Training and dietary advice

Macronutrients consist of the three core classifications of nutrients, comprising carbohydrates, proteins and fats.  Each plays an important role in effective nutrition.

Carbohydrate

Foods rich in complex carbohydrates such as cereal, rice, pasta and porridge oats, are the most important fuel for exercise in helping to maintain the body’s cost of exertion.  High glycogen (stored carbohydrate) levels are essential when exercising regularly and deficiencies will result in loss of energy, fatigue and a substandard performance.  Wholegrain or unrefined varieties such as brown rice and pasta, wholemeal bread and cereals are likely to contain much higher levels of vitamins and fibre as they are in their rawest state, and are best for the training athlete.

Protein

Protein is especially important when undertaking strength and power training activities, but is also essential in any endurance-based activity.  Protein is the primary macronutrient stimulating growth and repair after exercise and deficiencies can result in muscle wasting and serious ill health.  Protein, whilst excellent for increasing recovery, is also a fundamental component of the body’s immune system for preventing disease and infection.  Excellent sources of protein includes lean meat, fish and dairy, soya and quorn products.  These foods are also high in B vitamins, iron and zinc.

Fats and Lipids

Healthy fats found in nuts, seeds, rapeseed oil, olive oil, flax seed and linseed oil and oily fish are essential for regular exercisers as they contain essential fatty acids called omega-3 and omega-6.  These essential acids can help prevent heart disease, some forms of cancer and obesity when taken with a healthy diet and lifestyle and also reduce cholesterol.  Pumpkin seeds and flax seeds are also excellent sources of fatty acids, and are especially beneficial for exercisers as research indicates omega-3s can increase the delivery of oxygen to working muscles, increasing the aerobic capacity of an athlete.

Hydration

Hydration is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle and crucial to aid exercise training in keeping the body’s temperature stable and delaying fatigue.  As all metabolic reactions in the body take place in the presence of water, dehydration can slow the body’s metabolism, sometimes causing lethargy, nausea, dizziness and headaches.  Experts recommend a minimum of 1.5 to 2 litres per day, which should increase during hot weather.  Additionally, during exercise as much as 500ml per 30 minutes of body fluid is lost during exercise in the form of sweat.  If this is not replaced, the blood in the body will thicken requiring the heart to pump faster to drive the blood around the body to deliver oxygen to respiring muscles.  This places a significant stress to the body and it is therefore vital that exercisers hydrate before, during and after exercise.

Additionally, it is thought that up to 400ml can be lost during a nights sleep, making hydration before early morning training sessions vital for good performance.  Not all fluid intake must be plain water.  Experts recommend a mixtures of squashes, smoothies, sports drinks, tea and coffee for hydrating as a tasty alternative to water and to give a small additional glucose boost to the body.

Weight-loss

To lose weight, in particular adipose fat tissue a combination of both good training and good nutritional habits are required.  The fundamental principle here revolves around ‘energy input –v– energy output’.  Specifically, what is ingested as energy in the form of food and drink, must not exceed what energy is expended during daily activities, including any exercise.  Adding endurance-type aerobic training to a weights programme can significantly increase the total calorific expenditure, which is necessary to increase fat loss.  Prolonged, continuous training of this nature can comprise swimming activities including aqua jogging, cycling, running, rowing and aerobics.  Two resistance-training sessions a week, combined with three 20-40 minute sessions of cardiovascular activity will bring about the desired effect.

Additionally, reducing a daily calorific intake by 15% can help in ensuring calories expended is greater than calories ingested.  However, cutting out too many calories can signal that the body is in famine, causing the metabolic rate to slow and resultantly, indicating calories to be conserved.

Muscle Building

To increase lean muscle mass it is important to combine a high-protein, low-fat diet with a specific high-intensity weight-training programme.  Critical to this is working each body part over 4-5 sets with 9-12 repetitions with approximately 30 seconds recover between sets.  Including some endurance, aerobic activity is also good for increasing lean tissue mass and minimising excess fat, although heavy aerobic exercise can result in muscle tissue being catabolised for fuel.  Diet supplementation is very important when combining intense exercise with a reduced calorific intake, especially increasing protein intake to prevent a loss or decrease in muscle tissue and metabolic rate.

Endurance Training

Training to improve aerobic power and endurance requires considerable effort involving activities designed to stress the cardiovascular system into producing adaptations.  Endurance training may be specific to a particular sport such as swimming or running, although cross-training is an excellent way of increasing all-round endurance.  Endurance training for running should include a variety of different sessions at different intensities.  Longer, medium-paced tempo runs, long runs, fartlek training, interval training, pyramids and hill training can all be combined with strength, conditioning and core stability programs to help increase the aerobic capacity of the body.  Additionally, swimming training can also be integrated with pyramids, intervals, hypoxic and endurance swimming sessions to increase swimming-related fitness and endurance.  Cycling is another excellent means of increasing the body’s fitness with similar endurance runs, time trials and intervals performing a similar function.

An appropriate diet high in complex carbohydrates for energy and refuelling, and protein for recovery are essential in cardiovascular training to achieve the optimum benefits during sessions.

Strength and Power Training

When training to improve strength, high intensity weight training is the central concept to achieve success.  To attain maximum benefits it is important to use a high weight at approximately 75-80 % of a maximum repetition (1rep.max) for 6-8 repetitions, over 3-4 sets.  The sessions should be completed with quality in mind, with a minimum of 3 sessions undertaken per week.  To see power gains, 4 sets should be used, of 3-5 repetitions at 90% of a maximum repetition.  The repetitions should be explosive with the final repetition resulting in near-failure, but with longer recovery periods between sets.  Similarly, rest days between training are important for full recovery and adaptation of the skeletal muscle.  Strength and power training programs should last for approximately 6 weeks with 1 week off for recovery before beginning the cycle again.

Similar to muscle-building training programs, a high protein diet is essential to encourage muscle growth, repair and adaptation.

Author:  L. H. Romecin  BSc. (Hons)
        Sport and Exercise Science, Loughborough University

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