Fluid And Carbohydrate Intake Before, During And After Training

When training on an indoor cycle careful attention to fluid and carbohydrate intake is required. Try to train in an air conditioned area or an area with good natural air circulation. A fan may help – keeping cool is important.

Fluid intake during training

Almost any dehydration impairs performance - For each litre of sweat lost to dehydration, your heart rate will increase by approximately 8 beats and this will significantly reduce performance if the body is not continually re-hydrated.

The loss of water represents the most serious consequence of profuse sweating. Intensity and duration of exercise, external temperature and humidity determine the amount of water lost through sweating. Water loss (dehydration) can seriously impair your training, and subsequent recovery so careful attention to drinking strategy is important.

Fluid loss from the vascular compartment places a significant strain on circulatory function which ultimately impairs training performance and thermoregulation of the body.

Therefore taking on fluid before and during training will reduce the detrimental effects of dehydration on performance. Adding carbohydrates to your fluids will provide additional glucose energy. Determining the optimal fluid/carbohydrate mixture and volume becomes important to minimise fatigue and dehydration.

The body needs liquid intake on sedentary days of approximately 2.5 litres of water which it draws from food (0.8 L), stores (0.5 L) and direct liquid intake (1.2 L). On active days you may need much more 2-4 litres so remember to remain well hydrated.

Keeping a check on your body weight is a useful indicator of fluid loss every 0.45 kg of body weight lost is equivalent to 0.45 L of dehydration.

It is important to continual replace liquid throughout the normal day and during training – when training try to get into a regular habit of drinking every 10-15 minutes.

Consuming 0.4-0.6 L of fluid immediately before training and drinking .0.15-0.25 L every 15 minutes during training will optimise the beneficial effects of fluid intake. Fluid delivery of about 1L per hour should meet the needs of your training.

Carbohydrate intake required during and after training

One hour of cycling will reduce liver glycogen by over 50% - 2 hours of cycling will deplete all of the glycogen content of the liver and active muscles.

Before each training session a small amount of low (apples/butter-navy-kidney beans/lentils) to moderate (white pasta/oatmeal/All-bran/peas) glycemic food should be eaten to provide energy at the right time.

Consuming 60g of liquid or solid carbohydrates each hour during your training sessions will help to postpone fatigue.

If you are doing an ultra long session on the Wattbike a single concentrated carbohydrate feed about 30 minutes before anticipated fatigue (generally about 2 hours into a session) is as effective as periodic carbohydrate feeding.

Immediately after training replenish your body with a small amount of high (oranges/white rice/corn flakes/new potatoes) glycemic food and within 2 hours a moderate glycemic food meal should be eaten.