CLIF BAR
TRIATHLON
NUTRITION
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By Clif Bar Consulting Dietitian Bob Seebohar, MS, CSSD
While preparing for an Olympic-Distance triathlon, it is essential to give your body the right nutrients.
The three most important nutrients for performance and recovery from daily training are:
1. Carbohydrates are essential for delivering energy to your muscles and your brain
necessary to complete swim, bike, and run training sessions. Generally speaking,
carbohydrates will provide the most important energy your body needs for swim,
bike, and run training sessions.
PROTEIN
CARBOHYDRATES
2. Protein is necessary component for proper recovery from training.
3. Fat, along with protein, will help keep you feeling full in between meals and throughout the day.
Here are some general nutrition guidelines to follow as you begin your Olympic distance triathlon training:
FATS
PREPPING FOR YOUR TRAINING
Throughout this 12 week Olympic distance triathlon training program,
focus on the following nutritional strategies:
Stay focused.
One of the most common mistakes when beginning to train for a big
event like a triathlon is using the training as an excuse to eat whatever
whenever. Doing this can actually sabotage your overall performance
and compromise the health benefits of the training itself.
Eat frequently enough to balance blood sugar.
Throughout the twelve week training period, eat small, well-balanced
meals every three to four hours. Eating frequently and keeping your
blood sugar stable will help improve your energy levels throughout the
day so that you can have successful training sessions. Well-balanced
meals providing a mix of protein, carbohydrate and fat are an essential
foundation to your daily nutritional needs.
Recognize hunger, not habit.
There are three types of hunger:
> Biological hunger is when you have physical stomach pangs or you
cannot mentally focus. It is the type of hunger that signals you to eat
to nourish your body.
> Habitual hunger is when you eat because of a clock. It may be 12:00 pm
and it’s lunch time. You may or may not be hungry but you eat anyway.
> Emotional hunger, is the most challenging. Eating out of emotions such
as stress, boredom, happiness, or fatigue could result in overeating.
Stay hydrated.
This will help your training, recovery, and overall health. Drinking water
is a great strategy but did you know you can also stay hydrated by
eating more fruits and vegetables throughout the day? A good
quantitative strategy is to aim to drink enough fluid and eat enough
water-containing foods so that you go to the bathroom once every
2-3 hours.
It is best to eat out of biological hunger as much as you can but
acknowledge that you will, at times, eat out of habit or emotions.
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HOW MUCH SHOULD I EAT?!
There are many variables that factor into the answer. Paying attention to your energy level during your training sessions can be a good gauge on
whether or not you are eating enough. The good news is that you don’t necessarily have to be a slave to calorie counting to successfully balance your
blood sugar throughout the day. The easiest way to feed yourself is by using the “Hand Model.” It is a basic qualitative way to help control blood sugar.
THE HAND MODEL
Your two hands will serve as the volume of food that you will eat throughout the day. You should measure from your wrist to your fingertips. The fat
that you will eat in your daily nutrition plan will be in the various protein rich foods, so there is no need to “measure” out portions of this nutrient.
THE GREEN HAND IS YOUR CARBOHYDRATE HAND
THE BLUE HAND IS YOUR PROTEIN HAND
You should measure
from your wrist to
your fingertips
MEAT
CHEESE
SEEDS
BEANS
NUTS
FRUITS
VEGETABLES
WHOLE
GRAINS
INTENSITY
LOW
MEDIUM
HIGH
VERY HIGH
RATIO
1:1
2:1
3:1
4:1
APPLICATION
Use to develop metabolic
efficiency and at most
meals throughout the day.
Use before or after a
workout that is longer
than 2 hours.
Use after a workout that is
longer than 3-4 hours or
very high intensity lasting
longer than 90 minutes.
Use after intensity training
longer than 90 minutes.
However, you should minimize the use of this ratio.
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ADJUSTING FOOD VOLUME
You can adjust the volume of food you eat based
on your hunger and training volume. We normally
recommend individuals eat a 1:1 (carbohydrate
to protein) Hand Model throughout the day on rest
days or any day where exercise is less than 1 hour.
For days when you train longer than
one hour, you can follow a 2:1 Hand
Model so you are giving your body
more carbohydrates to account for
the higher volume of training.
For snacks, you can still use the
Hand Model but simply turn the
hand into a fist and follow the
1:1 or 2:1 rule with the volume
being slightly less.
LESS FOOD FRENZY! MORE FOOD PLANNING!
TRAINING NUTRITION
> UP TO 1 HOUR OF TRAINING: For most training sessions lasting up to one hour, you will not need to eat anything special immediately beforehand.
Simply eat a snack that consists of a little more carbohydrate and a smaller amount of protein and fat such as a Clif Bar about two to three hours
out and you will have enough energy for your session. Be sure to follow up the training session with a snack containing both carbohydrate and
protein like an apple and a handful of almonds.
