The 3M Blend...An Absolute Must Have

When I first began competing in 12- and 24-hour mountain bike races, I thought I had my nutrition dialed in...man was I wrong.  I was taking advice from people who really had no formal education in nutrition or human performance.  Their advice was purely anecdotal, and was based on what had worked for them in the past (maybe only once, as I would come to find out later!), what they had read in some magazine, or what someone else had sworn was the end-all, be-all method for improving performance.

This kind of advice included things like eating potato chips, cookies, candy, and the like...both before and during the race.  I tried these methods to no avail...I still had problems with fatigue and severe muscle cramping.  I decided I needed to use my education regarding performance fueling, and step up my game...er, my race, actually.

I began to employ high performance eating strategies, staying away from junk foods, and fueling solely with high quality, high nutrient, and calorie dense fuels.  I would love to tell you that my knowledge prevailed, and I was able to take my racing to the next level...but I'd be lying to you.

My defining moment came in January of 2011, when I agreed to be part of a 4-man team at a 12-hour mountain bike race...The 12-Hours in the Papago.  Keep in mind, that this race takes place in January...in Arizona...where the climate is perfect for riding.  Somewhat cold in the morning, and warming slightly as the day wears on...topping out around 72 degrees.  Perfect!

The course is pretty short, but with a number of back to back steep ascents, which over time, can really take their toll on you.  Our team alternated laps, which meant that each of us would ride for about 35-minutes, then get a little over an hour and a half rest.  After my second lap, I was cramping so badly in my hamstrings and calves, that I wasn't sure I'd be able to complete my remaining laps.  

Long story short...I sucked it up, finished my laps, and cramped like crazy on each and every one of them!  Something had to done.  My fueling techniques just weren't working for me.

My education is in Exercise Physiology, so I decided it was time to do some extensive research into fueling for endurance events.  What I quickly realized is that I really needed to be fueling like an ultra endurance athlete.  That was part of the problem.

I broke out the old textbooks, and began diving back into my notes...hoping to uncover something that may have gone unnoticed during my graduate studies.  I was able to learn a great deal more about endurance training, and the physiological demands placed on the human body...more than I had learned while in school, as my course of study focused more on power-sport athletes.  

Throughout my research I kept coming across one product that endurance athletes, both elite and not-so elite (like me), raved about.  CarboPro.

What I had found during my research, and from my education, was that muscle cramping and fatigue can occur as a result of a number of things....not just electrolyte loss through sweat.  Fluid loss, and the resulting minerals that are depleted, are often thought to be the only culprit behind the dreaded condition of muscle cramping.  What most people fail to realize however, is that fatigue is also a major cause of skeletal muscle cramping.  Do endurance athletes get fatigued?  Of course we do!  Can we do something about it?  

Absolutely!

I have addressed nutrition numerous times, throughout a number of different posts within my blog, so I'm not going to go back through and re-cover all of that...well, maybe just a little.

If you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you are familiar with my love of carbohydrates (CHO), and how they fuel performance.  Keeping the muscles stored with glycogen is one method of decreasing fatigue levels, so it goes without saying that consuming CHO during endurance exercise can improve performance.  CHO consumption can also help to reduce or eliminate muscle cramping by staving off fatigue levels.

Unfortunately however, it's not always as simple as just eating some carbs.  What you eat or drink, can be very specific to what your body is capable of tolerating.  I am a great example of this.  I cannot consume solid foods during endurance activities such as cycling.  You see, when you consume solid foods, blood is shunted from your periphery, and routed to the gut so that digestion can occur.  This affects each of us a little different.  If you are like a lot of the guys I ride with, you could consume a four-course meal while on your bike, and be completely fine with it.  If you are like me however, you will feel the effects of peripheral shunting...very quickly.  

When blood flow is limited to the extremities during exercise...specifically endurance-based activities, the delivery of oxygen and nutrient rich blood is reduced.  This is somewhat counterproductive, as skeletal muscle is highly dependent upon oxygen rich blood for sustaining exercise of long durations.

What does this mean for a guy like me?  It means I need to drink my calories.  Yep, that's right...nothing solid for me...and no, I'm not talking about downing a few cocktails while on the bike!  Avoiding solid food however,  becomes a little tricky when competing in events such as 12- and 24-hour races...especially when you are a member of a team, as you will be resting between laps, rather than riding continuously.  It is during these rest periods that our bodies begin to crave food.  

