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Nutrition for Training & Performance

A guide to optimising and recovering from training




Performance nutrition can be thought of as the manipulation of nutrients to support performance and recovery.

The definition above is a crucial distinction from the overarching topic of 'nutrition' which is aimed at optimising overall and long-term health. In performance nutrition, whilst health is very important, the primary focus is on maximising the experience, execution and adaptation from exercise and training.


To do this, performance nutrition is broken into a series of priorities, which can be viewed below:





1 - ENERGY (CALORIES)

Fuel for the work required.


One of the most important skills to develop in training and nutrition is the ability to adapt your energy intake to meet your activity output each day.


You might think that this section will be pushing the idea that you need to consume more food when training. Not necessarily. Instead, I want to differentiate between the different types of training and help you to identify on what days you need to increase or decrease your energy intake.


"I have a goal of fat loss. Shouldn't I use activity to create a greater deficit?"


To a degree, this statement is true. It is definitely a healthier approach to exercise most days of the week and use the calories expended toward your daily fat loss deficit. This is often a lot easier and enjoyable than exercising very little and having to eat even less.


However, exercise should not be thought of as simply a calorie-burning endeavour. It it's so much more than that - mood improver, muscle gainer, fitness enhancer, health booster and more. Thinking of exercise as only a way to burn calories will distract you from the range of additional benefits it provides.


More importantly, even in a fat loss diet, recovery from exercise and activity is crucial. Increasing energy intake, while remaining in a deficit, is very important for keeping your daily expenditure up whilst following a fat loss diet - which will keep your fat loss progress going.




Adjusting calories based on your output


The infographic below shows that as the intensity and duration of exercise or sport goes up, carbohydrate and calories increase accordingly to fuel the work, and restore fuel for the following session, and protein increases, along with overall calories to assist with muscle recovery.





2 - MACRONUTRIENTS

Fuel performance and repair muscle damage.


Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are one of the most important nutrients of concern when it comes to all types of exercise. For any training that is at or above 60% of your maximum intensity, will be primarily utilising stored carbohydrates as the primary fuel. For example, if you are running a 10k and aiming for a specific time, and so will be running at an intensity of 70 - 80% for as long as possible, carbohydrate loading and feeding will be essential for performance and recovery.


How much carbohydrates should I consume?

When it comes to general carbohydrate targets, using a simple percentage of total calories should suffice e.g. 40 - 60% of total calories should be consumed as carbs. However, for athletes, we need to use more specific measures based on individual body size and activity levels.Here are the agreed upon recommendations:




Protein

Protein is the other crucial nutrient for optimising recovery from and adaptations (increased muscle and strength) from training. Regardless of the type of training, with light walking as a possible exception, there will be a degree of muscle breakdown. To repair this damage and ultimately build on it, you must consume sources of all the essential amino acids, through dietary proteins.




How much protein do I need?

Regardless of your activity levels, protein intake is the one nutrient that should be based off of your body weight. This is because different people require different intakes of protein based on their muscle mass and body size. Here are the recommendations:





Fat

When it comes to training and optimising performance, fat is not as important as protein and carbohydrates. In fact, on heavy training or competition days, it is recommended that you bring your fat intake down slightly to avoid bloating, cramping and delayed digestion.


However, it is still an essential nutrient for overall health, hormone production vitamin absorption, cell protection and more.



What are healthy and unhealthy fats?

There are definitely "unhealthy" fats, which are partially hydrogenated (artificially hydrogenated) or trans fats, as you may know them. These are banned in most countries and so you need not worry too much about them.


Unsaturated fats sources are best for overall health and include our omega 3's which are important anti-inflammatory precursors.


Saturated fat has received a pretty bad name based on earlier studies, however, in moderation, there seems to be little risk associated. As a general rule of thumb, you should try and make up 70% or more of your fat intake of unsaturated fat sources from below:




 

3 - FOOD QUALITY

Provide the body with the essential nutrients it requires


Food quality is absolutely essential to not only your health, but also your performance and recovery in training. Many make the mistake of thinking that a high-quality diet is simply another term for an unprocessed, whole-food diet.


Whilst whole food intake does contribute to the quality of your diet, it is not the sole indicator.


To determine the other contributing factors here, let's look at how dietary quality can impact training:



Energy

B-vitamins and several minerals are essential in the process of energy production to fuel our exercise and training


Immunity

Vitamin C, D as well as zinc, magnesium, selenium and iron play crucial roles in a healthy, functioning immune system.


