Nutrition Tip nr 1 from our Italian sports nutritionist Luca Mazzurana
This nutrition tip focuses on the importance of post-training recovery. During your workout, if it is done at moderate to high intensity, your body gets its energy mainly from the glycogen stored in your muscles and in your liver. At the end of a workout, chances are that your glycogen storages are running low, especially if your training session was more than 90 minutes long. It is very important to replenish your glycogen storages to be able to perform well in your next training session, especially if you have multiple training sessions on the same day. There are several phases of glycogen replenishment. Initially, after 30 to 60 minutes after exercise, studies show that glycogen storages can be replenished quicker [1]. The rate of glycogen resynthesis then remains somewhat elevated for another 5 hours, after which it slows down considerably [2]. The following nutrition strategy will replenish your glycogen storages, rehydrate your body and provide protein for eventual muscle breakdown during the exercise.
Nutrition Strategies
▷ Consume 1.0-1.5g carbohydrates per Kg body weight
▷ Consume 10-15 g of high quality proteins
▷ Drink 120-150 mL for every 0.1 Kg of weight lost
What to eat?For a 75 Kg athlete who trained at a moderate to high intensity for more than 90 minutes, a glass of chocolate milk, a muesli bar and some water would provide the athlete with 90g of carbohydrates, 15g of high quality protein and some sodium to stimulate rehydration and replenish exercise sodium losses, preparing his body for the next training session.
This tip also underlines the fact that you do not always need to spend your money on supplement products, but you can recover from a workout by consuming simple, inexpensive and tasteful foods.
References
[1] Friedman, J., Neufer, P., & Dohm, G. (1991). Regulation of glycogen resynthesis following exercise. dietary considerations. Sports Medicine Journal, 11(4), 232-242. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1901662
[2] Ryan, M. (2012). Sports nutrition for endurance athletes. (3rd ed., pp. 98-99, 160-161). Boulder, Colorado: Velopress.
Good luck with your training!
/Luca Mazzurana
