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ENHANCING PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE THROUGH NUTRITION 

Samantha Coogan & Brandon Scheppmann

  • Carbohydrates, fats, and protein play a significant role in an athlete’s ability to perform and recover from exercise.

  • The Recommended Daily Allowance for fats is sufficient for most athletes (Lowerly, 2004) 

  • The body burns carbs and fats simultaneously during all types of exercise.

Athletes

  • Endurance athletes primarily focus on the utilization of carbohydrates

    • Glycogen is the stored form of carbohydrates that is utilized during prolonged exercise (Burke, 2011) â€‹

  • Strength athletes focus on the utilization of proteins to build and repair muscle

    • Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins vital for increasing muscle size & recovery

The Endurance Athlete

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  • Although all three macronutrients are important, carbohydrate intake tends to be the primary concern for endurance athletes

  • Carbs provide mental and physical energy to finish long bouts of exercise or competitions

  • Carb-loading reduces glycogen depletion in exercise bouts lasting longer than 90 minutes 

    • Increase carbohydrate​ intakes 24-36 hours before competitive event (Burke, 2011) 

  • Intra-exercise carbohydrates may be needed during exercise bouts lasting longer than 90 minutes to increase performance (Burke, 2011)

  • Simple carbohydrates are preferable over complex as they are more easily digestible.

    • Good options: Fruits, sports drinks, specially designed chews or gels

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  • Adequate protein intake facilitates proper recovery (Jager, et al., 2017)

    • 1.2-2.0 Grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight per day is recommended (Caspero, 2017)

The Strength Athlete

  • Strength athletes and bodybuilders benefit from a higher protein:carb ratio than endurance athletes (Jager et al., 2017).

    • Protein is vital for muscle growth and recovery

    • ​The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends between 1.2 to 2.0 grams of protein per kilogram bodyweight, per day (Caspero, 2017)

    • Protein consumption immediately following exercise may lead to greater muscle gains due to increased protein synthesis (Jager, et al., 2017)

    • Bodybuilders & Strength athletes may require higher protein intake (Jager, et al., 2017)

      • Far exceeding protein intake is associated with health risks such as kidney damage (Delimaris, 2013)​

    • Increasing protein and carbohydrate intake, before and after workouts may improve performance, recovery, and to build muscle (Slater, 2011)

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  • Strength athletes do not value carbs as highly as they do protein, but carbohydrates are important for all types of intense exercise.

    • Carbohydrates provide energy for workouts as well as help improve post-exercise recovery.

      • Carbohydrate intake will vary greatly depending on the type of sport and individual goals.

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