CHAPTER 12

Performance Enhancement from a Dietary

Perspective

Pre-Exercise

Meals before exercise should be seen as

a chance to top up CHO and fluids.
Ensure you have allowed enough time
for food to digest in the gut(foods high in
fat, protein and fibre tend to take longer
to digest).
Eat approx 3-4hrs before exercise or a
light snack 1-2hrs before. Food should
be high in CHO and low in fat and
moderate in fibre to avoid gastro upsets.

CHO Loading p319

Used to maximise muscle and liver glycogen stores

prior to endurance competitions.
Greatest benefit for activities longer than 90min in
duration.
Impractical in team sports when matches/heavy
training are scheduled every 3-4days due to
inadequate time to refuel.
CHO loading involves high carb diet(70-75% dietary
intake and 7-10grams per kilogram of body weight)
Can lead to increase of glycogen stores up to 200300%.
Annotate/describe the CHO Loading Process on the
diagram....

CHO loading attempts to encourage the

body to use CHO longer and delay the
use of fats.
Why? Because the use of fats is slower
to produce ATP thus the athletes power
levels decrease.
Fats need more O2 to create ATP,
preventing the additional O2 from
getting to the working muscle.
The point where CHOs are depleted and
fats are used is known as hitting the

Negatives with CHO loading:

Feeling bloated
Weight gain
Fluid retention(2.7grams of water is stored
for each gram of muscle glycogen added)

How can fluid retention be viewed as a

positive for some athletes?

Questions????

Carbohydrate Loading has an associated

level of water absorbtion, how could this
help or hinder performance?
Why cant AFL players carb load?
Your running a marathon at 2:30pm on a
hot day make up a pre-race diet that
would benefit you for peak performance?
How much Carbs should you be
consuming each day the 3 days before
the event if you weigh 70kg?

CHO for Recovery

You should begin replacing/replenishing

burned CHOs IMMEDIATELY after your
competition.
50-80g of CHO needs to be consumed
Moderate to high GI foods are best.

Eg Powerade, sandwiches, vege pizza.

If process is started immediately, stores

should be replenished within 24 hrs.

GI page 324 Read and answer the

following.

Re-cap: what is GI? Examples of low,

mod and high GI foods are.....
Before training/comp eat.....
Whilst exercising consume.....
After match consume.....
Carbohydration is....

Hydration p326

If we dont hydrate we get dehydrated...derrrrr!

Dehydration and loss of plasma fluids and electrolytes can lead
to heat-stress performance decrements.

Sports Drinks

Formulated to replace electrolytes(chloride, calcium,

magnesium, sodium and potassium), water and CHO.
In 2hrs high intensity exercise, 2L of fluid loss per
hour via sweat = loss of electrolytes too.
With imbalanced electrolytes, we cannot regulate
fluid levels in the cells and our blood plasma levels.
Three types:

Isotonic Drinks

Hypotonic Drinks

EG Powerade
Osmolality same as body fluids = fast absorption
NB Same osmolality level & high CHO levels
Omso levels lower than body fluids = super fast absorption
Good for athletes who need to be hydrated quickly but no
CHO replacement needed rapidly (has low CHO levels)
EG Water

Hypertonic Drinks

Osmo levels higher than fluids and massive CHO levels =

slow absorption
Ultra distance events use these.

Sports Drinks

Which is Isotonic, Hypertonic or

Hypotonic?

Rehydration Speed

Two factors influence how fast we

rehydrate:

Speed that the stomach empties into the

duodenum
Rate of absorption through the intestines
into the blood

The higher the levels of CHO in the fluid,

the slower the rate of absorption.
Electrolytes in drinks assist/fasten the
rate of absorption and encourage fluid
retention.

Avoiding Dehydration p329

Strategies to prevent:

Heat tolerance/acclimatisation train in the

same conditions
Modify training/comp to suit fitness/enviro
Fans/ice

vests
Light weight clothing/shade
Plenty of fluid access
Shortened warm ups

Dont exercise/compete in hottest part of day

Clothing/equipment modifications
Hydration plans/strategies to ensure access to
fluids.

CHO Gels p331

Are virtually a dehydrated sports drink

Super concentrated to replace lost CHOs
in long, energy depleting events think
Cadel Evans
MUST be consumed with H2O or will not
be absorbed quickly.
Consuming sports drinks and gels will be
negative as their absorption rate will be
slow and cause nausea.

Questions???

