By Don Demarco

A huge debate in the supplement industry has to do with multivitamins and the part they play in increasing health in everyday life and at the gym.

Are multivitamin supplements for muscle gain really helping bodybuilders and endurance athletes? After looking at some basic biology and the function of each vitamin, we might find ourselves closer to the answer…. Read the rest of this entry

By Hammer Nutrition

Sports Hydration Guidelines Prior To Race

For satisfying hydration requirements prior to a race, there are several recommendations: Read the rest of this entry

By Hammer Nutrition 

Based on what science has shown us, plus two decades of working with athletes, we have determined the following ranges as ideal for most athletes the majority of the time for maintaining optimum exercise performance: Read the rest of this entry

You pull out your mountain bike machine from your SUV and look it over in detail.  It hasn’t looked this good in awhile.  You’ve adjusted, tweaked and lubed it for optimal performance and it hasn’t been this clean in weeks.  It’s ready to take on the mountains today and you expect a great performance from your weeks of mountain bike training.

And now that you’ve optimized your pre-race meal, are you ready to consider how to hydrate properly to maximize your mountain bike race day performance?  With many mountain bike races under 90 minutes, this is a back burner priority for some MTB riders.

If you want to improve your performance during a mountain bike race, or enjoy your long rides on the weekends with less fatigue, learning how to improve your nutrition and hydrate properly is a wise choice considering the thousands of dollars you’ve invested and the hours of mountain bike training you’ve put in. Read the rest of this entry

Performance Nutrition – The Pre-Race Meal 

It’s the first mile of the mountain bike race and your stomach is playing tunes you don’t like.  Sounds of “bloat” and “blot” are on Stomach Radio and reminding you that maybe you ate a bit too much this morning.

So how do you figure this pre-race meal plan out?  Sometimes what you grab out of the refrigerator works, but other times it doesn’t.  Here are some guidelines to keep the tunes in your stomach to a minimum.

1.  Recover from your last mountain bike workout with adequate supplies of complex carbohydrates and proteins.  Doing so will top off your glycogen stores, which is the first fuel used during exercise and constitutes 80% of your total glycogen storage. 

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By Kristy L. Richardson, MS, MPH, RD, CSSD, CHES

When the day is long with your to-do-list and your time is short with a mountain bike training ride after work, consider these inexpensive fast food meals to keep your nutrition up, and your mountain bike workouts strong.

 Healthy Fast Food Meals for Under $4

1. El Pollo Loco
          a.  BRC Burrito and Side of Fresh Vegetables – 430 Calories, 10g Fat, 10g Fiber

2. McDonald’s
          a.  Hamburger and Fruit n Yogurt Parfait – 410 Calories, 11g Fat, 2g Fiber

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By Kristy L. Richardson, MS, MPH, RD, CSSD, CHES

Did you know that adjusting the timing and nutrient composition of your meals after your MTB training can increase your energy, enhance your ability to gain muscle mass and improve your mountain bike performance in subsequent workouts and on race day? Read the rest of this entry

By Elizabeth Quinn

Hyponatremia, also called water intoxication, is generally the result of drinking excessive amounts of plain water which causes a low concentration of sodium in the blood.  Once a rare occurrence at sporting events, it is becoming more prevalent as participation increases and more novice exercisers are entering endurance events. Read the rest of this entry

By Levi

While foods like Powerbars are great for hard rides and races, it’s hard to get past the desire for “real” food. High-calorie drinks like Accelerade and Hammer Perpetuem might seem great, but liquid food for 6 hours? C’mon.

If there’s ever a good time to eat real food instead of processed bars, it’s on long endurance rides. Kind of like the rides many people do for fun in the crisp Autumn air. (Here on the East Coast, it’s the perfect time to enjoy the fall foliage.)

What we need is real food, with fat and protein along with the carbs. After all, we’re not racing, we’re just going out for a fun ride!

Here are my five favorite foods for Fall:

1) Peanut Butter on Graham Crackers

Time to switch things up a bit. Instead of a regular peanut butter sandwich, I like to take pieces of graham cracker, add natural peanut butter, and make mini sandwiches.

The natural peanut butter is full of healthy fat and protein, and you can find carbohydrate-rich graham crackers that don’t contain high fructose corn syrup or partially hydrogenated oils!

If you’re adventurous, you could also throw in some dark chocolate chips.

Or if you want an even sweeter (albeit unhealthier) treat, use peanut butter cake frosting in place of the natural peanut butter.

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