Another no-no for me...and it should become one for you as well...is the consumption of fats in the hours just prior to, and during your training or competition.  While fats pack more of a caloric punch than their CHO or PRO counterparts, it is important to understand that fat slows gastric emptying rates.  In plain english...please!  This means that fat will slow down how quickly fluids leave your gut.  Optimally, we want the fluids we consume to act like those friends or relatives who come to visit, and just stay too long (DISCLAIMER ALERT!!! I don't have any friends or relatives like that)...you know the type right?  You like having them around, but you want them to leave quickly, and restore your life to normal.  Fluids in your gut are just like that...you don't want them hanging around.  You want them to be transported out of your gut and into your cells where they do what they do...restore your life to normal again....through the process of hydration.

So what does this mean for those of you who consume fats (because they contain 9 kcal per gram...over double what CHO and PRO have to offer)?  I've talked with endurance athletes who swear by the ingestion of fats, and say that they have no issues whatsoever.  To them I say you are either an anomaly, or you are not performing at your highest level...yet.  

Okay, it's time to step off the fat pedestal, and move on to something else!

Let's talk about what I consume when I am cycling.  I call it the 3M Blend - Metzger's Magical Mix.  I mentioned earlier that I kept running across a product called CarboPro.  I decided to give it a go, after dissecting their website, and pulling as much information as possible from it.  I even called the company and spoke with them about the problems I was having with cramping.  The guy I spoke with spent a great deal of time talking with me, and assured me that he too had experienced similar issues in the past, but that his life had been forever changed by using the CarboPro nutrition and hydration protocols.  CarboPro has a comprehensive line-up of supplements, that when used together, battle cramping quite effectively by reducing fatigue at the skeletal muscle level, providing easily digestible sources of both CHO and PRO, as well as improving endurance through the use of a proprietary blend which includes beta alanine, a supplement that has been found to be very effective at staving off fatigue, thus allowing higher exercise intensities to be held for longer periods of time.  

CarboPro

In January of 2012 I decided to register as a solo rider for the 12-Hours in the Papago...the same race I had suffered through the year before, as a member of a four-man team.  The results were amazing!  I completed 11 laps for a total of 83 miles...not bad for my first solo effort.  The year prior, I had only turned five laps, each of which was horrible due to cramping.  This time around...not a single cramp.  I had tons of energy, and felt great for the entire race...other than the normal wear and tear of riding a mountain bike for 12-hours!

That was it...I was sold!  I became a believer in the CarboPro system that day, and haven't turned back since.  I know a number of athletes who use CarboPro, but not the system in it's entirety.  My suggestion to you is to give it a try...get on the website, type in your event, and then order the products that they recommend, and use them exactly as the suggest.

So...what then is the 3M Blend, you ask?

Recently I began playing around with the mixture that I use for my bottles while on the bike.  Normally, I would use anywhere between 3-4 scoops of CarboPro powder (100 kcal/scoop),  and 2 scoops of their proprietary Interphase protein powder (100 kcal/2 scoops), which resulted in roughly 500 kcal per bottle.  Lately however, I have been adding some other great products to that mixture.  These products come from a company called Genesis Pure. I have been testing them for about three months now, and have found them to be extremely effective.  So to round out my 3M Blend, I add one scoop of Genesis Pure Hydration to each bottle, and one scoop of Genesis Pure E2 to each bottle.

The Genesis Pure Hydration product contains a blend of antioxidants, B-complex vitamins,  amino acids, and a proprietary electrolyte blend...all of which is designed to speed up gastric emptying, thus improving the hydration process.

The E2 product by Genesis Pure is designed to provide a little blast of energy through the delivery of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, glyconutrients, and a splash (110 mg) of caffeine...which has been shown to have significant performance benefits.

I don't always put the E2 product in my bottles...it all depends on whether or not I have had coffee prior to my ride.  If I have consumed an espresso or two (yum!) in the morning before my ride, I will wait until later into my ride...if I begin feeling like I need a little boost.

The other benefit to the addition of the Genesis Pure products, is that they add some flavor to my bottles.  CarboPro has almost no flavor whatsoever, which for many athletes is preferred.  There are times when I like my fluids to be tasteless, but for the most part I like some flavor.  Not the kind of flavor you get from Gatorade or Powerade...those are far too sweet!  

In addition to my 3M Blend, I also use the following CarboPro products...which are part of their comprehensive training and competition protocols...

 As mentioned above, Vantage VO2 Max capsules help to increase stamina and boost the VO2 Max energy system.  The capsules contain a proprietary, unique blend of vitamins and minerals...including Beta Alanine (Carnosyn).