Why would a Mars bar be detrimental to

performance if it was consumed 30 minutes
before a 15km time trial?
How much Carbohydrates should you consume
immediately after exercise? What GI level?
How can we promote glycogen sparing with our
pre event meal?
What sort of drink is a Powerade and why is it so
good after exercise?
What sort of drink should Cadel Evans consume
during the tour de France?

Oral V Intravenous
Hydration

Oral = via mouth; IV = via veins. IV = fast

absorption
IV saline solution restores lost fluids more quickly
than oral hydration and can avoid gastric upsets
and feeling full.
Different sports have rules re IVs. (e.g. AFL
Brisbane)
Prohibited except for legitimate hospital
admissions or clinical investigations WADA 2010
Medical concerns Risk of over hydration, needle
administration, message sent to younger athletes

Performance enhancing supplements,

Dietary Supplements

A supplement is anything additional to a

persons regular diet to achieve a
nutritional goal.
Any supplementation should be done in
conjunction with a
nutritionist/dietician/GP
Egs iron, calcium, creatine, sports bars,
sports drinks, multivitamins

AIS sports supplement

classifications

Group A Supported for use by Athletes (benefit

performance and health) e.g. Antioxidants, caffeine,
bicarbonate
Group B Considered for provision to AIS athletes
only under a research protocol(not enough known
about supplement) e.g. Colostrum, glutamine
Group C No proven beneficial effects(promoted
supplements with no real benefits) e.g. Free form
amino acids, nitrous oxide supplements
Group D Should not be used by AIS
athletes(banned or high risk association with banned
substance) e.g. Androstenedione, ephedra.

Caffeine Supplements

Is legal up until a certain point/level.

Believed to give a glycogen sparing effect and
encourage fat mobilisation. Also seen to reduce
fatigue, encourage alertness and increase arousal.
Increase speed of nervous system and increase
motor unit recruitment, decrease perceived
exertion.
Side effects....
Headaches, dependence, over arousal, increased
heart rate and blood pressure.
Activities that benefit:

Creatine
Supplementation/Loading

Naturally found in meat and fish.

Creatine monohydrate supplement in
powder, tablet, capsule or liquid.
Used for strength and power athletes.
Increase CP stores therefore able to rely on
ATP-PC system for longer.
Seen as a protein assistor
Side effects....
Potential liver and kidney damage, weight
gain, muscle cramping and gastro upsets

Protein Supplements p338

Power & strength activities body

builders/weight lifter
Best benefits are seen to gain protein
through a well balanced diet.
Protein requirements will be higher for very
active individuals, resistance trainers and
endurance athletes to assist with recovery.
Seen to assist with recovery, muscle
generation, hormone & enzyme creation,
immune function
Can lead to dehydration and displacement

Bicarbonate & Citrate

Thought to prevent fatigue when using

anaerobic glyc
Bicarbonate is thought to assist with the
removal of H+ ions thus preventing fatigue.
Down side is that is causes tummy upsets.
Citrate works similarly, but thought to have
gentler effects on the stomach.
Taken in tablet/powder form with H20
Still lots of research being undertaken.

Hydration

Electrolytes help to draw water into a cell.

Sodium is the most important electrolyte for
hydration. When we sweat we lose sodium and it
needs to be replaced.
Hyponatraemia (low blood sodium levels)
brought about by too much water,
hyperhydration (fluid overload), dangerous as
sodium is crucial mineral needed for nerve
impulses.
Hypohydration =dehydrated
Euhydration = good hydration

Sporting Competition Diet

Demands

Aussie Rules

Competition Demands
1

x game plus up to 4 or so trainings

Energy demands differ from position to position
At risk of low iron levels

Pre Game Nutrition

Large

meal 3-4hrs pre game & then small meal 1-2hr before
Pasta/cereals/sandwiches/muffins/fruit

Training/Game Fluid/Nutrition
Fluid

losses are high in game/training. Water and sports drinks

consumed throughout game/training.

Recovery Diet
Begins

asap high CHO/GI with fluids eg homemade pizza &

powerade

Swimmers

Competition
Depends

on event distance. Usually competes in carnivals

and must swim several times in a week or even a day.

Daily Recovery
High

CHO to assist with replenishment/recovery

Fluid in Training
Smart

swimmers hydrate during training water & sports

drinks

Competition Nutrition
Tapering

of training essential
Snacking at carnivals usually rather than meals
High CHO diet

REVIEW QUESTIONS....

Multiple Choice Q1 & 2

Short Answer
Q4

&6

THE

END