Exercise and nutrition must be considered along with recovery when developing a sound training program. I would rank the importance of the different areas of training as:
nutrition and supplementation - 60%
exercise - 25%
recovery - 15%
The body will carry 70% of the energy from your meals into the next day's workout based on a proper nutritional meal plan. The need for pre and post workout supplements can be drastically altered with proper eating habits. When done properly and consistently, a good nutrition strategy can greatly increase the effectiveness of your training. The body's ability to adapt to training can only happen if it is given the tools to work with.
Body Processes
Exercise causes an increase in blood flow and adrenalin to working muscles. These changes favor catabolism (breaking down) during exercise and anabolism (growth) immediately after exercise. These changes can last only a few hours, so the pre and post exercise meals are critical to take advantage of the effect of exercise.
Catabolism- is the breaking down of molecules of fatty acids, glucose (glycogen) and amino acids to be used for energy and as building blocks to repair damage to muscles and tissues after exercise.
Anabolism - the growth phase where molecules are created in building protein (muscle fibers), repairing soft tissue damage and refilling glycogen stores.
The two processes are opposite each other and cannot happen at the same time. As the body uses fuel, no amount of carbohydrates in the body will matter in trying to create glycogen. The process can only happen after exercise. If glycogen runs low, the body uses available sugar in the blood as well as fibre and protein.
The human body stores energy in the form of glycogen. The amount of energy found in each type of compound within food varies:
Food Component Kcal/gram
Fat - 9
Alcohol - 7
Protein - 4
Carbohydrate - 4
Fiber - 2
Pre Workout
Pre-workout nutrition should concentrate on providing energy stores, and taking advantage of increased blood flow to muscle tissue caused by an increase in insulin.
1. Carbohydrates
Sugar is stored in the body in the form of glycogen and is stored in the liver and muscles. Carbohydrates take 4 hours to digest and convert to glycogen in the body. High intensity exercise like HIIT (high intensity interval training) will burn energy at a very high rate. The body does not have the ability to supply enough oxygen to be able to use stored fat as fuel in this process. Instead, it must use the glycogen that was previously stored in the body or sugar brought in from the blood. Increasing the level of simple sugars in blood by eating a pre-workout snack can reduce the amount of glycogen used during exercise. By not relying heavily on glycogen for a portion of the training or competition, the body can perform longer at a higher level.
Strength athletes will consume 75% of their calories in the pre-workout meal as carbohydrates. The remainder is protein to help muscle repair.
Endurance athletes will consume 75 - 100% of their calories as carbohydrates because muscle gains are not the main goal. Eating some protein and fiber will give the body a steadier supply of energy and will help prevent fatigue.
The protein and glycogen used by the body to perform strength training will still leave a great supply of fat for cardio afterwards.
Carbohydrate loading is the process of adding more carbohydrates to your diet to increase the level of stored glycogen in the body. Training should be decreased for up to 5 days before competition and increase carbohydrate intake by 20%.
A typical seven day process would be:
Day 1: Train at 75% of max for 90 minutes, eat a diet consisting of 50% carbohydrates
Day 2: Train at 75% of max for 40 minutes, eat a diet consisting of 50% carbohydrates
Day 3: Train at 75% of max for 40 minutes, eat a diet consisting of 50% carbohydrates
Day 4: Train at 75% of max for 20 minutes, eat a diet consisting of 70% carbohydrates
Day 5: Train at 75% of max for 20 minutes, eat a diet consisting of 70% carbohydrates
Day 6: REST, eat a diet consisting of 70% carbohydrates
Day 7: Competition Day
A new theory that has been promoted recently comes from the University of Western Australia. In the research they did, they suggest a one day process. On the day before competition, perform a high intensity exercise for 2 - 3 minutes. Right after finishing the exercise, consume 12 g of carbohydrates per kilogram of lean body mass over the course of the remainder of the day. This will increase the glycogen stores in your body by as much as 90%.
