Nutrition Periodization for Athletes: Taking Traditional Sports Nutrition to the Next Level

Nutrition Periodization for Athletes: Taking Traditional Sports Nutrition to the Next Level

Bypassing the traditional belief that the nutritional element is only important around the time of athletic competition, this “new school” approach highlights the benefits that a year-round, periodized nutrition plan can bring. A variety of training cycles are outlined, accompanied by specific physiological goals such as increasing endurance, speed, strength, and power and improving technique, tactics, and economy. Covering every sport from football and golf to track and field and martial arts, this guide addresses the true needs of athletes who are training and competing on a consistent basis. Bob Seebohar, MS, RD, CSCS, is a practicing sports dietitian who specializes in working with endurance athletes. He has been a competitive endurance athlete for more than 15 years and has competed in all types and distances of endurance sports, including five Ironman races. He is a professional endurance coach and is the owner and operator of ATP Coaching, which provides coaching and sports nutrition services to endurance sport athletes of all ages and abilities. He lives in Boulder, Colorado. Nutrition Periodization for Athletes Taking Traditional Sports Nutrition to the Next Level By Bob Seebohar Bull Publishing Company Copyright © 2011 Bull Publishing Company All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-933503-65-3 Contents Introduction, 1 Energy Systems and Physical Periodization, 2 Nutrients for Life, 3 Nutrition Periodization, 4 Successful Weight Management, 5 Nutrition Supplementation, 6 Special Considerations for the Endurance Athlete, Bibliography, Index, About The Author, CHAPTER 1 Energy Systems and Physical Periodization It may seem odd to begin a sports nutrition book with discussions of energy systems and the concept of physical periodization, but both of them provide a staple in your foundational knowledge of understanding how to use and change your nutrition throughout your training. By knowing about the various energy systems in your body that are called upon during different types of exercise, you will have a much better idea of which nutrients are being used and which are not in your training sessions. If you do not have a clear idea of your physical goals associated with each training cycle, you miss the opportunities to implement specific nutrition strategies that optimize your health and performance. ENERGY SYSTEMS The body's three energy systems that provide you with the energy to fuel your training sessions — from warm-ups to sprints to strength training to long endurance training — are the phosphagen system, the glycolytic system, and the aerobic pathway. These systems are engaged at different times and in different amounts based on the intensity and duration of training. Warm-ups exert a much different metabolic response and energy system demand on the body than does sprinting. Strength and power training are somewhat different than long endurance training. It is these alterations in training load (volume and intensity) that dictate what, when, and how your energy systems contribute to fueling your workouts. The carbohydrates, protein, and fat that you eat on a daily basis and store in your body follow different metabolic paths, and their utilization depends on the intensity and duration of your training. The phosphagen system, also known as the phosphocreatine or creatine phosphate system, is an anaerobic (without oxygen) pathway that supplies immediate energy to your working muscles. The amount of phosphocreatine stored in your body is limited, so this system only provides you enough energy for about 10 seconds of high-intensity exercise. Many sprint and explosive power athletes utilize this system. After the initial 10 seconds of this type of training, athletes typically require about 2–4 minutes of rest to allow regeneration of the phosphocreatine used. It is very important for athletes participating in this type of training to allow this rest interval between sets to allow the energy system to recovery during this maximal energy use. The glycolytic system, also known as glycolysis, is another anaerobic metabolic pathway that functions to break down glucose or glycogen to energy. As with the first energy system, the glycolytic system also has limited stores and provides only enough fuel for about 1–2 minutes of high-intensity exercise. This system also yields lactate molecules, which can be thought of as friends rather than foes. Lactate can be used as an energy source to fuel your muscles at certain intensity levels. The third energy system, aerobic energy, uses oxygen to provide energy and can thus produce a larger amount of energy. Pyruvate, a product of glycolysis, enters the mitochondria (the energy factories of the cell) and generates a constant supply of energy to fuel working muscles for hours and hours. When you first begin exercise with a bout of lower-intensity cardiovascular exercise or a dynamic warm-up, your body utilizes primarily anaer