Preventing catabolism during extended cardio?

bloodbank
bloodbank Posts: 468 Member
edited September 23 in Fitness and Exercise
Hey - I need to pick the brains of some of the fitness smarty-pants around here. Trainers, muscle freaks, Azdak - the whole lot of you.

So, extended cardio** and preventing catabolism after the 45-60 minute mark. Is this possible? What types of breaks & refueling need to be done to accomplish this? Is a 5 minute break & a smart snack every 45 minutes or so enough to circumvent it, or once you've started to approach this threshold is it a taking-your-ball-and-going-home kind of deal?

**I'm talking a 2-3 hour run or 5 hour bike ride or similar activity done for enjoyment, not an organized event where unscheduled rests/refueling would pose a problem.

Replies

  • js97206
    js97206 Posts: 15
    There are some details I would need to be specific. The main one would what training zone you are in. As in heart rate training zone. If you are just doing an endurance ride or run, which is around 60% of you max heart rate. Or a pace that you can easily carry on a conversation. You could go two hours without food as long as you drink water and plenty of it. When I go on training rides I never eat anything if the ride is less then two hours, but I do eat before the ride. But in races I eat right before the start and then 200 to 300 calories an hour. This is to replace the glycogen that your muscles are using so you don't hit the wall, or run out of gas to put it another way. For a five hour ride you will want to start off eating from the start 200 to 300 calories an hour. You can get this using sports drinks or soild food. I like powdered sports drinks like Clif Shot, so I can control the calories and there is no high fructose corn syrup in it. Corn syrup does not digest well and can cause stomach problems while working out. To prevent catabolism you need to focus more on your post ride nutrition. There are recovery drinks you can get but real whole food suits me best. And also watching your calories through out the day. If you don't eat your exercise calories, as I see a lot of people say that don't. Your body will start to break down muscle for fuel. If you have a specific question send me a message and I will give you the best answer I have. I am not a trainer, but have been training in bike racing and other sports for a long time. I also have my on coach and have learned a lot about nutrition through the years.

    Jim
  • bloodbank
    bloodbank Posts: 468 Member
    Sorry, I don't have further details as at this point it's just hypothetical. In my fitter days I was super into endurance exercises (like the 5 hour bike rides I mentioned) and as I get fit again I feel like that's where I'm headed back to. I was always just slightly beyond the "easy conversation" stage... I could talk, but I'd have to huff and puff between sentences... too bad I didn't pay attention to heart rate back then to know where I was. :)
    If you are just doing an endurance ride or run, which is around 60% of you max heart rate. Or a pace that you can easily carry on a conversation. You could go two hours without food as long as you drink water and plenty of it.

    This is really interesting and useful info for me. Is it a general rule that 60% or less of your max heart rate does NOT equal catabolism after extended periods, and that it only happens in higher heart rate zones... or are there more variables to look at? I've really just started looking into it and saw "45+ minutes of cardio = catabolic state!" all over the place without realizing that intensity might have something to do with it...
  • rawfitness
    rawfitness Posts: 68 Member
    Consider sipping on BCAAs.
  • mltdown
    mltdown Posts: 311 Member
    I was wondering this also, but I'm looking more for suggestions on good recovery drinks after high cardio for a couple hours and also after running
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