Food for athletes
More energy on the pedals
Riding a bicycle under the sun or lashed by rain and wind, always facing the road unwinding ahead, with all those kilometres to cover be it summer or winter, uphill and with a stopwatch running. It must be said that cycling is among those sports where energy expenditure is greater and where, training or racing, climatic conditions sometimes become extreme, therefore the diet can become a valuable ally to tackle and overcome challenges. So, let's try to understand what are the measures that a cyclist must bear in mind. For example, during the winter, cyclists generally prefer supplements for the immune system in the morning. In this case we could associate this to the administration of LactobiLife and Vitamin C, since physical exercise induces a considerable stress to the immune system, which, through the contribution of probiotics or of support micronutrients (such as vitamin C or zinc), considerably reduces the risk of seasonal infections, as well as allowing a correct adaptation of the organism to stimuli induced by training. Before training we recommend the use of branched-chain amino acids which cover multiple roles: they favour a correct immune system response to physical exercise, reduce muscle catabolism during exercise, and promote protein synthesis (muscle reconstruction) at the end of training, particularly if combined with carbohydrates. Should the training be very intense, it may be important to take whey proteins which, in fact, have the same role as amino acids (and in fact are the structural components of proteins), with the difference that they contain a more complete amino acid range than only branched-chain amino acids. When during the season there is a period of intense training it is advisable to take slow-release proteins and 5 grams of glutamine. Slow-release proteins (such as casein) are useful for ensuring a long-lasting stimulation of protein synthesis, especially at the end of training and during night-time rest. Glutamine is in fact a derivative of amino acids, particularly useful for the recovery and support of the immune system. In summer you can supplement the normal diet with a multivitamin such as Multisix in the morning and mineral salts during training, contained for example in Ipodrink Sport. At the end of training or after a match you can instead take a post training product which contains proteins, carbohydrates and various amino acids. The post-training or post-competition period is probably the most important moment from the point of view of nutritional integration, since the body requires essential macro-micronutrients to recover and above all to transform into adaptation the stimuli induced by physical exercise: passing from a catabolic to an anabolic state. The so-called 'post-training' supplements therefore supply a high content of carbohydrates, combined with proteins, vitamins and minerals to provide maximum support for recovery and adaptation.