Please note: carbohydrate loading is only a benefit if you are an endurance athlete competing for longer than 90 minutes. For power and strength athletes, it will only serve to make you sluggish and feel heavy. The real benefit is in the duration - you can compete longer but it will do very little to make you faster.
In choosing carbohydrates, fructose, glucose and sucrose are all high-glycemic sources but fructose absorbs quite slowly so may cause an upset stomach.
2. Protein
It has been shown that a lack of amino acids (the building blocks of protein) in muscles is a major limiting factor to muscles growing properly. The increased blood flow to working muscles can be used to make these amino acids available for the recovery process. Research has shown that a pre-workout protein drink can lead to TWICE as much amino acid uptake in the muscles than when taken as a post-workout protein drink.
3. Timing
In deciding what to eat, take into consideration the type, intensity, and length of the activity. Eating is important, but a full stomach may cause nausea or cramping so allow time for your food to digest before competing. It generally takes 1 to 4 hours but will depend on what and how much was eaten. Each person is different so test how you feel with different foods before a practice session, not before a competition.
If you are competing in an early morning event and you cannot be up early enough to eat a full meal and allow time to digest, eat or drink an easily digestible snack 20 to 30 minutes before the event.
4. Food Suggestions
With differences in the types of sports played and differences in human physiology, the following are general guidelines only. Design a nutrition plan based on your own personal needs.
Foods to Avoid:
a) Foods high in fiber and/or fat may cause nausea or cramps because they stay in the stomach a long time.
b) Some athletes take caffeine as a stimulant to boost their endurance. Unfortunately, it is a diuretic which increases the amount of fluid leaving the body. This causes you to dehydrate and decrease in performance.
Good food choices and timing.
Foods to Eat
3 to 4 hrs before
fresh fruit (apple, orange, peach, grapes)
bread/bagel
pasta with tomato sauce
bakes potato
energy bars
peanut butter
lean meat
low-fat cheese
yogurt
2 to 3 hrs before
Apple and ¼ cup walnuts
bread/bagel
English muffin
Greek yogurt with banana, apple, walnuts, honey
1 hr or less before
Protein smoothie with fruit (pineapple, mango,
peach) and flax seed
Egg white omelet, spinach, whole grain toast and Skim or soy milk
Energy gels
375 mL of sports drink
30 to 40 min before
50g carbs and 5-10g protein
During a workout that last more than an hour, it is recommended to drink a sports drink (like Gatorade or Powerade). They contain electrolytes and glucose to help replace the salts lost in sweat and to maintain blood glucose levels. Depending on the intensity of the activity, take 10-15 fl oz. of sports drink every 15-20 minutes.
Post Workout
To help the body recover from exercise, catabolism must be quickly changed to anabolism to repair damage. The nutrition that you eat post workout will affect how quickly this change takes place. With a fast and timely intake of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, the body is able to begin repairs to damaged tissue and refill glycogen stores.
1. Carbohydrates
a) Uses
Carbohydrates are important for performance and perhaps more important for refilling glycogen levels. Research has shown that muscle tissue will take up glucose much faster right after strenuous exercise. The effects of exercise last for a few hours after training or competition. If the post workout meal lacks carbohydrates, glycogen creation will be delayed. You run the risk of not restoring your levels back to where they were and running out of energy during your next workout or competition. Carbohydrates are important in your diet to keep your energy levels high.
b) Simple vs. Complex
Research has shown that the type of carbohydrates eaten in the pre/post meals and the other macronutrients present such as proteins and fats has no effect on the rate that glycogen is restored. The important factor is to eat an adequate amount of carbohydrates and to do so consistently in your diet.
It is often recommend for cross fitters, cross trainers and other endurance sports to take a Gatorade/Powerade recovery drink with protein/carbs and a scoop of glutamine for muscle recovery. Be aware that Gatorade/Powerade will replenish the electrolytes lost in strenuous exercise lasting over an hour but for an average workout, the extra calories from the large amount of sugar is not worth it.
