Post by Mx Life286 on Sept 27, 2005 21:04:53 GMT -5
You've spent hours dialing in your bike for race day, all your gear is packed, and the cooler is stocked with goodies. Stop! Before you reach for Twinkies, sodas and chips, think about how many hours you spent measuring fork oil, bleeding brake fluid, flushing the radiator and mixing your secret ratio of oil and race fuel. Now is not the time to gum up the internal parts of the most important part of your racing machinery-your body.
A fast, good-handling and perfectly jetted bike won't do you diddely squat if you are not physically and mentally prepared. The staff at MXA talked to the experts in the field of motocross nutrition and asked them all about how to fuel the ultimate machine-the human body.
WHAT SHOULD I EAT WHEN I AM IN TRAINING?
There is no diet that is perfect for everybody. Training experts now recognize that our bodies are all created differently, and that they need different ratios of certain foods.
So, where does that leave you? The best thing to do is to look at your body and your diet and see how you are doing so far. Are you overweight? Do you have lots of energy? Are you eating lots of fruits and vegetables and lean meats? Or does your diet consist of Ho-Ho's and root beer?
If you looked at yourself honestly and decided that your diet needs a little help, don't worry. That doesn't mean you have to give up all of your favorite foods and restrict yourself to beet-juice and celery. Just the opposite; most extreme diets backfire. Instead, begin to add healthy foods to your current fare. Start by adding a piece of fruit to your breakfast. Try a salad for lunch and some yogurt for a mid-day snack. Aim towards replacing your worst offenders with alternatives that don't leave you feeling deprived. Replace the donut with half a bagel and some cream cheese. Choose pretzels instead of potato chips, a banana instead of a Snickers bar and ice tea instead of coke. As you begin to make small changes in your diet, you will start to feel better, making it easier to choose healthy foods over the ones that leave you feeling sluggish.
DO I HAVE TO EAT BREAKFAST ON RACE DAY?
Yes. On race day it is even more important. Breakfast is called break-fast for a reason. It breaks the fast your body has been on for the past seven to nine hours. A good breakfast wakes up your metabolism and gets the system in gear. That doesn't mean that you need a plateful of pancakes, eggs, hash browns and bacon. Recent studies show that the best combination is high-fiber carbohydrates and a small amount of protein. Both fiber and protein slow the rate at which your body absorbs food. This allows for longer, sustained energy. A bowl of oatmeal and a small cup of yogurt are a great way to start the day.
WHAT IS THE BEST PRE-RACE MEAL?
That really depends on the time of your race. If your first moto is early in the morning, your breakfast might be enough to carry you through. But if it has been more than a few hours since you've eaten, you will want to have a pre-race snack. Don't reach for a greasy plate of fries or a candy bar at the concession stand, though. What you need is something light. A good mid-morning pre-race snack would be an apple with some peanut butter, a bagel with some cream cheese or an energy bar.
Energy bars taste pretty good, but remember, there is no magic to these bars. A bit of ginseng or creatine in a bar is not going to make you the next Jeremy McGrath. Bars are popular because they are convenient and provide vitamins and minerals in easy-to-manage doses. When choosing a bar, look for one that has a combination of protein, carbohydrates and fat (and less than 250 calories). Balance Bars, Cliff Bars and Met-Rx Source/One bars are good choices.
I GET NERVOUS BEFORE A RACE--WHAT SHOULD I EAT?
Even if you're a bundle of nerves before a race, don't avoid eating. Instead, find something that your stomach can handle. Avoid coffee, citrus drinks or sugary foods. They make you feel nervous and jumpy. Instead, try something that calms your stomach like crackers with cream cheese or yogurt with a banana.
SHOULD I EAT BETWEEN MOTOS?
Motocross is an intense sport that burns a lot of calories. As soon as you finish a moto, you should have something to eat to help replace the glucose that your body has burned. This is the time to drink or eat something that is high in carbohydrates (like a fluid replacement drink or some easy-to-digest fruit). This will help to get your blood sugar back up to where it was and give your muscles something to burn in the next moto.
