Professional triathlete (team Squadra) and sports science student Bart Cooymans wrote not 1, but no less than 2 blogs on this topic. Below you can read the first blog. Do you want to go deeper into how and what workouts you can do? Then keep an eye on the posting of the second blog.

Cycling and running training in times of Corona

The measures that have been put in place over the past few weeks are affecting everyone's daily lives, both negatively and positively. Look around you, it's been a long time since I've seen so many people exercising and moving around outside. On the other hand, for the fanatical athlete, who was already active, it is often a hindrance because one or more training facilities are closed.

At the time of writing (March 21), the National Government, RIVM, KNWU and other sports federations have all prescribed guidelines based on the premise that the spread of the COVID-19/Corona virus should be controlled.

Below are a few highlighted, translated into what this means for sports and a possible solution so you can still get out the door in a responsible way!

Only

To start immediately with the most profound: sport alone.

This is to prevent mixing up social circles. Even if you or the people you normally work out with feel completely fit, you can still carry the virus (because you can be contagious even before you start showing symptoms yourself). You may belong to a more vital group of the population in whom the virus has less of an impact, but everyone has someone in their circle who is at risk of a more drastic disease course after infection with the virus.

Therefore, in the coming weeks, do not ride in a group, but exercise alone as much as possible.

10 percent per week

If you haven't exercised regularly yet, now you suddenly have the time and want to get out the door? Well done! The will is there, so the first step has been made. But often it is the case that we start something very fanatically and unfortunately with sports, injuries can occur when we are not used to a certain load. An easy rule of thumb you can use is: don't build up more than 10% per week. This ensures that you don't build up quickly from week to week. This is not to say that you can't exercise more than once a week, but make sure you take enough time between different workouts to allow your body to recover.

Nutrition during exercise

Endurance athletes may already be used to it: eating during training. But how much food should you take in during a workout?

Research has shown that during efforts of 45min or longer, your performance is improved by the use of sports nutrition (Smith et al., 2013).

It has also been proven that you need to consume 30-60 grams of carbohydrates to prevent the effort from having a suppressive effect on your immune system (Gleeson, Nieman, & Pedersen, 2004). In order to meet this energy demand, you quickly turn to good sports nutrition which contains the energy you need in the right proportions. Especially once this period is over and you can train more intensively again, the demand for carbohydrates becomes increasingly greater in order to provide your muscles with the necessary energy during exercise.

You can also read more about this in these previous blogs on eating during exercise and carbohydrate intake in the hours before a race or workout.

For quiet workouts, 50 grams of carbohydrates per hour could be used as a starting point. For this, you could consume the following foods:

1 bidon (500ml) BYE Energy booster = 55grams of carbohydrates

1 bidon (500ml) of BYE Isotonic (35 grams of carbohydrates) + 1 endurance bar (25 grams of carbohydrates) = 60 grams of carbohydrates.

Especially when you are not used to this, it may seem like a lot in the beginning, but it ensures that your effort is of a better quality. If you do not do this and eventually train more and more intensively, there is a chance that you will use the muscles you have trained so hard for as fuel because your body will switch to proteins.

Sober training

A form of training that is sometimes used in endurance sports is sober training. This means that at the beginning of the day you will train without eating anything, you will use the (limited) amount of energy that is stored in your body as fuel.

It has been shown that this type of training can suppress the functioning of your immune system because you create a nutrient deficiency when you train too long. When you combine this type of training with overtraining, the negative effects of the nutrient deficiencies and high exertion reinforce each other and your body has an extra hard time. (Gleeson et al., 2004)

Recover like a Pro

Nice workout, check! Now comes the next important step; recovery. Because even though you only did sports, you took the right nutrition and you don't do too much at once, your body is just a bit more susceptible immediately after exercise. What is the best way to recover?

The first thing you need to do is groom yourself. In the world of cycling, the saying goes: you can learn how to take care of yourself. In other words, you can learn how to best take care of yourself after exercise. After cycling, you don't clean the bike first, you are first.

The first hour after you've finished exercising your body is a kind of sponge for nutrients, ideal because this ensures that you absorb the proteins needed for recovery. So make sure you get the right proteins when you get home and then freshen up.

Now I hear you thinking, the right proteins? Yes, it has been shown that not every type of protein is the same and has the same effect on your body. There are proteins that your body processes quickly and others that need several hours for example. The BYE Recovery shake contains the right proteins that are further supported by various minerals and vitamins.

There is a special package that ensures that you have the right products in the house like a pro! In it you will find the Recovery shake and a number of magnesium shots, the latter have an extra supporting function in recovery.

Above all, be wise

Healthcare is busy enough right now. Of course it is great fun to push the limits now and then, but behave yourself. Healthcare is busy enough as it is, so don't take unnecessary risks and demand unnecessary capacity.

Haven't you finished reading yet?

No worries! There is another blog coming up. This blog will go into a little more detail about the different workouts you can do.

Source citation:

Gleeson, M., Nieman, D. C., & Pedersen, B. K. (2004). Exercise, nutrition and immune function. Journal of Sports Sciences, 22(1), 115?125. https://doi.org/10.1080/0264041031000140590

Smith, J. W., Pascoe, D. D., Passe, D. H., Ruby, B. C., Stewart, L. K., Baker, L. B., & Zachwieja, J. J. (2013). Curvilinear dose-response relationship of carbohydrate (0-120 g?h-1) and performance. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 45(2), 336?341. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e31827205d1

St?ggl, T., & Sperlich, B. (2014). Polarized training has greater impact on key endurance variables than threshold, high intensity, or high volume training. Frontiers in Physiology, 5 FEB(February), 1?9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2014.00033