Fasted training
A lot of people may have started 2014 with a new year’s resolution to lose weight, or want to try and keep weight off during winter, and adding a couple of fasted training sessions a week can help to stimulate fat burning.
A fasted training session should be short, up to 60 minutes, and of a moderate intensity, around 60-70 per cent of your maximum heart rate, though that will depend on your physiology. If you are training at 90 per cent then your body will be relying on carbohydrate as the fuel source and not fat.
The ideal scenario would be to do a fasted ride in the morning, before breakfast, but hydration shouldn’t be compromised, so take and sip a no carb electrolyte drink. Follow the ride by your breakfast.
If you commute by bike then you can use your ride to work as fasted training but, again, its about planning ahead so you have breakfast ready when you arrive at work. Some people find it very difficult to do fasted training, and always have to eat something before, so if that’s the case then have a protein beforehand, an egg omelette for example, but if you can fast then that’s the ideal scenario and if you do commute to work then that’s the perfect time to do it.
Also avoid having sugary snacks close to bed time, particularly if you’re not training the next day, and have a range of healthy snacks available in the house.
Jill Leckey is the Senior Sports Nutritionist for Science in Sport (SiS) www.scienceinsport.com
