Sports supplements to enhance pre-competition fueling -
Sweat losses per hour can range from. For every kilogram lost during training, an athlete needs about 1—1. The general recommendation is to consume. As mentioned above, this could also be used to provide glucose for glycogen sparing and as a mouth rinse. The average sodium loss per liter of sweat is 1 gram or 1, milligrams as mentioned above, this varies significantly between athletes.
Replenishing these losses post-training and competition is vital to help the body retain the fluids consumed, restoring optimal plasma volume and levels of extracellular fluids. Any athlete should aim to prevent micronutrient deficiencies through a balanced intake that meets total energy, macro, and micronutrient needs.
And while all micronutrients have an indirect role in supporting energy production—and thus performance—there are three we should be extra aware of as they pertain to muscular function and speed:. Calcium aids in the regulation of muscular contraction and nerve conduction.
As we know, calcium facilitates the myosin and actin interaction within the muscle cell. It is then, when calcium is pumped back into the sarcoplasmic reticulum, that the muscle relaxes.
Calcium is also an important mineral in bone health along with vitamin D and phosphorus , which can help prevent bone injury. It is important to note that high levels of calcium in the blood can cause muscle weakness, and supplements should be used under the direction of a physician or dietitian.
Vitamin D has a role in bone health aiding in calcium and phosphorus absorption and playing a biomolecular role in mediating the metabolic functions of the muscle.
Athletes living above the 35th parallel, or those who train and compete indoors, are at the highest risk of deficiency. Supplementation may be warranted in amounts of 2,—5, IUs daily as indicated by lab work. We know iron deficiency, with or without anemia, reduces muscular function and work capacity, as maximal oxygen uptake will be limited.
Elite athletes, especially females, can be at risk of developing iron deficiency. Where opinions differ is on the use and benefit of antioxidant supplements like tart cherry juice. I do not recommend that my athletes use these antioxidant supplements in the off-season or pre-season when our goal is adaptation, as these supplements could negatively influence it.
Instead, they should be used during the season, potentially in the evening before competition or key training sessions. The role of supplementation in positively impacting speed performance lies in providing energy system fuel, preventing acid-base disturbances, and reducing perceptions of fatigue.
There are four supplements I lean on to help optimize sprint performance:. Supplements should be third-party tested with effectiveness and dosages backed by research. Creatine is one of the most studied and safest supplements on the market and, in my opinion, the most impactful on performance. Creatine has been shown to have numerous benefits, but for the purposes of this article, we primarily see performance improvements in repeated bouts of high-intensity exercise with short recovery periods.
Based on our earlier discussion of surrounding energy systems, we know phosphocreatine is the substrate used in the ATP-CP, our main energy system utilized in maximal sprints.
Creatine phosphate provides a rapid source of phosphate to resynthesis ADP to ATP. On an omnivorous diet, most individuals will get between 1 and 2 grams of creatine daily found in meat, fish, and eggs.
Supplementation is then recommended to saturate muscular stores. Creatine monohydrate is highly bioavailable and is what I recommend to the athletes I work with.
Creatine can be taken using a loading phase of 20—25 grams. Creatine intake post-training with carbohydrates and protein is found to enhance creatine storage caused by increases in blood flow and the effect of insulin.
Caffeine can also help with the release of calcium from the sarcoplasmic reticulum, which we discussed earlier. Gums with caffeine content, which are increasing in popularity, are absorbed more quickly and could be taken closer to competition. The half-life of caffeine depends on genetic factors but ranges from 2.
This would be most beneficial in sports with repeated high-intensity sprints 1—7 minutes and may not be beneficial in single, maximal sprint events. Gastrointestinal symptoms are a known side effect of sodium bicarbonate, and tolerance should be tested during non-key training sessions.
Splitting the amount into smaller doses spread over the pre-training period may help. This occurs through the increased synthesis of carnosine, which lowers the ph balance in the muscle by exchanging hydrogen ions for calcium within the muscle, leading to enhanced efficiency of contraction in coupling and excitation.
When compared to sodium bicarb, beta-alanine provides more chronic muscular adaptations. Parathesis is a known side effect of beta-alanine, but it can be reduced by dividing the daily dosage and spreading it throughout the day or using a slow-release capsule.
