As a fitness trainer, you may have clients that run the gamut, from those who are just beginning a program of regular exercise to those who are already serious — perhaps even elite endurance — athletes. Have you ever wondered how their sports nutrition needs differ? In fact, one size doesn't fit all when it comes to sports nutrition.
In this article, we break down the difference in sports nutrition needs between serious endurance athletes and those in it for the general fitness benefits of exercise.
Fundamentals of sports nutrition
Regardless of the caliber of athlete, the fundamentals of sports nutrition don't change. It's still about fueling and hydrating before and during exercise, and promoting recovery afterwards. What does change is how you apply those basic concepts.
Hydration
When athletes are working out, their muscles are contracting and generating internal heat. This heat must be promptly dissipated in order to avoid overheating. Sweating is a critical mechanism for ridding the body of heat, but it causes a loss of the very same fluids and the electrolyte sodium needed to remain hydrated. Dehydration doesn't discriminate, and it negatively impacts the ability to exercise when an individual reaches a 2% decline in body weight due to fluid loss. For a client who weighs 150 lbs (68 kg), a 2% weight loss equates to 3 lbs (about 1.4 kg).
What will differ between your low-level and higher-level exercisers is susceptibility to dehydration:
- Serious endurance athletes are likely to train harder and for longer, so they are more likely to lose substantial amounts of fluid and sodium during a training session. For these athletes, the emphasis should be on monitoring hydration status before and after exercise and having a disciplined hydration regimen during exercise such that fluid intake is tied to sweat rate. A sports drink such as Ironman PERFORM™ sports drink can help them remain hydrated and extend endurance. For more on calculating sweat rate, direct them to the PowerBar® Sweat Rate Calculator at PowerBar.com.
- Your up-and-coming athletes won't be as susceptible to dehydration, simply because their workouts won't be as long or as intense. For workouts under an hour in moderate conditions, plain water is usually fine for hydration purposes. In fact, many of these individuals may be interested in losing weight, and therefore trimming their calorie intakes. A disciplined hydration plan is always recommended, such as consuming 3–7 fl oz (100–200 ml) of fluid every 15 minutes or so during exercise.
All bets are off when exercising in the heat or humidity, as this can easily result in fluid losses exceeding the 2% threshold in both types of athletes. In these circumstances, extra attention to staying hydrated during exercise is needed, and a sports drink with the electrolyte sodium is recommended.
One final hydration caveat applies to both types of athletes: During exercise, thirst is not an adequate indicator of fluid needs. By the time that thirst kicks in, chances are the athlete has already lost too much fluid. So reinforce with your clients that instituting a disciplined hydration plan should always be the first order of business when training.
| General Hydration Guidelines |
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| Consume 14–20 oz (400–600 ml) of water or sports drink 2–3 hours before exercise. |
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| Monitor hydration status before and after exercise by checking urine color: Light-yellow color is consistent with adequate hydration. Darker color (think: apple juice) is a sign that more fluids are needed. |
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| During exercise, follow a disciplined hydration plan and match fluid intake to sweat rate; e.g., 3–7 oz (100–200 ml) of fluid every 15 minutes. |
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Fueling
The primary muscle fuels used by endurance athletes are fat and carbohydrates. We all have plenty of fat stores, while carbohydrate stores, glucose in the blood, and glycogen in muscles and the liver are in much shorter supply. The more intense the workouts, the more the body relies on carbs as the fuel source, and long, intense training sessions can seriously dent reserves. Running out of glycogen during exercise will force athletes to either slow way down or stop altogether.
What will differ between those clients who are lower-level exercisers and those who are full-fledged endurance athletes is the extent to which they deplete their glycogen stores:
- Endurance athletes who are consistently working out for 60–90 minutes or more at a moderate to high intensity will significantly deplete their glycogen stores on a daily basis. Consuming 30–60 grams of carbs during every hour of exercise can help delay the onset of fatigue. Appropriate carb sources during exercise are sports drinks, energy gels, energy chews, and energy bars. PowerBar® examples include: Ironman PERFORM™ sports drink, PowerBar® Energy Gel, PowerBar® Energy Blasts™ gel filled chews, PowerBar® Energy Bites, and PowerBar® Performance Energy bars.
