The information contained in this newsletter is the opinion of Ryan Riell and Break Through Multisport on endurance training, racing, and nutrition. These points are suggestions on how to train and not recommendations for athletes. Any article on the Break Through Multisport website may be reprinted into a paper or online newsletter for your NON-PROFIT club or organization, so long as the author and www.BreakThroughMultisport.com are credited. If you do reprint or link to any Break Through Multisport material, please send a courtesy email to Ryan@BreakThroughMultisport.com. For medical advice, and before starting a strenuous training program, consult with a physician.
March, 2011
Volume 4
Issue 3
In This Issue:
Coaching Mentorship Program
Keeping Your Age as Just a Number
Spring Training Camp
Dehydration: What Athletes Must Know (Part 2)
Improve Your Diet in Just 4 days
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Paleo Diet
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Dina Aburmishan RD, LDN is a registered dietitian who works with endurance athletes. Dina owns DMA Nutrition Inc. a private practice nutrition consulting company. You can reach Dina at dina@dmanutrition.com or www.dmanutrition.com or call her at 847-581-1160.
To begin to understand how human evolution may be related to diet we need to look at several major points. The first point is that genetic changes that become population wide, as opposed to isolated gene mutations that occur in a single individual, take many thousands of generations to happen. It is not a fast process. It is estimated that from its inception approximately 2.4 million years ago the genus Homo (to which modern day humans belong) lived as hunter gatherers for approximately 84,000 generations during the Paleolithic Age. The Agricultural Revolution which ushered in a wholesale change in human diet from a hunting and gathering model to one based, in majority, on cultivated but unrefined grains occurred a mere 350 generations ago. The Industrial Revolution which occurred just 7 generations ago brought further dietary changes with the advent of highly processed foods, increased dietary sodium intake, and increased consumption of refined sugars and grains. The point here is that what had been the predominant human dietary pattern for many thousands of generations was drastically changed within a period of about 357 generations while the genetics that determine our physiology and biochemistry and therefore our dietary nutrient requirements evolved over nearly 84,000 generations. This translates to a 2400% difference in time frame! 357 generations is too short a period to allow for human genetic adaptation to a radically altered diet. This conclusion is supported by multiple human genetic studies that provide evidence that our genetic makeup has changed little in the last 357 generations since our ancestors were hunter gatherers.
The second important point is that hunting and gathering was essentially the only existent dietary pattern of our human ancestors who lived in the Paleolithic Age (old stone age) and was radically different than the average modern Western diet. The typical Paleolithic/hunter gatherer diet consisted of what could be hunted and gathered in the local environment: Lean game meats, sea foods, fruits, vegetables and, to a much lesser extent, wild grasses and grains. The game, plants, and sea foods available in the Paleolithic Age were nourished on foodstuffs/nutrients available in the natural environment and were wild (plants) and free ranging (animals). Due to its composition the Paleolithic/hunter contained an electrolyte, fat, and protein profile that was matched to the genetic makeup and biochemistry/physiology of humans. In contrast the predominant diet after the Agricultural Revolution shifted away from being based mostly on foodstuffs that were hunted or foraged to a major reliance on unrefined cereal grains that were cultivated. Following the Industrial Revolution the typical western diet became heavy on cultivated and refined grains, refined sugars, sodium, cultivated fruits and vegetables, and meats from animals raised in captivity and fed with cultivated cereal grains and commercial feeds. These dietary changes were coupled with a change in the nutrient composition of available foods. Cultivated fruits and vegetables as opposed to wild growing varieties and meats that were raised commercially instead of free ranging game, by virtue of changed nutrient content, produced a large discrepancy between humans genetically determined nutrient requirements and what foodstuffs were readily available.
What is particularly interesting is that a growing body of research data suggests that the discordance between our genetic heritage and our modern diet may be the basis for many chronic degenerative diseases. Furthermore, research suggests the modern western diet composition, as it has evolved since the industrial revolution, may contribute to abnormal release and action of insulin, decreased aerobic capacity, abnormal acid/base balance favoring an acidic body pH and subsequent bone demineralization, and impaired protein synthesis. This appears to be in large measure due to the underlying discordance between our genetically determined nutritional requirements which have remained essentially unchanged over the last 84,357 generations and our modern diet which has emerged in the last 357 generations and has a markedly different nutrient composition. With the above in mind the important impact for the endurance athlete begins to become clearer.