How much you should eat between motos depends on how much time there is before your next race. If you have a few hours, you might have time for a light lunch, but at the very least, about 20-minutes before the start of the second moto, have a small snack similar to the one you ate before your first moto. Don't try to do back-to-back motos without giving yourself time to refuel.
A fast, good-handling and perfectly jetted bike won't do you diddely squat if you are not physically and mentally prepared. The staff at MXA talked to the experts in the field of motocross nutrition and asked them all about how to fuel the ultimate machine-the human body.
WHAT SHOULD I EAT WHEN I AM IN TRAINING?
There is no diet that is perfect for everybody. Training experts now recognize that our bodies are all created differently, and that they need different ratios of certain foods.
So, where does that leave you? The best thing to do is to look at your body and your diet and see how you are doing so far. Are you overweight? Do you have lots of energy? Are you eating lots of fruits and vegetables and lean meats? Or does your diet consist of Ho-Ho's and root beer?
If you looked at yourself honestly and decided that your diet needs a little help, don't worry. That doesn't mean you have to give up all of your favorite foods and restrict yourself to beet-juice and celery. Just the opposite; most extreme diets backfire. Instead, begin to add healthy foods to your current fare. Start by adding a piece of fruit to your breakfast. Try a salad for lunch and some yogurt for a mid-day snack. Aim towards replacing your worst offenders with alternatives that don't leave you feeling deprived. Replace the donut with half a bagel and some cream cheese. Choose pretzels instead of potato chips, a banana instead of a Snickers bar and ice tea instead of coke. As you begin to make small changes in your diet, you will start to feel better, making it easier to choose healthy foods over the ones that leave you feeling sluggish.
DO I HAVE TO EAT BREAKFAST ON RACE DAY?
Yes. On race day it is even more important. Breakfast is called break-fast for a reason. It breaks the fast your body has been on for the past seven to nine hours. A good breakfast wakes up your metabolism and gets the system in gear. That doesn't mean that you need a plateful of pancakes, eggs, hash browns and bacon. Recent studies show that the best combination is high-fiber carbohydrates and a small amount of protein. Both fiber and protein slow the rate at which your body absorbs food. This allows for longer, sustained energy. A bowl of oatmeal and a small cup of yogurt are a great way to start the day.
WHAT IS THE BEST PRE-RACE MEAL?
That really depends on the time of your race. If your first moto is early in the morning, your breakfast might be enough to carry you through. But if it has been more than a few hours since you've eaten, you will want to have a pre-race snack. Don't reach for a greasy plate of fries or a candy bar at the concession stand, though. What you need is something light. A good mid-morning pre-race snack would be an apple with some peanut butter, a bagel with some cream cheese or an energy bar.
Energy bars taste pretty good, but remember, there is no magic to these bars. A bit of ginseng or creatine in a bar is not going to make you the next Jeremy McGrath. Bars are popular because they are convenient and provide vitamins and minerals in easy-to-manage doses. When choosing a bar, look for one that has a combination of protein, carbohydrates and fat (and less than 250 calories). Balance Bars, Cliff Bars and Met-Rx Source/One bars are good choices.
I GET NERVOUS BEFORE A RACE--WHAT SHOULD I EAT?
Even if you're a bundle of nerves before a race, don't avoid eating. Instead, find something that your stomach can handle. Avoid coffee, citrus drinks or sugary foods. They make you feel nervous and jumpy. Instead, try something that calms your stomach like crackers with cream cheese or yogurt with a banana.
SHOULD I EAT BETWEEN MOTOS?
Motocross is an intense sport that burns a lot of calories. As soon as you finish a moto, you should have something to eat to help replace the glucose that your body has burned. This is the time to drink or eat something that is high in carbohydrates (like a fluid replacement drink or some easy-to-digest fruit). This will help to get your blood sugar back up to where it was and give your muscles something to burn in the next moto.
How much you should eat between motos depends on how much time there is before your next race. If you have a few hours, you might have time for a light lunch, but at the very least, about 20-minutes before the start of the second moto, have a small snack similar to the one you ate before your first moto. Don't try to do back-to-back motos without giving yourself time to refuel.