# Diarrhea After Intensive Training



## arcustic (Mar 17, 2010)

I have been having diarrhea over the last 3 months whenever I train intensively. I have no clue to what is happening. I have not changed anything in my diet. I hit the gym 4 times weekly to work on my upper body...duration 1 hour during lunch time. I ride mainly in the evenings for 25 miles/45 km 3 times weekly with 1 longer ride on weekends...45 miles/80 km. On days when I do speed work or intervals, I will get the runs 3 to 4 times the next day. :mad2: 

Consulted a doctor who said that I'm ok based on my heartbeat and blood pressure. Anyone has any experience or advise on this. Thanks.


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## qatarbhoy (Aug 17, 2009)

This is called 'winning the Brown Jersey' - Tom Boonen is the current holder.


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## majura (Apr 21, 2007)

I'm no doctor, but I'm guessing your body isn't getting enough energy while you are training... so it speeds up the digestive process to get the stuff out of what's in your tummy faster, in order to send it where it's needed.

I've had similar things in the past (although only the on the same day) after some very hard rides. Fixed it with carb loading (lotsa pasta) the night before and basically constantly eating and drinking on the bike. Gels, Bananas, Muesli bars, sports drink, water. Eating every 20-30min or so and taking a sip out of my water and sports drink bottles at least every 5-10 min.


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## ZoSoSwiM (Mar 7, 2008)

I've had this happen to me a few times after extremely difficult rides.


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## TheOcho (Jul 2, 2010)

I usually have to rip a massive fart after a tough training ride...but haven't gotten more than what I bargained for yet. 

Try establishing a more regular breathing pattern. Also, eat more solid food.

-Ocho


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## Cpk (Aug 1, 2009)

TheOcho said:


> I usually have to rip a massive fart



I have that all the time :thumbsup:


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## BikeFixer (May 19, 2009)

Cpk said:


> I have that all the time :thumbsup:



+1 :thumbsup:


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## qatarbhoy (Aug 17, 2009)

Draft _this_, wheelsuckers!


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## High Gear (Mar 9, 2002)

As long as you don't have to swap out a water bottle for a roll of TP on the bike. You should be OK. I used to get an upset stomach before pursuit rides, nervs? I would always feel better after the hard effort though....


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## music (Dec 3, 2009)

Poor Fueling. Hence the farting everyone also experiences.

Read on from the Hammer Nutrition site.

http://www.hammernutrition.co.za/knowledge/improve_your_best/


2. Restrict caloric intake to 300 cal/hr during exercise.
If you want to watch your race go down the drain fast, follow the “calories out, calories in” protocol that some “experts” recommend. Fact: your body can’t process caloric intake anywhere near your expenditure rate. Athletes who attempt to replace all the fuels they lose-which can be upwards of 700-900 calories per hour-will most likely end up with bloating, nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea. Sound like a good strategy to you? We didn’t think so.

If you want to achieve your best performance, replenish calories in “body cooperative” amounts, allowing your fat stores to make up the difference, which they will easily do. For most athletes, 240-300 cal/hr will do the job. For lighter athletes, 180-200 cal/hr may be just the ticket, while larger athletes can consider hourly intakes of slightly over 300 cal/hr.

Far too many athletes think they need to match calories out with equal amounts of calories in. They’re usually the ones on the side of the road or off the back, waiting for their stomach to stop rebelling. If you follow a more sensible caloric intake, you’ll be blowing by them, not joining them.


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## Kerry Irons (Feb 25, 2002)

*Experts?*



music said:


> If you want to watch your race go down the drain fast, follow the “calories out, calories in” protocol that some “experts” recommend.QUOTE]
> 
> Really? Who are these "experts"? In all my reading on this subject, I've never heard such a recommendation. Even Bicycling magazine knows that 300-400 calories per hour is the maximum your body can process during exercise. It sounds to me like Hammer is just trying to make themselves sound smart with a classic "straw man" argument to take down.


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## dgeesaman (Jun 9, 2010)

I've fought this issue as a runner for years. In my case it often developed during my running workout forcing me to cut my routes short.

Some things to consider:
- Intense exercise releases endorphins and other fancy chemicals that suppress pain but these same chemicals are also used to communicate within your gut. It's been theorized that this is why so many people have gut issues during exercise.
- Eat more roughage, less fiber. I find that eating plenty of celery helps. Green beans are good too.
- Are you eating anything new during your workouts? Perhaps a sports drink or something different than before.
- You may be developing a minor intestinal disorder, and the intense exercise aggravates it. If/when you take your next rest period from training (you do take a week off every now and again I hope) note whether that changes things.
- When working out, the gut is forced to operate on an extremely reduced set of resources w.r.t. blood flow. Consider whether the food in your stomach and gut are not going to exit early if your gut is forced to shut down during exercise.

Google "exercise-induced diarrhea" for more information.