After a hard workout or race repair of damaged muscle tissue and replenishment of glycogen (the main fuel used in working muscles) is intimately dependent on the normal release and action of insulin. The abnormal insulin release and action seen with the typical modern western diet can disrupt the normal patterns of glycogen replenishment and muscle recovery and repair that occur after a workout. Impaired glycogen replenishment coupled with decreased muscle recovery and repair may lead to decreased ability to train at a high level of intensity and subsequently to decreased overall athletic performance.The modern western diet promotes net body acidity and resultant loss of calcium through the urine. This can decrease bone density and increase the risk of stress or traumatic fractures in the endurance athlete. Finally, decreased aerobic capacity (lower V02) can limit the performance of the endurance athlete in whom the majority of training and competition is carried out at aerobic intensities.
In summary there is growing research evidence to support the idea that our modern diet may produce many negative health effects as well as producing negative effects on athletic performance. Furthermore it appears that a Paleolithic/hunter gatherer type of diet by virtue of its nutrient composition may prevent such negative health effects and actually improve athletic performance. The negative effects of the modern western diet on health and athletic performance appear to be based on a basic discordance between our genetic heritage and modern dietary nutrient composition.
References:
1.)O’Keefe, J.H., Vogel, R., Lavie, C.J., and Cordain, L.: Organic Fitness: Physical Activity Consistent with Our Hunter- Gatherer Heritage. The Physician And Sports Med. 4 (38) 1-8, 2010.
2.) O’Keefe, J.H., Vogel, R., Lavie, C.J., and Cordain, L.: Achieving Hunter – Gatherer Fitness in the 21st Century: Back to the Future. Am J Med In press 2010.
3.)Kuipers, R.S. Luxmolda, M.F., Janneke Dijk- Brouwer, D.A., Boyd Eaton, S., Crawford, M.A., Cordain, L., and Muskiet, F.A.J.: Estimated Macronutrient and Fatty Acid Intakes From East African Paleolithic Diet. Br J Nut pp 1 – 22, 2010.
4.)Eaton, S.B., Konner, M.J., and Cordain, L.: Diet dependent Acid Load, Paleolithic Nutirition, and Evolutionary Health Promotion. Am J Clin Nutr 91: 295 -297, 2010.
5.)Eaton, S.B., Cordain, L., and Sparling, P.B.: Evolution, Body Composition, Insulin Receptor Competition, and Insulin Resistance. Preventative Medicine: 283- 301, 2009.
6.)Eaton, S.B., Cordain, L., and Sebastian, A.: The Ancestral Biomedical Environment. Endothelial Biomedicine: 129 – 383, 2007.
7.)Realigning Our 21st Century Diet and Lifestyle With Our Hunter – Gatherer Genetic Identity. Directions in Psychiatry: Vol. 25, SR 1 – 11, 2005.
8.)Wolf, R.: The Paleo Solution: The Original Human Diet. Victory Bell Press, 2010.
9.)Cordain, L., and Friel, J.: The Paleo Diet For Athletes. Rodale Press, 2005.
Coach Brian is a USA Triathlon Certified Coach and an Assistant Coach at Break through Multisport. He is the Director of the Break Through Multisport- Tucson Division. For more information on the Tucson branch of Break Through Multisport, please visit http://BreakThroughMultisport.com/Tucson. You can reach Coach Brian at brian@breakthroughmultisport.com or at (520) 220-1489 with any question, comments, or for all of your coaching needs
By Brian Bechill DO
By Dina Aburmishan RD, LDN
The general public and endurance athletes in particular seem to be very susceptible to dietary fads. There are books, websites, and articles expounding the virtues of an almost endless array of different diets designed to promote weight loss, improve energy, heal or reverse illness and, for the endurance athlete, improve performance and recovery. For the endurance athlete correct nutrition is paramount and on a par with appropriate training, adequate sleep and proper equipment in contributing to athletic success.
