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HEALTH AND FITNESS: ASK THE COACH
Katharine McCoy
November 21, 2008
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Doesn't everybody wish that they
had access to a personal coach for their questions about training and fitness?
Road Bike Action recently caught up with Johnathan Edwards M.D. Dr. Edwards
is a practicing sports doctor and anesthesiologist in Las Vegas, Nevada. He has been
a sports doctor for American cyclists as well as in Europe. He also worked with
athletes during the Paris Dakar rally. As a former professional motocross racer and
current Cat 2 road racer, he understands the health and training needs of
cyclists of all levels.
Everybody wants an edge and caffeine is often seen as a quick, safe and legal way to achieve one. But does it really work? And how can you make it work for you? Road Bike Action asked coach, Johnathan Edwards M.D what he suggests.
Caffeine and cycling – a practical approach
Almost any cyclist is very familiar with the many performance benefits of caffeine. Many of us wake up with caffeine in our coffee and tea. Now we find caffeine in sports bars, drinks, gels, beans, and cokes to give a training boost.
One thing to keep in mind when using caffeine is to not expect too much. The real benefits of caffeine often are noticed as an afterthought. For example, one may notice that caffeine helped them at the 3 hour point in a race because they did not sugar bonk. Caffeine is well known to utilize glycogen stores after long periods of exercise.
Of the hundreds of studies about caffeine consumption during exercise, they all seem to say that caffeine has benefits before, during and even after exercise. Also, many people feel that it is a strong diuretic and this is not true. In the medical world it is a weak diuretic. Drinking 12 oz of water produces a stronger diuretic action than caffeine alone.
Some practical advice concerning taking caffeine during a ride or race is to experiment and be sure that your stomach can handle it. All too often I observe someone who has taken a high dose of caffeine and they are puking their guts out about an hour later. Caffeine is a drug, just like any other and you should know the dose that you are taking. For example, if you take Albuterol for asthma, be careful about your caffeine intake because you will have the “jitters” like you will not believe. Also, more importantly, the effect caffeine has on the heart are very real, and arrhythmias do occur. If you have ever experienced skip beats or rapid heart rate, get yourself checked out by a physician. Another advice is to count the calories in your latte that you are drinking for the caffeine content, it is much higher than you expect.
During the 4 days of Dunkirk race, I often see professional cyclists abstaining from coffee 2 weeks prior to a big event. The reason for this is to “de-habituate” their bodies from caffeine so that when they do use it during the event, their bodies will respond better. It is not uncommon for a rider to ask me for caffeine at the 3 or 4 hour mark of a 5 hour race. I also see a lot of coke cans at the later feed zones during the harder stages.
Finally, be systematic and know your doses of caffeine that you take when your goal is enhance your performance on the bike.
f you have your own question about health or training that you would like to ask a coach please send them to fitness@roadbikeaction.
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