> 1-3 HOURS: For training lasting from one to three hours, you will need to pay closer attention to what you put into your body both in the hours before
and during. One to three hours before (depending on how sensitive your stomach is) have a small meal or snack. Immediately before beginning your
session have a CLIF SHOT Energy Gel or half sleeve of CLIF BLOKS with 8-12 ounces of water or 12-16 ounces of CLIF Hydration Electrolyte Drink in
the 20-30 minutes before training. Using this type of nutrition plan before and during training lasting longer than an hour also provides you the
opportunity to fine-tune your nutrition plan based on what is working best for you.
> SWIMMING:
Swimming may pose more of a challenge than cycling or running due to the position in the water and not much opportunity for eating or
drinking. A great strategy is to mix up CLIF Hydration Electrolyte Drink in a water bottle and have it on the side of the deck. Take a few sips throughout
the workout when you have rest breaks at the wall. This will ensure that you receive fluid, carbohydrate, and sodium during your swim workout.
> BREAKS: If there is a 3-4 hour gap between your last meal and your planned workout have a high carbohydrate snack 1-2 hours before your run to
ensure that you have energy on hand to complete the workout.
> MORNING WORKOUTS: If you train in the morning before breakfast, have an energy gel and some water to give your body some carbohydrates and
hydration after the 8 hour fast from sleeping.
> DURING TRAINING: During this duration of training, it is best to have a CLIF SHOT Energy Gel or 3 CLIF BLOKS with a few gulps of water every 30
minutes. A great strategy is to offset the use of CLIF SHOT Energy Gel and CLIF BLOKS with the use of CLIF Hydration Electrolyte Drink so you have
one the first 15-30 minutes, then the other the next 30 minutes and continue this throughout your training.
> REMEMBER! Eating roughly 10 grams of protein and 1.0-1.2 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight, you will ensure that you replenish
lost glycogen stores from the first workout and be ready to go for the second workout of the day.
Be sure to focus on hydration in the first 30-60 minutes after your first training session by drinking 20-24 ounces of fluid.
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NUTRITION PERIODIZATION
Your training program will increase and decrease in volume and intensity (total training load) depending on the week. This properly prepares your
body and allows good recovery so your body is adapting to the training. Because of these ebbs and flows, it is important to align your daily and
training nutrition plan as closely as possible to your total training load.
BUILDING-UP INTENSITY
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WEEK:
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3
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HIGH INTENSITY TRAINING
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TAPERING
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12
WEEKS 1–5
Building-up Intensity: This is your base cycle where the volume and intensity are mostly low-to-moderate. Aside from the few longer bike rides on the
weekends, be sure to follow your good daily nutrition habits by following the 1:1 Hand Model example. Be sure to eat within 45-60 minutes of training
sessions and within 1-2 hours afterwards. For longer weekend bike sessions, have a CLIF SHOT Energy Gel or 3 CLIF BLOKS roughly every 30-45 minutes
with a few gulps of water. If you are in your base training cycle and putting in longer miles at lower intensities, eating a Clif Bar with some water
every 45-60 minutes would also be a good nutrition option.
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WEEKS 6–1
High Intensity Training: The intensity and volume start to increase to get you ready for your triathlon and there will be more specific training sessions
and bricks. Because of this, you will be burning more calories and following a 2:1 Hand Model to satisfy your increased need for carbohydrates
throughout the day. Be sure to eat within 45-60 minutes of training sessions, and on any training session that last longer than 60 minutes or has a
higher intensity focus, consume a CLIF SHOT Energy Gel or 3 CLIF BLOKS every 20-30 minutes along with a few gulps of water.
WEEK 12
“Tapering Nutrition” Week: Tapering is an area where individuals new to triathlon often make mistakes. The taper part of an Olympic triathlon
training program usually includes less overall training volume with lower-to-moderate intensity training. Training volume will be lighter, so it is
not necessary to over consume food. Aim for a 1:1 Hand Model for your daily nutrition and add a bottle of CLIF Hydration Electrolyte Drink to
replenish carbohydrates and electrolytes during the shorter training sessions. During this taper week, try to drink about 4 gulps every 15 minutes
during training lasting longer than 45 minutes. Keep your daily nutrition the same as it has been. No need to increase your calories as your training
decreases. The body and digestive system usually like as few changes as possible leading up to a race, so stay on the same nutrition path that you
have been following.
COMPETITION DAY NUTRITION
For your Olympic distance triathlon, it is best to have a CLIF SHOT Energy Gel or 3 CLIF BLOKS with a few gulps of water every 15-30 minutes. A great
strategy is to offset the use of CLIF SHOT Energy Gel and CLIF BLOKS with the use of CLIF Hydration Electrolyte Drink so you have one the first 15-20
minutes, then the other the next 15-20 minutes and continue this throughout your training. Good luck!
MB15_0877
® Clif Bar & Company
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