If you're going to do a succession of outings, whether for competition or not, whether cycling or trail running, you need to eat regularly and carefully. And with quality. Even if it's a moderate effort and not a race. What's the point? Not so that you buy more Baouw, but because if you don't get enough nutrition, imbalances set in. In the short term, neglecting nutrition during exercise means loss of form and performance and, in the medium term, a significant drop in pleasure and the feeling of ‘flow’. A feeling of well-being. In the long term, it's even worse: you're heading for sports burn-out and, in any case, you're dipping into your immune and other reserves, and your health is likely to take a hit.
Benoit Nave, Baouw nutritionist, trail runner and cyclist. The advice of Benoît Nave, former top-level cyclist*, former coach to Simon Gerrans (at the time top 3 in the world) and Mark Renshaw (Mark Cavendish's bike pilot for 10 years), coach to Benoît Girondel, two-time winner of the Diagonale des Fous and the Endurance Trail des Templiers and Xavier Thévenard, ultra-trail runner... all this to tell you that our nutritionist knows a thing or two about trail running and cycling ;)
- If you train in the morning on an empty stomach
Your nutrition before exercise
- For a trail or bike ride on an empty stomach: you take nothing at all > it's the ‘empty stomach’ principle ;)
Your nutrition during exercise
- If the session is run (or ridden) at a recovery or gentle endurance pace, you take nothing, just water.
- If you are well trained, if the session includes efforts, sequences at medium or high intensity, or intervals, you will need to add energy during the session.
- ) après 1h15, 1h30 de sortie trail (2 h pour une sortie vélo). Puis une toutes les heures (trail comme vélo).
On the bike, Renaud, father of Jeanne, aged 4, both convinced Baouwers. Whether for exercise, recovery or as a healthy snack, for young and old alike, Baouw is natural energy that can be used at any age and at any time (no refined sugar, just fruit sugar). In recovery, choose
Your nutrition after exercise
- For all types of effort, whether trail running or cycling, it's essential to provide amino acids (contained in proteins) and quality carbohydrates to recover as quickly as possible from this fasting session and, above all, to preserve your immune and hormonal systems over time (so as not to generate too much stress on your body). ‘If you want to ‘age well’ and stay in shape over time, you need to eat regularly during exercise. And, in the short term, to avoid sports burn-out, over-training or over-fatigue’ explains Benoît Nave, coach to Xavier Thévenard, three-time winner of the Ultra trail du Mont Blanc®.
À SAVOIR
Nutrition tip : aBaouw barfrom the Endurance range as soon as you get back, for their BCAAs (branched-chain amino acids, which kick-start the process of rebuilding muscle cells and the immune system), followed by two boiled eggs and a little goat's cheese or goat's yoghurt. Depending on the length and intensity of the session, a more or less substantial carbohydrate ration (organic small spelt bread, cooked oat flakes, etc.).
- If you do your trail or bike ride after breakfast
Your nutrition before and during exercise ‘If the outing isn't intense, don't take anything. It helps lipolysis,’ advises Benoît, a trail runner himself (winner of the 50 km Paris Eco Trail). ‘If you're planning a tougher session, eat a Baouw bar about 40 minutes before your run, then do the same as if you were going out on an empty stomach.
Post-exercise nutrition
« Si ta pause déjeuner est raccourcie par ta séance (intense ou longue), tu prends une à deux barres Baouw (toujours pour leurs BCAA entre autres bonnes choses pour ta santé, et leurs apports glucidiques de qualité), suivies de deux œufs durs ou des maquereaux en boîte, une poignée d’oléagineux, une purée de pommes ou une compote de ton choix.
Lorna taking a break from bike training. When you're doing kilometre after kilometre, remember to eat well to maintain your health. Baouw are perfect for this, with their good quality fats and carbohydrates.
- If you do your trail run or bike ride in the late afternoon
Nutrition before and during exercise
‘If the outing is not intense, don't take anything. It helps lipolysis’ advises Benoît. ‘If you're planning a slightly more strenuous session, eat a Baouw Endurance about 40 minutes before your outing, then do the same as if you were going out on an empty stomach, during the effort (a Baouw after about 1 hour 15 minutes, then one per hour).
Your nutrition after exercise
-A dinner that gives pride of place to carbohydrates (all the better for a long and/or intense outing > this is what we call optimising the ‘carbohydrate window’ at Baouw) and a few easily digestible proteins (small oily fish, fresh goat's cheese, vegetable proteins, etc.).
For any trail or cycling outing lasting more than 2 hours, we recommend nutrition before the effort.
On the other hand, it is not recommended to go out on an empty stomach for more than 2 hours, except in the case of highly trained and very hardened athletes. So if you don't have time to have breakfast before your trail or bike ride, take a Baouw from the Endurance range as soon as possible (when you wake up) and then one after a maximum of 1 hour's effort.
Your nutrition during exercise
-The same applies to less than two hours.
Your nutrition after exercise
‘Same philosophy, but you increase your intake accordingly,’ sums up our nutrition expert, Benoît Nave.
‘That's all there is to it! Have a great outing, whether you're trail running or cycling. And above all... eat! Your health will reward you.
By Myriam Cornu
Photos© Stef Balbo / Baouw
© Myriam Cornu / Baouw
On the Beaufortain trail in Savoie,. A perfect area for running, but also for cycling, mountain biking... and ski touring, of course (the speciality of Lorna Bonnel, our Baouw ambassador).
