Nutrient Timing (Part 2)

In my previous article “Nutrient Timing (Part 1)” we walked through a step by step process of how to determine your protein and carbohydrate needs using the research we have available to us. For those of you who missed out, I would highly recommend going back to read it before continuing here. For those of you who may have forgotten your numbers check out my “cheat table” below to get an idea of what you need to be getting. Remember the top of the ranges are reserved for the truly elite athletes training intensely for more than 4 hours a day.

Weight	Weight in kg	Carbohydrate Range in grams	Protein Range in grams
160 lbs	72.7 kg	436-727 g	87-124 g
170 lbs	77.3 kg	464-772 g	93-131 g
180 lbs	81.8 kg	491-818 g	98-139 g
190 lbs	86.4 kg	518-864 g	104-147 g
200 lbs	90.9 kg	545-909 g	109-154 g

Now that you all know what you need; we need to discuss when and how to get it all in. To do this, we will use an example athlete and go through his training schedule.  Timing your nutrients appropriately can help maximize your recovery by replacing your muscle glycogen and suppling proteins to your muscles when your body needs them the most. Let’s call our example athlete Mr. Fartlek. Mr. Fartlek is a 20 year old, 160 pound long distance track runner at a large state university. It is spring time and Fartlek is gearing up for his season to begin with 2 a day practices to go along with his classes during the day. Fartlek’s pre-season training schedule is 2 weeks long and has him doing a long run in the morning that starts at 6 am and then a medium run in the afternoon along with an hour of track work starting at 4 pm.

First we get our numbers. Fartlek is on a fairly intense workout regimen at the moment and he will have to maintain this for 2 weeks without a break. Due to these factors, Fartlek will be on the higher end of our ranges that you see above. I would go with a range of 650-700 g of carbohydrates per day and 110-125 g of protein each day. In addition to the carbohydrates and protein, we will add enough calories from fat for a balanced diet.  To do this we assume carbohydrate intake will comprise of 65% of total calorie intake. Time for some quick math and then onward!

Calories from carbohydrates: 550 – 600 g x 4 calories/g = 2200 – 2400 calories from carbohydrates

Calories from protein: 110 – 125 g x 4 calories/g = 440 – 500 calories from protein

Total calories from carbohydrates and protein = 2640 – 2900 calories

Now to add the fat…

2200/0.65 = 3385 total calories (2200 calories from carbohydrates and 440 from protein, the rest is from fat)

2400/0.65 = 3692 total calories (2200 calories from carbohydrates and 440 from protein, the rest is from fat)

So, Fartlek will need 3385 – 3692 calories each day with 110-125 g of protein, and 550-600 g of carbohydrates. Almost ready to build our meal plan! A few goals to keep in mind as you start your planning:

1.       Unless it causes you stomach discomfort or other “bathroom issues” a pre-workout snack containing 30 g of carbohydrate and low in protein and fat can be beneficial

2.       Immediately post-workout (< 30 minutes) consume a snack containing 30 – 60 g of carbohydrate and 20 g of protein can help enhance recovery time

3.       After planning the snacks, divide the rest of your protein needed to hit your range between your 3 meals. Then do the same with your carbohydrates. If you are eating one of your meals immediately after your workout, just make sure you are hitting the minimum marks from goal 2.

4.       If your goal range is too high for you to be able to meet with pre-workout snacks, post-workout snacks, and meals then add a night time snack or other snacks throughout your day as needed.

Using these 3 goals draw up an outline like you see below:

Morning pre-workout snack (5 am) – 30 g carbohydrate

Morning post-workout snack (7 am) – 30-60 g carbohydrate and 20 g of protein

Breakfast (9 am) – 135 g carbohydrate, 30 g protein

Lunch (Noon) – 135 g carbohydrate, 30 g protein

Afternoon pre-workout snack (3 pm) – 30 g carbohydrate

Dinner (6:30 pm) – 135 g carbohydrate, 30 g protein

Night-time snack – 60 g carbohydrate,

Remember these numbers are rounded and there are plenty of times when each meal will not be perfectly even as shown below. Now you have to build a meal plan to meet these numbers you’ve developed. See the example below for to see how it all comes together (no brand names are included for pre-made items but most are similar).

Morning pre-workout snack – Oats and Honey Granola Bar

Morning post-workout snack – workout shake with bananas, strawberries, and vanilla protein powder

Breakfast – 2 pieces of toast with jam, hash browns, apple, egg omelet with spinach and cheddar, cup of chocolate milk, water

Lunch – Foot long roasted chicken sandwich with toppings, baked potato chips, 1 cup sports drink, water

Pre-workout snack – 1 large banana

Dinner – Pasta, meatballs, garlic bread, broccoli, and chocolate mouse

Night-time snack – Bowl of cereal/oatmeal with cut up fruit

Well, there it is. Sure, it is a long process, but it can help to optimize your recovery. I would recommend taking the time to set this up for the most demanding part of your season where optimal recovery is likely to be the hardest to achieve. That is where you will the biggest benefits of a plan such as the one we just went through. For the rest of you who are in the off-season or simply don’t like math, I would recommend the training plates I have below to guide your meal choices.

Michael Coseo MS, RD, LD

References:

Kerksick, C., Harvey, T., Stout, J., Campbell, B., Wilborn, C., Kreider, R., . . . Antonio, J. (2008). International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: Nutrient timing. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 5(1), 17. doi:10.1186/1550-2783-5-17

Prioritizing Your Training

You can do anything, but you can’t do everything.  So you need to get your priorities straight in training.

  

Physical performance is based on the unique expression of five fundamental physical qualities, or abilities.  They are often referred to as the Biomotor Abilities, and they are:

o Speed-how quickly you can fire your muscles to move

o Strength-your ability to produce task appropriate forces

o Skill-your coordination, postures, technique, form, and efficiency

o Stamina-endurance, fitness, that sort of thing

o Suppleness-it stands for flexibility and mobility.  (I guess that’s the closest we can get and still start with “S”.)

When you and your coach decide on training, it is these five abilities that you need to prioritize. You might ask yourself these questions:

What does the task demand?  

If it is a highly technical skill, like pole vault, you might spend most of your time practicing the event.  Indeed, many of the most successful high school vaulters relied on this model – vault a lot and don’t do much else.  On the other hand, if it’s an event like distance running, you might prioritize stamina and speed.  Indeed, many great runners got by on a lot of running, and not much else.

The demands of some tasks are so specific and straightforward that the answer should be obvious.  Sprinting, for example, requires a prioritization of speed above all else.  If the task is a measure of Speed, it better be your first priority!  (For you throwers thinking that for you it should be all about strength, pause for a moment and ask yourself “do they measure who can throw the heaviest implement, or a relatively light implement the furthest?”  Release velocity is the biggest factor affecting distance, by the way).

What is the next step in your development?  

I had the opportunity to work with an absolutely beautiful vaulter who had refined his skills with many hours of rehearsal.  Since his Skill ability was already strong, we prioritized Speed and Strength instead as a way to provide greater energy input into his vault. 

What do you respond well to? 

As a hurdler I had excellent Skill, good Stamina, fair Speed, and poor Strength. I broke down under the presence of heavy strength training, so I emphasized Speed and my favorite Skill components instead.  It allowed me to stay healthy, enjoy what I was doing, and improve my times.

Once you have your priorities straight, be objective in your evaluation of your training.  Does your actual training reflect your priorities?  Are you a sprinter doing interval workouts 4 out of 5 days?! Are you a thrower seeking the burn in the weight room?!  If so, it might be time for a course correction.

-Eric Dudley