Fuel for the athlete

A good strength training program will keep you injury free. Let’s say you have a great strength coach, but are you eating the right foods and at the right time? Young athletes will perform better if they learn what, when, and how much to eat. Let’s start with carbohydrates. Being an athlete is like being a high performance sports car. Cars need fuel, so do athletes. The fuel of choice for the athlete is carbohydrates. At least 50 percent of the calories an athlete eats should be from carbohydrates. This is what your muscles prefer to use as fuel to keep you running at peak performance. 1 gram of carbohydrates = 4 calories and is the fuel of choice before, during, and after activity.

There are two forms of carbohydrates: simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates (also know as empty calories) are found in sweets like fruits, candy, cookies, and soda. They digest quickly and are a good source of immediate fuel. They are not the preferred choice of carbohydrates while playing sports because they affect energy levels.
Complex carbohydrates are found in bread, cereal, pasta, and other starchy foods. Complex carbohydrates are digested and absorbed a bit slower than simple carbohydrates and provide the athlete with a longer lasting type of fuel. When glucose is not used immediately for energy, it is then converted to glycogen that is stored in the muscles and liver. Glycogen is the fuel that allows an athlete’s engine to keep running on all eight cylinders during sports activity.
Protein is made up of small building blocks called amino acids. The body uses 20 amino acids. Of the 20, the body can make 11 on its own. These are called nonessential amino acids. The remaining 9 amino acids are called essential amino acids because the body cannot make them and they must be supplied through the foods we eat. Just like carbohydrates, 1 gram of protein = 4 calories and can be used as fuel for the body.

Protein is only used if there are no carbohydrates available to be used as fuel. Protein is used for building muscle and repairing the body, not for fueling sport activities. A growing teenage athlete needs about 0.8-0.9 grams of protein per pound of body weight. To determine protein requirement of an athlete, multiply weight x 0.8 or 0.9 Example 160x0.8=128 or 160x0.9=144 grams of protein per day.

You want to eat your protein and carbohydrates within 1 hour after your workout or competition to start the rebuilding process of muscle and to restore glycogen levels for your next sporting event.

Posted by: Christopher Sarver, NSCA-CPT