While your competitors obsess over finding the latest and greatest training fad in speed development, get an advantage by making sure that the V8 engine you built during training has the right high-octane fuel to use all that horsepower.
When looking at nutrition for speed development and competition, consider the Fueling Speed Hierarchy: carbohydrates, protein, hydration, micronutrients, and supplementation.
Implement a few of these strategies into your training, and let those horses sing! More people are reading SimpliFaster than ever, and each week we bring you compelling content from coaches, sport scientists, and physiotherapists who are devoted to building better athletes.
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Thomas T, Erdman KA, and Burke LM. Naderi A, de Oliveira EP, Ziegenfuss TN, and Willems MET. Maughan RJ Ed. HOLIDAY DEALS NOW ON. It is no secret that in the modern world of elite sports, nutrition has become a vital variable that can influence the performance of an athlete and a sound nutritional plan is essential for achieving and maintaining optimal athletic performance.
Evidence supports a range of dietary strategies in enhancing sports performance. It is likely that combining several strategies will be of greater benefit than one strategy in isolation. Dietary strategies to enhance performance include optimizing intakes of macronutrients, micronutrients, and fluids, including their composition and spacing throughout the day.
This is due to the fact that carbohydrates are the main source of glucose. Glucose is converted by the body into glycogen and stored in the liver and muscle tissues. Stored glycogen is then used as energy to fuel athletes during physical activities.
Recommendations suggest that for sustained or intermittent exercise longer than 90 minutes, athletes should consume 10—12 g of carbohydrate per kg of body mass BM per day in the 36—48 hours prior to exercise.
We caught up with Richard Allison, Sports Performance Nutritionist, who gave some insightful pieces of information with regards to fuelling for performance. Preparation is the key to match day, and this starts the day before your match.
Often referred to as Match Day -1, the primary aim is to maximise both muscle and liver glycogen to ensure adequate carbohydrate availability to effectively prepare and recover for the match.
Carbohydrates are the primary fuel source for muscles during high-intensity activities; it is therefore a key macronutrient when preparing players for match play. It is well documented that exercise performance is greatly influenced by nutrition. The key factor in coping with the heavy demands of exercise faced by elite athletes seems to be carbohydrate intake.
Players who begin a match with low glycogen stores will typically cover less distance and complete less high-speed runs, particularly in the second half, which can have huge ramifications on individual and potentially team performance and may contribute to the outcome of the match.
This emphasises the importance of prioritising a balanced diet that will improve an athletes physical performance on gameday. In an epidemiological study composed of three large cohorts of men and women followed for up to 32 years, a higher intake of BCAAs obtained mainly from meats was associated with a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
A review of the effects of chocolate milk on post-exercise recovery found that chocolate milk provided similar or superior results compared to water or other sports drinks, [48] while another review found that low-fat chocolate milk was an effective supplement to spur protein synthesis and glycogen regeneration.
Of note, many studies of chocolate milk as a post-workout supplement are sponsored by the dairy industry, which may introduce bias. Chocolate milk generally contains high amounts of added sugars and saturated fat, and is likely most useful for athletes conducting high-intensity exercise for multiple hours a day, such as professional swimmers competing in the Olympics.
However, for most individuals conducting moderate-intensity physical activity, such as an hour of jogging or bicycling, water is a healthier alternative as a post-workout beverage. Many supplements include electrolytes, which are chemicals that conduct electricity when mixed with water, and include sodium, potassium, and calcium.
Electrolytes are important for hydration and the regulation of nerve and muscle function; for example, calcium, sodium, and potassium all work together to help muscles contract properly.
However, the American College of Sports Medicine has asserted that there is little evidence of any difference in performance between those who drink beverages containing carbohydrates and electrolytes compared to those who drink plain water after exercising for less than one hour.
Learn more about sports drinks here. Workout supplements such as caffeine and creatine may be used to enhance exercise performance for high-intensity, strenuous physical activity, such as training to run a marathon or power lifting.
However, a healthy diet with adequate amounts of healthy carbohydrates , protein , and water is sufficient to fuel the body for moderate amounts of physical activity , such as an hour of jogging or bicycling.
As workout supplements are not reviewed by the FDA for safety or effectiveness, you should consult with a doctor before incorporating them into your exercise routine and discuss if there are any potential contraindications if you have existing medical conditions.
