Cyclingnews Fitness Q&A - February 25, 2010

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Sweet, alpine singletrack in Granby, Colorado(Image credit: Mary McConneloug & Mike Broderick)

Got a question for the fitness panel? Send it to fitness@cyclingnews.com. Emails may be edited for length or clarity, but we try to publish both questions and answers in their entirety.

Once I have got both mid week rides up to 2hours, would it sound sensible to then start doing some more intense work? I will need to be conservative in view of my previous injury history but I can use some steep hills (this is England!) to train on and I have a thought that I should be doing intervals but have no real idea about length/ recovery times? As the year progresses, I will also be aiming to do some hillier rides on my longer week end ride.

Since this has started, I have tried a little lower seat, and a shorter stem, with no help. It is not really pain as much as a feeling of fatigue on the left side. After only 40 miles, the left side (back and leg) would feel fatigued, like I had ridden 100 miles, while the right side feels great, fresh and ready to go. I did drop out of one race last year, and was not at full power for some of the other races, training rides, etc.

In general terms there is a challenge to your position. Either you are using the left side of your lower back to brace against unwanted movement on the right side or you are jammed up generally on the left side. The easiest way to determine what is going on is to have you mount your bike on an indoor trainer and warm up thoroughly with your shirt off. Once you are warm and while pedaling at a load high enough to work you hard but not so hard as to compromise technique, have an observer standing above and behind you.

It is important to note that many of beneficial effects of the omega-3 fatty acids have been attributed to two other n-3 PUFAs--eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). For example, the Food and Drug Administration has allowed a health claim that "consumption of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease." This claim, however, cannot be made for ALA because there is insufficient evidence to support it.

ALA is the major n-3 PUFA in the diet, as it is abundant in vegetable oils such as soybean and canola oils. ALA is also found in a wide range of plant products, although most of these foods have relatively low levels (0.1%–0.7%). Because very little ALA is converted into EPA or DHA, adequate consumption of these fatty acids is also important. Fish and fish oils are the richest sources of EPA and DHA, with contents ranging from 30-50 percent for both fresh and saltwater fish.

The International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids suggests that a "healthy intake" of ALA should make up at least 0.7% of total energy intake (i.e., ~2g for a 2500 kcal diet) and recommends EPA + DHA intakes of =500 mg/day. (For example, a 3-ounce cooked salmon filet will provide ~2g of total n-3 fatty acids and ~1000 mg of EPA + DHA. Other fish that are good sources of n-3 fatty acids include tuna, catfish, pollock, cod, scallops, shrimp, crab. See the following website for EPA+DHA content of other types of fish

It should be noted that there are potential negative consequences of excessive consumption of omega-3 fatty acids. Specifically, the Food and Drug Administration recommends that the combined daily intakes of EPA and DHA not exceed 3g per day (with no more than 2g per day from dietary supplements), because of the possible adverse effects on the ability to control blood sugar, prolonged bleeding times, and increased LDL ("bad") cholesterol.

In addition to their cardio-protective effects, EPA and DHA also have anti-inflammatory properties; they reduce the production of inflammatory cytokines and prostaglandins and inhibit activity of immune cells. Consequently, a considerable amount of research has been to done to examine the efficacy of dietary omega-3 fatty acids as a treatment for diseases that are characterized by chronic inflammation, e.g., rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease.

With that background, let me, finally, at long last, try to answer your question. Prolonged or high-intensity exercise results in damage to muscle cells that is associated with a short-lived inflammatory response, which includes increased production of acute-phase proteins, e.g., C-reactive protein, pro-inflammatory cytokines, e.g., interleukin-1 (IL-1) and IL-6, prostaglandins and reactive oxygen species.

