Athletic Performance--Introduction
Athletic Performance--Introduction
As any nutritionist would suggest, athletes have vastly different nutritional requirements than the average person. Athletes need a different balance of calories and other nutrients to be able to perform their best, recover from exercise faster and more efficiently, and keep and/or build muscle. In addition, supplements are designed to use ingredients that (may or may not) rely on science to enhance the athletes’ workout and recovery. Some of the ingredients that were covered over the last year are proven to support athletic performance for either anaerobic or aerobic exercise. (Anaerobic exercise= weightlifting, circuit training, yoga, or other strength training. Aerobic exercise=running, swimming, cycling, or any “cardio” training.) So, before starting this new series on athlete performance ingredients, let’s review the ones previously discussed.
Protein
The importance of protein in an athlete’s diet cannot de stressed enough. For example, protein requirements for an average 150 pound sedentary person is around 82 grams per day. The requirements for a healthy, active person wishing to maintain their muscle and weight is 100-115+ grams per day. That leads to a difference between these two types of people of between 20-30 grams of protein per day, which is quite significant. When consuming protein, high quality sources like whey protein and/or soy protein should be selected. These sources are high in all the amino acids the body needs to maintain (or build) muscle and recover efficiently. In general, whey protein has been most studied and proven effective for muscle recovery. However, if whey protein is not an option, then soy protein or a combination of pea protein and rice protein (70:30 blend) would be an effective substitute. (Please note: protein needs are highly dependent on the gender, athletic type, and other nutritional requirements. Please consult a nutritionist for your unique protein requirements.)
Taurine
Taurine is a common ingredient found in energy drinks such as Monster Energy or Red Bull. Despite its energy benefits, it has been most studied for cardiovascular health. Taurine is a vasodilator, which means that it increases the size of blood vessels allowing blood to pump more efficiently throughout the body. For the athlete (especially in aerobic exercise), this is especially important. By supplementing taurine, more blood can be pumped to the muscles. This improves muscle strength, performance, and longevity. Studies have shown that taurine also reduces muscle damage and helps regulate electrolyte/hydration levels. Taurine has an accumulative effect on athletic performance, which means that it needs to be taken at least 6 days in a row to produce noticeable results. Ideally, 1-3 grams of taurine should be taken 15-30 minutes prior to an aerobic workout.
Creatine
It is no surprise that most pre-workout products contain creatine as one the main ingredients. Creatine is one of the most well-researched sports nutrition ingredients for improving muscle strength and power during resistance (anaerobic) exercise. Like taurine, creatine has an accumulative effect. The initial “loading” period (5-7 days) requires creatine amounts as high as 25 grams per day (for a 180-pound person). After the “loading” period, a more moderate dosage of 2.5-5 grams per day is recommended. Effects can be noticed soon after the “loading” period.
Grape seed extract
Like taurine, grape seed extract is a vasodilator (by producing nitric oxide). However, the research supporting it as a vasodilator is only animal-based. There are no human-based studies that suggest it functions this way. Despite this, grape seed extract is high in antioxidants. When the muscles are worked either via anaerobic or aerobic exercise, tiny tears occur. These tears causes oxidative damage. To combat oxidative damage, antioxidants are essential to help speed up recovery and reverse the signs of damage. (One sign of muscle damage is post-workout soreness.)
What are some preworkout/postworkout ingredients that you would like to see profiled here?