   The Recovery Amino Power product is great for fighting off fatigue while training or competing.  Recovery Amino Power contains Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAA)...Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine.  BCAA are metabolized directly within skeletal muscle, rather than through the liver.  This means that the fatigue fighting effects of BCAA are realized much quicker than other fatigue fighting supplements. 

MetaSalt (100 Capsules)  "COOL the CORE"SODIUM (SALT) - ELECTROLYTE/ANTIOXIDANT ComplexSodium as Sodium Chloride, TriSodium Phosphate, Sodium R-Lipoate, with Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium as Krebs Cycle Minerals
with OptiZinc and Selenium as antioxidants, and Vitamin D3: To prevent heat fatigue and muscle cramps, by optimizing fluid replacement
COMPARISON: MetaSalt  is the only sodium supplement which provides sodium as Sodium Chloride, TriSodium Phosphate and Sodium R-Lipoate, which work together to maintain the optimal metabolism of sodium to prevent dehydration (a decrease in total body water without an equal reduction in total body sodium) and prevent volume depletion (a loss of body water and sodium resulting in decreased extracellular fluid volume).
MetaSalt is the best SALT supplement and goes beyond salt capsules and salt tablets. It is more than just a salt capsule it is a high-performance ELECTROLYTE complex with Potassium, Calcium and Magnesium as Krebs Cycle Minerals. It is also a potent anti-oxidant complex with Selenium and OptiZinc. Before you buy any other product for ELECTROLYTE replacement or for heat fatigue and muscle cramps, compare the ingredients and their amounts -- and the price Its the only one and the best, the most effective and most efficient
SODIUM - Electrolyte/Anti-Oxidant complex. And that's a fact
- See more at: http://www.carbopro.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=5&products_id=9&zenid=7b193007581773f7e3de15b37dc9d59b#sthash.kGwydVYN.dpuf

If you train or compete in hot environments, replenishment of sodium is necessary to maintain electrolyte balance.  Thermolyte Metasalt capsules are the only electrolyte replacement product on the market that provides sodium replacement in the form of sodium choride, tri-sodium phospate, and Sodium R-Lipoate.  Metasalt also contains potassium, calcium, and magnesium...three crucial electrolytes which serve to fuel the Kreb's Cycle, a process of ATP production within the body...of which I encourage you to research.

I am not compensated by CarboPro however, they are supporting my efforts to train for the upcoming Ride 430 Challenge by providing me wholesale pricing on my purchases...therefore, I do what I can to promote their amazing products.  

Trust me...I wouldn't use them if I didn't believe in them!

I am a true believer in the power of whole foods, and eating clean to fuel high performance...but we're talking real life here.  I drink highly nutritious, power-packed smoothies each morning, and I fuel with very clean fuels...which make up about 80% of my diet.  

I am also a realist, and I understand that my performance is highly dependent upon supplementation to 'fill in the gaps'...so to speak.

I would encourage you to click on the links above to learn more about these great products...and even give them a try.  They truly changed my life!

 As always...

Thanks for reading!

Yours in Health and Performance!

John

Hydrate or Die...It's the Law of the Desert!

As a professional firefighter, the subject of hydration is something that I do not take lightly.  Having served as the Health and Fitness Coordinator for my department since 1999, one of my responsibilities is to educate my fellow firefighters about the importance of proper hydration...not just for our survival, but for those who depend on us.

You see, if we are not properly hydrated, then we are not capable of performing at our highest level of performance...which ultimately means that we are not providing the level of service that our 'customers' expect.  If I am actively involved in firefighting and life safety operations, and I succumb to heat exhaustion due to hypo-hydration, a series of potential outcomes begin to come into play...none of them being good.

If I go down in a fire, the stress level that we normally work under is immediately increased...exponentially. Thereby creating a greater workload for the rest of my crew, as they are forced to not only continue firefighting and search/rescue operations...but now they have to somehow manage getting me out of a deadly environment as well. Often times this results in an increased potential for fire spread, as well as a decreased effort to search and/or rescue trapped victims within the structure.  Working as a firefighter in the Arizona summer heat, creates an even greater need for proper hydration, in order to maintain a high level of performance.

Yesterday, I was riding with The Ride 430 Challenge team on our weekly training ride.  The route we took was nothing terribly daunting...about 70-miles.  Understand however, that it is August...and in Phoenix that means temps that can soar quickly to well above 100-degrees, with the fun little addition of humidity upwards of 40%.  Many of you reading this live in climates where you experience humidity rates in the 90's, and may be thinking "40%...that's nothing!"  What you need to keep in mind however, is that climates are relative.  We adapt and acclimatize to the environments that we live in...so for us here in Phoenix, August can be quite brutal.

