Ammonia small on clothes after training

[fpsanti]

Hi,

I noticed that sometimes my clothes have an ammonia smell after a tennis training.
What could that be? Shall I be concerned and do something about it?

A few facts to note:

1. My natural odor is neutral or not very strong
2. I use mainly synthetic clothes (Hydrogen) for training because they dry faster. Not considering to switch to cotton for sports, I hate when they are soaked, heavy and stick to the body. Merino wool (IceBreaker)is too warm and does not dry as fast as synth.
3. I often drink minerals plus BCAA during and after training
4. My typical tennis training is between 60 and 120 min
5. During tennis training/match my AVG HR is 100, max HR 140
6. Rest HR is 49 at 39y old.
7. I train on average about 3 times per week (or 6h per week)
8. I do not think I am in over training since my HR is quite constant

From what I read googling around it could be several things (in random order):

• Liver/Kidney issues
  • WTF!?!
• Extreme fatigue
  • I feel "normally" tired but not exhausted
• Not enough carbs - burning protein as fuel
  • My diet is about 50% carbs
• Dehydration
  • My urine is rather light yellow/clear

My educated guess is the BCAA I drink during the session which goes quickly into bloodstream and used as fuel. The kidney cannot convert it to urea and the body expels it through the sweat.
Does it make sense?

Thanks!

 

[r2473]

You pi$$ed your pants maybe?

 

[fpsanti]

You pi$$ed your pants maybe?

Good one, but no.
It's usually the t-shirt

Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk

 

[movdqa]

Eat 100-200 calories of carbs 20-30 minutes before working out. Could be bread, oatmeal, etc. Also make sure you're getting enough hydration.

I had this for years and it was due to a combination of lack of hydration and not enough carbs before working out. In extreme cases, you can see blood in your pee.

You might consider a power-drink (with sugar) to see if that helps.

 

[time_fly]

Back when I was into more serious distance running, I had this issue after very long or intense runs. I agree with @movdqa above, I think was because my body was running out of energy and was changing my metabolism to try to compensate, so more carbs before or even during (i.e., Gu, Gatorade, or energy gels) intense workouts helped.

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

I suspect that you are consuming a low-carb or a high-protein diet. Athletes who burn a lot of calories will usually get their most of their "extra" food calories from carbs rather than fat or protein. Tends to burn cleaner. The added carbs can be stored as glycogen in the liver and muscles. Of course, if you are eating a lot of sugar or too much high-glycemic carbs, you could store excess as fat -- particularly if you don't burn as much as you consume.

It is possible for some athletes (some sports?) to adapt to a low-carb, high-protein diet but it is often not easy. I would not recommend a low-carb diet for any longer than a month (or two) unless you have a rare medical condition that dictates it. Not certain if there are any reputable studies that indicate that it is healthy to remain on a low-carb diet for an extended period of time (like months or years).

https://www.runnersworld.com/health-injuries/a20788991/burning-protein-as-fuel/

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

@fpsanti

Oops! Just read the rest of your OP where you indicated that 50% of Calories are coming from carbs. But I'm still wondering if you are consuming too much protein (or BCAA). You in the US? The average American consumes about twice as much protein as their body needs. And the protein requirement for most athletes is only a little bit higher than the average person. So, a good chance that you might be taking in more protein than you really need. With proper protein intake it might be a matter of timing and quality rather than quantity.

Might consider taking BCAAs (or just L-Leucine) only after your workout rather than before and after. Or cut down on your protein intake a bit during meals. Prior to a workout, I'll usually take in some creatine (don't overdo it) and the amino acids, L-Arginine and L-Citruline. If taken on an empty stomach, the arginine and citruline can produce more NO (nitric oxide) in your body and act as growth hormone releasers. Some pre-workout carbs might be ok but avoid protein (other amino acids) if you want the NO/growth hormone release from arginine & citruline. After my workout, I'll take in some L-leucine and other BCAAs. I'll follow this with a moderate amount of whey protein. I'll take in less than the suggested amount of whey protein since I am also taking the Leucine/BCAAs.

For my meals, I'll eat just a modest amount of protein. Usually, white chicken/turkey meat, milk kefir, eggs or fish (usually salmon or sardines). Rarely eat pork, red meat or dark meat. I also take in a fair amount of healthy fats.

 

[sovertennis]

Back when I was into more serious distance running, I had this issue after very long or intense runs. I agree with @movdqa above, I think was because my body was running out of energy and was changing my metabolism to try to compensate, so more carbs before or even during (i.e., Gu, Gatorade, or energy gels) intense workouts helped.

When I was in my 30s and 40s I ran a lot. A lot. Way too much, and got the same odor if I was either carb-deficient, over-trained or some combination thereof . That said, it's hard to imagine getting this odor after playing tennis, unless the OP's fitness and diet are deficient. I've played with people (normally clean, hygienic people) who wear newish synthetic clothes and emit an ammonia-like odor routinely. It may be just the interaction of the elements in your sweat and the fabric in the clothes.

 

[movdqa]

When I was in my 30s and 40s I ran a lot. A lot. Way too much, and got the same odor if I was either carb-deficient, over-trained or some combination thereof . That said, it's hard to imagine getting this odor after playing tennis, unless the OP's fitness and diet are deficient. I've played with people (normally clean, hygienic people) who wear newish synthetic clothes and emit an ammonia-like odor routinely. It may be just the interaction of the elements in your sweat and the fabric in the clothes.

Cotton is a lot heavier and has more capacity to absorb odors. I definitely recall getting this from running. I can't recall if I got it from tennis.