Just what the “correct” nutrition is comprised of is a hotly debated topic and has been for some time. This article will not attempt to define what is “correct” nutrition but rather take a brief look at one particular dietary paradigm, The Paleo type diet, and present some interesting evolutionary underpinnings that would seem to support its utility for humans in general and for the endurance athlete in particular.
Most basic to the argument for a Paleolithic type of diet is one of the tenets of modern biology that goes as follows: An organism will develop dietary requirements that are determined largely by the external environment the organism has existed and evolved in. That is to say that an organism will develop a physiology and biochemistry that reflects the available nutrients in its environment. So, we are shaped in our biochemistry and physiology (over many thousands of generations) in great measure by what foodstuffs are available to us.
As a Dietitian, I am often asked ‘how can I improve my diet?’ Its often not a simple answer, several factors go into answering that properly. Since I can’t meet and see all of you, here are few simple steps that you can do to slowly improve the way you eat.
Improve your diet in 4 easy steps:
1.Write down all that you ate today and yesterday. Look at it, is this a typical day? If not, write down what a typical day looks like.
Ex: 1 c oatmeal (2 G) with 1 tbsp margarine (1 F) and 1 boiled egg (1 M&B)
2oz Turkey (2 M&B) and 2 oz ham (2 M&B) sandwich (2 G) with mayo (1 F) and mustard, handful of wheat thins (1 G)
5 oz Roasted Chicken (5 M&B), green beans (1 V), white bread (1 G) with margarine (1 F) and 1 c rice (3 G)
2 cookies (2 S) Yogurt (1 M) and chips (1 G and 1 F) for snack
2.Count Your Servings: How many servings of the following do you have in your day? 1 Serving Equals
Here’s our premier training camp, coming back again in 2011! The Spring Training camps is a GREAT way to kick off your season with GREAT training with some of the top triathlon coaches in the country, like minded athletes and GREAT weather!
Spend a long weekend training in Boulder, CO with Break Through Multisport where you will train with like-minded athletes in a friendly environment! Whether you are a cyclist or a triathlete who has only completed a couple triathlons or you are a veteran Ironman, this camp is for you. Between, during and after workouts, we will teach you what you need to know in order to accomplish your triathlon goals!
USA Triathlon certified coaches- this camp is worth 10 CEU’s from USA Triathlon! This is the perfect opportunity brush up on training principles and theory, for you to bring YOUR athletes to a training camp, be able to train with them, get all kinds of video footage that you will take with you in order to use with your client AND you get 10 CEU’s from USA Triathlon!
Collegiate triathletes and coaches- This is the perfect time frame to kick start your preparation for Collegiate Nationals! This camp is offering you a special rate of $100 per athlete. College coaches- If you have more than 8 athletes that are interested in coming to the camp, please contact me for special rates. If your coach is able to come, he/she will also receive a discount on the CEU entry fee. For more information, please contact Coach Ryan for more information.
COACHES- IF YOU HAVE ATHLETES THAT YOU ARE INTERESTED IN COMING TO THE CAMP, PLEASE CONTACT ME PRIOR TO PAYING, THERE IS A DISCOUNT!
It is commonly thought that dehydration is the greatest threat to an endurance athlete. In actuality the words fatigue and dehydration have recently been used synonymously. “I slowed down at the end of my run, I must have been dehydrated.” People tend to blame the other elements, like heat and humidity, more and more when, in fact, it is an outside factor that has affected the race or training session.
One major factor that affects performance is the mind. Its true what they say, the mind is a powerful thing. So powerful that it can actually slow your roll, run or race. It is suggested that at the beginning of a race the body has already determined a particular pacing strategy based off the knowledge of the race conditions and prior performance of similar activities.
