Sports Nutrition for Top Athletes
Published January 28, 2009 by Martin Bean
Article provided in association with Maximuscle (click here to see Maximuscle products ideal for boxers).
Athletes in all sports search for aids, nowadays more widely referred to as supplements, to enhance their performance. Dating back as far as 500-400 B.C. warriors would eat lion heart and deer liver as they searched for additional strength, speed or even bravery. Fortunately, things have moved on rather rapidly as we enter the 21st century.
Nowadays, the benefits of addressing the nutritional and training needs of top athletes has received far greater attention—both offseason and on the important day of competition. Over the last decade, numerous well-controlled scientific studies have helped drive significant advances in the training and general preparation of top athletes. Some of the most important developments include:
Energy Drinks
Prior to 1970, athletes were advised that drinking fluids during exercise contributed to negative performances. Subsequently, coaches have discovered that even a miniscule amount of dehydration is enough to damage the performance of even the most well-conditioned athlete.
Athletes exercising for long periods (several hours)—such as long distance runners or triathletes—are also at greater risk, as the length of time they spend exercising gives them more time to drink excessively. Drinking a lot of water in the days or hours before competing also increases the risk of severe hyponatremia, during competition (a dangerous disorder in fluid-electrolyte balance that results in low levels of sodium in the blood).
Clearly, water is better than no fluid intake at all; however, most athletes, particularly those involved in endurance events such as long distance running or cycling, rely on carbohydrate-electrolyte drinks. It's also very common today to see footballers and rugby players sipping on sports drinks at half time or during breaks in play.
So just why are sports drinks superior in comparison to water, as far as use during exercise goes? Well, first of all, these drinks contain important electrolytes (such as sodium), along with carbohydrates, in addition to a small amount of protein. The sodium helps to stimulate thirst and encourage drinking, which improves the body's ability to hold water. The carbohydrates can supply extra energy and this becomes especially important in the latter stages of exercise, whereas protein helps to protect against muscle loss.
Nutrient Training
Quantity (how much food an athlete is eating) and quality (type of nutrient, such as protein, fat or carbohydrate) are the two areas athletes and their nutritionists spent much of their time focusing on. Now, studies have confirmed what strength athletes, such as bodybuilders, have known for years; nutrient timing also makes a big differences to gains in size, strength and power.
Eating nutrients at certainly, most effectively before and after exercising, contributes more positively to both recovery and muscle repair in comparison to the same nutrients consumed at other times of the day.
One example of this is in weight training—studies have shown that protein taken before weight training is actually more effective for muscle growth than when it’s taken post workout. And when you take carbohydrate after exercise, it is absorbed more quickly by your muscles than it would be at other times. Therefore feeding your body with the right nutrients post workout and you’ll replace lost energy much quicker. For top athletes, this results in a quicker recovery, ensuring that they are ready for their next workout.
Creatine
The popularity of Creatine has increased dramatically in recent years with athletes involved in sports that depend on speed, strength and power. Creatine enables you to train harder for longer, and is particularly effective at boosting performance during repeated bouts of high-intensity exercise.
As an example of how popular creatine is, we can take a look at one survey takes over 10 years ago, which showed that 8 out of 10 athletes at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic games used creatine, which is a natural substance found in many foods, such as salmon, tuna and beef. Although it is possible to obtain creatine from your diet, it would be very impractical to eat so much fish or meat during the day to get adequate amounts of creatine.
The creatine in food can also be destroyed by cooking, making it less effective in the body. Because of this, many athletes now rely on sports nutrition supplements that contain creatine, providing them with a competitive edge.
Whey Protein
In the 1970s and 1980s, Protein powders were little more than cheap skimmed milk powder; many people actually found this very difficult to digest without suffering from wind and feeling bloated. Although this type of budget protein powders are still around today, often described as "slow release" protein formulas, the majority of sports nutrition experts consider whey the "Gold Standard" for serious athletes who work hard to develop a strong and well-defined physique.
As we alluded to above, Whey protein is a natural, pure and high quality protein derived from milk. In its purest form, whey contains little to no fat, carbohydrate or lactose. Whey is a naturally complete protein, meaning that it contains all of the essential amino acids required in the daily diet. It has the ideal combination of amino acids to help improve body composition and boost athletic performance.
Whey is also a rich source of branch chain amino acids (BCAAs). BCAAs are important for athletes as they're the first ones used during periods of intense training. Whey protein provides the body with BCAAs to help rebuild and repair lean muscle tissue. Whey is very easy to digest and you will find it is often referred to as a "fast" protein for its ability to provide rapid nourishment to muscles.
Whey also helps athletes maintain a healthy immune system by increasing glutathione levels in the body—glutathione is an antioxidant required for immune health. The demands of intense training take their toll on the body, and any injury or illness at close proximity to competition time can spell disaster for any athlete. Whey protein will help to keep an athlete both strong and healthy by providing valuable support for the immune system.
Convenience
Only a small percentage of athletes have the luxury of being able to devote every hour of the day to their chosen sport. Indeed, many have full-time jobs and a family to take care of in addition to the demands of their daily training, which can take up hours of their day before anything else is considered. That's why sports nutrition products have become so popular.
Carbohydrate drinks, meal replacements, protein powders, weight gainers - all these products allow you to consume high quality food with the correct nutrients at times that are convenient for you. This allows you to live your life to the full as your nutritional needs can be met on the move, at your convenience. Consider these products as healthy fast food without the saturated fat, excess calories and unhealthy sugars.
Sports nutrition has come on in leaps and bounds since the days of athletes believing eating powdered animal organs and whisky would help them enhance their performance. The good news is that these developments in sports nutrition aren't reserved for the select few; thousands of athletes across the country, irrespective of the level they compete at, are now taking advantage of advances in sports nutrition to build more muscle, burn fat, recover faster, feel stronger and improve their overall performance in the gym or their own sporting arena. Is your view of nutrition and sport still stuck in the medieval times?
References
- Grandjean AC. (1996). Diets of elite athletes: has the discipline of sports nutrition made an impact? Journal of Nutrition, 127, 874S-877S
- Grivetti LE, Applegate EA. (1997). From Olympia to Atlanta: a cultural-historical perspective on diet and athletic training. Journal of Nutrition, 127, 860S-868S
- Applegate EA, Grivetti LE. (1997). Search for the competitive edge: a history of dietary fads and supplements. Journal of Nutrition, 127, 869S-873S
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