2. Protein
Protein requirements for an average person are 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight (g/kg/day). Youth have very different protein needs. Children age 4 - 13 need 0.95g/kg/day and teenagers age 14-18 need 0.85g/kg/day.
Daily protein intake for athletes is between 1.4-2.0 g/kg/day. For endurance athletes, stay towards the low end of the scale (1.4 g/kg), towards the center of the scale (1.7 g/kg) for intermittent sports like basketball, soccer and volleyball and on the high end of the scale (2.0 g/kg) for strength athletes.
Research done at McMaster University and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that 20 grams of protein is the optimum amount to consume post workout. More than that, according to the study, has very little effect. This study is quite new and has not been verified by other research. We consider the intake of protein per kg of body weight to be a more accurate calculation based on research findings.
Branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) are an important part of an athlete's diet. Leucine, isoleucine and valine (in a 2:1:1 ratio) have been shown to improve protein and glycogen synthesis, slow protein degradation and aid in mental performance in endurance athletes. It is recommended that athletes consume 45mg/kg of body weight of leucine per day and half as much for the other two amino acids. Most proteins found in animal sources contain the correct ratio and eating a healthy diet will give you the proper amount. Those wanting to take more as a supplement should use the same ratio.
3. Timing
It is recommended that you eat 0.7-1.2 gram of carbohydrate and 0.25-0.35 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight immediately after exercise and then again 1-2 hours later. Protein is essential in post exercise foods as they provide amino acids that are used to rebuild damaged tissues.
The timing of protein intake can drastically affect the ability of your muscles to repair themselves and grow. A steady flow of amino acids in the muscle will optimize growth. Muscle protein synthetic rate (MPS) increases by up to 50% at about 4 hours following heavy training, by 109% at 24 hours and drops down to normal levels at about 36 hours following training. Eating snacks with good sources of protein every 2-3 hours for the first 24 hours can really help muscle growth.
Combining carbohydrates with protein within the 30 minute window after exercise nearly doubles the insulin response resulting in more glycogen being stored. The optimum ratio is 3:1 meaning 3 grams of carbohydrates for every 1 gram of protein.
With a long evening (8 hours) of fasting ahead, eating slow digesting protein for your evening meal will allow a steady release of amino acids into your system until morning. Ideally eat steak or other meat dishes.
4. Fluids
Dehydration will slow down the growth of muscles so is extremely important. The amount you sweat will determine how fast you become dehydrated. Some athletes sweat a lot, others don't sweat a drop. Using the same standard for everyone is unrealistic.
A good rule of thumb is to drink 30-40 ml of water for every kg of body weight. An example would be an individual who weighs 50 kg would require 1.5-2 liters a day. 100 kg would require 3-4 liters, and so on. Another method that is used is to weigh yourself before and after exercise. Add 2 cups of water for every pound that is lost.
As youth athletes age, alcohol use does become a reality for some. Research has shown that consuming alcohol after exercise will impair muscle recovery and lead to dehydration. Alcohol use is not recommended.
Food Suggestions
Chocolate milk is being used more and more by athletes as a post workout drink. It contains the optimal balance between carbohydrates and protein (about 3:1). Use a low fat version to avoid the excess fat and sugar.
Whole foods will have the nutrients and fiber your body needs to recover from exercise. Good choices include:
Protein - eggs, fish, turkey, chicken breast, low fat milk, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt
Carbohydrates - whole grains, fruits and vegetables
Coaching Tips
As a coach or trainer of youth athletes, you play a vital role in their development. When they are training or competing, they will look to you for advice and guidance so standing on the sidelines eating a bag of chips and drinking a soda will not send the right message. Practice what you preach; if you expect youth athletes to eat well, you must also do the same.
My name is Jacques Delorme and I run a youth nutrition blog at http://fuelthehunger.com where you can get all sorts of information on nutrition, exercise and motivation for youth athletes. Visit my site and feel free to leave comments and questions if you need more information.
This article comes from Jacques Delorme and was written on December 21, 2012 on Ezine Database.
The article source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Jacques_Delorme/1371170
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