Training question - sweat stinks of ammonia?

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Lewis
Posts: 129
Joined: Thu Aug 16, 2012 1:22 pm
Location: UK - Somerset - Frome

by Lewis

As above. We've had some super hot weather here in the uk recently and I went out for a fifty miler on Saturday. When I got back I was soaked and it reeked of ammonia (piss). Reading online it can be a sign of not enough carbs or water, but I had a huge bowl of porridge in the morning before I went out as well as four bidons of water whilst riding, a coffe and a cherry coke. Has anyone had similar experiences or know how to prevent this? The most catastrophic part of this is my septic sweat is staining my Rapha merino wool vest yellow! :oops: :mrgreen:
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budgetweenie
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Joined: Fri Feb 17, 2012 5:33 pm
Location: Louisiana USA

by budgetweenie

I live in the Southern Coastal US and it's always quite humid here and appallingly hot during the Summers. My sweat usually smells pretty bad of ammonia after a long ride, but not usually while riding (I think the fresh perspiration keeps the fabric flushed out and/or the airflow evaporates the ammonia).

I have found that organic materials such as cotton (and conceivably wool) harbor more smell than engineered synthetics.

I also notice that some riders end up smelling bad while others may not "smell quite as bad". I don't think your condition is unusual...

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HammerTime2
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by HammerTime2

Are you sure no one mistook you for Mark Cavendish when they squirted you with "water" along the way?

DenverScorcher
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Joined: Wed Jun 09, 2010 2:52 am

by DenverScorcher

You are not consuming enough carbohydrates. Your body is using an alternate metabolic pathway to create glucose from protein or fat and producing ammonia as a byproduct, this is then released with your sweat.

... this would be different from "smelling bad", this would be smelling strongly of ammonia

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boysa
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by boysa

+1. This is exactly what is taking place.
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slowrider
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Location: Valley of Fatigue

by slowrider

Its called gluconeogenesis if amino acids are broken down to supply carbohydrates to the brain etc.
Its not the same as ketosis, where liver makes ketone bodies so that the heart and muscles run on fatty acids, and partly the brain too.
Elevated cortisol levels also may add to the effect of protein brakedown. Sometimes bad odor can come from toxins released from fat tissues. This is why they use infra-red saunas in chelation therapy of heavy metals and such.
Some times excess protein consumption causes bad smell also.

slowrider
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Location: Valley of Fatigue

by slowrider

One can not be in ketosis when insulin levels are elevated from carbs, but gluconeogenesis is possible. Ketosis is quite challengin because you have to restrict carbs and protein to stay full ketosis all the time. Keto adaptation for sport performance can take years, but its a metabolic advantage when you turn on genes to also run on fat. And some slow releasing carbs can still keep you in ketotic (like Superstarch, nuts or maybe even raw potato starch). Also MCT oil enhances ketone production alot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqwvcrA7oe8

Lewis
Posts: 129
Joined: Thu Aug 16, 2012 1:22 pm
Location: UK - Somerset - Frome

by Lewis

Thanks guys, some interesting info above. Lol @ the Mark Cav comment - in a word, no!

I have been off the bike for a week or so due to holiday and only back on it this morning. Cooler weather this week. Rode into work this morning on an empty stomach (only 8 miles) and as it's not as hot I don't seem to be sweating as much, but my back sweat still has the pungent ammonia odour (it's most definitely ammonia smelling too, and not just normal sweat smell). I did google it previously and thought that I may not be eating enough carbs, but I am surprised as I think I have a farily balanced diet a,d eat a huge bowl of porridge oats and fruit every morning, then I normally have meat and pasta/chickpeas/some sort of carb at lunch and a similar amount at dinner. Riding to work and back each day I wouldn't of thought i'd need to consume excessive amounts of carbs to support this riding, I can understand people like wiggins who are riding the tour needing to consume tons of calories but I wouldn't have thought I need to up my intake for 'normal' riding?

Haven't really noticed this smell before, perhaps because it hasn't been as bad or perhaps I just haven't noticed it, but I really don't remember it smelling like this.
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Horze
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by Horze

Where you from Britan? Ive never been there but I heard they can get in stores something called Toilet Duck. It's good for cycling apparently, I dont know.

Forget the BS Science explanations. No breakdown of peripheral stores can adequately cover the fuel requirements of the brain and working musculature during workout. The brain needs most* fuel after which time you reach state of Bonk. But you need to be sufficiently trained to be able to reproduce onset of such a state.

More likely explanations is in your fabric producing odour.
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DenverScorcher
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Joined: Wed Jun 09, 2010 2:52 am

by DenverScorcher

Not sure what the above poster is on about...


here is a good laymans explanation of the ammonia smell.

http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/general/q ... /2029.html

and here is a good review on fatigue in endurance cycling if anyone is interested. It is a topic of active research.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16180946

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