One case study showed that a group of cyclists reduced their power output on average 9% after being deprived of the water they normally took in mid-ride. After the ride, tests showed that the athletes were not dehydrated. Why then would their performance suffer? There is a theory that we are equipped with a “central governor” that protects the body from self destruction. On long training sessions when glycogen stores are low the mind detects the diminishing stores of liver glycogen and the brain acts as a signaling mechanism to identify low ATP stores. The brain then sends a signal to the legs to reduce the intensity to protect the body from destruction. This is similar to what occurs with dehydration. The tongue is the first to sense dehydration and send the signal to the brain to back off intensity.
Over the years, we have been loaded with advertisements from Gatorade, Powerade, Powerbar, Gu, Cliff and other performance drinks. We hear headlines like “athlete didn’t make it across the finish line because they were dehydrated.” We hear the hype but rarely take a second to depict the truth from the information. South African exercise physiologist Tim Noakes says, “It is unclear whether it is water loss per se that leads to performance decrements, or whether the concurrent negative psychological associations attributable to thirst act as a signaling mechanism to promote a greater conscious perception of effort and so invokes a behavioral change to reduce physical effort.”
The takeaway from this article is that dehydration does reduce power output to protect the body. But more often than not, dehydration affects the mind’s ability to keep pushing forward. Training the body to perform in the condition it will be racing in teaches the body and, more importantly, the mind that it can go a little further without adverse consequences.
Mike Thomson is the Director of Operations and Training for Break Through Multisport in Chicago, IL. Mike is recognized as one of the top triathlon, fitness and nutrition experts in the Chicago area. He holds a bachelors degrees in kinesiology (exercise physiology and biomechanics) from Michigan State. For more information, please contact Mike Thomson at (517) 648-1101 or at Mike@BreakThroughMultisport.com.
By Mike Thomson
We are also very excited to announce that Jessi Stensland, a professional endurance athlete and movement specialist will be providing a MovementU session as part of the camp!
Since 2004 Jessi has been trained and mentored in functional performance training by the team at Athletes' Performance - creators of Core Performance and the leaders in providing solutions to help athletes and others become injury resistant, energy efficient and powerful. This training made a huge impact on her performance as a professional athlete and even more valuably, in life. It has been through this influence and her own practical experiences throughout her athletic career that has lead to an inspiration and ability to educate and empower others to understand their body better and fully grasp the concept of true performance potential so that they may realize it in their lifetime. Movement U was created from this inspiration.
It’s never too late to get started in triathlon—or to keep shooting for your goals. I’ll never forget one of the first people I interviewed when I started working for Windy City Sports who only started the sport after retiring and competed in Ironman when he was 81. In fact, Lew Hollander will be gunning for his record as the oldest Kona finisher. And in this sport of swim, bike, run, it’s not so much the number of candles your blow out each year that’s going to hinder your performance. As long as you’re smart about your training.
After its inclusion at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, triathlon has only exploded onto the international and national sports scene. At the national level, USA Triathlon has seen clubs increase from 50 to more than 800 since 2000, while sanctioned events have risen from 1,541 in 2004 to 3,115 in 2009. Not only do you have more clubs to join and races to conquer, but you also have more age-group competitors—and aging ones at that. USA Triathlon’s annual members in the 40-59 age group totaled 50,291 in June 2010, a 111 percent increase since 2005. Those numbers represent athletes who are looking for new and varied outlets to participate in fitness.
Triathlon is not only a new way to feed the competitive fire, but it helps to extend the lifeline, too. A recent study from Ontario’s McMaster University found that endurance sports stop you from looking and feeling old, while also helping you live longer. While this information is more to encourage sedentary adults to get moving—if you’re reading this newsletter chances are you don’t fit that category—it brings another question to the table. If endurance sports really are an answer to the fountain of youth, how do we keep the intense training and performance as we age? The answer is simple: the principles of training don’t change because of age, but the strategies do.
Instead, you’re seeking a primary care practitioner who understands how training affects the body and what stresses you’re putting your body through in endurance sports. Then you won’t be red-flagged when you have a minor injury—you’ll receive an alternative solution—or you and your doctor will understand why your test shows higher than average results.
