Cut Your Calories During Transition
By Matt Russ
The biggest drop in activity factor occurs during transition, and it occurs directly after a peak phase in most cases. It is important to not continue eating as if you are training full bore. This is especially true for long distance athletes, such as IronMan athletes. The shift in activity is most acute with these athletes.
I recently attended a 4 day seminar following my peak. This was my first week of transition, and it meant sitting in a chair all day vs. my normally active job plus training. I calculated then lowered my calorie intake by almost 1000 calories per day. If I had continued to eat as I was the week before I would have gained around a pound in those four days.
Drastic changes in activity factor call for equally drastic changes in diet. This means cutting out the energy bars and drinks that were a staple during your race period. If you work outs are under one hour you do not need a recovery meal directly after your work out. Just make sure you are going to eat a meal within 2 hours. Switch your carbs from starches (pasta, bread, cereals, etc...) to more fibrous carbs. such as fruits and vegetables. On your rest days watch the caloric intake even more. You may want to switch to a lighter dinner of lean protein source and vegetables or salad. If you used a Cliff bar for a snack a better alternative would be a piece of fruit and a small amount of nuts. These small changes will keep the weight off going into base training.
Matt Russ has coached and trained elite athletes from around the country and internationally for over ten years.
He currently holds expert licenses from
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