Eating right can help get you fit
By Lisa Liddane
Knight Ridder News Service
Even if your fitness or athletic goals are nowhere near winning the Tour de France six consecutive times, you still can borrow valuable ideas from tour winner Lance Armstrong's nutrition and training program.
Advertiser library photo • July 25, 2004
Chris Carmichael, Armstrong's longtime personal coach, shows how in his new book, "Food for Fitness" (Putnam, $25.95).
Six-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong considers his diet an integral part of his year-round training regimen.
"You have to look at food as fuel, whether you're exercising or working out regularly or you're a professional athlete training for an event," Carmichael said.
Next, you need to tailor the kinds and amounts of food you eat to where you are in the cycle of your workout program, he said. His idea is based on a classic concept in athletic training called periodization. This simply means having a plan to reach a specific fitness goal and breaking down that plan into segments so you progress through a series of steps.
As you increase the intensity or duration of your workouts, you do the same for calories to keep up with your body's need for more fuel.
"In the end, all the training and determination in the world can be undone by something as simple as eating or drinking too little," Lance Armstrong says in "Food for Fitness."
You may wonder: Why have a training plan to complicate your life when you're enjoying the same workouts day in and day out without a road map? Having a plan is not for everyone. But if you've ever been curious about how much of a Lance Armstrong you have lurking in your body, having a plan gives you mini-goals to achieve, enables you to monitor your body's progress and adds purpose and motivation to your workouts throughout the year.
This usually involves building up over months to a peak, then recovering before starting all over.
Carmichael's basic training/nutrition program has four stages:
• Foundation: As the name implies, you build your body's fitness platform with aerobic and strength training. This lasts about four months. Nutrition plan: 65 percent carbohydrates, 13 percent protein and 22 percent fat.
• Preparation: Add speed to your regimen. Focus on performing activity more quickly, with less recovery periods. This lasts about two to three months. Nutrition plan: 65 percent carbohydrates, 13 percent protein and 22 percent fat, but eat 15 percent more calories.
• Specialization: You're at your strongest and fastest. You're competing or participating in your chosen event. Your body goes through a lot of stress. This lasts about three months. Nutrition plan: 70 percent carbohydrates, 14 percent protein and 16 percent fat. Add about 400-800 more total calories, depending on your weight.
• Transition: This is your active recovery period. You drastically reduce your workout volume and intensity. This lasts about 12 weeks. Nutrition plan: 60 percent carbohydrates, 18 percent protein and 22 percent fat. Decrease total calories by 1,000 to 1,800, depending on your weight.
