Nutrition: How to “Ball on a Budget”
At our team practice today, a few younger skiers approached me and pointed out that I haven't posted a blog in well over a year. Two things surprised me about this remark: first, how long it had been since I last posted, and second, that anyone reads these blogs in the first place. Either way, I figured it was about time I updated this blog.
I thought a great topic for a summer blog post would be nutrition, especially as it relates to before, during, and after training. I’ve spent a lot of time training with younger athletes at Team Birkie, and I've observed that there are many athletes that could make some super easy changes to their habits that would make a really big difference in the effectiveness of their training. By no means do I think I have perfected anything, but I know from experience that anyone can improve their training by taking a few simple measures with nutrition.
My humble nutrition stockpile at our place in Minneapolis.
Something I want to make really clear when it comes to sports nutrition is that I don't think you should have to spend a lot of money. I guess that is also the main point I am trying to make with writing this blog. There are a ton of super expensive and hyped products out there that are certainly good, but come at a cost that I think is absolutely outrageous (looking at you, Maurten). There are plenty cheap alternatives you can find at regular grocery stores that accomplish 95% of the same thing as any of the super expensive and heavily marketed sports nutrition options out there.
Maurten, a popular brand, sells for 5 dollars per gel. That is - in my opinion - an absurd price to pay for 40g of carbs. Keep reading for some more reasonable options.
My idea for this blog is to prove that it is possible to create an adequate sports nutrition plan on a budget, with products that you can find at your everyday grocery store. Let’s begin!
Part 1: Pre Training - Pancakes & Syrup
I am really into pancakes for breakfast. This came from my good friend John Wessling, who works with some top cyclists and MX racers in the world. You might notice as you continue reading that carbs are the primary focus of a lot of these categories. That’s because carbs are by far the most important macronutrient for training success, and generally the one thing that we can practically never get enough of as endurance athletes.
My budget choice for this category is Krusteaz, Complete Buttermilk Pancake Mix, 10 lbs coming in at a whopping $9.99. That is absolutely disgusting value. We are talking about a mere dollar per pound. One “PARTY SIZE” bag will last you 1-2 months of breakfasts. It’s insane. In addition, you will need maple syrup, which you can buy pretty much anywhere. I only eat the real stuff. None of the corn syrup Mrs. Buttersworth nonsense. Though if that is what tickles your fancy, no judgement here.
The actual construction of the breakfast takes like 2 minutes. I just pour about a cup of dry pancake mix into a bowl, eyeball a good amount of water into it, stir it, and slap it into the microwave for 3 minutes. Then I take it out, often add some more water on top or a little milk (because it’s usually drier than hell when it comes out) and add a generous amount of syrup on top. Generally, this combo nets me about 125-150g of carbs for my breakfast, which is perfect for me as a 178 pound guy. You don’t need protein in your breakfast if you are eating it like 2-3 hours before you train in the morning. As long as you have protein after you train, it’s no problem. Your body needs/wants those carbs when you are doing your morning session.
I promise it tastes better than it looks! Use a microwave and save yourself the trouble of sweating over a pan for 20 minutes.
Part 2: During Training - Solid + Liquid Carbs
After you have eaten some delicious pancakes, it’s time to train. For me, if the session is 45 minutes or more, I like to bring carbs along for the workout. I get these in two primary ways: drink mix in my drink belt, and gels/fruit snacks/bars in the pocket in my drink belt. Notice I call it a drink belt, not a water belt, because I never have just water in my drink belt. The key here is to aim for a minimum of 40-60 grams of carbs per hour, especially on those longer workouts. For me, by combing drink mix and the solid stuff, I can hit this target super easily.
Let’s start with my choice for budget drink mix: Gatorade Instant Powder Mix.
At $12 for 51 oz of drink mix, this stuff is practically cheap as dirt. And it’s got everything you want in a drink mix- carbs, electrolytes, and it tastes good. If I am using Gatorade powder, I just use two scoops (44g carbs) in my drink belt mixed with water and it works great.
Now, my choice for budget solid carb option: Mott's Fruit Snacks.
Only $8.29 for 40 fruit snack pouches? Am I dreaming? Each of these pouches contains 19 grams of extremely tasty carbs. My advice would be to have 1 pouch every 30 minutes when you are training, along with drinking from your Gatorade mix every 20-30 minutes. Between the two pouches of Mott’s and the Gatorade, you will easily reach 40-60 grams of carbs per hour. And it will barely even put a dent in your wallet!
Part 3: Post Training - Chocolate Milk + Protein Powder + optional fruit snack
Initially I considered just recommending chocolate milk, but I don’t think it has nearly enough protein without adding a little bit of extra. I look for at least 20 grams of protein in my post-training snack, as well as at least 30 grams of carbs. I think combining regular old chocolate milk (can do soy too if you’re dairy free) with a little Whey Protein powder is a super effective and cheap combo for post training. Whey protein is pretty expensive, but since you will only need to add a little bit of extra protein to what is already provided by the chocolate milk, it should last you a really long time.
In total, my budget post training option simply consists of Chocolate Milk, and Whey Protein.
To do it right, have a cup of the chocolate milk and stir in a half serving of the whey protein powder to get the total protein to 20 grams. I personally would also eat one additional Mott’s fruit snack with your drink to bring the carbohydrate total a little higher, but feel free to try with and without and see what works best for you. It’s not a bad idea to buy a Blender Bottle for like $10, just to make it a little more portable for those times you don’t finish at your house.
That is pretty much it! I know it can seem scary to a lot of people who aren’t currently following these guidelines to all of a sudden start eating so many more carbs than they’re used to, but I promise you this is in line with what all of the best endurance athletes in the world are doing at the moment. These suggestions are all based on the current leading research, as well as from my own experience of having done these things in my own career. This year, I have taken these things even more seriously than in previous years, and the results have been pretty amazing so far.
So do yourself a favor- take a trip to your local grocery store, stock up on some goodies, and enjoy the benefits of proper carbohydrate availability on your next workout!
