Volume 1 | Issue 4
April 2016
Liz Bedell R.D., L.D.
In order to maximize
your performance, you
want to make sure
your glycogen stores
are full.
University of Toledo
Sports Nutrition
Maximizing Performance: Fueling for Practice
If you’re like most student-athletes, you pay close attention to what you eat the
day before you compete. You want to fuel your body in order to preform your
best, great job! What if you came into practice just as fueled, hydrated and ready
to go every day? Your muscles would be better conditioned, more efficient in
using fuel and your performance will improve as a result. You spend hours upon
hours a week practicing, make sure you are making the most of your workouts by
showing up fueled and hydrated. Remember, nutrition is a competitive edge.
How much do I need to eat?
For practices that are 60 minutes or longer and involve moderate aerobic activity
or high intensity intermittent drills, your body uses energy from breaking down
carbohydrates stored in your muscles (called glycogen) and blood. In order to
maximize your practice, you want to make sure that your glycogen stores are full
and you have a steady supply of blood glucose. Carbohydrate intake guidelines
are listed below.
Grams of carbohydrate
Hours before practice
1g/kg
1
2g/kg
2
3g/kg
3
4g/kg
4
Example: Weight in kilograms- divide pounds by 2.2. So 30lbs=59kg. One hour
or less before practice, have about 60 grams of carbohydrates, two hours before
would be 120grams and so on.
What foods are best?
The rule of thumb is that the closer to the start of practice, the simpler you want your food to be.
Your muscles aren’t able to use the energy from a bowl of bran cereal 30 minutes before practice,
but can easily absorb carbs in a sports drink. On the other hand, drink only a sports drink 4 hours
before and you will be hungry during practice.
2
Hours before
1
2
3
4
Foods
Gatorade, Simple Granola Bar, Toast with Jelly, Banana
PBJ, Apple and string cheese, Pretzels and dried fruit, cereal with milk
Turkey sandwich, carrots and an orange, eggs with oatmeal, bagel with
low fat cream cheese
Normal (low fat) meal: wrap with veggies, piece of fruit and milk, greek
yogurt with granola, berries and steamed veggies. Salad with dried fruit,
hummus and pita
What should I avoid?
Foods that are high in fat should be avoided close to practice times because it takes longer for
them to be digested. When your body is digesting, your muscles won’t get as much blood flow and
your performance won’t be 100%.
Everybody is a little different when it comes to the food that they can tolerate before practice.
While a banana might be your go-to, it may make someone else feel sick. Training your gut is
important, so that you can figure out what works for you. Never try any new food or drink the
morning before a competition.
Sports drinks are good because of their concentration of carbohydrates in the liquid, but steer clear
of fruit juice closer to competition, as the higher concentration can cause GI discomfort.
When your body is digesting, your muscles won’t get as much blood
flow and your performance won’t be 100%.
Are Sports Drinks ok? They have a lot of sugar…
Energy
Sports drinks (Gatorade & Powerade) are designed to provide energy to you as you work out. That
energy comes from the conversion of simple carbohydrates (glucose, sucrose, maltodextrin) that
can be easily absorbed and used during exercise so that you don’t have to tap into your muscle
carbohydrate stores as much. So, yes, while there is sugar in sports drinks, drinking Gatorade
during a three hour swim practice is different than snacking on Skittles.
Hydration
Some studies show athletes who drink sports drinks during a long practice stay hydrated more than
those who just drink water. Being hydrated can also decrease your rating of perceived exertion,
giving you mental relief.
Electrolytes
Sports drinks provide both sodium and potassium, nutrients lost during intense exercise and heat.
Overall
You might look at the nutrition label of Gatorade and say “wow, this has as much sugar as a can of
soda!”, but there is a time and a place that that sports drink will benefit you. Sports drinks are
designed to help you improve performance through nutrition as you practice and compete, so it
makes sense to drink them before, during and after practice or competition. However, its not
something that you need to be sipping all day.
Questions? [email protected]