You’re fighting the age-related performance declines. Your body doesn’t respond as well to speed. You can’t whip off two hard runs in a row like you did when you were 25. You’ll pay the price in the days after a tough, long climb followed by a lightning fast run. A University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse study found that older athletes are limited simply because they can’t maintain the same training volume and intensity that they could when they were younger. It can take longer for an older athlete to respond to the same training load as an athlete half his age, and he may have to take additional recovery days or mix more cross-training into a training plan.
But that’s not a bad thing. It’s just helping to keep an athlete competing in peak form. Some athletes have even noticed that while their speed may decrease when trying to do fast, repeated movements, their athletic ability and endurance actually increase. That’s definitely not a bad trade-off, especially if your eye is on longer-distance races.
Here’s the link to two of the studies used in this article:
Kate Bongiovanni is USA Triathlon certified assistant coach for Break Through Multisport in Chicago, IL. For more information, please contact Kate Bongiovanni at (312) 643-0422 or at Kate@BreakThroughMultisport.com.
Spring Training Camp
(With 10 USAT CEU’s)
USD $300.00
Spring Training Camp
USD $200.00
Spring Training Camp
One (1) Metabolic Test
(With 10 USAT CEU’s)
USD $400.00
Spring Training Camp
One (1) Metabolic Test
USD $300.00
Spring Training Camp
2nd Metabolic Test
USD $50.00
Spring Training Camp
3rd Metabolic Test
USD $50.00
For a 2nd or 3rd metabolic test, the price is discounted to $50 per test. In order to get the discounted pricing, you must sign up for a package above that includes one (1) metabolic test.
VO2 max (also called maximal oxygen consumption, maximal oxygen uptake, peak oxygen uptake or aerobic capacity) is the maximum capacity of an your bodies ability to transport and use oxygen during incremental exercise, which reflects the physical fitness of the individual. The name is derived from V - volume per time, O2 - oxygen, max - maximum.
This number by itself is not very useful to an athlete or a coach... it’s kinda like a trophy. In order for a VO2 max test to become incredible valuable, we need a second or third variable such as heart rate, velocity or power output!
We have the ability to test your VO2 max, utilizing the cutting edge protocols of exercise physiology to test your VO2 max AND generate accurate cycling power and heart rate zones and/or run pacing and heart rate zones for you to use while training and racing.
Everyone has heard about “burning more fat” while training or working out... this is what determines the “substrate” (fuel source... fat v. carbs). To read more, click HERE.
Break Through Multisport is happy to announce the formation of Break Through Elite Racing, which will start in early 2011 in the Phoenix area! Break Though Elite Racing will consist of 5 teams (Elite, U23, Junior, Youth and a Club component for the parents of the youth and junior team members) with a club component that will primarily be filled with parents of the team members in order to foster a family atmosphere and safe environment for our younger athletes.
Our mission is to play an integral role in the identification, recruitment, development and age-appropriate competitive preparation of emerging youth (<15 years old), junior (16-19) and elite U23 athletes, while being mentored by professional coaches and older elite athletes, with the goal of developing well-rounded athletes capable of success at the highest levels of competition and progression within the USA Triathlon Sports Performance Program.
If you are a parent of a youth or junior athlete in the Phoenix area, please click HERE.
Train SMARTER, not HARDER!
Ryan Riell
Head Coach
Break Through Elite Racing
Break Through Multisport Inc.
Fruits: ½ cup raw, tennis ball size, ¾ cup juice or ¼ cup dried
Vegetables: ½ c raw, 1 c cooked or ¾ c juice
Milk/Dairy: 1 c milk or yogurt, 1 slice or 1 ounce of cheese
Meat and Beans: ½ c beans/lentils, 1 oz cooked or 1 egg
Grains: 1 slice of bread, 1 half of bagel, English muffin, bun, etc., ½ c cooked cereal, ¾ c dried cereal, 1 oz crackers, 1/3 c rice/pasta, ½ c mashed potatoes
Fats: 1 tbsp oil, butter, mayo, etc., 1/8 avocado or 1 oz nuts
Sweets: varies Ex: Fruits- None / Vegetables: 1 / Milk/Dairy: 1 / Meats & Beans: 10 oz / Grains: 10 / Fats: 4 / Sweet: 2
3.What are you missing? Instead of asking what are you having too much of, what are you not having enough of? See the Nutritional Recommendations below for each food group for a general adult per day:
Fruits: 3-4 servings or 2 cups
Vegetables: 4+ servings or 2+ cups
Milk/Dairy: 3 servings
Meat and Beans: 8-11 ounces (lean meats)
Grains: 6-11 servings (make half your grains whole-wheat)
Fats: no min- goal to get most of your fats from mono and poly saturated sources
Sweets: No min, but ideally no more than 1-2
Ex: Fruits- None/4 / Vegetables: 1/4 / Milk/Dairy: 1/3 / Meats & Beans: 10 oz/11 / Grains:10/11 / Fats: 4 / Sweet: 2/2
4.Make a list of three things you can incorporate to reach the general nutrition recommendations.
