Carbohydrates and fat for training and recovery

Abstract

An important goal of the athlete's everyday diet is to provide the muscle with substrates to fuel the training programme that will achieve optimal adaptation for performance enhancements. In reviewing the scientific literature on post-exercise glycogen storage since 1991, the following guidelines for the training diet are proposed. Athletes should aim to achieve carbohydrate intakes to meet the fuel requirements of their training programme and to optimize restoration of muscle glycogen stores between workouts. General recommendations can be provided, preferably in terms of grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of the athlete's body mass, but should be fine-tuned with individual consideration of total energy needs, specific training needs and feedback from training performance. It is valuable to choose nutrient-rich carbohydrate foods and to add other foods to recovery meals and snacks to provide a good source of protein and other nutrients. These nutrients may assist in other recovery processes and, in the case of protein, may promote additional glycogen recovery when carbohydrate intake is suboptimal or when frequent snacking is not possible. When the period between exercise sessions is 58 h, the athlete should begin carbohydrate intake as soon as practical after the first workout to maximize the effective recovery time between sessions. There may be some advantages in meeting carbohydrate intake targets as a series of snacks during the early recovery phase, but during longer recovery periods (24 h) the athlete should organize the pattern and timing of carbohydrate-rich meals and snacks according to what is practical and comfortable for their individual situation. Carbohydrate-rich foods with a moderate to high glycaemic index provide a readily available source of carbohydrate for muscle glycogen synthesis, and should be the major carbohydrate choices in recovery meals. Although there is new interest in the recovery of intramuscular triglyceride stores between training sessions, there is no evidence that diets which are high in fat and restricted in carbohydrate enhance training.

The Myths Surrounding Pre-Exercise Carbohydrate Feeding

“…In addition to this, it has been shown that there is no difference in glycogen synthesis following liquid or solid carbohydrates [50,51]. It would therefore be advisable to ingest whichever form of carbohydrate best suits the individual athlete, based on the practical issues of consumption and cost-effectiveness of the product.…”

Nutrition for Recovery in Aquatic Sports

“…After high-intensity exercise that results in high muscle and blood concentrations of lactate, some recovery of glycogen stores in the absence of additional carbohydrate feeding is possible, but sustained muscle glycogen synthesis after exercise is dependent on provision of a dietary source of carbohydrate (Burke et al, 2004). Provided that total energy intake is adequate (Tarnopolsky et al, 2001), increasing carbohydrate intake promotes increased muscle glycogen storage until an upper limit for glycogen synthesis is reached (Burke et al, 2004). The most recent guidelines for postexercise glycogen storage recognize a scaling of requirements according to the fuel cost of training or competition and the athlete's body size .…”

Nutritional Recommendations for Synchronized Swimming

“…Carbohydrate recommendations range from 6 to 10 g/kg of body weight per day depending on the sport, athlete gender, environmental conditions, and total energy requirements/ expenditure (Rodriguez et al, 2009). Burke et al (2004) recommend a carbohydrate range of 5-7 g/kg/day for general training. These ranges are useful in providing individual counseling to meet carbohydrate targets and provide adjustments depending on the time of year, body composition, and training goals.…”

“…Therefore, athletes should be encouraged to consume foods high in carbohydrate within the first 15-30 min after training, because the timing of postexercise carbohydrate intake affects glycogen synthesis. Recovery guidelines from Burke et al (2004) recommend 1.0-1.2 g of carbohydrate per kg of body weight consumed at frequent intervals (0-4 hr) immediately after training. Nutrient-rich carbohydrate foods with a moderate to high glycemic index provide a readily available source for muscle glycogen synthesis and should be the foods of choice in recovery meals (Burke et al, 2004).…”

“…Recovery guidelines from Burke et al (2004) recommend 1.0-1.2 g of carbohydrate per kg of body weight consumed at frequent intervals (0-4 hr) immediately after training. Nutrient-rich carbohydrate foods with a moderate to high glycemic index provide a readily available source for muscle glycogen synthesis and should be the foods of choice in recovery meals (Burke et al, 2004). Drinking additional fluid during recovery is also important.…”