Good luck.


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## shoerhino (Aug 13, 2004)

I've had similar problems, although not frequent, and asked this question to a GI doctor. He said that intense physical exercise can cause gastric ischemia, which means that you body redirects blood to the muscles instead of the GI tract and causes the GI tract to malfunction.

http://jap.physiology.org/cgi/content/full/91/2/866

From the study:
"gastric ischemia can develop after only 10 min of maximum physical exercise. The development of gastric ischemia strongly depended on exercise intensity."

This doesn't mean that's what's happen for sure and as other posters have mentioned, there are a lot of other causes. For me, I changed some of the diet and that seemed to make the problem go away.


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## arcustic (Mar 17, 2010)

majura said:


> I'm no doctor, but I'm guessing your body isn't getting enough energy while you are training... so it speeds up the digestive process to get the stuff out of what's in your tummy faster, in order to send it where it's needed.
> 
> I've had similar things in the past (although only the on the same day) after some very hard rides. Fixed it with carb loading (lotsa pasta) the night before and basically constantly eating and drinking on the bike. Gels, Bananas, Muesli bars, sports drink, water. Eating every 20-30min or so and taking a sip out of my water and sports drink bottles at least every 5-10 min.


Thanks for your comment Majura. I will take on and try what you have suggested.


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## arcustic (Mar 17, 2010)

Thanks guys for all your responses. :thumbsup: What most of you have mentioned do make sense to me. I will re-look at my diet pattern and make a few changes and see how it goes. As I normally ride in the evening, I will load up my carb and fibre intake after my lunch workout. Will update how it goes after my next hard ride


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## music (Dec 3, 2009)

Kerry Irons said:


> music said:
> 
> 
> > If you want to watch your race go down the drain fast, follow the “calories out, calories in” protocol that some “experts” recommend.QUOTE]
> ...


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## tindrum (Mar 5, 2008)

acrustic, i feel your pain. i have irritable bowel syndrome, which when bad makes it hard to go on long car trips, let alone day-long bike jaunts. luckily i have gotten it under control for the most part, i just know if i am riding the next day i need to really watch what i eat. a good source of non soluble fiber as a supplement has helped me immensely, acacia fiber in particular. i wish i could eat a pizza and ride the next day, but it's not in the cards. i'm probably better off without all the stuff that triggers bad gut days anyhow.


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## greenjeans (Dec 3, 2007)

Heat ? Excessive heat sometimes can lead to that, which in turn leads to dehydration.

In the hot-ass Texas summers every now and then I have the same problem.

Hydrate


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## arcustic (Mar 17, 2010)

tindrum said:


> acrustic, i feel your pain. i have irritable bowel syndrome, which when bad makes it hard to go on long car trips, let alone day-long bike jaunts. luckily i have gotten it under control for the most part, i just know if i am riding the next day i need to really watch what i eat. a good source of non soluble fiber as a supplement has helped me immensely, acacia fiber in particular. i wish i could eat a pizza and ride the next day, but it's not in the cards. i'm probably better off without all the stuff that triggers bad gut days anyhow.


Thanks tindrum for your response. I guess I will have to try and see what works for me.


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## arcustic (Mar 17, 2010)

greenjeans said:


> Heat ? Excessive heat sometimes can lead to that, which in turn leads to dehydration.
> 
> In the hot-ass Texas summers every now and then I have the same problem.
> 
> Hydrate


Thank you for your reponse. For my case, I don't think its a dehydration issue. I drink lots of water throughout the day and during rides.


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## arcustic (Mar 17, 2010)

I was having a conversation with one of my gym trainers today and he suspected that its could be due to insufficient rest. He knows my training routine at the gym and asked me about my riding, which I shared with him. I currently sleep an average of 7 hours per day which he thought it's inadequate given the workout that I have. He suggested that I should get at least 8 to 9 hours of sleep.


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## genius1265 (Nov 6, 2009)

While out on a shop ride my freind exclaimed he had to take a sh!t, no convienent restrooms near we rode back to the shop. Only to find a customer in the restroom. He **** his pants right outside the bathroom and started to cry. But yeah I get the runs sometimes especially when i bonk which makes sense according to majura's comment.


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## malanb (Oct 26, 2009)

I do pass gasses after races, or hard training group rides, lots of farts. once i got sick , cus I splashed a puddle of dirty water and springle all over my bottles


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## arcustic (Mar 17, 2010)

Thanks guys for all your comments.

Update.....I have gone on 2 rides over the last 4 days....48km / 30 miles and 80km / 50 miles. On both rides, I ate an hour earlier before riding. I had a egg sandwich with lettuce on wholemeal bread for the shorter ride and a chicken sandwich with tomatoes, lettuce on wholemeal bread for the longer ride. As mentioned earlier, I do consume lots of water throughout the day. Came back from both rides and I did not have any runs....it is so great. :thumbsup:


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