HOW TO TRAIN YOUR GUT
220 Triathlon|July 2024
YOUR BODY'S AT ITS PHYSICAL PEAK AND READY TO DO BATTLE, BUT IS YOUR GUT IN THE SAME SHAPE? HERE WE SHOW YOU HOW TO AVOID AN UNPLANNED VISIT TO THE RACE-DAY LOOS...
DR SAM IMPEY
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR GUT

You’ve spent weeks and months training your heart, lungs and muscles, but not training your gut could be leaving you short on race day. Why? Because getting your fuelling right is absolutely crucial in triathlon.

We often hear nutrition referred to as the fourth discipline, and with very good reason. With the ever-increasing evidence supporting the need to fuel well during racing, how we train our gut to tolerate what we eat and drink during races has now become crucial in optimising our individual performances and making sure that we have a great race.

We’ve all been there, halfway through a race and we start to feel symptoms like heartburn, uncomfortable bloating and really, really, needing the toilet! These are the most common symptoms of gastrointestinal (GI) distress during races, and research has shown that in an average race at least 40% of people get GI issues.

There are a whole host of reasons why this can happen and unfortunately they can be quite individual. Evidence suggests it’s dependent on factors such as genetics, biomechanics, anatomy, age and training status, with each individual response often being circumstantial. Hot conditions, intensity and potentially dehydration or poor nutrition can all lead to GI issues during races.

So yes, training your gut is an essential part of the training process. Here we look at some practical ways to train our gastrointestinal systems to be race-day ready and to make sure you avoid that portable toilet…

8 WAYS TO TRAIN YOUR GUT

01 Know your gut mechanics

Denne historien er fra July 2024-utgaven av 220 Triathlon.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra July 2024-utgaven av 220 Triathlon.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA 220 TRIATHLONSe alt
How to Carb Load - Packing your working cells with carbohydrates in the build-up to your big race is a proven strategy to race stronger and faster...
220 Triathlon

How to Carb Load - Packing your working cells with carbohydrates in the build-up to your big race is a proven strategy to race stronger and faster...

Whichever distance triathlon you're racing, the intensity and duration of your activity will see your body tap into its stores of carbohydrates (in the form of glycogen) to power your effort. While it's possible to top up your tank on the go, it's better to start your event with your stores full to the brim.

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The Olympic Champion - On 31 July, Great Britain's Alex Yee put together arguably the greatest one-day performance we have ever seen at an Olympic Games to win gold. And we were there at the finish line to speak to tri's new poster boy...
220 Triathlon

The Olympic Champion - On 31 July, Great Britain's Alex Yee put together arguably the greatest one-day performance we have ever seen at an Olympic Games to win gold. And we were there at the finish line to speak to tri's new poster boy...

The opening line of the race report read how 20 years on from New Zealand’s first and only Olympic triathlon gold medal, Hayden Wilde had put in a careerbest performance to regain the title for his nation. Then Alex Yee comes around the corner.Yee’s charge, seemingly from nowhere on the final lap of the 10km run in Paris, didn’t just help him become the most decorated Olympic male triathlete of all time, and didn’t just cap a rivalry that has been building for six years, it left seasoned watchers of swim, bike, run in awe. It will go down as one of the greatest triathlon races; Yee, still just 26, as one of the greatest triathletes. His medals from Paris added to the two from Tokyo, leaving his haul at two gold, a silver and a bronze, and counting.

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The ability to dig deep in the latter stages of a race helped Alex Yee achieve Olympic gold. Here Ben, a member of Team GB's coaching staff in Paris, explains how you too can find that extra gear...

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