As a DH/enduro MTB racer, I haven’t done much in the sense of structured training on the bike. I did a lot of strength training (3 reps or below etc) and let the on bike time take care of the rest.
Having absolutely obliterated my hand in a crash I’ve thrown myself into TR programs, determined to come back stronger.
I’m interested what nutrient ratios you guys use? While I was lifting a lot I had a protein heavy diet, 40/30/30 and that was enough. I usually add around 1000cal of carbs on my riding day (around 3 hours of high intensity runs).
I’m feeling like I’m not well fueled for any of the workouts. I will eat a carby meal around an hour before rides, and I drink a ton of water and sip electrolytes throughout.
Any nods in the right direction greatly appreciated
Personally, I my macronutrient ratio probably works out to 80/10/10, or even 90/5/5 on most days, and I train about 15-20 hrs per week. However, I followed the same diet as a competitive powerlifter. Understandably, you may not want to alter your macronutrient intakes enough to match mine, but 40/30/30 is quite far off what most endurance athletes tend to consume. Eating a “carby meal” an hour before your ride and sipping salts during the workout isn’t likely to do much for your glycogen stores. Replenishment of glycogen is a multi-day process, and if your carbohydrate intake is that low on a daily basis while doing 3 hours intense rides, I’ll venture to guess you’ll be depleted most of the time.
Try upping your carbohydrate intake substantially the day prior to high intensity rides and see how you feel. Consider sipping carbohydrate with your electrolyte mix, maybe 60g/hr to start, and go up or down from there based on what your stomach can handle. With this said, don’t adopt a diet you don’t want to maintain long term just because some dude on a forum said so.
If you look online (e. g. Alex Dowsett’s or Phil Gaimon’s Youtube videos), then they don’t do fixed ratios. Rather they determine the amounts of fats and protein they need and vary carb intake based on their activity levels. More kilometers = more rice.
