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
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