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Lead Stories: Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Speed up recovery with food

Posted March 8th, 2007 at 11:26 AM by Jamal Walker

Section: Health & Fitness, Exercise

A study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine shows that eating any source of protein and sugar immediately after finishing a workout helps athletes grow larger and stronger muscles (November 2006).

Athletes train by taking a very hard workout that damages muscles. They can tell that their muscles are damaged by the delayed onset muscle soreness that starts 8 to 24 hours after they finish a workout. Anything that helps them recover faster will allow them to do another hard workout sooner and they will become much stronger.

Extensive research shows that muscles healing occurs when protein building blocks called amino acids move into muscles cells and repair the damaged muscle protein. Healed muscles are stronger than they were before the damaging workout. To hasten recovery, you need both amino acids and insulin to drive the amino acids into cells.
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Crunch Time: Optimum nutrition for runners

Posted January 25th, 2007 at 8:00 AM by Christopher Jack

Section: Running & Training, Nutrition, Healthy Eating, Race Prep & Recov

Find yourself dragging through those morning runs? Your 10k pace not where you want it? Sprinting toward the porta potties on race day? There could be an easy fix and it all starts with your diet.

Every runner’s training regimen, regardless of experience level, should have a focus on proper nutritional maintenance. When and what you eat can significantly affect your workout and performance will suffer without the proper balance of nutrients.

A common mistake made by runners, especially those early morning warriors, is running before fueling up. Without the proper nutrients in your system, your body will suffer from lowered glycogen and blood-glucose levels; depriving the body of essential energy and sustenance.
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Portable electrolyte tablets: What’s all the buzz about?

Posted December 16th, 2006 at 6:19 PM by Jonathan Faccone

Section: Nutrition, Hydration, Race Prep & Recov, Supplements

Since the advent of Gatorade, manufacturers have been in fierce competition to one-up each other with new and better ways to fuel athletes. This has created a very saturated market; one that features a plethora of choices for competitive athletes. As a result, athletes vary greatly, especially in the world of endurance sports, about which option they believe is the most effective.

One alternative that has begun to slowly, pick-up steam in the market is the electrolyte tablet. There has been a lot of buzz surrounding these portable tablets, such as Nuun and Zym, because they are quick and convenient mechanisms for obtaining vital replenishment of electrolytes and other vitamins.
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TFS Review: Clif Shot Bloks

Posted December 7th, 2006 at 5:00 PM by Jonathan Faccone

Section: Nutrition, Race Prep & Recov, Supplements, Product Reviews, Special Features, TFS Reviews

Energy gels can be very helpful and convenient sources of carbohydrate replenishment for endurance athletes. However, they don’t always taste so great and that’s why a few alternatives have started to hit the market. One such alternative is Clif’s Shot Blocks which we have reviewed below.

Product: Clif Shot Bloks
Price: $1.95 each (2 servings); $23.88 (box of 72)
Rating: Average 6.4/10.0
Pros: Great taste (much better than energy gels); adequate carbohydrate replenishment, organic
Cons: Bulky package; inconvenient to bring on runs; can get stuck in teeth & on roof of mouth; leaves hands sticky if warm
Overall: Not the best choice for runners. Rating would be a bit higher for other athletes. It is one of the best tasting products of its kind, but it should be more conveniently packaged.

We reviewed the regular Clif Shot Bloks: the Strawberry flavor. However, Clif does make a few flavors that contain some caffeine and a Margarita flavor Shot Blok that has 3 times the sodium & electrolytes. Although we are weary of the caffeine use by athletes, it can be helpful if used in moderation. The x3 Extra Sodium (210mg) variety can be very helpful for marathon runners and other extreme endurance athletes. Read the rest of this entry »

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Why (Surprisingly) I’m Keen on the New Jelly Belly Sport Beans

Posted October 10th, 2006 at 10:00 AM by Adam Jacobs

Section: Nutrition, Hydration, Race Prep & Recov, Supplements, Product Reviews

After months of resistance - I finally gave in and tried the new Jelly Belly Sport Beans. I used them during training runs of varying lengths and then again last weekend during a half-marathon.

On each occasion I consumed them in lieu of my normal Powerbar PowerGels (I always use the decaffeinated ones). To be honest - I was pleasantly surprised and might be hooked.

I really found them to do a just as good, if not better, job of helping me maintain my energy. However, it is the ease of use that really sets them apart from your standard carbohydrate energy gels and what may have been the decisive element in winning me over.

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