of one’s program. Yes, the bike is also important, but clearly the rider as an athlete and person can make up for shortcomings of the bike. Also, each rider has certain talent characteristics that will play a vital role, but my point is, we need to make the rider better.
When you look at the top 10-20 riders around the world, and what separates them from the non top 10-20 riders, you must first understand that riding technique and styles are not the big separation. There are quite a few riders that can turn lap times with Stewart and Carmichael, but just not for 30 minutes. It comes down to conditioning and how much training one can put in each week, so one must understand how to maximize performance and recovery through diet, nutrition and what one drinks. I am quite sure if we took 100 top motocrossers and let them train at the Olympic Training Center for 6 months, they would all be 50-100% better. Our sport is just not on the cutting edge yet, so look to other things for performance gains. Scientific research through other more established sports provides many answers, you have to have the intelligence where to look.
We can agree that a healthy diet is essential for all athletes, but athletes require additional nutrients during exercise to optimize their performance.
Research has demonstrated that tired athletes are injured more frequently because their reaction times and mental perceptions are slowed. Most injuries occur during the latter stages of every sport, motocross included. For the endurance athlete, carbohydrate and fluid must be the two cornerstones of exercise nutrition. Due to the intensity and duration of a hard moto, water alone will not suffice. Look at the following chart to see how fluids play out. The best at the top, worst at the bottom.
Carb/Protein sports drink (such as Accelerade)
Carbohydrate sports drink
Gatorade/PowerAde
Water (baseline)
Hansen’s/Red Bull/Monster (spikes, sugars, caffeine)
Sodas
So depending where you are on this chart is directly how you will perform. So for example if you only drink water, it’s better than soda, but not as good as 3 other option levels. Most people I know drink Gatorade for two reasons, flavor and convenience. So if this is what drives your program, then keep drinking these(don’t drink red or blue flavors, the colors are toxic). But if you seek the highest levels of performance, you have to look elsewhere.
So this leads us to the 30W15 rule, the “Performance Zone”. It stands for starting nutrient intervention 30 minutes before exercise and continuing through the Workout and consuming your recovery nutrition within 15 minutes after your workout. Complying with the 30W15 rule means not only changing your exercise nutrition behavior, but also redefining when your workout begins and when your workout ends. This is what I have been using during workouts and at the races. Accelerade 30 minutes before my moto, and Endurox immediately after, repeat as needed.
There are so many factors, and I don’t have the space here to give you all the information you need to fully understand how this all takes place, but I will tell you that a must read is a book called “The Performance Zone”, by John Ivy, Ph.D. & Robert Portman, Ph.D. From Basic Health Publcations,Inc.The ISBN number is 1-59120-148-9.
Accelerade sports drink and Endurox R4 Recovery drink can be found at GNC nutrition stores, runner stores or look on our website under “sponsor” to click on to there website (Pacific Health Laboratories).
Each individual athlete must take a hard look at their diets and how they fuel their bodies before and during workout sessions and during actual race events. Remember, the definition of a PRO is, “Finding advantages over your competition.” Also keep in mind you don’t necessarily have to be a pro to act, train, think and desire to be a pro. So no excuses. Learn about it and put it into action, “DO” is the part you have power over.
Learn more at a school near you,
Ciao, Larry
|
