Nutrition Trips when you are Training for a Triathlon

by Mohit J. White Hat Link Building Services

When you are creating the best tri training plan it is important to use an expert with experience to help. That is in all areas of athletic training, from cycling, swimming and running to important things like your nutrition and diet. Often athletes focus heavily on their exercise and on conditioning and have less focus on nutrition apart from allocating calories to eat each day. There is more to the nutrition you need when training for a triathlon so here is a look at what else there is to know.

Empty calories

It is true that on days where you are putting in more intense training, are in competition you need more calories. People training for the Ironman triathlon, for example, could need 2000 to 5000 calories a day while training, possibly more. But that does not mean you should just load up on empty calories to achieve that. What you eat, how you do it and when will make a lot of difference to your training results.

For days when junk food is necessary, do it early on in the day rather than later. As the day passes the body slows down so it is best to have the heavier part of your eating done before that.

Consider more small meals rather than less large ones

There is a lot to be said for eating more frequently throughout the day rather than having all your calories in three large meals and then snacks. Five to six meals a day should be fit into your triathlon training plans, with healthy snacks in between to keep up your metabolism and keep you well fueled for your training days. Have a proper breakfast and have more calories earlier in the day.

Eat small snacks before training

Have a snack before your workout. Heavy training on an empty stomach can cause exhaustion and lead to poor performance as you just do not have the energy or fuel you need. Time it so you then have another sensible snack or a small meal after so you do not turn to foods you should not out of extreme hunger. Your coach should be able to give you a tri training plan that includes when to eat and what kinds of foods to eat.

Learn about health fats versus unhealthy

There are healthy fats and unhealthy fats and everybody, including athletes, should be aiming to eat more of the former and less of the latter. Healthy fats are a good source of fuel so think things like cooking with olive oil, eating nuts, oily fish like salmon, natural nut butters, and less of things like butter, fried foods, bacon and things with saturated fats.

Summary

The best triathlon training plans are smart and ensure you can fully commit to your training and competitions. That means as well as scheduling routines, conditioning, and practice, they also look at diet, nutrition, opportunities for rest. They should also be something you can fit into your lifestyle and be specific to the kind of goals you have.