Goodbye, classic treadmill. Welcome, Skillrun. Today there is some good news about indoor running. Science offers new methods of training, technology rejects with innovative tools. The secret? Focus on the quality of training, using the interval training method, playing on tape speed, the inclination of the treadmill and duration of intervals. There's more: if you're an athlete, training in a Skillrun Cass allows you to simulate some conditions that you can find in your competitions, difficult to replicate on the road in common training.
If the desire is to get the largest benefit from every Skillrun Class then you must also focus on a sports diet that does not neglect any detail and that provides the body with every substance it needs. The goal? Make the most of the available energy and optimize the effectiveness of the stimuli that the training can activate.
Tell me which type of training you choose, I'll tell you what to eat
Technogym has developed three kinds of Skillrun Class, three different training you can enjoy with Skillrun. For each, there are some suggestions that you cannot give up if you desire to enhance the effects of each session and have the right energy. Let's discover them together.
Speed Class
This Skillrun Class is designed to improve your basic speed. It is structured by running intervals at high speeds on the flat or uphill and with a high heart rate. Because of the lengthening and shortening cycle of each muscle fiber involved in the exercise, It is essential to start the session hydrated. Poor hydration can increase the risk of muscle injury. Water alone is not enough. To promote hydration and rehydration you need to take water and the main mineral salts.
Sodium, chlorine, and potassium will promote optimal emptying of the stomach of the drink and a positive intestinal absorption avoiding the risk of abdominal discomfort. There is more. If the drink contains, besides to minerals, even a small amount of carbohydrates, gastric emptying will be faster and more effective than water. The latter may remain longer in the stomach.
To ensure optimal hydration, the athlete should take 400-600 ml of fluids in the 2-3 hours before training, about 200 ml in the 20 minutes before. If Skillrun Speed Class sessions are frequent, the suggestion is also to take a small amount of creatine to dissolve in this mixture.
Power Class
This Skillrun class is designed to improve your muscle power. It is structured by short but intense intervals on steep climbs alternating with a high-speed interval of a few seconds always uphill with a lower slope than the previous interval. This is a workout that develops strength applied to speed. In other words, power. For this reason, the hydration instructions in the "Speed Class" paragraph apply.
It is essential to combine these with a correct supply of essential branched-chain amino acids (to be taken shortly before the session) and an adequate supply of protein useful to activate the stimuli induced by the strength component. Betaine, a substance present in some foods such as spinach, can also be of valuable support. The most recent scientific studies show that betaine, combined with a suitable protein quota and training for muscle strength of at least 15 days, can increase muscle power, as well as, already in acute, promote hydration. The advice, therefore, is to choose mixtures of protein powder with high bioavailability as the whey isolated already added to betaine.
Stamina Class
Real jubilation of pleasant sensations, translated into practice, a burst of euphoria. This is the benefit of the aerobic activity that activates the synthesis of some neurotransmitters of the family of endorphins. This is what the Stamina Class promises. It is composed of long intervals of about 4-5 minutes at medium speed and low or no slope, alternated with intervals at recovery speed of which progressively decrease.
From the energetic point of view, it has been scientifically observed that carrying out aerobic sessions with low availability of glycogen (i.e. the reserve of glucose in the form of starch packed in liver and muscles) promotes adaptations to endurance and the ability of muscle cells to oxidize fats. This is true and effective if the training session is carried out at low intensity.
If the desire is to get the maximum benefit from every session with Skillrun Class then you must also focus on a sports diet that does not overlook any detail and that provides the body with every substance it needs
However, as the heart involvement is medium-high (about 85%) of the Stamina Class, it is good to do this session with the right energy, thus avoiding fasting. The advice is to have a snack, preferably based on carbohydrates and with a small amount of protein, 90' before the start of training. An example? Wholemeal bread with a small amount of jam and a cube of Parmesan cheese. If there is no time to eat this snack, then the suggestion is to keep an energy bar or pre-sports jelly in your training bag.
The latter can be taken up to 30 minutes before the start of the session. It has been specially designed by sports nutrition specialists to promote rapid emptying of the stomach but diluted energy. If your Stamina Class is short-lived then you can replace pre-sports gelatin with a sports gel that you can take up to 10 minutes before the start of the session.
Customize your Skillrun energy strategy
There are general guidelines from a nutritional point of view, but every athlete is unique. Everyone’s commitment will be to develop a personalized energy strategy that can meet their needs in line with their times of digestion and absorption of substances. In the next articles, we will go into more detail on each of the topics mentioned in this article.