Ex: 1. Have at least 2 servings of fruit per day
2. Eat at least 2 servings of vegetables at dinner
3. Have a glass of milk with breakfast
Remember you don’t have to fix all the problem areas…just focus on two or three you are willing to improve upon. In a month or so take a look at your diet again and see what else needs to be improved. Doing this every so often will improve your diet in a slow but permanent way.
said simply
nuun was designed, formulated and tested to keep you optimally hydrated, wherever you are.
nuun is:
portable
nuun comes in a tough tube that is water resistant and perfect for carrying in your hand, bike jersey, pack…wherever. 1 tube = 6 litres (~1.5 gallons) – enough for a good ride or a week at the gym. and if you travel, forget trying to find your normal drink or suffering the indignity of bags of powder bursting in your luggage, a couple of tubes in your bags will get there in one piece and get you through the week of training in colorado or the pyrenees.
balanced
we spent years researching the levels of electrolytes needed for the product to be absorbed the quickest and to provide optimal salt balance to prevent cramping and maximise hydration. an editor of a major triathlon publication used nuun and had “no cramping issues for the first time ever in an ironman”.
refreshing
designed for the active palate, nuun’s got a light flavour that’s not overwhelming when you’re on the go. if you’ve ever watered down sports drinks because they’re too strong, then you’ve made them less easy to absorb; this ultimately defeats the purpose of using them. some call the nuun taste ‘tart’ and that’s probably the best description we’ve found yet, other than ‘just right’!
simple
a bottle of water, 1 nuun per 500ml (~16oz) … doesn’t matter where you are, how windy it is, how much space you’ve got – drop in nuun and you’re good to go.
40% OFF
nuun in real words? imagine being out on a long run or ride, or being in the gym. rather than settle for water or buy a sugary drink from a convenience store, you just fill up your water bottle and drop in a couple of nuun tabs. by the time you’ve tied your laces or put on your pack, you’ve got a complex electrolyte drink that recharges your salts, but is refreshing and more efficiently absorbed than water alone or most sports drinks on the market.
To get 40% off, enter “BREAKTHROUGH11” into the discount code box upon checkout!
By Kate Bongiovanni
Break Through Multisport is offering a new Coaching Mentorship Program to all endurance sports coaches. The mentorship program will be conducted by Break Through Multisport’s Head Coach Ryan Riell. The best way to separate yourself from your competition is to understand the science behind the training and then knowing how to implement it! Our Coaching Mentorship Program is designed to assist coaches in furthering their education and coaching skill-set in such topics as:
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Exercise physiology -
Biomechanics
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Nutrition
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Programming
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Testing
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Strength training
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Periodization
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Temperature regulation
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Video analysis
Ryan Riell MS
Head Coach-
Break Through Multisport
We have two different versions of our Coaching Mentorship Program, either of which can be customized to fit your personal needs as a coach. Our Coaching Mentorship Program meets the USAT requirements for a mentor coach and the subsequent letter of recommendation for entry into the Level II or Level III coaching clinic. For more information, please contact Coach Ryan.
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Video analysis
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Metabolic efficiency
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Fluid balance
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Cramping
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Fatigue
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Heat Stress
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Elite athlete testing and tracking
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High-Performance Team Development
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Business of coaching