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Home Nutrition News What Should I Eat? What happens to the body during physical activity? When we exercise, our bodies use three main sources of fuel: carbohydrates , fat , and protein. Carbohydrates, which are stored in the liver and skeletal muscles in the form of glycogen, provide the most efficient source of energy during exercise.
Glycogen can be easily metabolized into glucose, which provides immediate energy to fuel the brain, nervous system, and muscles during exercise. As glycogen stores are depleted, the body begins to break down fat to burn for fuel, especially during low- to moderate-intensity activity.
In the latest stages of prolonged exercise when glycogen stores are at their lowest, the body begins to break down skeletal muscle protein for glucose production.
Physical activity can also induce muscle growth, also known as hypertrophy. Weight lifting and other resistance training exercises are commonly used to increase skeletal muscle mass, but cardiovascular exercise like running can also spur muscle growth. Physical activity causes structural damage to muscle fibers, especially when muscles are challenged with multiple repetitions of heavy weights.
A variety of factors influence how rapidly muscles grow with exercise, including the amount of weight lifted and the number of repetitions. Spotlight on protein powder Powdered protein can come from a variety of sources, including eggs , milk e. Protein powders are dietary supplements and are not reviewed by the FDA for safety or effectiveness.
They can often contain non-protein ingredients, including vitamins and minerals , thickeners, added sugars , non-caloric sweeteners , and artificial flavoring. Casein and whey contain all essential amino acids and are easily absorbed by the body, but their speed of absorption differs.
Casein, on the other hand, is not soluble in water and is digested more slowly than whey—when ingested, it forms a clotted gel in the stomach that provides a sustained slow release of amino acids into the bloodstream over several hours. However, multiple studies have found no clear evidence that casein is more effective than any other protein source for satiety or weight loss.
It is a common alternative to milk protein for vegans or people with dairy sensitivities or allergies. Soy protein is absorbed fairly rapidly by the body, although it is not as bioavailable as animal-based proteins.
One study found that soy protein promoted muscle protein synthesis significantly more than casein protein when consumed by healthy young men at rest and after leg resistance exercise, but that soy protein was inferior to whey protein in increasing muscle protein synthesis.
Pea protein is rich in eight of the nine essential amino acids; it is low in methionine, which can be obtained from other sources including rice and animal proteins. There is limited research on the effects of pea protein.
One double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study found that men aged 18 to 35 years who ingested 50 grams of pea protein daily in combination with a resistance training program over 12 weeks experienced similar increases in muscle thickness compared to those who ingested the same amount of whey protein daily.
Hemp protein powder is derived from the seeds of the hemp plant. Although there is little research on the use of hemp protein powder as a workout supplement, it contains omega-3 fatty acids and a number of essential amino acids. However, it is not a complete protein, as it has relatively low levels of lysine and leucine.
References Council for Responsible Nutrition. Economic Impact of the Dietary Supplement Industry. Accessed October, Grand View Research. Thomas DT, Erdman KA, Burke LM. Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Dietitians of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine: nutrition and athletic performance.
Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Kerksick CM, Wilborn CD, Roberts MD, Smith-Ryan A, Kleiner SM, Jäger R, Collins R, Cooke M, Davis JN, Galvan E, Greenwood M. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition.
Trexler ET, Smith-Ryan AE, Stout JR, Hoffman JR, Wilborn CD, Sale C, Kreider RB, Jäger R, Earnest CP, Bannock L, Campbell B. International society of sports nutrition position stand: Beta-Alanine. Hobson RM, Saunders B, Ball G, Harris RC, Sale C.
Effects of β-alanine supplementation on exercise performance: a meta-analysis. Amino acids. Maughan RJ, Burke LM, Dvorak J, Larson-Meyer DE, Peeling P, Phillips SM, Rawson ES, Walsh NP, Garthe I, Geyer H, Meeusen R.
IOC consensus statement: dietary supplements and the high-performance athlete. International journal of sport nutrition and exercise metabolism. Ganio MS, Klau JF, Casa DJ, Armstrong LE, Maresh CM. Effect of caffeine on sport-specific endurance performance: a systematic review. Spriet, L. Caffeine and exercise performance.
Exercise and sport performance with low doses of caffeine. Burke LM.
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