From Beginner to Olympian

From Beginner to Olympian #

There’s been a lot of buzz about sports nutrition lately, as the discipline grows rapidly and a growing body of research proves that a carefully selected diet has a significant impact on an athlete’s performance. This chapter will help you understand why eating right during training is so important to optimize your training and get serious results. Whether you’re a beginner, a young athlete with a lot of energy demands or a marathon runner, understanding what, how and when to eat will dramatically improve your performance.

You probably have some basic understanding of good nutrition: for example, you may know that carbohydrates should be consumed to replenish energy, proteins to repair the body, fats to absorb important nutrients, and vitamins and minerals to maintain a healthy immune system. Next, we’ll look at all of these principles in detail, and I’ll explain why nutrient quality and timing play a fundamental role in sports nutrition. I’ll also explain how proper nutrition:

  • promotes accelerated recovery of the body;
  • optimizes hydration;
  • helps you achieve and maintain your ideal body weight;
  • reduces the risk of diseases and injuries.

I work with athletes of different levels. Today they are the elite, representatives of the national teams, and tomorrow - juniors from clubs involved in the search and development of talent. Sometimes among my charges are members of the soccer academy, and sometimes amateur athletes like those who do sports as a hobby, while setting themselves certain goals: to run a marathon, to take part in the Ironman triathlon competition. And no matter who I work with, it’s always a collaborative effort that starts with the basics of proper nutrition.

In fact, the principles listed below apply to anyone’s daily life, whether they plan to be an athlete or not. One thing’s for sure, whether you’re a beginner or an Olympian, you have to start with a solid nutritional foundation. It makes detailed nutrition plans work wonders. As a result, you’ll be stronger and healthier, and you’ll be able to make all your athletic dreams come true.

Before you read any further #

When it comes to sports nutrition, traditionally daily requirements are calculated for each macronutrient based on an athlete’s weight in kilograms, so throughout this book I will use grams of nutrients per kilogram of body weight, or “g/kg MT” for short, as the unit of measure. Consequently, the first thing you would do well to do is calculate your weight in kilograms.

Features of sports nutrition #

The main difference between healthy and sports nutrition is the attention to detail and the precise calculation of the amount of nutrients needed. In the first case, the ultimate goal is to ensure and maintain good health and reduce the risks of various diseases, while maintaining a reasonable balance: the food must be not only healthy, but also tasty. Sports nutrition, though based on the same principles as health nutrition, is caused by the special activity of man, the essence of which is to squeeze the maximum out of physical activity, whether it is running for 45 minutes three times a week or training for the Ironman. Choosing the right products that meet not only the requirements of a particular sport in general, but also how intense your personal sporting activity is, ensures that you:

  • Provide your body with the right amount of “fuel” to meet its needs during the workout - so you can perform at your best;
  • After your workout, you make good decisions about what to do next, so you can gradually adapt your body to the demands of the sport you’ve chosen.

The secret of sports nutrition is its proper preparation and organization; in fact, you should tie your nutrition to each specific workout to achieve your goal. It’s not just about energy intake and expenditure. I have long lost count of the athletes who believe they are entitled to eat poor-quality but calorie-dense foods just because they train hard. Yet they may well maintain a steady weight and have the energy they need to exercise, but they don’t see - even though they think they should - any improvement. What should improvement look like? In part, they vary from one sport discipline to another, but among the general positive changes are the following:

  • Increase in physical strength and pure body mass;
  • Increased performance in the chosen sport;
  • Consistency between workouts, so that the athlete can give his or her best in each workout;
  • A healthy and sound sleep, a good mood, and a high level of energy.

By replenishing the energy you expend, you can certainly keep up with the pace of exercise, but you’re unlikely to see any real improvement in your daily workouts or your overall performance.

Continue: Sports Nutrition