A recent randomised, double-blind study by Nieman et al. published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism (19:536-546, 2009) found that six weeks of omega-3 fatty acids (2.4 g/day) in trained cyclists had no effect on blood measures of inflammation after a 3-hour exercise trial (at about 60 percent of max power output) that included a 10km trial at the end of each hour. Another study (Toft et al., 2000) found that omega-3 supplementation (3.6 g/d) for six weeks did not reduce inflammation after running a marathon.

Unfortunately, a decline in recovery time is an inevitable consequence of aging. That said you've taking a reasonable approach to minimizing the age-related decline. You might also be sure to consume a diet that is high in fresh fruits and vegetables. Although not proven to improve performance, there is some evidence that the antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables can reduce exercise-induced muscle damage and, therefore, accelerate recovery.

They get this impression from the fact that some high-level pros motor pace, but think about it: if the fastest riders in the world want to be challenged, they're not going to get what they need pulling the local club ride, or even the local amateur race. They need something faster than they are to motivate them to ride faster than they can go on their own. The only thing faster than the fastest riders in the world would be something motorised. For everyone else, the local race or club ride provides plenty of speed training.

Let's look at rolling resistance first: The impact of weight loss on flat speed due to rolling resistance is small, and depends on the quality of the pavement on which you ride. The smoother the pavement, the less weight matters. We can make some estimates though... we usually assume that rolling resistance accounts for about 10 percent of the power needed to drive a bike at high speed, and rolling resistance is roughly (not exactly) proportional to weight. You're talking about taking 11 percent off your weight, or 1.1 percent off the power you need to go the same speed.

The power that isn't going into overcoming rolling resistance can go into overcoming wind resistance. The power required to overcome wind resistance rises as the cube of the speed, so we'd expect about an 0.4 percent increase in speed with the weight loss. That's a trivial 0.15km/h for you, or an incredible 14 seconds saved over a one-hour TT if you like. On bumpier pavement the difference would be larger. On a glassy-smooth velodrome, it would be smaller.

Let's look next at frontal area. When you lose weight, your frontal area and wind resistance are going to decrease by some unpredictable amount. If the weight comes off your sides, the difference could be large. If it comes off your back or front, not so large. Wind resistance also depends on how efficiently shaped you are, and predicting the change in efficiency due to shape with weight loss is not even vaguely possible. (Engineers correct me if I'm wrong!)

In terms of recovery programmes, I followed the one I was put on for a while, but it actually seemed to make things worse not better. Are there any options out there or examples of others who've had a similar trajectory but managed to get over it? Another element in all this is to remind guys not to get carried away with a low position. If I had my time again, I would sacrifice a bit of aero advantage for longevity.

I've seen a lot of people get back into racing after similar experiences without any problems. The first thing to understand that surgery will solve the immediate problem but does nothing to address the underlying reasons that caused you to develop the problem. They could have been a pelvic tilt with or without a short leg, congenital differences in various structures between left and right, being significantly tighter on one side than the other and so on ad infinitum.

Scott Saifer (www.wenzelcoaching.com) is head coach, CEO of Wenzel Coaching.com and has been coaching cyclists professionally for 18 years. He combines a master's degree in Exercise Physiology with experience in 20 years of touring and racing and over 300 road, track and MTB races to deliver training plans and advice that are both rigorously scientific and compatible with the real world of bike racing.

Kelby Bethards, MD received a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Iowa State University (1994) before obtaining an M.D. from the University of Iowa College of Medicine in 2000. Has been a racing cyclist 'on and off' for 20 years, and when time allows, he races Cat 3 and 35+. He is a team physician for two local Ft Collins, CO, teams, and currently works Family Practice in multiple settings: rural, urgent care, inpatient and the like.

Carrie Cheadle, MA (www.carriecheadle.com) is a Sports Psychology consultant who has dedicated her career to helping athletes of all ages and abilities perform to their potential. Carrie specialises in working with cyclists, in disciplines ranging from track racing to mountain biking. She holds a bachelors degree in Psychology from Sonoma State University as well as a masters degree in Sport Psychology from John F. Kennedy University.