Inflammation

Vitamins C and E are potent antioxidants and have important roles in reducing inflammation in the muscle after training.




How do I optimise my food quality?

Food quality is measured differently around the world. There are a variety of scoring methods adopted by countries to assess the quality of the overall diet. That's not what we are focusing on here though. Instead, we want to make an estimate of the overall nutrient-quality of your diet based on the variety of whole foods, sources of macronutrients and micronutrient intake.



Minimally-Processed Food Choices

Do you consume the majority (not all, that's unsustainable) of your macronutrients from minimally-processed whole food sources?


For example, whole wheat pasta in place of white, refined pasta, wholegrain rice over basmati, lean chicken breast over breaded chicken. Remember, in today's society, most of the foods we eat will have some degree of processing. That's okay , and doesn't make the food any less healthy. We're looking for minimally processed whole foods here (see the list below for examples).




Fruits & vegetables

One of the most important determinants of your dietary quality is your fruit and vegetable intake. Getting a variety of fruits and vegetables every day will ensure you are consuming all of the important vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other phytonutrients (plant nutrients).


Along with these micronutrients, plants are also a great source of prebiotic fibers such as fructans and inulin. These feed your gut bacteria and help them to do good things for us.


Here are some go-to habits with fruits and vegetables, to ensure you are maximising their benefit:


  • Eat the rainbow - different colours symbolise different nutrient profiles

  • Cook your leafy greens - Whilst many believe that eating F&V raw is the best, we need to cook certain plants to release the nutrients from the food matrix. In this case, Iron is more bioavailable when leafy greens are cooked.

  • Steam, lightly fry or bake - Cooking vegetables in extremely high heats can degrade their nutrient profiles, so steaming, lightly frying and baking have been deemed optimal.

  • Make a snack of it - Everyone associates eating F&V with salads, soups and other bland meals (although, I'd argue those don't need to be bland). Make some small snacks with fruit (apple slices w. peanut butter) and vegetables (bell pepper with hummus, celery w. ranch).


Read this post next to for some strategies to increase fruit and vegetable intake.



 


4 - FOOD TIMING

Meal or nutrient timing is the structuring of certain foods to optimise performance and recovery from training. The research does support potential benefits from some meal-timing habits.


However, it is 4th on the list of priorities and therefore should be considered a minor, when compared to the majors of calories, macronutrients and food quality.


Is timing important for all exercise types?

No. This is a crucial learning point. As mentioned above, meal timing is only essential when performance is the key. However, some forms of exercise are engaged in for other reasons than performance such as mental health, wellbeing and calorie expenditure for fat loss. Meal timing is evidently not as important, if at all for these individuals.


Meal and nutrient timing will come in however, in high-intensity activities and sports such as weight lifting, Cross-fit, powerlifting, sport-specific exercise and others alike.


These activities and sports are being engaged in for improved performance, personal records, personal progression and competition.



Pre-training meal timing


Fuel for the Work Required

The first thing you'll need to do is ensure you are consuming enough calories and carbohydrates the days prior and during the session. Read about Performance Plates here


Adjust carbohydrate intake

Carbs provide the primary fuel for our working muscles, especially if the intensity of your session is at or above 60% of your maximum intensity.


Eat final meal 2 - 4 hours before

Carbs provide the primary fuel for our working muscles, especially if the intensity of your session is at or above 60% of your maximum intensity.


Have a pre-workout snack if needed

Carbs provide the primary fuel for our working muscles, especially if the intensity of your session is at or above 60% of your maximum intensity.


Use a supplement if needed

The first thing you'll need to do is ensure you are consuming enough calories and carbohydrates the days prior and during the session




Post-training meal timing


Protein

Protein is a non-negotiable for after training, regardless of the intensity or nature of the exercise. It will supply amino acids to the muscle that has been damaged to help repair and rebuild new tissue. Aim to get 0.3 - 0.5 g/kg in the 1 - 2 hrs after training.


Carbohydrates

Carbs are only needed after training if the intensity and/or volume was fairly to extremely high. In high-intensity training, the goal is to replenish your glycogen stores, but for light resistance, rehab, yoga, low-intensity running, you don't need to.


