Building on our recent exploration of the alimentary canal, let’s delve into the exciting world of gut training and its potential to boost performance.
What can be trained?
The primary goal for athletes is enhancing nutrient absorption in the small intestine. Starting with the optimal 1:1 glucose-to-fructose ratio, some cyclists and triathletes have successfully trained their bodies to absorb up to 140g/hr during Grand Tours and Ironman events.
It is not clear yet whether training the gut is increasing the rate of absorption for these athletes or if it is allowing them to use a larger percent of their natural capacity to absorb nutrients. No matter what the underlying physiological change is, the ability to absorb more nutrients is being achieved and this is something worth pursuing.
Secondly, athletes can train their gut to comfortably handle larger volumes of fluid and food during exercise. This adaptation is crucial to ingest higher rates of carbohydrate while maintaining the optimal solution in the stomach.
The stomach is an adaptable organ and can grow or shrink depending on the volumes of food and fluid a person regularly consumes. Another adaptation is just becoming comfortable with a greater volume in the stomach while exercising.
Implementing this training
Gut training is a gradual process best incorporated into your race-specific training block, ideally 8-12 weeks before a key event. Consider these steps:
1) Fuel all training sessions: Incorporate hydration and nutrition into every workout, regardless of duration or intensity. This helps acclimatize your body to eating and drinking across various exercise conditions.
2) Simulate race nutrition: Practice your race-day fueling strategy during mock race sessions. This crucial step ensures your body can handle your planned nutrition at race intensity and duration.
3) Specific gut training. Try drinking a full bottle (1l or 32oz) of speed nectar immediately before a training session, then fuel as usual during the workout. While initially challenging, you’ll soon adapt to exercising with a full stomach.
Gut training isn’t a novel concept, but its thorough implementation can significantly enhance your race-day performance. By consistently incorporating these protocols into your training, you’re setting yourself up for success and a more comfortable race experience.
· FULL CARBS GUIDE Video! ·
As the last few newsletters have been focusing on the alimentary canal and today we looked at training your gut, the video link for today is our Full Carbs Guide.
This can serve as a reminder of best practice and help you to plan those gut training sessions.
