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Pro Nutrition: Oli Beckingsale

"Normally I would be up quick sharp but not this time as I landed awkwardly on a large root. The pain was insane and I'm not sure how I managed to get off the course. The result was a fractured neck of the femur, in other words I'd separated the ball of the hip joint from my leg."

Fast forward four months and Oli is well on his way back to good health. Jamie had this to say:

"Oli is a seasoned pro and he's worked out a lot of coping strategies to get him through what is a tough MTB season. What he hasn't had massive experience with is major trauma and injury, and how nutrition and lifestyle can influence not only the speed but also the quality of recovery. The most important factor is to remove any foods or habits that can feed inflammation and replace them with anti inflammatory foods and habits to calm the system down. In the process of doing this we also wanted to alkalise the diet because a net acidic diet can be taxing on the body. Because of the nature of the injury there were a number of techniques that had to be perfectly timed. For example, I often use high dose digestive enzymes to reduce inflammation, but Oli had internal stitches and there was a real possibility that the enzymes would digest them. We had to wait several weeks for the stitches to dissolve naturally before the enzymes were introduced.

Oli has been great to work with, his motivation and application are spot on. For someone with so much experience to take everything on board so readily is really impressive."

Fi Spotswood: How's it going Oli? It looks like you are very much back on your feet, are you back in the saddle yet?

Oli Backingsale: Yes I'm back into full training now, it has been four months since my the injury and a month since I was able to put weight on the leg. It's been hard work in the gym with Andy at MyLife PT and with Rich Bricknell at Bristol Physio clinic, but I am getting there. Just a bit more strength needed in my dodgy glute. I'm still off the MTB for another few weeks but back on the road bike and riding well in and out of the saddle now.

Fi: Has Jamie had you on any supplements to promote healing?

Oli: I was already on some suitable supplements inc fish oils and polyphenols, but added some specific calcium supplements and some herbal supplements to help reduce the inflammation in the injury.

Fi: How has your overall body composition been during this time? How have you managed to maintain muscle tone and not gain weight?

Oli: I was in the gym working primarily on my upper body 3 weeks after the injury and then aqua running at 4 weeks so I did not have too long off exercise with the injury. No more than I would normally do at the end of the season. This small period off, combined with a reduction in high energy foods and trying to get more of the nutrient dense foods that Jamie suggested, meant that I haven't got too fat!

Like I said I have been working with Andy Wadsworth (MyLife PT) a lot during my rehab, initially on my upper body strength and then after 6 weeks I was able to start working on my lower body a little too. With the need to develop power for my rehab and also the need to get stronger and more athletic for modern mountain bike racing, I have gained muscle mass. At the moment I am 4 kg up on last years race weight which is prob half fat and half muscle.

Fi: Have you noticed a change going from more energy dense foods to the more nutrient dense foods that Jamie has encouraged?

Oli: With my reduction in exercise, I needed to reduce my calorie intake a little. But at a time when I actually needed more nutrients, so the food sources and recipes that Jamie suggested have helped me to do this without feeling like I am dieting or low in energy. My recovery and training has gone well which is good too.

Fi: What foods have you introduced specifically for healing?

Oli: A lot of anti-inflammatory herbs such as fresh turmeric and ginger and a lot of fresh chicken stock, which has been a winner.

Fi: What foods have you left out?

Oli: Normally in my off season I lose the plot a bit with nutrition and eat far too much sugar and drink too much booze, all at a time when my body really needs to recover. It's dumb but mentally I guess it's what I need to do after a hard year! This year with the injury I have had to be as serious if not more so with my diet than in the racing season, which has been great for my overall recovery from what was a tough season of racing.

Fi: Any new discoveries along the way?

Oli: Thai soup. Chicken stock, tum tum paste, coconut milk, pak choi and some other veg. Amazing!

End.

Jamie Richards - Nutritional Contributor

Jamie runs a private nutritional practice based in Bristol and has clients throughout Europe.

He analyses and revises diets for his clients, and uses the most up to date nutritional supplements to help keep competing athletes and weekend warriors free from illness and injury. Training and competition stresses the body and depletes us of essential nutrients. How and when to replace these nutrients is the key to training longer and staying fit and injury free.

He also runs lectures, seminars, workshops and classes on a wide range of topics from female health to preparing for your first marathon. Jamie joins Cyclist No.1 as our expert nutritionist.

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