Water

Post-exercise hydration is crucial for all exercise types. Again for light-intensity exercise, you don't need to adopt specific strategies, sipping as needed should suffice. But after heavy exercise, you should aim to consume 1.5 x the fluid lost as sweat in the hrs after. Read more about hydration here.



 

5 - SUPPLEMENTS

Another one the highly popular areas of nutrition. But much lower on the priority list.


Supplementation for training, performance and adaptations in muscular size, strength and power can definitely be beneficial. Again, this is only the case, if the three other base levels are taken care of consistently.


In this section, I'll give a brief overview of the handful of supplements that can support and enhance both performance in training, but also the benefits from this training.


Supplements that have well-supported benefits include:

  • Whey protein (helps hitting protein goals)

  • Creatine (enhances muscle mass, strength, power)

  • Caffeine (Stimulant for pre-training)

  • Beta-alanine (for untrained and moderately trained)

  • Fish oil (may enhance muscle recovery)

  • Vitamin D (Important for immune function and muscle function)



Pre-training Supplementation

A simple cup of Joe is a great source of caffeine which has well-proven cognitive benefits, can delay the onset of fatigue and improve performance.


A pre-workout formulation can also provide the caffeine prior to a workout but usually comes with many other ingredients and can be a very high concentration of caffeine.


Creatine

Creatine is a natural compound that is produced in the body and consumed through the diet at an average of 1-2 g/day.


By supplementing, you simply increase the amount by an additional 5g/day.


Creatine is very well-studied and is recognised as one of the more effective supplements for muscle gain, strength and power increases and improved recovery.


Whilst it is not overly important to take creatine at a specific time, some evidence points to a slight benefit of taking immediately prior to working out.



Beta-Alanine

Beta-alanine is produced from the amino acid alanine. It's converted in the body to something known as carnosine.


Carnosine helps to reduce the buildup of lactic acid in high-intensity exercise, and so may help to sustain higher levels of performance when taken prior.


Research shows that beta-alanine is more effective in untrained or moderately trained individuals compared with highly-trained people.


Many people experience tingling on their skin whilst taking beta alanine. It's harmless. However, if it's distracting you too much, your training may be suffering more than it is benefiting from the supplement.



Post-training Supplementation

Protein

Whey protein is one of the highest quality protein sources available in the human diet. It's produced by gathering the top foam layer formed during cheese production and freeze drying it into a fine powder.


Whey isn't essential for muscle gain, and for many, hitting protein goals through the diet alone is quite achievable. However, if you do have difficulty meeting the necessary goals on a daily basis, a whey shake every day can help to maximise your recovery and muscle growth.



Fish Oil

Fish oil is the term given for omega-3 fatty acids, more specifically EPA & DHA. These play an instrumental role in the production of anti-inflammatory molecules known as eicosanoids in the body.


Omega-3 fatty acids are incorporated into the lipid membrane of cells where they exert several important anti-inflammatory but also signalling effects on important muscle building processes (McGlory et al., 2014).


Some human studies have reported benefits of fish oil on muscle recovery and building, however, these studies are not without their limitations and more research is required. A fish oil supplement taken daily can be a great addition for overall health, and potentially performance.



Vitamin D

Vitamin D is vastly under consumed in developed nations across the world. The best source of the vitamin is from sun exposure, but small amounts can come from food. It's especially a concern in the winter months of countries further from the equator, due to lack of sun.


A supplement is recommended to most people for overall health. In relation to muscle recovery and function, there is less convincing data as of yet.



BCAA's

Branched-chain amino acids consist of the the three amino acids leucine, isoleucine and valine. These are known as rate-limiting amino acids and required to stimulate muscle protein synthesis.


Early studies may have suggested some benefits to BCAA supplementation for improving strength training and muscle gain. However, whey and animal food sources contain a rich BCAA profile. And so, meeting your daily protein goals through a variety of protein-rich foods will provide all the muscle-building advantages you need.


There's now much more research of BCAA's and they are only seen as beneficial in times where protein intake is not sufficient (e.g. when someone is skipping meals due to time constraints, while training regularly)



Summing Up

And there you have it - a comprehensive run down of nutrition for training and performance. Never forget the priority pyramid at the start of this post. Overall energy (calories), macronutrients and food quality should be prioritised before getting into the minutia of meal timing and supplements.


Fuel for the work required with adequate calories and carbohydrates, and recover optimally with adequate protein intake. I often find once people bring their attention to these factors, the changes they were hoping for, but weren't happening, start happening.

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