- Clients doing lower-level exercise for shorter periods of time generally don't need to refuel during exercise, as they have adequate carbohydrate fuel on board for the task. And here again, they may be interested in controlling calorie intake for the purpose of losing a few pounds.
Both types of athletes need to consume adequate carbohydrates every day to replenish carbohydrate fuel stores; and, of course, the harder and longer the training, the more total carbs needed each day.
| General Fueling Guidelines |
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| If feasible, consume a high-carb, moderate-protein meal 2–4 hours before exercise, or a high-carb snack about 1 hour before exercise. |
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| Once workouts begin to consistently exceed 60–90 minutes, refuel with 30–60 grams of carbs over the course of every hour of exercise. |
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Recovery
Training depletes glycogen reserves and damages muscle tissue fibers, which require repair. It also leads to the loss of fluids and sodium due to sweating. Recovery is the process of reloading depleted carbohydrate fuel stores, repairing and building new muscle tissue, and rehydrating. It's during recovery that your clients will achieve the gains from their training. But if they ignore recovery, they'll plateau in their training, suffer persistent fatigue, and grow frustrated. The body is ready to begin recovery as soon as the workout is over, but the process doesn't begin until the nutritional components of recovery are provided. Exactly what needs to be provided varies by the type of athlete:
- Elite or serious endurance athletes are likely to have just finished a tough workout, with another one on tap for tomorrow, and probably for the next day. They require a comprehensive approach to recovery to keep up with the demands of their training. That means a solid slug of carbs within 30 minutes of working out, along with 10–20 grams of protein. That will get the process jump-started, but a high-carb diet in general is going to be needed to ensure full replenishment of muscle glycogen stores. These athletes will also need to replace the fluid and sodium lost during exercise by gradually drinking about 23 fl oz of a sports drink, recovery beverage, or water for every lb (1,500 ml per kg) of weight lost. Suggest that they consume sodium sources along with fluids, as rehydration will be more effective. For these athletes, Ironman RESTORE sports drink mix is a fast and convenient option for jump-starting the recovery process.
- For those involved in lower-level exercise, the nutritional components of recovery are still required, but there's just less urgency in the timing of their delivery. A post-exercise high-carb snack with some protein is a good recovery habit to get into, and replacing lost fluids and sodium is also important. In general, regular meals and beverages should be adequate for promoting full recovery within 24 hours.
| General Recovery Guidelines |
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| Consume about 40–80 grams of carbs and 10–20 grams of protein as soon as possible after exercise (within 30 minutes). |
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| Gradually drink about 23 oz of fluid for every lb (1,500 ml per kg) of weight lost during exercise, and consume sodium sources along with fluids. |
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| Consume enough total carbs every day to fully replenish fuel stores. |
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PowerBar: your sports nutrition resource
Use PowerBar as a sports nutrition resource for your clients and your business. PowerBar offers a comprehensive line of products designed to help meet the needs of athletes of all types, and PowerBar.com features easy-to-use tools and state-of-the-science practical information to make your job as a fitness trainer easier.
References
American College of Sports Medicine; American Dietetic Association; Dietitians of Canada. Joint Position Statement: Nutrition and Athletic Performance. American College of Sports Medicine, American Dietetic Association, and Dietitians of Canada. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2009; 41: 709–731.
American College of Sports Medicine, Sawka MN, Burke LM, Eichner ER, Maughan RJ, Montain SJ, Stachenfeld NS. American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand. Exercise and Fluid Replacement. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2007; 39: 377–390.
Burke L. Preparation for Competition. In: Burke L, Dean V, eds. Clinical Sports Nutrition. McGraw-Hill Companies, Australia, 2006; 355–384.
Burke L. Fluid and CHO Intake During Exercise. In: Burke L, Dean V, eds. Clinical Sports Nutrition. McGraw-Hill Companies, Australia, 2006; 385–414.
Burke L. Nutrition for Recovery After Training and Competition. In: Burke L, Dean V, eds. Clinical Sports Nutrition. McGraw-Hill Companies, Australia, 2006; 415–453.
Topics:
Hydration, Recovery, Energy, Endurance, Ironman, Performance, Sports nutrition
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