FarParker

Nanci S. Guest MSc, RD, CSCS, Sport Dietitian, Strength & Conditioning Coach

www.powerplayweb.com   

*The following tips are for serious athletes training 2 or more hours per day and/or training more than once per day. These recommendations will generally NOT apply to recreational exercisers (3-5 hrs/week).

• When you train hard day after day your muscles can become depleted in fuel, resulting in poor performance and chronic fatigue. In order to avoid or minimize this depletion you must consume LOTS of carbs every day, and especially post-workout for optimal fuel recovery. Seems obvious? Well in fact only about 50% of elite athletes actually eat enough to fully replenish their muscle fuel (glycogen) storage!
• You MUST eat lots of CARBS immediately after a game/training session to take advantage of the increased enzyme activity that maximizes muscle glycogen replenishment – this window of opportunity occurs from Zero-60 min post-exercise. This means consuming your Carbs within minutes after exercise - before stretching, cooling down or showering. A full meal that includes protein and fat, as well as carbs, can be eaten 1-2 hours post-exercise but YOU MUST EAT “QUICK CARBS” TO REFUEL WELL BEFORE YOUR POST-EXERCISE MEAL (ideally every 60 min until your next meal).
• What happens if you don’t? The next day(s) your performance suffers as your muscles become chronically fuel-depleted. What to Eat? → QUICK-absorbing Carbs - see table below.

Find your body weight in the table below to determine how many carbs you should eat post-exercise (1.2 g/kg) and daily (6-10 g/kg) for intense training (i.e.10-12+ hrs/wk). Add up the grams of carbs from the food lists to determine your requirements.  Remember: what you eat today is your muscle’s fuel for tomorrow.

* These carbs have a “functional” purpose of quick absorption to optimize glycogen re-synthesis during intense training, and should NOT replace the majority of healthier carbs to be included in your daily diet (i.e. whole grain products, beans, fruits and vegetables).

·        If you weigh 130 lbs you need at least 70 grams of Carbs = 1 banana + 710 ml bottle of Gatorade (total Carbs = 75 grams).

·        If you weigh 150 lbs you need at least 82 grams of Carbs = 1 bagel + 710 ml bottle of Gatorade   (total Carbs = 95 grams)

·        If you weigh 180 lbs you need at least 98 grams of carbs = 1 bagel + ¼ cup raisins + 710 ml bottle Gatorade (total Carbs = 120 grams)

·        ALWAYS drink a sports drink (dilute w/ 25-50% water if desired) during longer training sessions (60+ min) This will FUEL you to train longer at desired intensity levels and will attenuate amino acid (protein) use as fuel. Providing these exogenous carbs during training will also help to prevent you from using all of the fuel stored in your muscles (i.e. glycogen sparing), so you can have access to this fuel storage for same day or next day training sessions/competitions.

·        Consume 8-10 servings of a variety of fruits and vegetables daily, to provide your body with valuable antioxidants to help reduce exercise-induced free radical damage and to promote muscle recovery and repair.