I wont bore you with the details of our ride, but suffice it to say that a number of my team members suffered out there in the heat...and ended up with varying levels of heat stress and heat exhaustion.  

So how can we protect ourselves against heat related emergencies?  

The first, and possibly the best way to protect ourselves is simple...don't perform strenuous activities in the heat.  Pretty simple, right?

Not so much.

This is the real world.  And in the real world, people have to be out in the heat.  Firefighters have to battle fires during the summer, and athletes have to train.  As athletes however, we can minimize the impact of the heat by doing our best to plan our outdoor training sessions so that we are limiting our total heat exposure time.  This means starting early!

What else can be done to reduce or chances of heat related emergencies?

How about employing proper hydration and nutrition strategies...that makes sense huh?  Sometimes however, that is easier said than done.  It takes commitment and discipline...planning ahead, and sometimes a little sacrifice.

Sacrifice? You bet!

If you are training early Saturday morning, then you probably shouldn't be out 'getting your drink on' Friday night.  You should probably eat clean and get adequate amounts of rest that night...which for some, means that you probably shouldn't go out on Friday.  That could be considered a sacrifice...right?

How many of you know how to hydrate properly?  My guess is that most of you think you know...but have never really researched the topic, or been formally educated.  For those of you who have it down, what follows my simply be a review for you.

First of all, let's talk about fluid replacement...because that's really what hydration is...replacing fluids in our body that have been utilized for a variety of human functions...thermo-regulation being one of the biggies.

Thermo-what?

Thermo-regulation is the process of maintaining a 'normal' body temperature range.  As ambient temperatures rise, so too do the demands placed on the body for cooling.  A number of mammals thermo-regulate through the process of panting.  Just like when I take my dog Tuck out for a session of Frisbee...he quickly begins to pant as his body core temperature begins to rise.  

We humans however, use the process of evaporative cooling to maintain our body's normal core temperature range.  As our core temperature begins to rise, our body begins to produce sweat, excreting it to our skin's surface, where it evaporates and cools the body.  This process is highly dependent upon fluid within the body...that's where the sweat comes from.  

Think of your body as a big jug of water.  It can only hold so much at one time.  As we take water from it, the total volume held within it begins to decrease.  If we don't replenish it, the jug runs dry.  Sweating takes water from our 'jug' to keep us cool.  If we don't replenish the supply, we will soon run dry.

Our sweat not only contains water, it also contains electrolytes such as sodium and potassium.  These electrolytes are important for specific human functions such as muscle contraction, proper cardiac muscle activity, etc.  When these electrolytes are depleted, a variety of unwelcome events can begin to occur, such as muscle fasciculations and cramping, peripheral numbness and tingling, heart arrhythmias, vision problems, headaches, vomiting, etc.

No bueno!

I've already mentioned that hypo-hydration...commonly known as dehydration...can lead to decreased performance levels.  This is due to increased physiological strain and  an increase in perceived exertion levels to complete a given task.

That means if you are out training, and you are dehydrated (by as little as only a 1% loss of total body water volume), your body is going to have to work harder to complete the task, than if you were adequately hydrated...thus creating a cyclic, progressive rate of performance decrement.  

So let's look at how we should hydrate our bodies...before, during, and even after exercise.  The following information is not simply based on my personal thoughts...no sir!  It's evidence-based information from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Position Stand on Exercise and Fluid Replacement.  It is what I base all of my hydration education and protocols on...used on myself, my athlete clientele, and my firefighters.

Before Exercise

Pre-hydration is extremely important.  The goal is to begin physical activity adequately hydrated (euhydrated), and with normal plasma electrolyte levels.  A good rule of thumb to follow is to consume 17-20 ounces of fluid (400-600ml) 2-3 hours prior to training or competition.  If you do not produce urine, or your urine is dark in color, slowly drink more fluid (~ 3-5 ml/kg) about 2 hours before the event. By hydrating several hours prior to the event (such as listed above), there is adequate time for urine output to return to normal before the onset of the event.

What should you consume prior to the event?  There is a great deal of research into this topic, and many feel that plain water is best  to consume prior to an event or training session.  However, there is some merit to consuming fluid with mild amounts of sodium, which has been found to stimulate thirst and retain needed fluids.

During Exercise

The goal of replenishing fluids during exercise is to prevent excessive dehydration, resulting in decreased performance levels.  Recent studies have found that as little as 1% total body water loss, has profound effects on physical performance.

Low to moderate exercise intensities, performed in mild temperatures, have been found to result in an average of 500ml of fluid loss per hour (16-20 ounces).  This aligns well with the often followed rule of thumb that states you should consume one bottle per hour (for endurance athletes such as cyclists).  

