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News // Archive: May 2002

  • Vital nutrition for Red Bull 24-hour - only £40-00 for 10kg!
    Matt Hart
    (23/05/2002)

    If you’re competing in the Red Bull 24-hour next month, you’ve got to read this article. Yes I’ve got something to sell to you, but you don’t have to buy it, just make sure that you purchase a large stash of maltodextrin of some description for the weekend. You won’t get a better deal than this though…

    Take a look at the diagram below. It shows how your body works in a very simplified form – in essence, how you get energy to exercise. The most important concept you need to grasp is the importance of carbohydrate. Without it, you don’t get pyruvate and without that you have nothing to combust with fat and oxygen, which is the basis of aerobic metabolism. You also can’t produce lactic acid, which is necessary for your anaerobic system to work effectively. So carbohydrate is pretty flippin important, and if anyone who tells you any different - show them this diagram.

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  • Training Theory 2.
    Matt Hart
    (20/05/2002)

    In order to optimise your training stimulus, you must ensure that the conditions are perfect for this to occur. Make sure that your diet is balanced and that you eat plenty of starchy carbohydrates, for instance rice, pasta, cereals and pulses. A simple rule is that if you are exercising regularly, it is very difficult to eat too much, if what you are eating is low in fat and sugar. Diagram 1 shows that if you eat the correct foods, your recovery rate will improve, allowing you to train more frequently. Also superior nutrition will provide you with the energy and reserves to train more intensively and for a longer duration, eliciting a greater overload and the benefits associated with it (as shown in Diagram 2). This diagram shows how a greater overload will elicit a more significant response and hence better fitness gains.

     

    Performance
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  • Scary cancer link to everyday foods.
    Matt Hart
    (20/05/2002)

    Well, I spat out my rice crispies yesterday when I read a about this stunning revelation in the Saturday papers. According to James Chapman, the Science Correspondent for the Daily Mail, British experts have found significant levels of a cancer-causing chemical called ‘acrylamide’ in our every day foods, even potatoes.

    There are stringent European rulings as to how much acrylamide should be allowed in foods – no more than 10 parts per billion (ppb). Well, these scientists found 310ppb in Sainsbury’s potatoes after they had been chipped and fried (quite a margin over the supposed maximum) and the level increased if the chips became overcooked. Scarily, three varieties of Walkers Crisps were tested with acrylamide levels ranging from 1220 to 1280ppb and scarier still; the chemical was also detected in Pringles, Kellogs Special K, Kellogs Rice Crispies and Ryvita!!!!

    None
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  • TORQ in cahoots with Singletrackworld.com.
    Matt Hart
    (19/05/2002)

    For all you diehard fans of the madformountainbiking.com fitness pages, you’ll be pleased to hear that Singletrackworld.com have welcomed me aboard to write articles for them and answer reader’s questions, so why don’t you pop into their cool site and have a browse around if you haven’t done so already.

    Company Update
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  • A Double Whammy at NPS 2.
    Matt Hart
    (15/05/2002)

    The second round of the NPS this weekend proved highly positive for many of the TORQ-tuned. The course just outside Birmingham certainly wasn’t mountainous, but it had a few testing climbs making it a tougher course than the first round at Thetford last month.

    Race Report
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  • The 'Jason Le Page' files 4 - too much of a good thing.
    Matt Hart
    (07/05/2002)

    Jason Le Page is a Downhill Mountain Biker who lives on Guernsey (one of the Channel Islands for those of you who may be geographically challenged). I’ve been coaching Jason for the best part of two years now and being a very sporting kind of chap, he has very boldly agreed to ‘Go-Live’ with his progress on a monthly basis as a matter of interest to all of you. Every month you’ll be able to log-on to the TORQ site to see how Jason’s getting on...

    Jason writes:

    Ever get a feeling of déjà vu?

    Times are a changing, and the body mass is too! I have to confess to being not only a little slack with my update, but a little bit slack with my diet and training regime! I use the word diet loosely, because although I am not following a set plan (I don't believe in them really, unless for medical purposes) I am trying to watch what I eat (otherwise I miss my mouth!) Too much food and a couple of flagons of ale too many and I have entered the new Mountain Bike race season, with a spare set of tyres that Michelin would be proud of! “I have put on weight” is what I'm trying to say in a roundabout way. From the heady successes at the beginning of the year I have managed to acquire about half a stone in weight, putting me back to 14 ½ stone (or 92 kilos in new money).

    None
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  • Goodbye 'FHM Bionic'... Hello 'Men's Fitness'.
    Matt Hart
    (01/05/2002)

    Just a quickie!

    Alas, my writing exploits with FHM Bionic Magazine have come to an end. It was nothing I did honest! I believe the mag was sadly another casualty of the September 11th catastrophe and was forced to fold in January. Anyway, fortunately I have been taken on by Men’s Fitness Magazine (another cool mag) as one of their panel of experts, and so will continue with my endeavors to make the fitness world a better place to be…


    Company Update
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  • Training Theory 1.
    Matt Hart
    (01/05/2002)

    If you want to get the most out of your training, it really helps if you understand the scientific basis of training theory. Poorly motivated riders may suffer because they don’t train hard enough, whilst the over motivated typically train to the point of exhaustion and never truly fulfil their potential, because they are constantly tired. This feature and the subsequent attachments are designed to provide you with extensive insight into the fundamental principles of training.

    Performance
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