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Debunking Nutrition Myths...

Thursday, 22 November 2018 23:10

By Bob Seebohar, MS, RD, CSSD, CSCS, METS II (powertap.com)

Do this, not that. It seems like everyone has a way of doing things these days, and with that comes a few myths that develop from the “n-of-1” experiments, or even better - from watching what pro cyclists do. Ah yes, this is the most popular method of receiving information and wondering if we should implement some of these “professional” nutrition strategies.

Let's go ahead and jump into two of the more common nutrition myths that cyclists encounter these days.

MYTH #1: I NEED TO DO ALL MY TRAINING SESSIONS FASTED TO BURN MORE FAT.

I have read that quite a few Tour riders embark on this type of training, but it is monitored closely and meticulously periodized by their coaches and physiologists, so it does not have a negative impact on their performance. While there is some promising research showing fasted training can produce beneficial results in terms of fat adaptation and mitochondrial biogenesis, hopping on the bike in a fasted state for all sessions is simply not a good idea....

If you have an aerobic (zone 1 or 2) ride planned early in the morning and you wake up not hungry then by all means, don’t force-feed yourself. Do the session and eat breakfast right after.