The same level of intensity however, performed in hot climates (like Phoenix!) has been shown to result in significantly higher rates of fluid loss... ~2-3 liters per hour (68-102 ounces).  So if you are following the one bottle per hour rule, you may find yourself on the wrong end of the hydration curve, quite quickly!

This, like nutrition, can be quite specific to the individual, and may need to be 'dialed in' over time to find just the right amount of fluid intake that provides performance enhancement benefits, while preventing that bloated 'over full' feeling.

Post Exercise

The goal of consuming fluids following exercise, is to replace any fluid and electrolyte deficit that was created during activity.  How aggressive one is about replacement is once again individual specific...but generally speaking, the quicker the better.

In most cases the consumption of normal meals with a sufficient amount of plain water is all that is required to return the body to euhydration.  In my personal experience however, most athletes do not maintain enough fluid intake during exercise, thereby requiring more aggressive post-exercise replacement strategies to quickly return the body to normal levels.  

Once again, the consumption of mildly salted drinks and foods will help to stimulate thirst, as well as help to retain those fluids that have been consumed.

How much fluid should be replaced?  The ACSM recommends that ~1.5 liters of fluid be consumed for each kilogram of body weight lost.  To determine this amount, it is necessary to weigh yourself prior to exercise, and again immediately (or as close as possible) after your activity.  The difference between your start and finish weights is your total body weight loss.  To find your weight in kilograms, simply divide your weight in pounds by 2.2...or just use 2 to make it simple.  Then consume 1.5 liters of fluid for each kilogram lost.

It's that simple.

I hope this has helped.  Stay tuned for my next post...which will look at nutrition, and how it can play a role in hydration and overall performance.

As always...I thank you for reading!

Yours in Health and Performance,

John

Emotionally...and Physically Spent

This going to be a little different post today...as the title says however, I reserve the right to share some random thoughts.  While somewhat off topic from my normal rants...this is anything but random. As you all know, I like to write about performance....well, today I witnessed firsthand, the most incredible athletic performance I have ever seen, and that says a lot coming from a guy who has had the opportunity to train some truly gifted athletes.

Today, I watched an amazing athlete ride his bike 62 miles - climbing more than 4000 feet.  I know, many of you reading this may be thinking..."yeah, that's a workout, but it's nothing all that special".  What if I told you this was done by a man who has no use of his legs...on a hand cycle.

Yep...now we're on the same page.

This amazing athlete is Ryan Pinney, a Tech Sargent in the United States Air Force, who serves as a boom operator on a re-fueler.  Prior to today, the furthest Ryan had ridden his bike, was about 30 miles.  Today he doubled that distance, all while climbing 4000 feet!  

Last year The Ride 430 Challenge team presented Ryan with his custom hand-bike following the 2012 campaign and ride.  Less than a year later, Ryan is out riding terrain that most people cannot, or wouldn't attempt on any vehicle that does not possess a motor of some sort!

I was fortunate enough to be part of a team that assisted Ryan on his ride today, and I can tell you that it was one of the most incredible experiences of my life.  Ryan's bike is fitted with a custom bar that allows two riders to assist him on ascents.  I won't lie...it was tough...very tough.  But it was nowhere near as tough as what Ryan experienced.  

As physically challenging as it was to assist Ryan, the experience had a much greater toll on me...emotionally.  Experiencing Ryan's will and determination to not only overcome today's great physical challenge, but also his refusal to give in to his circumstances...is quite possibly the most inspirational and motivating experience I have ever encountered.

I was aware of what I was involved with during our ride, but my emotions didn't get the best of me until I was by myself, driving home.  The weight and significance of what I had witnessed, and blessed to be a part of finally hit me.  

I cried all the way home.

This is what the Ride 430 Challenge is all about.  Giving back to those who have served our country, providing us with the freedoms that we so often take for granted.  Ryan Pinney was able to return to a sport he loved, through generous donations made to the Ride 430 Challenge by people like you.  People who understand that freedom isn't free.

If you would like to be involved with an organization that is passionate about giving back to men and women like Ryan Pinney, click on the Ride 430 Logo in the upper right corner of this page, to learn more about this great charity.

If you would like to make a donation to the Ride 430 Challenge, please visit my fundraising page at www.stayclassy.org/ride430metzger

Ryan you are truly an inspiration, and I am honored to have the opportunity to ride with you!

Oh, by the way...Ryan will be riding with the team this year, as we tackle nearly 430 miles and 16,000 feet of climbing, in just 3 1/2 days!