What does Sports Nutrition mean?

Posted on 19th Jul 2010 @ 11:39 AM

Sports Nutrition can have numerous meanings to many types of athlete. To a bodybuilder it would mean building body muscle and mass, whereas to a long distance runner, mountaineer, cyclist or any endurance sport ,Sports Nutrition can mean ,energy boosting, stamina building and fatigue reducing products.

Diet is also a crucial element to high performance. Sports Nutritioncan also refer to specialized diets suitable to athletes.Sport Nutritional Diets vary according to the sport. Jockeys would need a weight reducing diet and bodybuilders a weight gaining diet. Keeping the body at its peak is always essential for a sportsman or sportswomen.

Sports Nutrition to an endurance athlete will mean regular small meals or meal replacements at competition. It will mean carbohydrate boosters to prevent fatigue. Fluid and electrolyte boosts including glucose boosts as, decreased bodyweight due to excessive sweating can cause a drop in performance, therefore fluid, electrolyte and glucose are essential sports nutrition.

Protein is necessary for the bodies quick recovery process after training regularly. Therefore protein supplements are regarded as sports nutrition. Creatine and caffeine to improve focus, alertness and concentration have an important part to play when in competition situations giving the ability to improve reaction time and perform to optimum levels therefore having an excellent sports nutrition value.

sports nutrition to a bodybuilder, wrestler, weightlifter or heavyweight boxer would mean products that help with body mass increase and muscle building products. Creatine and caffeine would improve concentration, focus and alertness for all these athletes at times of competition.

Sports nutrition for some athletes that need to take control of their weight can consist of a calorie controlled diet along with weight loss products. Jockeys,gymnasts, lightweight boxers, rowers, runners and many more all need to keep their bodies fat free. There are many products to aid fat burning and fat loss. Essential sports nutrition for these sports.

• A drop in carbohydrate stores cause fatigue in endurance sports
• Fluid and electrolytes/ decreased bodyweight due to excessive sweating can lead to a drop in performance
• Protein is necessary for quick recovery if you train regularly
• Caffeine improves focus, alertness, concentration and reaction time
• Creatine is proven to increase the ability to perform higher intensity and power based exercise

There are many supplements on the market to increase or improve performance, all considered as sport nutrition aids. Amino acids, Fat loss, Protein, Weight gain, Glutamine, ZMA and many more

the scientific evidence demonstrates short term intake of food supplements with concentrations of branch chain amino acids (BCAA) can increase maximum power and performance in high-intensity anaerobic repetitive work (periods of work and rest) by 5 to 15%. Primarily in bouts of running / cycling, sprints and multiple sets of weightlifting

Cyclists need endurance and energy boosting products, along with fatigue reducers. Bananas can play a great part in the refueling process. They have lots of carbohydrate, potassium (electrolytes) and ride enhancing vitamins

Recent research also shows that regular refueling is far superior to thrice-daily gorging. "We're finding there are limitations that make it impossible to operate efficiently on three meals a day," says Benardot. "It's particularly a problem for active people who have enormous energy intake requirements; they simply need more opportunities to eat." As for how much to eat, in a study of elite gymnasts and runners, Benardot discovered that when we take in about 400 calories more than our current energy needs, the body begins to store the calories as excess fat, rather than boosting immediate energy reserves. On the flip side, when we take in 400 fewer calories than our current energy needs, the body is forced to break down muscle.

The simple solution, according to Benardot: Eat when you know you're going to use the calories. "If you know your expenditure will rise, your intake should rise a few hours before that," he says. This is especially important for runners who need to account for their increased energy needs before, during, and after runs.

While there's no magic number of meals for everyone, most nutrition experts agree three is too few. About six meals spread over 16 waking hours is a good goal for runners, says Stoler. But it's easy to overload on calories when you have six meals to fill. To guard against this, Stoler suggests redistributing your current calorie intake over more meals without increasing the total number of calories.

Because of the huge amount of scientific research put into sports nutrition, scientists have been able to enhance performances of athletes across the board. With the aid of supplements higher goals are reached for, more quickly.

There are supplements available which can block carbohydrate sugar and starch intakes, helping to keep athletes lean. Fat burning drinks that help metabolise fat and keep blood sugar levels regulated.

For the athlete who needs to gain weight there are high protein formulas of many description .

Creatine is available to enhance power along with energy bars, powders, gels, lozengers. Meal replacements in many forms and workout enhancers.

Whatever the sport, Sports Nutrition is an essential area to be studied to reach the peak performance levels that you are capable of.