Nutrition periodization for performance -
However, different blocks of training require different energy demands in terms of fueling training sessions and recovering between training sessions.
Herein lies the benefits of Nutrition Periodization. Aligning your nutrition plan with your training plan can reap substantial benefits in your cycling performance.
Macro-cycle is a fancy term which coaches throw around, usually referring to the larger training periods of a periodized Annual Training Plan ; think: Base, Build and Peak. Similarly, the concept of Nutrition Periodization follows suit by periodizing your diet around the nutritional demands of your training blocks.
The Base Training time of the season is often geared towards accumulating time at low-intensity training levels.
This training phase improves your fat-burning aerobic energy system. During your base training phase, periodizing your diet to include increased amounts of high-quality fats, lean proteins and high-fiber carbohydrates from vegetables can help promote the use of fat for fuel and maximize your aerobic training adaptations.
Among the adaptations includes changes in your body composition. These changes occur by means of improved mobilization of fat for fuel and reducing the dependency on sugars for fuel.
When including a Strength Training component in your annual training program, you should increase protein consumption compared to periods of the year when strength training is reduced.
The additional protein intake during this time can enhance the rebuilding of muscle tissue that occurs following stressful weight training sessions.
Strength training combined with proper nutrition to accommodate the stress both work to increase muscle mass slightly and reduce fat mass significantly. Later in the high-intensity and Race Prep periods of the season, a shift towards increased carbohydrate consumption will be more beneficial.
This is due to the fueling demands required to complete tough sessions. Carbohydrates not only fuel your high-intensity training more effectively, but also help to prevent your body from metabolizing muscle mass. In addition, this helps to maintain your optimal body composition via increased lean tissue.
Reducing fat and protein slightly to make room for more fruits and grain-based carbohydrates will be key to maximize training performance. Additional Suggestions on Macro-Nutrient quantities per training phase. Narrowing the focus from the training block to the training week, we can look at Nutrition Periodization within the weekly micro-cycles of a cycling training plan.
Periodizing your diet to best accommodate these different training days can be of great value to improving your performance and achieving your body composition goals. Day-to-day Nutrition Periodization can be as simple as on big training days you need to consume more total calories; and on lighter training days, or rest days, you need to consume fewer calories.
Take your food choice a step further by manipulating the macro-nutrient intake to match your demands can be even more effective. Food is both fuel and nutrition. Attempting to eat around that concept is key to achieving your optimal body composition and reaching peak performance. To train and compete in endurance sports requires fuel: fat, carbohydrate and protein.
Different phases of training should dictate which foods you consume to meet your fueling and recovery demands. Thoughtful manipulation of these macro-nutrient fuel sources is a way to further maximize your performance. This is Nutrition Periodization at its heart. Our local, in-house….
Your email address will not be published. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Twitter Facebook Instagram Email. What Is Nutrition Periodization? But there is more. The figure above shows a number of tools available to the nutritionist and trainer to optimize training adaptations. Which of these methods should be used depends on the specific goals of the individual and there is no method or diet that will address all needs of an individual in all situations.
Therefore, appropriate practical application lies in the optimal combination of different nutritional training methods. Some of these methods have already found their way into training practices of athletes, even though evidence for its efficacy is sometimes scares at best.
Many pragmatic questions remain unanswered. Working in silos will not work with the periodized nutrition approach and it is essential to incorporate nutrition planning into the long term as well as short term training planning. Free download of the paper in Sports Medicine:.
Periodized nutrition for athletes. Jeukendrup, A. Sports Med Are extreme glycogen loading protocols necessary? Does collagen strengthen connective tissue in muscle? Is fructose bad for health? The optimal ratio of carbohydrates. Does dehydration reduce performance? Iron infusion or injection for athletes.
If you want to find out the best types of protein, optimal amounts, or timing. Click here. Want to know more about nutrition for running. If you want to know more about supplements, the benefits and the risks. General sports nutrition topics can be found here.
top of page. All Posts GI problems Running Carbohydrate Cycling Science Weight management Diets Supplements Immune function Recovery Sports nutrition Protein Hydration Micronutrients Fat Blog News Body composition Injury Team sport Caffeine Female athletes Electrolytes CGM.
As your physiological training Nurrition Nutrition periodization for performance with NNutrition training objectives, your nutritional demands change as well. The basic Periodizatipn of Antioxidant rich superfoods Periodization Vegetable-filled omelets simply that: changing your dietary consumption to match that of your training efforts. Periodizing your diet can be achieved on two levels. The first is the larger training block level of macro-cycles. The second is the smaller weekly level of day-to-day training in micro-cycles. The goal of periodizing your nutrition is to improve your cycling training program in two primary ways:.
Ja also!