Sports and Training Nutrition - Fuelling for the work required
All of us have a minimum daily requirement of energy intake to fulfil normal function. When we exercise, particularly to an intensity or duration that stresses the system to adapt, energy requirements go up to fuel the work and the recovery.
For this reason, we need to ensure that we provide the body with adequate energy on training days. Which fuel source this energy comes from is also an important consideration.
Enter the Performance Plates
Performance plates is a traffic light system that guides you to structure meals that optimally fuel training, and maintain balanced energy and nutrient intake on rest/low intensity days.
We discussed in a previous post about the Macronutrients that Carbohydrates are the primary fuel source for higher intensity or longer duration (>45min) work. To get the best out of a high volume weights session, a HIIT class or long run, consuming carbohydrates is best.
Adequate fuelling will ensure that you optimise your athletic goals, if you have them, such as run times or sports performance, but also promote body composition goals too. If your goal is to build muscle and/or lose body fat (tone up), a higher level of intensity of resistance training is required, with progressively more work volume produced over time. This output will be better fuelled with performance plates.
Glycogen
Carbohydrates are stored in our muscles and liver in the form of glycogen. Muscles will hold on average 400 grams, while the liver stores around 80 grams. This equates to about 1900 calories of energy.
When we exercise at moderate to high intensity, or long durations, these stores are depleted. If not replenished through the diet, following training bouts may suffer. Continued over the long term, negative implications may present, such as compromised immune health and difficulty maintaining/building muscle mass.
So... CarbUp and fuel for the work required!
The Traffic Light System
RED DAY / MEAL
Training sessions with low carbohydrate demands, such as rest days or low intensity training, would be categorised as “red days”. This means the meals would include lower amounts of carbohydrate, and higher amounts of protein and non-starch (fibrous) vegetables.
Important to note though, if eating some carbs on red days, it will not influence health issues or inherently cause weight gain. It's merely a means of energy manipulation to drive body composition change without calorie counting. Generally higher fibrous vegetable intakes, in place of starchy carbohydrates are a way to reduce the overall calorie density.
Below is an example of what a red performance plate might look like and the foods to select to apply it.
ORANGE DAY / MEAL
Training days or sessions with moderate carbohydrate demands would be categorised as “orange days”. This is where continuous aerobic training lasts less than 45min or resistance training comprises of less than approximately 10 hard working sets.
Meals on that day would include lower (albeit adequate) amounts of carbohydrate for the work required and to support recovery.
Below is an example of what an orange performance plate might look like and the foods to select to apply it.
GREEN DAY / MEAL
Training days or sessions with high carbohydrate demands would be categorised as “green days”. This is where exercise sessions or sports last more than 45mins, or are high volume resistance training days (>10 hard working sets).
Meals on a green day would include high amounts of carbohydrate for the work required and to support recovery.
Below is an example of what a green performance plate might look like and the foods to select to apply it.
Summing Up
Carbohydrates are not to be feared as they do not inherently cause weight gain or metabolic health impacts. Using carbohydrate foods to fuel your training on higher intensity/duration days ensures that the adequate amount and type of fuel is provided for long term training success.
The lack of carbohydrate in the diet will require the body to predominantly use fat for fuel. Although, in theory this sounds like the "no-brainer" approach, fat is a much slower fuel source and thus cannot sustain higher outputs.
The type of fuel used for exercise does not determine fat loss, whereby overall energy balance does. Adequate carbohydrate will promote more work, thus promoting increased energy expenditure. It will more greater muscle building capacity through greater resistance training volume.
Lower carbohydrate intakes on non training days is a way to manage overall energy intake when high fibre fruit and vegetables take place of grain and starch foods.
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